VANESSA RUBIN
Revered as both a torchbearer and a storyteller, jazz vocalist Vanessa Rubin possesses a voice hailed for crystalline clarity, hearth-like warmth and playful lioness sass. The Cleveland native brings a wealth of diverse influences to her vocal performance from both the Trinidadian/Caribbean roots of her mother and traditional jazz by way of her Louisiana-born father. Additional homespun influences include the melodic bell tone clarity of a young Capital Records recording artist, Nancy Wilson, the fire of Lambert, Hendricks & Ross, the sweet sounds of trumpeter Blue Mitchell as well as her love of the Motown Sound…especially girl groups like the Supremes.
Rubin’s passion for rich musical stories are evidenced throughout her eight albums thus far plus numerous guest appearances. Highlights include the evocative “Voyager II” from the pen of Teri Thornton, “Inside a Silent Tear” written by Blossom Dearie, a refashioned waltz version of John Coltrane’s “Giant Steps” lyricized by New York Voices and an arrangement of “Superwoman” by Stevie Wonder insipired by the Ahmad Jamal recording of “Poinciana”. So while she has one foot planted in tradition – sticking close to timeless melodies and exquisite vocal forms – Rubin waxes adventurous, embracing stories lesser told while employing lessons of acclaimed storytellers in song such as Carmen McRae, Shirley Horn and Freddy Cole.
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JIMMY OWENS
Trumpeter Jimmy Owens is also a composer, arranger, lecturer, and educator. Over the course of his on-going sixty year career he has played with Sir Roland Hanna, Ron Carter, Billy Cobham, Benny Golson, Hubert Laws, and Tom McIntosh, Frank Wess, Seldon Powell, Barry Galbraith, Bob Cranshaw, Duke Ellington, Lionel Hampton, Charles Mingus, Hank Crawford, Dizzy Gillespie, Count Basie, and Herbie Mann, among many others. Since 1969, he has led his own group, Jimmy Owens Plus.
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EUGENIE JONES
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EUGENIE JONES
Eugenie Jones is an American jazz vocalist, songwriter, and producer. She has collaborated with many jazz artists, including Reggie Workman, Bernard Purdie, Julian Priester, Bobby Sanabria, Lynn Seaton, Marquis Hill, Bill Anschell, and Lonnie Plaxico.
She received the Jazz Hero Award by the Jazz Journalist Association in 2023. Jones writes original straight-ahead, swing, and soul-infused jazz lyrics and melodies and is also known for divergently creative arrangements of Great American Songbook jazz standards.
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ALLAN HARRIS BAND
Allan Harris: Captivating Jazz Vocalist and Guitarist
Aptly described by the Miami Herald as an artist blessed with “the warmth of Tony Bennett, the bite and rhythmic sense of Sinatra, and the sly elegance of Nat ‘King’ Cole,” Allan Harris is a Brooklyn-born, Harlem-based vocalist, guitarist, songwriter, and band leader. With an impressive discography boasting fourteen recordings as a leader, Harris has established himself as one of the jazz world’s most acclaimed vocalists, possessing a potent combination of dynamic vocal abilities, impeccable phrasing, and powerful emotional resonance.
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