NICOLE HENRY
2024 marks Nicole Henry’s 20th Anniversary of her debut CD release, “The Nearness of You.” In celebrating, Henry will perform songs from her 8-CD repertoire and tell stories of her journey!
Celebrating a 20-year recording career with eight critically acclaimed chart-topping albums, Nicole Henry is the recipient of a Soul Train Award for “Best Traditional Jazz Performance,” and she has garnered four Top-Ten jazz albums on the U.S. Billboard, JazzWeek, HMV Japan, and U.K. Sweet Rhythms charts. Hot House Jazz said, “Few voices can set a listening room on fire, then let it burn into a cinder like Nicole Henry’s.” The New York Times, Miami Herald, and Jazz Times Magazine have compared her to Sarah Vaughan, Natalie Cole and Whitney Houston for her dynamic range, impeccable phrasing, and ability to connect to a lyric. Whether burning through a swing tune or gently caressing a ballad, Nicole truly makes each song uniquely her own and “aims right for the emotional center.” (Billboard)
Henry has toured in over 20 countries and has recorded with musical greats Kirk Whalum, Julian Lage, John Clayton, and Gerald Clayton. She’s also performed with the Duke Ellington Orchestra, the Henry Mancini Institute Orchestra, Pasadena Pops, Michael Feinstein, saxophonist Paul Taylor and more.
Admission: $35.00 | $7.00 fee
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The Jazz Voyager
The Jazz Voyager is taking the next letter of the alphabet and continuing to head west to the Emerald City in the Beaver state. Beyond its world class athletes, home of Nike, and tech giants, this small shire also boasts its love of jazz. Eugene, Oregon is where The Jazz Station is located downtown in the heart of the entertainment corridor. This intimate 70 seat non-profit all-age venue has been a jazz mainstay of the city for over 15 years.
Taking the stage this week is saxophonist Idit Schner and I have the opportunity to do something that I so enjoy, seeing someone perform I’ve never seen before. I look forward to hearing her blend Zimbabwean folk music and jazz. As an educator of classical and jazz music at the University of Oregon, she has received several teaching awards.
The Jazz Station’s address is 124 W Broadway 97401. For more information visit https://thejazzstation.org/.
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The Jazz Voyager
The Jazz Voyager has taken a couple of days to drive thirteen hundred miles from Detroit to Denver having never seen Iowa and Nebraska first hand with a stop in Chi-town for a little jazz on the way. The destination is Dazzle, an intimate 140 seat that can be expanded to another hundred. Located in the Denver Arts Complex, the venue has hopefully reached its final location.
This week I get to see one of my favorite vocalists who has taken the torch and soared to prominence on the jazz scene, Jazzmeia Horn. She won the 2013 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition and the 2015 Thelonious Monk Institute International Jazz Competition before being signed to Concord Records and releasing her Grammy nominated debut album, A Social Call.
Dazzle’s address is 1080 14th Street, Denver, CO 80202. For more information visit https://www.rudysjazzroom.com.
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WYCLIFFE GORDON & ERIC REED WORKSHOP
The duo will present a workshop for musicians and jazz lovers at the Hammonds House Museum. Registration is required. To reserve your spot, click HERE.
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BOBBY BROOM: TRIBUTE TO RUSSELL MALONE
Born in Harlem and raised on the Upper West Side of NYC, Bobby Broom took up guitar at 12 and five years later, in 1977, made his first appearance with Sonny Rollins at Carnegie Hall. Even prior to that auspicious start, he had dedicated himself to the art, culture, and life of jazz, with the goals of learning to express himself within the idiom, while honoring its historical traditions and spirit.
Nearly 50 years later, Bobby has amassed a formidable jazz pedigree, working closely with historic figures such as Rollins, Miles Davis, Art Blakey, Stanley Turrentine and Kenny Burrell, as well as many of his contemporaries. To date he has made fifteen leader recordings and has traveled to perform, as an accompanying musician and with his own ensembles, in countries on five continents.
Broom is a tenured Associate Professor at Northern Illinois University and has devoted much of his career to jazz education. He began teaching at the tertiary level under the direction of NEA Jazz Fellow and saxophone great Jackie McLean at University of Hartford. Bobby has also worked with high school students through the Herbie Hancock (formerly Thelonious Monk) Institute and currently, with the Ravinia Jazz Mentor Program.
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