STEVE ROSS SINGS FRED ASTAIRE

Puttin’ On The Ritz: Steve Ross was raised in Washington, DC, and heard a lot of music at home, some from his mother who played piano. In due course, he studied piano himself and by the time he had attended Georgetown University, spent a little time in a seminary, and served in the US Army, he had become an accomplished pianist, drawing his repertoire not from contemporary pop but from the Great American Songbook. In the early 70s he settled in New York City where he soon became well known on the city’s cabaret scene.

At first a background pianist, he was urged by club owners to sing and gradually began to do this, eventually training as a singer. As his personal style developed, so his reputation spread. Ted Hook, owner of Backstage, a piano bar in the midtown theatre district, hired him. The association was hugely successful and in 1979 Hook opened a new club, Onstage, especially to showcase Ross’ talents. In 1981, Ross was booked into the Oak Room at the Algonquin Hotel where he played a considerable part in establishing the room as a perennial favorite of artists and customers.

At some venues he would find himself accompanying leading entertainers who happened to be in the audience, among them Liza Minnelli and Ginger Rogers. Ross toured Australia in 1986, one of his shows there being recorded at Don Burrows’ Supper Club, and he returned to that country in the late 90s. He has played many festivals, including Perth in Australia, Spoleto in Italy, and Hong Kong. Other international venues include seasons at London’s Ritz Hotel and Pizza On The Park. In 1989, he hosted a live cabaret series for BBC Television, and back in America was host of New York Cabaret Nights, a series for National Public Radio.

Cover: $30.00~$40.00

More Posts: ,,,,,,,

DEE DANIELS

We are absolutely thrilled to be performing our annual Christmas concert with international artiste, the inimitable DEE DANIELS! We will get you in a festive holiday mood as well as serve up some wonderfully arranged Jazz classics. Join us for an unforgettable evening! Silent Night

Playlist: 1. O Holy Night | 2. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen | 3. Ode To Joy | 4. Carol Of The Bells | 5. Hark The Herald Angels Sing | 6. Ella Fitzgerald Medley | 7. Send In The Clowns | 8. There’ll Be Some Changes Made | 9. I Got It Bad (and that ain’t good) | 10. I Cant Give You Anything But Love | 11. Bill Bailey | 12. The Ballad Of John Lewis (The Freedom Song) | 13. Gimme A Pigfoo

Tickets: $10.00 Children, $25.00 Seniors, $35.00 Adult (+ fees for all tickets)

More Posts: ,,,,,,

BALTIMORE JAZZ COLLECTIVE

Founded in 2019 at Keystone Korner Baltimore, the Baltimore Jazz Collective is making its Homecoming Return! Music and spirituality have always been fully intertwined in the artistic vision of trumpeter, bandleader, composer, educator and activist Sean Jones. With boundless passion, energy, and soul, Baltimore Jazz Collective explores the inner and outer frontiers of melody, harmony and time itself.

Sean Jones | Trumpet/Bandleader
Brinae Ali | Keys
Todd Marcus | Saxophone/Clarinet
Marc Cary | Piano
Blake Meister | Bass
Eric Kennedy | Drums

Cover: $35.00 ~ $45.00 + fee

Streaming: $15.00 + fee

More Posts: ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

The Jazz Voyager

The coast to coast flight has the Jazz Voyager sleeping on the red eye heading east for a taste of jazz in the town where the tea party took place, Beantown as some call it or Boston, Massachusetts. The venue is Scullers Jazz Club and it has a small stage  where jazz and soul legends as well as new talent perform in this intimate supper club with a background of river views.

This week I’ll be in the company of pianist, composer and arranger Jon Cowherd who is best known as the co-founder and co-director of Brian Blade and the Fellowship Band. He has worked extensively as an arranger, producer, songwriter and accompanist with a vast range of artists, such as Cassandra Wilson, John Scofield and Lizz Wright to Joni Mitchell, Brandi Carlile, Rosanne Cash, Norah Jones, Glen Hansard and more.

Scullers Jazz Club is located at 400 Soldiers Field Road 02134. For more information visit https://scullersjazz.com.

CALIFORNIA JAZZ FOUNDATION

More Posts: ,,,,,,,,,,

NDUDUZO MAKHATHINI

Nduduzo Makhathini grew up in the lush and rugged hillscapes of umGungundlovu in South Africa, a peri-urban landscape in which music and ritual practices were symbiotically linked. The area is significant historically as the site of the Zulu king Dingane kingdom between 1828 and 1840. It is important to note that the Zulu, in fact the African warrior code, is deeply reliant on music for motivation and healing. This deeply embedded symbiosis is key to understanding Makhathini’s vision.

The church also played a role in Makhathini’s musical understanding, as he hopped from church to church in his younger days in search of only the music. The legends of South African jazz are deep influences as well, Bheki Mseleku, Moses Molelekwa, and Abdullah Ibrahim. “The earlier musicians put a lot of emotions in the music they played,” he says. “I think it may also be linked to the political climate of those days. I also feel there is a uniqueness about South African jazz that created an interest all around the world and we are slowly losing that too in our music today. I personally feel that our generation has to be very conscious about retaining these nuances in the music we play today.”

Through his mentor Mseleku, Makhathini was also introduced to the music of John Coltrane’s classic quartet with McCoy Tyner. “I came to understand my voice as a pianist through John Coltrane’s A Love Supreme,” he says. “As someone who started playing jazz very late, I had always been looking for a kind of playing that could mirror or evoke the way my people danced, sung and spoke. Tyner provided that and still does in meaningful ways.” Makhathini also cites American jazz pianists including Andrew Hill, Randy Weston and Don Pullen as significant influences.

The Band: Nduduzo Makhathini – Piano | Zwelakhe Dumas Bell Le Pere – Bass | Francisco Mela – Drums

Cover: $80.00 | Dinner & Show

More Posts: ,,,,,,,,,

« Older Posts       Newer Posts »
© Notorious Jazz 2026