LEZLIE HARRISON QUINTET

Lezlie Harrison – vocals Antoine Drye – trumpet John DiMartino – piano Yoshi Waki – bass Russell Carter – drums

Vocalist Lezlie Harrison, whose burnished, soulful alto strikingly illuminates a distinctive blend of standards, classic ’70s soul,and her original music, leads a quintet with trumpeter Antoine Drye, pianist John DiMartino, bassist Yoshi Waki, and drummer Russell Carter. Drawing her diverse repertoire from foundational sources like the soul music of her childhood, the gospel she sang in her grandfather’s church, and the omnipresent traditional jazz standards throughout her life, Harrison creates captivating and personal music that listeners love. The New York Amsterdam News says, “Lezlie Harrison has a smoky sensuous voice that keeps you on the edge of your chair.”

Showtimes: 7:00pm | 9:00pm

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Daily Dose Of Jazz…

Barbara Montgomery ws born in San Francisco, California on June 30, 1948 and during her teen years lived in Vietnam in the early to mid Sixties because her father’s work as an electrical engineer took them there. In the late 1960s she moved to her adopted home of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and during this period is when she started singing.

In the early to mid-’70s, Montgomery’s day gig was The Mike Douglas Show, for which she performed a variety of duties including makeup artist, camera person, and stage manager. When the popular television program moved from Philadelphia to Los Angeles, California she chose to stay and ultimately went on tour with pop/folk singer Harry Chapin later in the decade, helping with lighting and doing some background vocals. Becoming a full time mother in 1979, she took a break from music for several years.

Since 1986, she has served as musical director for fitness expert Richard Simmons. Between the demands of working for Simmons and raising a child, Barbara had little time for jazz singing in the 1980s. But she returned to club gigs in 1992 and acquired a small following playing the Philadelphia jazz circuit, where she has been joined by such notables as guitarist Jimmy Bruno and pianists Sid Simmons, Barry Sames, and Dennis Fortune.

Montgomery recruited former Chick Corea drummer Dave Weckl and co-producer/guitarist Michael Sembello for her self-titled debut album in 1996. Two years later she released her sophomore LP, Ask Me Now and her third Dakini Land followed after three more years, in tribute to the work of Chick Corea. This release won her much praise and put her on the scene as a vocalist to follow. That reputation was helped by Little Sunflower, the following year’s record of standards.

Vocalist Barbara Montgomery, who was influenced by Chris Connor, Julie London, and June Christy, continues to perform and record.

GRIOTS GALLERY

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BILL CHARLAP TRIO

Special Guests: Dee Dee Bridgewater & Nicholas Payton

“There are certain gigs that remind you why you fell in love with jazz in the first place. Vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater and pianomeister Bill Charlap did just that Friday night at Catalina’s,” wrote Jazz Weekly following a 2022 performance at the famed LA jazz club.

The NEA Jazz Master and triple Grammy Award winner teams with Grammy-winning trumpeter Nicholas Payton and the Grammy-winning Bill Charlap Trio – Peter Washington on bass, Kenny Washington on drums – to open the 2023 Jazz in July season. They bring the artistic alchemy that has made their collaborations a joyride of spontaneous storytelling and improvisation, making this opening concert one not to miss.

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SHARÓN CLARK: TRIBUTE TO BALTIMORE’S ETHEL ENNIS

Sharón Clark [Vocals]
Benjie Porecki [Piano]
Lenny Robinson [Drums]
Michael Bowie [Bass]

Sharón Clark will be doing a tribute to Baltimore’s own, Ethel Ennis, who was an American jazz singer whose career spanned seven decades. Ennis spent the majority of her life in her hometown of Baltimore, Maryland, where she was affectionately known as the “First Lady of Jazz.”

“You can’t underestimate the transformation of what seems like an ordinary song when an interpreter like Sharón Clark…tears it apart and peers inside” – The New York Times

DC jazz fans beat a path to clubs whenever singer Sharón Clark takes the stage. This prolific artist has assumed the mantle of Washington’s Queen of Jazz. Jazz Times calls her “a revelation… I never thought I’d hear a singer with the range, musicality and command of tone and timbre that was Sarah [Vaughan] at her best, but now I have.” As a youngster, Sharón Clark started her career with her twin sister as the Bottle Caps, making promotional appearances for the Coca-Cola Company, and she got her first solo jazz gig singing at King’s Dominion. Today, she’s a regular at DC’s Blues Alley and is a featured soloist with the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra. No stranger to the road, Sharón Clark has headlined at major festivals across the U.S. and toured internationally—she has a faithful fan base in Europe, Russia and Israel.

Ticket Fees: $3.10 – $3.46

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THE TERENCE HARPER PROJECT FEATURING AUDREY SHAKIR

Terence Harper is one of the youngest members of the Harper Family Dynasty and is currently touring around the world. He has played and recorded with the great Curtis Lundy, Steve Turre, Jimmy Heath, Musiq Soulchild, Solange, Keith David, Bobby Watson and Chinese Movie Star and Mandopop artist Andy Lau just to name a few. He has also appeared on numerous television shows and movies including, The Orignals as well as the remake of the movie The Color Purple, directed by Blitz Bazawule and produced by Quincy Jones, Scott Sanders, Steven Spielberg and Oprah Winfrey.

Audrey Shakir is a jazz-pop vocalist extraordinaire and dubbed Atlanta’s First Lady of Jazz. She has entertained throughout the United States and internationally. Her scatting talents have been compared to the great Ella Fitzgerald, and she brings a remarkable jazz influence to all the material she performs.

Showtimes: 7:30pm & 9:30pm

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