AKUA ALLRICH & THE TRIBE!

Jazz vocalist and DC-native Akua Allrich has proven herself to be a musician of extraordinary talent and crowd-moving passion. With finesse and charisma, this vocalist, composer and teacher, has successfully etched out a place for her unique musical expression, electrifying audiences in and around the nation’s capital with sold-out performances.

Allrich’s style is fluid and ever evolving. Her musical roots run deeply into blues, soul and rhythm and blues, with a clear grounding in jazz and pan-African music. She sings in many languages including Portuguese, French, Spanish, English, Xhosa, and Twi. Given her ability to capture the essence of a broad range of musical genres, Allrich is often likened to legendary artists such as Oscar Brown, Jr., Miriam Makeba, Bob Marley and Nina Simone. She has developed popular tribute programs involving the latter two women and other great African American women of jazz.

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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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