A NICOLE HENRY HOLIDAY

When I Think Of Home

Home often brings us back for the holidays… home is where joy, love and so much more is cultivated and learned. In When I Think of Home, award-winning vocalist Nicole Henry looks back on memories of growing up in Bucks County, PA as well as spending the holidays with her family and the songs her uncle would DJ throughout Christmas Day!  From holiday standards to soul to gospel to disco, enjoy songs that celebrate the miracle of the season, love and joy.

Doors at 6:15pm

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

LESLIE UGGAMS

Stage and screen legend Leslie Uggams returns to 54 Below with an all new show drawing from Broadway and beyond. Featuring musical theater showstoppers, American Songbook classics, jazz standards and current pop hits, this timeless romp through an exciting song catalog will have audiences cheering, “Hallelujah, Baby!”

Ms. Uggams is a celebrated Tony® and Emmy Award-winning actress and singer whose seven-decade career has brought her from Harlem (The Apollo Theater) to Broadway (Hallelujah, Baby!), the big screen (DeadpoolSkyjacked) to television (“Empire,” “The Leslie Uggams Show”). Perhaps best known for her stirring portrayal of Kizzy in the landmark TV mini-series Alex Haley’s “Roots” (Critics Choice Award, Emmy and Golden Globe nominations), Leslie has performed to critical and popular acclaim ever since her first professional appearances at the age of nine at the famed Apollo Theater in New York City.

Doors at 5:30pm

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

NICOLE HENRY

Time To Love Again

Powerhouse jazz vocalist Nicole Henry will return to Feinstein’s Carmel to celebrate the release of her 8th CD, Time to Love Again, an eclectic mix of jazz standards and reimagined pop tunes by a diverse group of iconic composers including Anthony Newley, James Taylor, Rodgers & Hart, Buffy St. Marie, Ned Washington, Stevie Wonder and Joan Armatrading.

Doors at 5:30pm

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

The Jazz Voyager

Back to the Big Apple for this Jazz Voyager to finally hear the luscious voice of Denise King at Minton’s Playhouse 206 West 118th Street, Harlem, New York. This was one of my hangouts in the Seventies when I needed to get away from the R&B and just chill with an appreciative crowd. Harlem was home once I crossed 110th and Lenox. And like everywhere I go, I will be wearing my N95!

To that point, I will be flying in a day ahead and once again come to Harlem to experience vocalist Denise King on October 7th. She has two sets, the former beginning at 7:00pm, the latter set at 9:30, of which I will be attending. Doors open an hour before showtime. The cover is $25.00 with a $20.00 minimum per guest. For additional information, the number is 212-866-1262 or mintonsharlem.com.

This vocalist overflows with energy, enjoying herself as she swings and interprets. She places the listener at the scene to experience every nuance that each character in the song portrays, be it one or many. She lives within each song and brings you along for the ride, be it gospel, r&b, soul, jazz or the Great American Songbook.

And of course this is the city that never sleeps, so I will carouse through the late night haunts of Harlem, Broadway Uptown or head downtown to The Village or may even go across the bridge to Brooklyn while I’m there through the weekend. But Miss King is my priority on this sojourn!

CALIFORNIA JAZZ FOUNDATION

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

Daily Dose Of Jazz…

Alicia Cunningham was born Alicia Rodriguez of Mexican heritage on October 5, 1946 in Los Angeles, California. A classically trained vocalist and pianist, she worked in the L.A. studios and as an educator at Loyola University in her early years.

Meeting her husband Don was fortuitous when he moved to Los Angeles in the early 70s. Their combination of his jazz-influenced energetic singing style and Alicia’s fluid, clear and lyrical sound, established a solid reputation. This would lead to a tour with Count Basie in Europe for five months at major events and jazz festivals in England and Switzerland.

She was an intricate and melodic harmonizer and arranger and paired with the Cunningham stage presentation, they offered enormous panache. They not only kept her hometown audiences satisfied but they traveled around the country and the world thrilling listeners in Europe, Canada, Singapore, Brazil, Japan, Indonesia and South Korea.

In 2012, they released their final album together titled Sao Paulo Lights that was recorded in Brazil. In the autumn of 2014, Alicia made her last performance in St. Louis when Don received a St. Louis Jazz Hall of Fame Award.

Vocalist Alicia Cunningham, who sang hard jazz, transitioned in Las Vegas, Nevada on December 23, 2014  at the age of 68 after battling cancer for a year.

BRONZE LENS

More Posts: ,,,,,,

« Older Posts       Newer Posts »