STRAIGHT AHEAD
Out of Detroit’s lively jazz scene, which has produced some of the best musicians in the world, comes the ground breaking jazz group Straight Ahead. A group of strong, inventive instrumentalists and vocalists, they have shown themselves to be powerful and imaginative composers and arrangers.
Widely recognized for their eclectic and soulful approach to creating music, the Straight Ahead sound ranges comfortably from mainstream jazz, latin jazz and jazzy neo-soul. Their live performances are a dynamic celebration of power and joy with a wide range of musical textures, moods and tempos.
Straight Ahead was introduced to the world as finalist in the “Sony Innovators” competition. A national competition recognizing exceptional performers in the jazz field. They received international exposure when they were invited to open for the legendary Nina Simone at the Montreux Jazz Festival, Switzerland. They were the first all woman jazz ensemble signed to Atlantic Records. The ensemble has shared the concert stage with a who’s who of the music world including: Kem, Jean Luc Ponty, Nancy Wilson, Roy Ayers, Tony Bennett, George Duke, Stanley Clarke, Max Roach, the Yellowjackets and Dianne Reeves.
Straight Ahead has established itself as an enduring and prolific ensemble. Recognized for its creativity, musicianship and dedication to making great music, the band was inducted into the Detroit Music Awards Hall of Fame.
These Grammy-nominated recording artists have travelled extensively in the United States, the Caribbean and Europe garnering rave reviews. Joy, Power, Love, Wisdom…..Magic! This is the sound of what is to come. This is Straight Ahead!
THE BAND:
Alina Morr- Piano
Marion Hayden – Bass
Gayelynn McKinney- Drums
Kymberli Wright – Vocals
Ingrid Racine – Trumpet
Tickets: $40.00 Prepaid Cocktail Bar | $75.00 Prepaid Dinner & Show
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JAZZMEIA HORN
The Grammy-nominated vocalist from Dallas, Texas, won the 2013 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition and the 2015 Thelonious Monk Institute International Jazz Competition. Known for her powerful voice and message of love and social change, she has released three critically acclaimed albums, including A Social Call, Love and Liberation, and Dear Love, while also conducting global outreach through her Jazz Horn International Vocal Initiative.
Tickets: $85.00 Pre-Dinner & Show ~ paid credit for any items from our Dinner menu, which is designed by award winning Creative Culinary Director JJ Johnson.
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QUIANA PARLER
Grammy Award-Winning Vocalist with The Lavon Stevens Trio
As lead vocalist, lyricist, and composer for internationally and critically acclaimed two-time Grammy Award-winning roots music group, Ranky Tanky, Quiana Parler spent weeks at #1 on several Billboard Jazz charts. She has spent over 20 years as the most sought-after vocalist in the Lowcountry. Known locally for years, she rose to national prominence after her success on the 2003 season of American Idol.
Quiana has worked and collaborated with diverse artists and producers such as Clay Aiken, Kelly Clarkson, Ruben Studdard, Bobby McFerrin, Miranda Lambert, David Foster, Walter Afanasieff and many more. Her performances have been featured on national broadcasts like The View, NBC’s TODAY, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, The Tonight Show, The Tyra Banks Show, and Saturday Night Live, as well as the Academy of Country Music Awards and the American Music Awards.
Lavon Stevens has traveled and performed all over the country including Aspen, Colorado, Atlanta, Georgia and Orlando, Florida. Hilton Head Island, South Carolina has been his home since 1981. He is one of the premier entertainers on Hilton Head Island. He is producing a variety of shows and recording projects including other R&B, Jazz and Gospel artists.
Tickets: $10.00 ~ $20.00 | Dinner is required with all reservations.
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NICOLE HENRY: MY FAVORITE THINGS
She has earned four national TOP 10 jazz CDs and a Soul Train Award, will add her singular twist to songs that remind us of the miraculous gifts of life, love, family and the reason for the season.
Come find out why The New York Times has called this world-renowned jazz vocalist “a pop-soul superwoman,” and why Miami Herald declared her “the vocal love child of Whitney Houston and Sarah Vaughan.”
“She has been perfecting the art of mesmerizing audiences all around the world. Henry is a vocalist of beautiful sensitivity and solid phrasing that feels genuine and heartfelt the whole way.” – All About Jazz
“(She) should be standing on the biggest stages of the world, alongside the biggest divas in the world. Everyone everywhere needs to be exposed to this magical force of musical artistry.” – BroadwayWorld
Tickets: $62 ~ $117 including fees | $25 Food & Beverage Minimum
Use Code HENRY5 for $5.00 Off Main Room and bar Rail Cover Charge
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Guy Edgar Kelly was born in Scotlandville, Louisiana on November 22, 1906. In his early career he performed in Baton Rouge, Louisiana with a band led by Toots Johnson before going to New Orleans, Louisiana to play in Papa Celestin’s band in 1927-1928. While residing there he would regularly perform in trumpet duels with Red Allen.
In 1929 he went on tour as a member of Kid Howard’s band, and then joined Boyd Atkins’s band in the summer of 1930. By 1931 Kelly had moved to Chicago, Illinois where he was working with Cassino Simpson and Erskine Tate.
In the 1930s he worked with banjoist Ed Carry, pianists Dave Peyton, Tiny Parham, Albert Ammons, violinist Carroll Dickerson, and clarinetist Jimmie Noone,. Guy appears on the Noone classic composition The Blues Jumped A Rabbit, recorded Chicago on January 15, 1936.
Trumpeter and singer Guy Kelly died February 24, 1940.
