JUDITH OWEN
Judith Owen is a performer whose stylistic range spans rock, pop, classical, jazz, blues, and musical theatre. Owen is also a comedic actress and master storyteller. Judith grew up in London surrounded by classical music, ballet, theatre, and the fine arts. Further, she was also exposed to many jazz icons and Broadway musicals that her parents loved. Thus, this mixture would become her signature sound.
Owen quickly began performing at a variety of different venues around London. Her unique hybrid of classical/jazz-influenced styled sound soon affirmed a regular slot at the legendary Ronnie Scott’s.
Her new live album, 2024’s Comes Alive, follows her hugely successful 2022 album Come On & Get It. That album received over 2.6 million album streams and more than a million YouTube views. Judith Owen Comes Alive features sixteen tracks recorded live over a weeklong residency in Bern, Switzerland at Marians Jazzroom.
Owen conceived of the project because of her childhood fascination with the music of the pioneering but oft forgotten women of jazz and blues. For example, Julia Lee, Blossom Dearie and Nellie Lutcher. She discovered these women hidden in her father’s record collection alongside Oscar Peterson and Jelly Roll Morton. There, Owen became captivated and enchanted by these “unapologetic” chanteuses of the 40’s/50’s. They were singing about sex and enjoying it, at a time when women were meant to sing about romance. Then, Owen made it her mission to dig deep and find out more from both a musical and historical perspective. The result is a joyful, uplifting, and empowering project. Moreover, she honors these entertaining women who broke the glass ceiling with their stiletto heels and were proud of it!
Cover: $30.00~$40.00
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JACK FREEMAN
Jack Freeman, a Houston native, is a talented singer-songwriter known for his soulful and authentic approach to music. Guided by his mantra to “make good music and tell the truth,” Freeman has built a loyal fanbase throughout his career. His latest album, NINA, produced by Bryan-Michael Cox, explores themes of love, loss, and self-discovery. Through his heartfelt lyrics and captivating sound, Freeman continues to resonate with audiences, offering a deeply personal and relatable musical experience. Follow him on social media @iamjackfreeman.
Tickets: VIP: $200.00 | Includes VIP booth seating 2 people, meet & greet, bottle of wine and charcuterie)
General Admission ~ Day Of: $30.00 | Standing Room, No Seating
GA: $25.00 Standing Room, No Seating
Meet & Greet: $50.00
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The Jazz Voyager
Staying on the West Coast the Jazz Voyager has taken a leisurely drive up the California coast along the Pacific Coast Highway from Los Angeles to that city by the bay where too many have left their heart. Along the way to San Francisco there will be a few stops to pick up something to eat and enjoy the scenic views. The ultimate destination for the weekend is a club located in the same building that was once the home of El Matador. It is now the home of Keys Jazz Bistro. Having enjoyed the drive I’ll be having the pleasure of listening to one of the last jazz interpreters of the Great American songbook, Mary Stallings. In a career that has spanned over 65 years, the international jazz vocal legend has earned a unique place in modern jazz. After decades of performing around the globe alongside a who’s who of talented collaborators, while quietly accumulating a series of thoughtful and well respected recordings, she still continues to challenge her boundaries and creative potential. Keys Jazz Bistro is located at 498 Broadway, 94133. For more information visit https://keysjazzbistro.com.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Richard Bona was born Bona Penda Nya Yuma Elolo on October 28, 1967 in Minta, Cameroon. His family of musicians enabled him to start learning music from a young age. His grandfather was a griot and percussionist, as his mother was a singer. When he was four years old he started playing the balafon. At five he began performing at his village church, however, not being wealthy, he made many of his own instruments, flutes and guitars.
He began learning to play the guitar at the age of 11, and in 1980 at 13 he assembled his first ensemble for a French jazz club in Douala, Cameroon. The owner befriended him and helped him discover jazz starting with Jaco Pastorius, which inspired Bona to switch his focus to the electric bass.
Emigrating to Germany at the age of 22 he studied music in Düsseldorf, soon relocating to France, where he furthered his studies in music. While in France, he regularly played in various jazz clubs, sometimes with players such as Manu Dibango, Salif Keita, Jacques Higelin and Didier Lockwood.
He left France and established himself in New York City, playing bass guitar with Joe Zawinul, Larry Coryell, Michael and Randy Brecker, Mike Stern, George Benson, Branford Marsalis, Chaka Khan, Bobby McFerrin, and Steve Gadd, among others. In 1998, Bona was the Musical Director on Harry Belafonte’s European Tour.
His debut solo album, Scenes from My Life, was released in 1999. He has also been prominently featured in Jaco Pastorius Big Band albums. As an educator he held a professorship of jazz music at New York University. For five years beginning in 2015 he owned with restaurateur Laurent d’Antonio, the jazz club Club Bonafide in the city.
Bass guitarist, guitarist, percussionist and vocalist Richard Bona continues to compose, record and perform.
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LONGINEU PARSONS ENSEMBLE
Unity Jazz presents trumpeter Longineu Parsons and his Ensemble featuring pianist Nat Adderley Jr. with special guest vocalist Myrna Clayton.
The career of Longineu Parsons, with its many musical pieces and parts, serves as a metaphor for what he calls “the disorder of the human tribe.” The whole of Longineu Parsons is greater than the sum of his parts, and he has made it his mission – and the mission of his own Tribal Disorder Records – to use music as “a force against disorder in the human tribe.”
In his own life and career, this “disorder” has come in the form of widely diverse musical passions and pursuits. Growing up in Jacksonville, Florida, Parsons instinctively plays the blues as a native language. After cutting his teeth playing hometown gigs starting in junior high, he toured on the Chitlin Circuit for a few years before attending Florida A&M University for his undergraduate degree.
There, two pivotal experiences would help set his course. The first was that he heard the John Coltrane album “Expression” – it opened his ears and changed his life. Though he was already into Miles Davis and “Bitches Brew,” something was different about this. Secondly, he met the famous trumpeter (and FAMU alum) Nat Adderley. Nat took Longineu under his wing and over time, mentor and protégé became lifelong friends. Longineu is honored to play Nat’s cornet as his main horn.
Tickets: $50.00 | CashApp: $UnityJazz / Zelle: 7708991991
Free Parking
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