TONY HIGHTOWER
Drummer for Outkast, The Goodie Mob and many others, Tony Hightower was mentored by Jazz vocalist Freddy Cole. The singer/songwriter is taking up the mantle to be a bridge that ushers R&B audiences into Jazz…real jazz. With years of experience as a musical performer and actor with familiar roots that place him firmly within the music’s firmament, the Atlanta-native is still just getting started on this benevolent turn in his journey. And he is bringing a lot of young people with him.
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The Jazz Voyager
This week the Jazz Voyager is heading out of St. Louis for the Queen City to a coffee house by day and a jazz lounge by night. It’s a place where folks gather, work, socialize and herald the musical art formgather, work, socialize and herald the musical art form. It’s called Caffè Vivace and is nestled in the Walnut Hills neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio.
While savoring a glass of wine I’ll be enjoying the vocal talents of Kat Edmonson delivering a holiday menu of swinging music for her Christmas show. A sample of songs I hope to hear are not only the title track to her latest album but also Yule-tide favorites such as I’ve Got My Love To Keep Me Warm, The Christmas Blues, The Chipmunk Song and the classic The Christmas Song! With an equal foothold in jazz and cabaret, and raised on the music and film of the early-to-mid-twentieth century, she is a rare artist who embodies the spirit of the past while remaining resolutely current.
The caffè is located at 975 E. McMillan Street, 45206. Unfortunately for those of you who didn’t purchase early, the evening is sold out. But if you desire more information, you can call 513-601-9897.
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KAT EDMONSON
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CYNTHIA ERIVIO & FRIENDS
Cynthia Erivo has taken the world by storm since bursting onto the West End and Broadway stages in The Color Purple. An actress, singer, author, and producer, Erivo has received worldwide critical acclaim for her work, including Grammy®, Emmy®, and Tony® Awards as well as Academy Award®, Golden Globe®, and SAG nominations.
Erivo has starred in Harriet, Genius: Aretha, Luther: The Fallen Sun, and the 2022 Pinocchio, and will star as Elphaba in Universal’s upcoming film adaptation of the hit musical WICKED. She also starred in, executive produced, and cowrote and sang a feature song for her upcoming film Drift, which premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival.
In addition to her illustrious acting career, Erivo released her debut album Ch. 1 Vs. 1 in 2021. Her vocal prowess and dynamic stage presence have led her to headline sold-out shows, symphonies, and music spaces, including the 2016 & 2019 Kennedy Center Honors, the 2017 Governor’s Ball, the 2017 Grammy Awards®, and 2020 Academy Awards®.
In 2020, Erivo launched her production company Edith’s Daughter, which focuses on projects expressing the beauty in overlooked and underrepresented people and their stories. The following year, she released her first children’s book Remember to Dream, Ebere.
Erivo will be joined by friends Joaquina Kalukango and Ben Platt.
Kalukango is an actress and singer, who has won a Tony®, Drama Desk Award, and Outer Critics Circle Award for Broadway performances in Paradise Square and Slave Play. She was a SAG Award nominee for her part in the film One Night in Miami, and has recurring roles in television, including Lovecraft Country and upcoming series Bass Reeves.
Platt is a Tony®, Grammy®, and Emmy® Award–winning actor and recording artist. Acclaimed for his groundbreaking performance as Evan in Dear Evan Hansen, he later reprised the role in the Universal film adaptation. His movie and series highlights include Theater Camp, The Politician, and Pitch Perfect 1 & 2. Last year, Platt wrapped his Reverie Tour and continues to work on new music after the success of two chart-topping albums.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Joseph William Thomas was born on December 3, 1902 in New Orleans, Louisiana. His first professional gig was in his home city with trombone player Joe Harris in 1923. Soon after that, he worked with Jack Carey, Chris Kelly, and Kid Rena. He recorded with Charles Derbigny in 1941, but the recordings were not publicly released until the 1960s, by which time Thomas had become a figure in the Dixieland revival movement.
He led his own ensemble at New Orleans’s H&J Tavern for much of the 1940s, then in 1951, he became a sideman for Papa Celestin. He worked with this ensemble for years, including after Papa French and Eddie Pierson had taken over as leader.
Other associations in the 1950s and 1960s included work with Freddie Kohlman, Punch Miller, the Olympia Brass Band, and on Swedish television with Sweet Emma Barrett in 1968. In the 1970s he worked with the Legends of Jazz, replacing Joe Darensbourg.
Clarinetist and vocalist Joe Thomas, also known as Brother Cornbread and was closely associated with the New Orleans jazz scene, February 18, 1981 in New Orleans at 78.
