As a child, it was Kevin Brewster’s mom that helped steer him toward the saxophone.
The 2021 East Kentwood grad said his mom, Audrey Reed, often listened to gospel, R&B and soul music such as Fred Hammond, John P. Kee, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson and Earth, Wind & Fire.
“I always wondered what the specific instrument I heard in those songs was until eventually I found out it was a saxophone which made me want to play it,” Brewster said. “I then began playing the saxophone at 11 years old.
“As far as I remember, growing up I was always into music, either if it was dancing, listening to music or singing. I grew up in the church which got me involved with playing the drums, saxophone and singing in the choir.”
Brewster, who just finished his second year of Jazz Studies at Michigan State University, was recently in the WKTV studio with his quartet taping a television program called Jazz Works, which will air soon on our station.
The other members of the quartet are Max Gage on piano, Judah Guerra, bass and Brian Allen, drums.
The Kevin Brewster Quartet recently performed on the WKTV Jazz Works program. Front, Kevin Brewster; from left; Max Gage, piano; Judah Guerra, bass and Brian Allen, drums. (WKTV/Cris Greer)
East Kentwood and MSU connection
Guerra also graduated from EK High School, while Allen went to Grand Rapids Christian and Gage, Northview. All members study music at Michigan State University.
Brewster said they all met while in high school and began practicing together.
“We had one of our first gigs at a restaurant and I knew ever since then I wanted to keep playing with these guys,” Brewster explained. “We formally got together in 2021, and then we gigged throughout the summer our first year of college.”
The quartet has performed locally at the Grand Rapids Foodie Fest, GRNoir Jazz Club, GR Festival of the Arts and the Kentwood Winter Concert Series.
While at East Kentwood, Brewster performed in the marching band, wind ensemble and jazz ensemble I.
He’s counting on his high school and college experiences to guide him through his career.
“After I graduate college, my goal is to attend graduate school to pursue my masters in jazz performance while continuing to put out music and eventually become a recording artist. I also want to tour around the world as a band leader and/or sideman, and then soon become a college professor to teach jazz saxophone.”
As part of the Kentwood Summer Concert Series, the Grand Rapids Jazz Orchestra will perform at 7 p.m. on Thursday, July 28, on the lawn behind Kentwood City Hall. Admission is free. A variety of food trucks also will be on hand. (Courtesy)
By John D. Gonzalez, WKTV Contributing Writer
Jazz lovers bop to their own beat.
But when they’re surrounded by other jazz lovers, they take it to another level.
“Our show is lots of fun,” said Dr. James Sawyer, who is the 4th trumpet player for the Grand Rapids Jazz Orchestra and show announcer.
“It’s great to sit back and listen to or to get up and dance to. As announcer, I always do my best to draw the audience into the performance to make it fun.”
Kentwood Summer Concert Series
Local jazz lovers can see the group perform at 7 p.m. Thursday, July 28, as part of the Kentwood Summer Concert Series. The show is on the lawn behind Kentwood City Hall, 4900 Breton Ave. SE. Admission is free. A variety of food trucks also will be on hand. Bring your own blankets and lawn chairs.
40 years in the works
The Grand Rapids Jazz Orchestra has been a staple of the Grand Rapids jazz community for 40 years as a group of educators and musicians who play original compositions and arrangements as well as traditional favorites.
According to their bio, “these musicians are some of the area’s best soloists, sidemen and educators. Many have jazz projects of their own yet dedicate time to fostering the performance of live big band jazz.”
Shared a stage with Pearl Bailey, Randy Brecker and more
The group formed in 1976 by the late Bruce Early and has performed with many famous artists such as Pearl Bailey, Kenny Wheeler, Randy Brecker and many others. It has performed before thousands of people at concerts, dances and festivals throughout the region.
The Grand Rapids Jazz Orchestra performs at 7 p.m. Thursday, July 28, behind Kentwood City Hall, as part of the Kentwood Summer Concert Series. (Courtesy)
The Kentwood Summer Concert Series continues through Aug. 11. See the schedule below. All of the performances will be recorded and aired on WKTV.
Along with playing a few outdoor events, the group has a regular gig at Creston Brewery, as well as at the West Michigan Jazz Society’s “Jazz in the Park” concerts at Millennium Park.
“In our performances every year we feature WMJS’s ‘Jazz Musician of the Year’ along with the WMJS Scholarship winners as part of our performance. As musicians and music educators we take great pride in our role as ambassadors of jazz education in the GR community,” Dr. Sawyer said in an email to WKTV Journal.
Influenced by Count Basie, Duke Ellington and others
Sawyer said the band is influenced by great big bands such as Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Thad Jones, Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, and the Buddy Rich Big Band, to name a few.
“We also have accomplished composers in our group who contribute pieces we perform as well,” Sawyer said.
As for playing “outdoors” in Kentwood, he said, “we don’t get to do it a lot. But when we do it makes for a swinging good time!”
Current lineup
James Hayward – 1st Alto Sax
Mike Lutley – 2nd Alto Sax
Greg Marsden – 1st Tenor Sax
Joel Klamer – 2nd Alto Sax
Gary McCourry – Bari Sax
Dave Wells – 1st Trumpet
Kerry Moffitt – 2nd Trumpet
Greg Wells – 3rd Trumpet
James Sawyer – 4th Trumpet & Announcer
Aaron Hettinga – 1st Trombone
Paul Brewer – 2nd Trombone
Dave Collee – 3rd Trombone
Paul Keen – 4th Trombone
Steve Talaga – Piano
Tom Lockwood – Bass
Eddie Eicher – Drums
Rob Mulligan – Congas
Other upcoming shows
July 31 – Creston Brewery 1504 Plainfield Ave.
Aug. 15 – West Michigan Jazz Society’s Jazz in the Park at Millennium Park.
Aug. 29 – A fundraiser event for the “No More Sidelines.” A non-profit organization, run by volunteers, committed to helping children and young adults with special needs in our community. The concert will be held at the Friesian Horse Farm, 10388 Kalamazoo Ave.
Sept. 4 – A special concert at the Creston Brewery 1504 Plainfield Ave. that will feature three of Grand Rapids’ favorite jazz artists, Mary Rademacher, Rick Reuther and Edye Evans Hyde.
Learn more about the band at grjo.com or follow its Facebook page. The band’s latest CD is “Behind the Mask.”
John D. Gonzalez is a digital journalist with 30-plus years of experience as a food, travel, craft beer and arts & entertainment reporter based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He also co-hosts the radio show and Podcast “Behind the Mitten,” which airs at 6 p.m. Sundays on WOOD-AM and FM. Follow him on his journey to discover what’s next. You can find him on Twitter as @MichiganGonzo, on Instagram @MichiganGonzo and Facebook at @GRGonzo. He also relaunched his YouTube Channel. Email him story ideas and tips at michigangonzo@gmail.com
Dee Dee Bridgewater — Michigan native, GRAMMY winning jazz vocalist extraordinaire, Tony winning actress, United Nations Goodwill Ambassador — will need little or no introduction when she is introduced before hitting the St. Cecilia Music Center’s Royce Auditorium stage later this month.
And her accompanist, GRAMMY winning jazz pianist Bill Charlap, is not far behind in jazz star power.
So it is sure to be a night of superb “re-envisioning jazz classics” when the two perform as the next concert in the St. Cecilia Jazz Series Thursday, March 10, with tickets still available.
Dee Dee Bridgewater. (Supplied)
“Over the course of a multifaceted career spanning four decades, Grammy and Tony Award-winning Jazz giant Dee Dee Bridgewater has ascended to the upper echelon of vocalists, putting her unique spin on standards, as well as taking intrepid leaps of faith in re-envisioning jazz classics,” it states on her record label website.
Ever the “fearless voyager, explorer, pioneer and keeper of (jazz) tradition,” the three-time Grammy-winner most recently won the Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Album for “Eleanora Fagan (1915-1959): To Billie With Love From Dee Dee” — Eleanora Fagan was Holiday’s actual name.
Her latest CD release, in 2019, created as part of her induction in the Memphis Music Hall of Fame was, appropriately titled “Memphis, Yes…I’m Ready.”
“These were songs I listened to on the famous Black radio station WDIA, where my own father, Matthew Garrett, was a young on-air DJ,” Bridgewater said about the release in supplied material. “I was born in Memphis, but my family migrated north to Flint, Michigan when I was 3 years old. The South has always remained buried in me and coming back for this recording project has brought me full circle in my life.”
Bill Charlap. (Supplied)
Charlap, considered one of the world’s premier jazz pianists, has performed and recorded with many leading artists of our time, ranging from jazz masters Phil Woods and Wynton Marsalis to singers Tony Bennett and Barbra Streisand.
In 2016, Charlap won the GRAMMY for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album. Since 1997, he has led the Bill Charlap Trio, now recognized as one of the leading groups in jazz.
“We are thrilled to bring the amazing Dee Dee Bridgewater to St. Cecilia Music Center to hear her gorgeous voice and unique spin on beloved jazz classics and her own new music “Memphis”, St. Cecilia executive and artistic director Cathy Holbrook said in supplied material. “It will certainly be a special evening to see Dee Dee and Bill Charlap performing together within our intimate Royce Auditorium setting.”
Bridgewater’s history of music, activism
Bridgewater earned her first professional experience as a member of the legendary Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Big Band, and throughout the 1970’s she performed with such jazz notables as Max Roach, Sonny Rollins, Dexter Gordon and Dizzy Gillespie. After a foray into the pop world during the 1980s, she relocated to Paris and began to turn her attention back to jazz.
Bridgewater, who produces all of her own recordings, boasts a series of critically-acclaimed releases, with almost all having received GRAMMY nominations.
Bridgewater also pursued a parallel career in musical theater, winning a Tony Award for her role as “Glinda” in The Wiz in 1975 but continuing with playing Billie Holiday in the off-Broadway production of “Lady Day”, and numerous her other theatrical credits.
As a Goodwill Ambassador to the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization, Bridgewater continues to appeal for international solidarity to finance global grassroots projects in the fight against world hunger.
In April 2017 was the recipient of an NEA Jazz Masters Fellows Award at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.. and that same year she was presented with the ASCAP Foundation Champions award acknowledging her charitable contributions.
What’s next; what protocols to expect
The final concert of the St. Cecilia’s 2021-22 Jazz Series will be April 14, as, Delfeayo Marsalis and the Uptown Jazz Orchestra perform a night of big band favorites.
Tickets to Dee Dee Bridgewater and Bill Charlap, and Delfeayo Marsalis and the Uptown Jazz Orchestra, can be purchased online at scmc-online.org or by calling St. Cecilia Music Center at 616-459-2224.
St. Cecilia currently requires proof of fully vaccinated status, or a negative COVID test taken within 72 hours, to attend a concert at the SCMC venue. Attendees need to bring photo ID and proof of vaccination, or a negative test, the night of a concert. Note: Home tests are not accepted.
All patrons are required to wear a mask for the full duration of their time in the building.
If you have tickets to an upcoming performance and are unwilling or unable to abide by this policy, please contact the SCMC box office for a refund at kelly@scmc-online.org a minimum of 48 hours prior to the concert date.
Christian McBride, from a 2008 concert, is no stranger to St. Cecilia Music Center. (St. Cecilia Music Center)
By WKTV Staff
St. Cecilia Music Center has announced that special $10 student tickets are available for the this weekend’s three-day WinterFest “jazz festival”, Thursday through Saturday, Feb. 24-26, all shows with headliner bassist Christian McBride.
To redeem student priced tickets visit scmc-online.org/winterfest/ and click on the night(s) you would like to attend. Go through the process of finding your seats and buying tickets. When you check out, enter the discount code STUDENTWF22 and it will adjust the price to $10. There is a $3 ticketing fee per ticket.
On Thursday, Christian McBride & Friends will offer up a unique pairing with fellow bassist Edgar Meyer for a “double bass extravaganza”; then on Friday The Christian McBride Trio takes the stage with special guest jazz singer Cyrille Aimée; and on the final evening, Saturday, McBride and his award-winning quintet, Inside Straight, will hit the stage.
For more information call St. Cecilia Music Center at 616-459-2224.
And the rules at St. Cecilia
St. Cecilia currently requires proof of fully vaccinated status, or a negative COVID test taken within 72 hours, to attend a concert at the SCMC venue. Attendees need to bring photo ID and proof of vaccination, or a negative test, the night of a concert. Note: Home tests are not accepted.
All patrons are required to wear a mask for the full duration of their time in the building.
If you have tickets to an upcoming performance and are unwilling or unable to abide by this policy, please contact the SCMC box office for a refund at kelly@scmc-online.org a minimum of 48 hours prior to the concert date.
Joshua Redman has a long list of impressive credentials on his musician resume, including being nominated for eight GRAMMY awards. But before that he had an equally impressive educational resume, including being a 1991 graduate from Harvard College after which he was accepted to Yale Law School.
But anybody who has seen him on stage, blowing his saxophone and conversing with the crowd, over the years of his now 30+ year career of playing, recording and writing music, knows he is a jazz man thorough and through.
If you already know, or are yet to find out, local jazz fans will undoubtedly get proof positive Jan. 22 on St. Cecilia ’s Royce Auditorium Stage when Redman and his trio lead off St. Cecilia Music Center’s Jazz Series as the first of three concerts in January, March and April.
And, least we forget, St. Cecilia will also debut Winterfest, a three-day winter jazz festival featuring host Christian McBride “and Friends” Feb. 24-26.
Joshua Redman Quartet (Supplied)
“We are so excited to launch four months of great jazz performances this year beginning with Joshua Redman,” Cathy Holbrook, St. Cecilia executive and artistic director, said in supplied material. “Joshua is one of the most talented and sought-after jazz performers around. Along with a prolific body of celebrated recordings over 25 years, Redman has worked with countless jazz contemporaries as a follow performer and bandleader.”
With the concert set to start at 7:30 p.m., tickets for Redman and his band can be purchased online at scmc-online.org or by calling St. Cecilia Music Center (SCMC) at 616-459-2224.
In addition to Redman, the SCMC Jazz Series includes Dee Dee Bridgewater and Bill Charlap on March 10, and Delfeayo Marsalis and the Uptown Jazz Orchestra on April 14. The first-ever WinterFest jazz program – three consecutive nights of jazz — will be hosted by GRAMMY-winning jazz bassist Christian McBride and feature the Christian McBride Trio, singer Cyrille Aimee, fellow bassist Edgar Meyer, and McBride’s legendary quintet Inside Straight.
Redman and his musical journey
Jazz fans can be a little prickly when it comes to their definition of the musical genre, but a supplied quote from JamBase does have a point when they say “When the conversation ensues about who is carrying on the great tradition of jazz musicianship today … if Joshua Redman’s name does not come up, the conversation is not worth having.”
The innovative saxophonist has made believers of critics and fans alike with his live performances and acclaimed recordings. One of his many-faceted musical ventures, The Joshua Redman Quartet, released an album titled “Come What May” in 2019. But his list of jazz collaborations over the years include ones ranging from McCoy Tyner to Brad Mehldau.
Joshua Redman, from a 2019 concert. (Supplied/Lisa Siciliano)
And the members for the original Joshua Redman Quartet are like a who’s who of the genre — Redman saxophone), Brad Mehldau on piano), Christian McBride on bass, and Brian Blade on drums —a group reunited to release the Grammy-nominated album “RoundAgain” in July 2020.
The son of legendary saxophonist Dewey Redman and dancer Renee Shedroff. Joshua Redman was exposed at an early age by his parents to many genres of music — the story goes — jazz, classical, rock, soul, Indian, Indonesian, Middle Eastern, and African. He was also introduced to a variety of instruments: recorder, piano, guitar, gatham and gamelan. (I had to look those last two up too … they are south Indian and Indonesian percussion instruments.)
After starting off playing clarinet at nine years old, Redman switched to what is his primary instrument, the tenor saxophone. So, of course, his stated early influences were John Coltrane, Ornette Coleman, Cannonball Adderley and his father. But, the story goes, academics were always his priority and he never seriously considered becoming a professional musician until he graduated from Harvard and followed some musician friends to New York City in the 1990s.
Things just sort of rolled on from there.
He began jamming and gigging regularly with some of the leading jazz musicians of his generation — Roy Hargrove, to name just one — and five months after moving to New York, Redman was named the winner of the prestigious Thelonious Monk International Saxophone Competition.
And things just sort of rolled on from there. Lucky us.
In addition to his own projects, Redman has recorded and performed with musicians as diverse as such as Chick Corea and The Dave Matthews Band, Quincy Jones and The Rolling Stones. And along the way he wrote and performed the music for Louis Malle’s final film “Vanya on 42nd Street “ and is both seen and heard in the Robert Altman film “Kansas City”.
SCMC special pandemic precautions
SCMC currently requires proof of fully vaccinated status, or a negative COVID test taken within 72 hours, to attend a concert at the SCMC venue. Attendees need to bring photo ID and proof of vaccination, or a negative test, the night of a concert. Home tests are not accepted. All patrons will be required to wear a mask while in the building for the duration of the concert.
All ticket holders will be notified if mandatory mask requirements are in effect for a particular show by an artist. If you a have tickets to an upcoming performance and are unwilling or unable to abide by this policy, please contact the SCMC box office for a refund at kelly@scmc-online.org a minimum of 48 hours prior to the concert date.
For complete information on all shows at St. Cecilia, visit scmc-online.org.
The three-night WinterFest Jazz Festival will feature Christian McBride and plenty of his “friends”, including on Feb. 25 special guest jazz singer Cyrille Aimée will be featured. (Supplied)
“RoundAgain” is the title of a 2020 studio album by a quartet consisting of modern jazz powerhouses Joshua Redman on saxophone, Brad Mehldau on piano, Christian McBride on bass, and Brian Blade on drums.
The album was released without the usual touring support July 2020 after being recorded in New York City, in September 2019 — just before the music world’s abrupt touring shutdown as the COVID-19 pandemic hit us all.
St. Cecilia Music Center, as part of its 2021-22 concert season filled with “hope of bringing audiences back to Royce Auditorium” after its own shutdown, has its own plans to bring touring jazz “round again” — with Redman and McBride leading the effort as both are scheduled to make appearances in 2022, including McBride hosting the delayed WinterFest Music Festival in February.
“We are thrilled and thankful to begin again in 2021–22 with live concerts featuring most of the artists who were scheduled to appear this past season and had to be sidelined due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” Cathy Holbrook, St. Cecilia executive and artistic director said in supplied material at the time of the season announcement. “These great artists are looking forward to getting back out on tour to perform in front of live audiences and to bring music back to concert stages in the U.S. and worldwide.”
And local jazz fans can’t wait for their return as well.
Joshua Redman Quartet (Supplied)
St. Cecilia’s jazz offerings will include WinterFest, an event featuring 7-time Grammy-winning jazz bassist McBride “with some of his most talented musical collaborators” for a three-evening festival Feb. 24 -26.
The St. Cecilia Spectacular Jazz Series itself will include saxophonist Redman on Jan. 20, Grammy and Tony award-winning jazz singer Dee Dee Bridgewater together with pianist Bill Charlap on March 10, and acclaimed trombonist, composer and producer Delfeayo Marsalis with his Uptown Jazz Orchestra on April 14.
“It was important to us to bring the artists we had booked this past season for the upcoming 2021-22 season … Recreating that amazing line-up gives us hope for the future.” Holbrook said. “We are also thrilled to announce that our new WinterFest Jazz Festival was able to be rescheduled for the same week” just one year later.
Jazz season opens in January, but tickets available now
Joshua Redman on Jan. 20. Redman, a ceaselessly innovative saxophonist, and his band “evoke a sound that is both challenging and provocative to hard-swinging, melodic, and soulful – music with a joyous and celebratory spirit,” according to supplied material. Redmond’s latest album is “Come What May” was released in Spring 2019 — at which tome JazzTimes said of Redman, he is “unparalleled among horn players today.”
Dee Dee Bridgewater (Supplied)
Dee Dee Bridgewater and Bill Charlap on March 10. Two Grammy winners will share the stage as Grammy and Tony Award-winning jazz vocalist Bridgewater and world- renowned pianist Bill Charlap pay a visit. Bridgewater, over the course of a multifaceted career spanning four decades, “has ascended to the upper echelon of vocalists, putting her unique spin on standards, as well as taking intrepid leaps of faith in re-envisioning jazz classics,” according to supplied material. Charlap has performed and recorded with many leading artists of our time, ranging from jazz masters Phil Woods and Wynton Marsalis to singers Tony Bennett and Barbra Streisand. Since 1997, he has led the Bill Charlap Trio, now recognized as one of the leading groups in jazz.
Delfeayo Marsalis on April 14. Marsalis — of the deep and deeply-talented Marsalis musical family — will lead his Uptown Jazz Orchestra in a performance of big band favorites. Over the course of his music career, acclaimed trombonist, composer and producer Marsalis has been praised for his “technical excellence, inventive mind and frequent touches of humor.” He has also been called one of “the best, most imaginative and musical of the trombonists of his generation.” Marsalis, an NEA Jazz Master, has shared the bandstand with jazz legends Art Blakey, Max Roach and Elvin Jones, as well as pop icons Fats Domino, Ray Charles and George Clinton.
St. Cecilia WinterFest Jazz Festival 2022
Acclaimed Grammy–winning jazz bassist McBride will bring plenty of his “friends” to town for a three-day festival: Feb. 24 will feature McBride and Edgar Meyer for a double “double bass” extravaganza; Feb. 25 will be a traditional jazz show showcasing McBride’s celebrated jazz career with his trio and special guest jazz singer Cyrille Aimée; Feb. 26 will be an evening with Christian McBride’s quintet, Inside Straight, for “an unforgettable night of energetic and inspiring jazz.”
Christian McBride, no stranger to St. Cecilia Music Center, will return in a big way in 2021 (Supplied)
McBride, deservedly, has been called a “force of nature, fusing the fire and fury of a virtuoso with the depth and grounding of a seasoned journeyman.” With a career now into its third decade, the Philadelphia native has become one of the most requested, most recorded, and most respected figures in the music world today.
His range and recording span the spectrum of music: from jazz (McCoy Tyner, Roy Haynes, Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, Pat Metheny) to R&B (Isaac Hayes, Chaka Khan, Natalie Cole, and the one and only Godfather of Soul himself, James Brown) to pop/rock (Sting, Paul McCartney, Carly Simon) to hip-hop/neo-soul (The Roots, Queen Latifah) to classical (Kathleen Battle, Edgar Meyer, Shanghai Quartet).
Meyer is in demand as both a performer and a composer. The New Yorker called him “…the most remarkable virtuoso in the relatively un-chronicled history of his instrument”, Meyer’s unparalleled technique and musicianship in combination with his gift for composition have brought him to the forefront, where he is appreciated by a vast, varied audience.
Grammy-nominated vocalist Aimée ventured from singing on street corners in Europe to dazzling audiences at the world’s most prestigious jazz festivals; from sneaking out to sing in gypsy encampments in her native France to acting on Broadway; from braving the notoriously tough audiences at New York’s Apollo Theatre to being called a “rising star in the galaxy of jazz singers” by The New York Times.
Inside Straight is Christian McBride’s quintet formed in 2009. “Kind of Brown,” the quintet’s debut studio album, was released in 2009 when Will Lyman of PopMatters wrote “This music is unselfconsciously traditional: it’s fun; it swings…it’s not experimental, but it gives superb voice to several brilliant players and one new discovery. In 2013, the quintet released “People Music”, which one reviewer said “The new album finds the quintet in hard-swing mode, delivering what they call “more road-tested, ‘lived-in’ Inside Straight” in an accessible way, and one that makes the audience part of the experience.”
Tickets and COVID pandemic details
Season subscription and single concert tickets to the 2022 SCMC WinterFest Jazz Festival and Spectacular Jazz Series are available online at scmc-online.org or by calling 616-459-2224.
At this date, St. Cecilia states on its website that it “will require proof of fully-vaccinated status, or a negative COVID test taken within 48 hours, to attend a concert at our venue…. SCMC is also highly recommending that all attendees wear a mask while in the building. Attendees will need to bring ID and proof of vaccination the night of a concert. We will continue to monitor the COVID environment and may change policies at any time if necessary. … All ticket holders will be notified if mandatory mask requirements are in effect for a particular show by an artist.”
If SCMC is able to offer post-concert CD-signing receptions, all ticket-holders may be able to meet some of the artists and obtain signed CDs of their releases. Further information will be announced closer to the start of the season on whether COVID restrictions will allow SCMC to hold receptions.
SCMC WinterFest Jazz Festival individual concerts include Christian McBride and Edgar Meyer on Thursday, Feb. 24, with single tickets at $50 and $55; Christian McBride Trio and Cyrille Aimee on Friday, Feb. 25, with single tickets at $40 and $45; and Christian McBride & Inside Straight on Saturday, Feb. 26, with single tickets at $40 and $45.
Considered the “standout male jazz vocalist of our time” by The New York Times, Kurt Elling will be spreading some holiday cheer Dec. 6 as he performs in the virtual Christmas in Chicago virtual concert.
Kurt Elling (Supplied/St. Cecilia)
“When we were given this opportunity to present this virtual holiday event with Kurt Elling from Chicago, there was no question we wanted in,” said St. Cecilia Music Center Executive and Artistic Director Cathy Holbrook. “Kurt was the first artist we presented on our jazz series 13 years ago and has since returned as a fan favorite. We are so happy to bring him into your home to start your holiday celebration!”
The Grammy Award winning artist will perform live (with no audience) at 4 p.m. from the Green Mill Cocktail Lounge in Chicago. The performance also will feature gospel singer Lizz Wright.
In his 2016 recording of Christmas music, “The Beautiful Day: Kurt Elling Sings Christmas,” Elling reimagined the sounds of Christmas, mixing traditional carols with new arrangements creating songs the were rediscovered treats. He wrapped the universal themes of hope, light, wonder, mystery, and goodwill in musical packages full of delightful surprises.
“I knew I didn’t want to make a ‘religious’ record, just as I knew I didn’t want to make a standard, swingin’ jazzy Christmas,” Elling said of the album. “I’m trying to expand my consciousness and embrace the goodness of the season, and I want to include everybody.
“For me, Christmas is a time of consideration, of pondering mysteries.”
Tickets for the virtual concert are $40 and allow for 48 hours of on-demand viewing. A portion oof the ticket sale will support St. Cecilia Music Center.
Remaining Virtual Series’ concerts by SCMC include the Bob James concert on Dec. 17 and a special concert by the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center on Dec. 3 featuring Anne-Marie McDermott and other CMS artists. For more about these December FREE virtual concerts offered by SCMC for home viewing, see scmc-online.org/virtual/.
Local jazz pianists Robin Connell and Steve Talaga recorded a duo jazz piano concert this week, on Tuesday, Nov. 3, sponsored by Aquinas College. And those needing a little “post-election” diversion can catch it tonight on Facebook.
The concert is set to be available for free at the college’s Facebook page, see here, on Saturday, Nov. 7, at 7:30 p.m. The concert may also be available later on YouTube.
“It was so fun to play duo piano with Steve,” Connell said to WKTV.
Both Connell and Talaga are no strangers to the local jazz scene.
Robin Connell (Supplied)
Originally from Detroit, according to her website, Connell is equally at home as a jazz pianist or jazz pianist/vocalist, performing regularly in clubs, concerts, and private parties as solo pianist, leader of her own trio/jazz quartet, or side woman with other musicians.
Pianist, composer and arranger, Talaga has been performing professionally for more than 40 years, according to his website. He was chosen as the West Michigan Jazz Society’s 2008 Jazz Musician of the Year, and has released eight compact discs under his own name. His most recent project is the band, Lifeline, featuring himself on keyboards, his son Stephen Talaga on guitar, Caleb Elzinga on sax, and Larry Ochiltree on drums. Their debut CD, “No Worries”, dropped in October 2019.
As children, neither musician was interested in studying stringed instruments, much less classical music. Baptiste, who wanted to study the saxophone, told NPR he ended up in the string section due to a bet between two teachers. The duo, who are Black Violin, are set to perform at the Grand Rapids Symphony’s Symphony with Soul Feb. 18 concert. Read more here.
Waiting by the window for the cats and dogs to come raining down
Before Jimmy King was diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome (a developmental disorder on the Autism spectrum), his parents knew only that he was different from other kids. Read King’s story here.
And all that jazz…
Xavier Davis
Pianist Xavier Davis will be the featured artist during a concert Sunday, Feb. 10, at 3 p.m., at Fountain Street Church, 24 Fountain St. NE. Tickets are $15 general admission and $5 for students with ID, on-line or at the door. More info here.
Fun fact:
No kneecaps = no jumping.
Elephants are the only land mammals that cannot jump. Unlike all other mammals on earth (well, except for maybe whales and dolphins), elephants do not have kneecaps. Therefore, they are unable to bend their legs and acquire the needed propulsion to leave the ground.
The Saugatuck Center for the Arts (400 Culver St.) kicks off its Summer in the Studio concert series with guitarist Elden Kelly. Kelly will perform July 10 at 8:00 p.m. Tickets are $15 and available at sc4a.org, 269.857.2399, or by visiting the box office.
Elden Kelly is an improviser, bandleader, guitarist, composer and singer-songwriter. He is known for a type of classically influenced jazz and world music. Of a live performance, reviewer Lawrence Cosentino wrote, “He meandered from the Ganges to Delta blues, bluegrass, flamenco and a folk idiom so heartfelt it bordered on the devotional.”
After graduating from Boston’s prestigious New England Conservatory of Music with a degree in Contemporary Improvisation in 2008, Kelly accepted a full scholarship and teaching assistantship at Michigan State with Rodney Whitaker, earning a graduate degree in 2011 in Ethnomusicology.
Today Kelly’s sound is influenced by genres such as jazz, neoclassicism, American Roots, Hindustani and Turkish music. Kelly is also known for playing the glissentar, an 11-string fretless guitar.
“The music I play on the fretless guitar is a combination of Indian music, Turkish music, and roots music, so I call it ‘Indo-Turkish Bluegrass’,” Kelly said.
Kelly processes a voice akin to Jeff Buckley, and technique that is the guitarists envy. But Kelly says he isn’t limited to just one genre such as folk. Instead he has experimented and blended many genres throughout his career to create his own powerful sound.
The Summer in the Studio series is an intimate, living room-style series hosted by the SCA. The next artist to be featured is Danika & the Jeb, a guitar and vocal duo who provide a unique blend of acoustic pop music.
International Jazz Saxophonist Tim Warfield, Jr. joins the nationally recognized Byron Center Jazz Orchestra for COOL JAZZ on Friday, April 28 at 7:30 p.m. at the Van Singel Fine Arts Center as part of the 2016-2017 Chemical Bank Series.
Tim Warfield, Jr., a native of York, Pennsylvania, began studying the alto saxophone at age nine. He switched to tenor saxophone during his first year at William Penn Sr. High School where he participated in various musical ensembles winning many jazz soloist awards, including second out of forty competitors at the Montreal Festival of Music in Canada. After high school, Warfield attended Howard University in Washington, D.C. for two years before leaving to lead and co-lead groups in the Central Pennsylvania and Baltimore/Washington areas.
Warfield has made several television appearances including the “Today Show,” “Bill Cosby’s You Bet Your Life” (where he was a member of the house band until 1992), and Ted Turner’s 1998 Trumpet Awards. Additionally, he has made numerous stage appearances with such names as Donald Byrd, Michelle Rosewoman, Marcus Miller, Marlon Jordan, James Williams, Christian McBride, Winard Harper, Dizzy Gillespie, Leslie Burrs to name a few, along as having been on several Grammy-nominated recordings.
Most recently, Warfield was recognized as the Clef Club of Jazz and the Performing arts Tenor Saxophonist of the Year. His newest recording is “Spherical,” which is a Criss Cross Jazz recording, is dedicated to piano genius and jazz icon Thelonious Sphere Monk and features trumpet legend Eddie Henderson, pianist Orrin Evans, bassist Ben Wolfe and drummer Clarence Penn.
Warfield currently serves as a board member, and music committee chairperson, for the Central Pennsylvania Friends of Jazz and also serves as “artist-in-residence” at Messiah College in Grantham, Pa, and an adjunct music faculty member at Temple University, in Philadelphia, Pa. Warfield recently joined the Jazz Orchestra of Philadelphia, under the direction of Terell Stafford.
Byron Center Jazz Orchestra
The Byron Center Jazz Orchestra, directed by Marc Townley, has competed at the Swing Central Jazz Festival in Savannah, Georgia every spring since 2014 and this year ranked third out of 12 high school bands from throughout the nation. This May will be the orchestra’s second time competing in New York at Essentially Ellington Jazz Competition and Festival at Lincoln Center in New York.
Reserved seats are $16.50 for adults and $11.50 for students. Reserve tickets in person at the Van Singel box office or by calling 616-878-6800, Monday through Friday, noon to 5 p.m. Tickets are also available at www.vsfac.com.
The Van Singel Fine Arts Center is located at the east end of the Byron Center High School complex, at 8500 Burlingame SW, located at 84th Street and Burlingame SW in Byron Center, just 1.5 miles west of US-131. The Van Singel features free, easy parking and curbside handicap parking is available.
Music and Dance
For more information about all Music and Dance Department events, call (616) 331-3484. All events are free and open to the public.
Recital for International Guests of Grand Valley State University
April 12, from 1:30-2:15 p.m.
Sherman Van Solkema Hall (room 1325), Performing Arts Center, Allendale Campus
The Recital for International Guests promises to be a celebration of diversity at Grand Valley State University as several music majors from the U.S., South Korea and China will perform, including Da sol Um, Yushan Ying, Aileen Chung, Jinah Lee, Bryce Kyle, Anna Vander Boon and Grace Brylinski.
GVSU Concert Band Concert
April 12, at 7:30 p.m.
Louis Armstrong Theatre, Performing Arts Center, Allendale Campus
During this April 12 performance, the Grand Valley State University Concert Band will perform “Euphoria” by John Frantzen, “The World is Waiting for the Sunrise” by Harry Alford, “Chester” by William Schuman, “Lights Out” by Alex Shapiro, “Four Scottish Dances” by Malcolm Arnold and “Stars and Stripes Forever” by John Philip Sousa. The ensemble will be joined by Dan Graser, assistant professor of saxophone at Grand Valley, as a solosit for “The Girl with the Flaxen Hair (La fille aux cheveux de lin)” by Claude Debussy.
GVSU Jazz Concert
April 13, at 7:30 p.m.
Louis Armstrong Theatre, Performing Arts Center, Allendale Campus
The GVSU Large and Small Jazz Ensembles will perform during this free concert that is open to the public.
GVSU Symphonic Wind Ensemble Concert
April 14, at 7:30 p.m.
Louis Armstrong Theatre, Performing Arts Center, Allendale Campus
This Grand Valley State University Symphonic Wind Ensemble concert will feature this year’s Concerto Competition Winners with Morales’s “Concerto for Two Trumpets” played by a euphonium duo. The concert will also include “English Dances Set II” by Malcolm Arnold, “Sketches on a Tudor Psalm” by Fisher Tull, “Barnum & Bailey’s Favorite” by Karl L. King, and Gilbert and Sullivan’s “Pineapple Poll.”
Piano and Clarinet Studios of Helen Marlais and Arthur Campbell Recital
April 15, from 2-6 p.m.
Sherman Van Solkema Hall (room 1325), Performing Arts Center, Allendale Campus
Grand Valley State University students of Helen Marlais, associate professor of piano, and Arthur Campbell, professor of clarinet will perform during this free concert. This event is free and open to the public.
GVSU Symphony Orchestra Concert featuring Concerto Competition Winners
April 15, at 7:30 p.m.
Louis Armstrong Theatre, Performing Arts Center, Allendale Campus
During this performance, Grand Valley State University will present its finest solo work with the Symphony Orchestra. The final concert of the season will begin with Nicolai’s delightful “Merry Wives of Windsor Overture” and will conclude as Henry Duitman, GVSU Symphony Orchestra director, conducts the ensemble in one of Richard Strauss’ monumental tone poems, “Death and Transfiguration.”
Cécile McLorin Salvant, Dec. 8, at St. Cecilia Music Center, Grand Rapids, Mi.
Cécile McLorin Salvant, the season opening performer for the St. Cecilia Music Center’s 2016-17 Jazz Series, brought a spectacular voice and mesmerizing presence to the stage Thursday for a 90-minute set.
Accompanied by the very tight Aaron Diehl Trio — with Diehl on piano, Paul Sikivie on bass and Lawrence Leathers on drums — McLorin Salvant opened her set with just Diehl’s piano and singing “Lucky to be Me.” From that moment on, you were lucky to be in the audience.
The singer showed her versatility — heartbreaking to humorous; booming to a whisper — throughout the night, with her set including a trio of Cole Porter songs, both well-known and little-known, and a hauntingly theatric song from the 1946 jazz-opera “Street Scene”, with lyrics by Langston Hughes.
My favorite song of the night was a stark, stripped-down version of the classic folk song “John Henry”, with special note given to Sikivie’s unique work on the base. My only disappointment was that all the songs were in English, which the native French speaker sings perfectly — S’il vous plaît,Cécile, un peu de Français.
McLorin Salvant ended the night as mesmerizingly as she started it, with “Tell Me What They are Saying Can’t be True.” It left you wanting more.
May I have more, please?
Having never heard McLorin Salvant before, I suspected a little hyperbole when some reviewers compared her to Ella Fitzgerald. But, listing to a local public radio jazz program before the concert, my wife, TJ — who knows her jazz — remarked “I wonder who that is? She sounds like Ella.” Sure enough, the DJ confirmed the song was by the songstress we would see shortly.
Good enough recommendation for me.
It may still be a little early to compare the 27-year-old to Ella, but she does have an impressive resume: youngest winner the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition in 2010, her debut recording, “WomanChild”, nominated for a Grammy in 2014, and her follow-up recording, “For One to Love”, winning the Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Album this year.
And did I mention that she has a set of pipes? (Her singing voice is astounding.)
You might say that songstress Cécile McLorin Salvant, the season opening performer for the St. Cecilia Music Center’s 2016-17 Jazz Series, wasted no time in adding Grammy winner to her already melodic name.
On the heals of being the youngest winner the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition in 2010, McLorin Savant’s debut recording, WomanChild, was nominated for a Grammy in 2014 and her follow-up recording, For One to Love, won the Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Album this year.
St. Cecilia executive director Cathy Holbrook, in supplied material, was not overstating facts when she said: states, “At 27 years old, Cécile is already a sensation.”
So expect a sensational night of vocal jazz when McLorin Salvant takes the stage Thursday, Dec. 8, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are still available.
Cécile McLorin Salvant
McLorin Salvant’s repertoire includes interpretations of little-known and scarcely recorded jazz and blues compositions, as well as unique takes on jazz standards, and original music and lyrics sung in a variety of different languages – English, Spanish and French, her native language.
The rest of this season’s St. Cecilia Jazz Series includes young — as in 13-year-old — pianist phenom Joey Alexander on March 23, and the SFJAZZ supergroup performing the music of Miles Davis as well as their own compositions on May. 4.
At the McLorin Savant concert, there will be a free post-concert “Meet-the-artist” reception for all ticket-holders. A pre-concert reception with wine and hors d’oeuvres is available for $15 per person in addition to the ticket cost.
For more information and tickets, call 616-459-2224 or visit scmc-onlilne.org.
