Cliff Bell's

DeSean Jones
2023-07-10 19:30 - 2023-07-11 09:30, 2023-07-11 19:30 - 2023-07-12 09:30, 2023-07-12 19:30 - 2023-07-13 09:30, 2023-07-13 19:30 - 2023-07-14 09:30, 2023-07-14 19:30 - 2023-07-15 09:30, 2023-07-15 19:30 - 2023-07-16 09:30, 2023-07-16 19:30 - 2023-07-17 09:30, 2023-07-17 19:30 - 2023-07-18 09:30 (America/Detroit) and 17 more dates
De’Sean Jones is a Detroit based saxophonist, billboard charting recording artist and grammy nominated arranger. Over the past 20 years De’Sean has toured the world recording or performing with music Icons like Stevie Wonder, Faith Evans, along with a host of Detroit Legends; Marcus Belgrave, The Clark Sisters, Kierra Sheard and techno pioneer Mad Mike Banks of Underground Resistance.
As a bandleader & producer Jones has curated an eclectic approach that is widely viewed as progressive and undeniably rooted in the rich history of black culture. De’Sean actively pushes the boundaries of social consciousness through music in ways that are authentic, emotionally dynamic and intellectually stimulating.

All musical projects from De’Sean Jones can be accessed through his record label KNMDK Records.

the Arab Blues
2023-07-12 19:30 - 21:30
Showtimes are at 7:30p & 9:30p for this performance.
Doors open at 5pm for dinner. Seating begins at 6pm for “Dinner & a Show”. The second show starts seating at 9pm.
The Arab Blues traces an innovative trajectory between the call of tradition and the response of the diaspora. The synthesis Rami and Karim create is an auditory expression of not only the power and persistence of il Turath but equally the validity of transformations under the unique cultural conditions we inhabit.
The basis of our work is the canon of classical Middle Eastern compositions and improvisational techniques. This rich heritage consists of melodic and rhythmic exposition and instrumental interaction at countless levels of depth. We interpret these forms in the context of the sounds of the contemporary North American metropole. In this project, the equally lush traditions of Blues and Jazz in Chicago provide the context of how we approach and assimilate the Turath. This marriage of forms is fruitful because of the emotional range of the Blues and the improvisational flexibility and ingenuity of Jazz.

Kenji Lee's Fortune Teller Trio
2023-07-20 19:30 - 21:30
Showtimes are at 7:30p & 9:30p for this performance. Doors open at 5pm for dinner. Seating begins at 6pm for “Dinner & a Show”. The second show starts seating at 9pm.
“Lee achieved the principles of truth, goodness and beauty with his music.” (Filipe Freitas, Jazz Trail)
Kenji Lee is a saxophonist, composer-improviser, and educator based in Southeastern Michigan.
Born in Tokyo, Japan, and raised in the seaside town of Laguna Beach, California, Lee began studying music at an early age and spent most of his childhood immersed in music. He spent a decade learning from the late-great bassist and educator Roger Shew. Lee attended the University of Michigan, where he studied privately with Andrew Bishop, Robert Hurst, Benny Green, and Miles Okazaki. Upon graduation, he spent time in both the Detroit & Seattle scenes performing with a wide array of musicians. To name a few: Wayne Horvitz, Robert Hurst, Marion Hayden, Dr. Prof. Leonard King, Kayvon Gordon, Andrew Bishop, Lex Korten, Jonathan Barahal Taylor, Andy Peck, and Estar Cohen. All of these folks are musicians of the highest order and he feels extremely fortunate to have had each one of them shape his journey through music.
Lee’s latest album, “Kyudo” is available now and features his working ensemble: The Fortune Teller Trio (bassist Andy Peck and percussionist Jonathan Barahal Taylor), as well as special guest, vocalist Estar Cohen. You can read more about the album at: kenjilee.net/kyudo

The Scott Gwinnell Dectet
2023-07-28 19:30 - 21:30, 2023-07-29 19:30 - 21:30
Showtimes are at 7:30p & 9:30p for this performance. Doors open at 5pm for dinner. Seating begins at 6pm for “Dinner & a Show”. The second show starts seating at 9pm.
Scott is a band-leader, composer/arranger, pianist, and educator. As a performer, Scott has played on over 20 professionally released recordings including 5 under his own name. Basement Vibes (2002), Scott Gwinnell Trio (2006), the award-winning Brush Fire (2008), Cass Corridor Story (2011- Detroit Music Factory) and Mulgrew-ology (2018- Detroit Music Factory).
Scott has toured/recorded/performed with the following jazz luminaries: Joe Lovano, Dizzy Gillespie, Dave Liebman, Richie Cole, Jimmy Heath, Billy Hart, Terry Gibbs, John Clayton, Steve Turre, Marcus Belgrave, and Jon Hendricks, for whom Scott was three year music director.
As a composer/arranger, Scott has written over 400 works, from solo piano, big band, symphony orchestra, to marching band. He has received awards/recognition from Downbeat Magazine, International Association of Jazz Educators, and Detroit Music Awards, who have granted him 11 awards over the past 10 years. Scott writes for his 16-piece big band, “The Scott Gwinnell Jazz Orchestra”, and the 10 piece, “The Scott Gwinnell Dectet.” Both have held residency at Cliff Bells, one of Detroit’s famous jazz clubs.
As an educator, Scott’s credentials and reputation have led him to full and part time collegiate professorships at: University of Toledo, Bowling Green State University, Wayne County Community College, and Oakland University, where he presently serves as a lecturer, instructor of jazz piano, theory, arranging and director of the Oakland University Jazz Singers. Scott is also the director for Music Hall’s Jazz Vocal Education Program. He has given clinics and adjudicated at schools and festivals around the country, and holds a private studio for a select group of talented pianists, composers, and arrangers.
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Hughes/Smith Quintet
2023-08-02 19:30 - 21:30
Showtimes are at 7:30p & 9:30p for this performance. Doors open at 5pm for dinner. Seating begins at 6pm for “Dinner & a Show”. The second show starts seating at 9pm.
The HSQ is a Detroit-based jazz quintet that performs original music with purpose. The group is spearheaded by Saxophonist James Hughes & trumpeter Jimmy Smith. The quintet formed in the autumn of 2012 with the purpose of promoting their brand of Detroit be-bop. Fresh tunes, tight ensemble work, intriguing solos, and a band with personality and swing are among the group’s trademarks.
“…inspired by the grand Motor City jazz scene of the 1950s and early ’60s, these players update and extend that tradition with excellent writing, arranging, and playing for the 21st century.”
-Thom Jurek, allmusic.com
The Hughes/Smith Quintet has performed at several notable jazz clubs like The Dirty Dog Jazz Cafe, The Bop Stop, Cliff Bell’s, Jazz Cafe at Music Hall, Motor City Wine, Cadieux Cafe, Black Lotus Brewery, and sets at the Michigan Jazz Festival, Experience Art Live Royal Oak Festival, St Columban Concert Series, and the Opportunity Detroit Concert Series. They have three recordings, FROM HERE ON OUT (2013) and EVER UP & ONWARD (2015) which made AllMusic’s “Favorite Jazz Album” of 2015 list and has been played on over 100 radio stations throughout the U.S. Their newest album MOTION was released in January 2018.
Find out more here!
