Cliff Bell's

Leafar Village
2023-03-26 19:30 - 23:00 (America/Detroit)
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.
Rafael Leafar is a rare multi-instrumentalist who can combine great passion, intellectual discipline, and a spiritual fire that is evocative of great artistic creativity.
He has established himself as a remarkable composer and musician not defined by any one particular genre or style.
Hailing from Detroit, Rafael’s connection to music was Jazz; fostered from a musical family at an early age.
His parents invested life changing moves to make certain to access of opportunity to quality schools back and forth from suburban education and playing opportunities in Detroit that would eventually prove fruitful graduating from Sterling Heights High School, DSA, Detroit Civic Jazz Orchestra, & The New School for Jazz.
Over the years since 2009 major recording & performances with; Reggie Workman, Robert Hurst, Marcus Belgrave, Luis Resto, Vincent Chandler, Jeff Tain Watts, Marion Hayden, Sterling Toles, Detroit Jazz Festival Band, Kamau Kenyatta, Video7.

DeSean Jones
2023-03-26 19:30 - 2023-03-27 09:30, 2023-03-27 19:30 - 2023-03-28 09:30, 2023-03-28 19:30 - 2023-03-29 09:30, 2023-03-29 19:30 - 2023-03-30 09:30, 2023-03-30 19:30 - 2023-03-31 09:30, 2023-03-31 19:30 - 2023-04-01 09:30, 2023-04-01 19:30 - 2023-04-02 09:30, 2023-04-02 19:30 - 2023-04-03 09:30 and 12 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.

Noah Jackson & Full Circle: Residency & Session
2023-03-29 19:30 - 21:30, 2023-04-05 19:30 - 21:30, 2023-04-12 19:30 - 21:30
Showtimes are at 7:30pm & 9:30pm for this performance.
Doors open at 5pm for dinner. Seating begins at 6pm for “Dinner & a Show”. The second show starts seating at 9pm.
Musicians pay no cover when they bring their instrument.
A Detroit original, Noah Jackson is a bassist, cellist, and composer specializing in black american music and classical music. Aimed with a curiosity to where sound could touch audiences from within, he has both written and performed music for large international audiences since 2010. A graduate of Michigan State University (B.M.), and Manhattan School of Music (M.M.), Noah has performed with world renowned artists such as NEA Jazz Master Abdullah Ibrahim, Branford Marsails, Jason Marsalis, The Marsalis Family, Hugh Masekela, Nnenna Freelon, Kenny Garrett, Wizard Harper, George Burton, Jazzmeia Horn, and Christian Sands. Additionally, he’s performed in many prominent venues and jazz festivals including Radio City Music Hall, Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, Jazz @ Lincoln Center, Blue Note Jazz Club (New York City and Milan), Royal Albert Hall, Victoria Hall (Geneva), Jazz in Marciac (Marciac, France), The Library of Congress, The Kennedy Center, SFJAZZ, The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, London Jazz Festival, Montreal Jazz Festival, and North Sea Jazz Festival. Noah Jackson also performed as part of the ceremony for the NEA Jazz Masters Award in 2019. He also recorded bass and cello on The Balance with Abdullah Ibrahim which reached #3 on the Billboard Jazz Charts (June 2019).
As a band leader, Noah had put on performances of original creative work with his band Full Circle. In 2011, he made his self-produced debut album, Contemplations- A Suite to critical acclaim and led Full Circle in the Detroit Jazz Festival in 2012. Since then, Noah has collaborated with a wide variety of artists across the jazz spectrum. In 2017, he has worked in collaboration with the American Ballet Theater with his string quartet Asè at Grace Farms in New Canaan, CT. Noah, along with vocalist and co-producer Candice Hoyes, were named recipients of grants for a double jazz and string quartet project: Ellington to the World: Generational Power in Black Culture and Spaces from the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council and the New York Council of the Arts. The work premiered at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in September 2019 and was performed to a sold out audience in The CUBE @ DSO in February 2020. As of March 2021, Noah has joined Cliff Bell’s in Detroit as Curator and Artist-in-Residence where he will perform with his group Full Circle and host sessions as well as bring in world-class talent to perform on it’s stage.
Noah is endorsed by Aguilar Amps, David Gage REAList LifeLine pickups, and NOAH Guitars of Italy. Noah currently resides in Detroit, Michigan.
Find out more about Noah here!

Michael Sarian Quartet
2023-03-30 19:30 - 23:00
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.

Trumpeter and composer Michael Sarian has been praised for his “unique compositional and instrumental voice” (Friedrich Kunzmann, All About Jazz) and his “endlessly renewable strain of lyric improvisation regardless of context or material.” (Peter Margasak, Downbeat Magazine).
Born in Toronto and raised in Buenos Aires, Michael relocated to New York City in 2012. Michael has performed at some of the most iconic international stages, including the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland, the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, Getxo Blues Festival in Spain, Teatro Colón in Argentina, and at some of New York City’s most beloved venues such as the Blue Note Jazz Club, Jazz at Lincoln Center, BRIC JazzFest, The Beacon Theater, and Central Park SummerStage. He has appeared on WNYC’s Soundcheck with John Schaefer, NPR’s World Cafe, and many more.
Michael‘s artistic output is as diverse as his background: he has released two albums with his quartet on ears&eyes Records which “create alternatively forceful and haunting sounds that dwell outside of the jazz mainstream in their own realm of beauty” (Jerome Wilson, AllAboutJazz), has released several duet recordings with pianist Matthew Putman on 577Records, electronic avant-garde music with Barcelona based pianist Olec Mün on piano and coffee records, and several albums with his septet Michael Sarian & The Chabones, most recently LEÓN in 2018 with ZOHO Music, a “remarkably strong foundation for some thrilling group improvisation and interplay.” (Brian Zimmerman, JAZZIZ Magazine)
He also performs regularly with his big band, Michael Sarian & The Big Chabones, is a stable member of The NYChillharmonic, the Bette Smith band, among other collaborations and projects. In 2020, Michael was a semifinalist at the prestigious DCJazzPrix, a 2020 Performer-Composer in Residence at Westben Centre for Connection & Creativity, and artist in residence at Culture Lab LIC for the winter/spring 2022 season.

Spare Parts
2023-04-07 19:30 - 23:00, 2023-04-08 19:30 - 23:00
Spare Parts, hailing from Chicago, live at Cliff Bell’s on April 7th and 8th. 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.
Spare Parts is an instrumental trio that pushes well beyond the jazz funk spectrum in which it thrives. Driven by vintage keyboards (Kevin Kozol), electric bass (Colin Scott) and drums (Mike Bruno), Spare Parts recalls the aesthetics of the analog era through a fresh and modern approach. Known for their hard hitting grooves, dynamic improvisation and collaborations with Chicago’s finest musicians, Spare Parts has won a loyal following over the years. The band has several releases on Ropeadope Records and has received accolades from across the industry including Ukvibe.org, Notreble.com, and Modern Jazz (MOJA) Radio.

Closed for the Holiday
2023-04-09 00:00 - 23:59

Houston Patton Quintet
2023-04-13 19:30 - 23:00
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.
Following in the footsteps of his father, Houston began playing the saxophone at a very young age. Under the mentorship and tutelage of saxophonists such as Harry Patton, Daryl Beebe, Jordan Vanhemert, Wendell Harrison, and Andrew Bishop, Houston has explored many genres ranging from gospel to hard bop.
Most notably, Houston often performs with Kevin Jones & Tenth World, and a host of Detroit and West Michigan Groups. Fresh out of his time spent in New York, Houston was able to perform with Winard Harper, and also with J.C Hopkins at Mintons Playhouse.

Currently, Houston is studying Jazz Saxophone at the University of Michigan and is preparing for much more in the future. At 21 he is getting ready to take the world by storm!

The Gill Duet + KonGruENT
2023-04-14 19:30 - 23:00
Showtimes are at 7:30p & 9:30p for this performance.
Doors open at 5pm for dinner/Seating begins at 6:15p for the first show & 9:00p for the second show
Kenneth Gill is a trombonist, band director, educator, composer, arranger, songwriter, and producer. Born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, Kenneth attended Detroit Public Schools and is a graduate of Howard University (B.M.E.) and Kent State University (M.M.). Kenneth continues to chart his own musical course. In 2019, he released an LP entitled The Good News. As an in-demand trombonist, he has recorded and performed with various artists and ensembles. In addition to maintaining a full schedule as a working musician, he is currently attending the University of Michigan, pursuing his doctoral degree in Jazz and Contemporary Improvisation.
Notable artists with whom he has shared the stage include: Marcus Belgrave, Gerald Wilson, Grady Tate, Donald Byrd, Clark Terry, Yusef Lateef, Jimmy Heath, Frank Foster, Gladys Knight, El DeBarge, Boyz II Men, Tori Kelly, Martha Reeves, Ray Chew, Les Nubians, Jennifer Holiday, Mutiny, Mike Phillips, Darius Rucker, Kurt Elling, Terence Blanchard and more.
Leslie Hoggatt Gill is a vocalist, arranger, and songwriter. Born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, she has loved to sing since before she could speak. Her parents recognized her passion for music at the beginning and helped to cultivate her gift. She sang her first solo in concert at the age of 3 and started to train classically on the piano at the age of 4. Leslie’s vocal gift has allowed to her to travel and sing at public and private events across the United States and in other countries. She has also been featured on several studio recordings. Leslie has graced the stage of Detroit’s legendary Baker’s Keyboard Lounge and the famous Cliff Bell’s jazz club.
Kenneth & Leslie were married in 2020, becoming the Gill Duet in more ways than one. They share a deep love for jazz, music history and each other. Creating and performing together comes naturally; the Gill Duet was always meant to be.
KonGruENT is the embodiment of the word’s definition. The band is comprised of outstanding musicians, accomplished in their own right, uniting in one accord with the same goal: freedom of expression through traditional and progressive jazz arrangements that emphasize the bold sound of horns. Collectively, these talented musicians represent KG Entertainment as KonGruENT.
