Cliff Bell's

DeSean Jones
2023-04-04 19:30 - 2023-04-05 09:30, 2023-04-05 19:30 - 2023-04-06 09:30, 2023-04-06 19:30 - 2023-04-07 09:30, 2023-04-07 19:30 - 2023-04-08 09:30, 2023-04-08 19:30 - 2023-04-09 09:30, 2023-04-09 19:30 - 2023-04-10 09:30, 2023-04-10 19:30 - 2023-04-11 09:30, 2023-04-11 19:30 - 2023-04-12 09:30 (America/Detroit) and 11 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
2023-04-05 19:30 - 21:30, 2023-04-12 19:30 - 21:30, 2023-04-19 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!

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, 2023-04-16 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.

The Colton Weatherston Quartet
2023-04-22 19:30 - 23:30
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.
“Colton is known for his interpretations of standards, swing, and bebop, with unique presentations of rare gems from the early jazz canon to French chanson with hints of blues and R&B. Below the surface of his subtle guitar stylings, an explosive technical mastery transports his ensembles to heights of flowing groove and harmonic exploration. Here, his pared down vocal phrasing acts as a foil, centering the repertoire on his relaxed delivery of well known lyrics. A satisfying recipe for jazz in the 21st Century.”
– Mortimer Cliftoner, Philadelphia Exporter

Harmonica Shah and Howard Glazer
2023-04-23 17:30 - 21:00
Doors open at 4pm for dinner. Showtimes are at 5:30p & 7:30p for this performance. Seating for the shows begins at 5pm for the first show & 7pm for the second show.
Born in California, Shah also spent time in Somerville, Texas, with his blues harmonica and guitar playing grandfather, Sam Dawson. Dawson had recorded for both Alan Lomax and Duke Records. His mother, a beautician, encouraged him to be a salesman for Jet magazine in the latter part of the 1950s. This allowed Shah access to Oakland’s bars and clubs, where he heard musicians such as Lowell Fulson, Jimmy McCracklin, Juke Boy Bonner and Big Mama Thornton.
Shah told Living Blues magazine that his grandfather’s passion for the blues inspired him. “Well see I picked it up from him, he’d be out in the fields singin’ all that (sings in a slow moan) ‘Tell me how long, whoa, tell me how long it’s been since you’ve been away from home’ Well, that’s raw! That’s a big damn difference from ‘Good Golly Miss Molly'”.
He moved to Detroit in 1967, and worked for Ford Motors for fifteen years. Shah bought himself a cheap harmonica in 1976 and, while operating as a taxicab driver, Shah was introduced to local blues jam sessions. “Hell, that was it, no turning back then”, Shah recalled.
