DeSean Jones
2022-07-30 19:30 - 2022-07-31 09:30, 2022-07-31 19:30 - 2022-08-01 09:30, 2022-08-01 19:30 - 2022-08-02 09:30, 2022-08-02 19:30 - 2022-08-03 09:30, 2022-08-03 19:30 - 2022-08-04 09:30, 2022-08-04 19:30 - 2022-08-05 09:30, 2022-08-05 19:30 - 2022-08-06 09:30, 2022-08-06 19:30 - 2022-08-07 09:30 (America/Detroit) and 13 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.

George Davidson's 80th Birthday Celebration
2022-07-31 19:30 - 23:00
There is no cover for tonight’s shows.
**************************************************************************************************
The musical community of Southeastern Michigan will be presenting a musical homage to master musician George Davidson in celebration of his 80th Birthday @ Cliff Bell’s. A special guest list of musicians associated with Mr. Davidson’s career will be present to perform musical tributes throughout the evening.
Drummer & jazz master George Davidson grew up in Detroit and started his musical career tap dancing at the tender age of eight. In high school, he was fortunate enough to continue his studies with the great Rex T. Hall and, briefly, with James Thurston at Wayne State University. Davidson’s career afforded him the opportunity of traveling throughout the world. He has worked and performed with the giants of Motown such as The Four Tops, The Supremes, Paul Butterfield Band and many others. He went on to work with numerous jazz, pop and blues artists: Aretha Franklin, Paul Butterfield, Spanky Wilson, Leon Thomas, Eddie Russ, Eddie Harris, Dorothy Donegan, Tribe, Kirk Lightsey, Rodney Whitaker, Geri Allen, Rufus Harley, Teddy Edwards, Dr. Donald Byrd, The Michigan Jazz Masters, Wendell Harrison, Bill Heid and others.
All are welcome to help celebrate the birthday of a jazz legend right here in Detroit! There will be a special surprise for those who attend.

Charles Goold
2022-08-05 19:30 - 23:00, 2022-08-06 19:30 - 23:00, 2022-08-07 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)
**************************************************************************************************
Charles Goold, is one of the city’s hardest working jazz drummers of his generation. Son of Ned Goold, legendary saxophonist, Charles was able to hear, live and embody jazz from the day he was born, performing with a variety of musicians since age 11. Goold graduated from The Juilliard School and was awarded The Juilliard Career Advancement Fellowship Grant in May 2017. Goold has performed with the best in the jazz industry and a wide variety of acts from Wynton Marsalis and The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Johnny O’Neal, Steve Nelson to collaborations with rap legends Talib Kweli, Ghostface Killah and Cam’Ron. Goold’s debut album “Rhythm in Contrast” features all of these different influences ranging from Jazz to Afro Caribbean rhythms and funk.

Brandon Rose
2022-08-11 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)
**************************************************************************************************
The protégé of legends Marcus Miller and Rodney Whitaker, contemporary jazz musician Brandon Rose harnesses his gospel roots to create rhythm and blues, and soul-inspired compositions. His music seamlessly and effortlessly incorporates elements of jazz, funk, hip hop, and R&B into a full-bodied sonic experience. In the 2000s, Rose achieved early notoriety on Michigan-based television programs and online streaming platforms as a child bassist.
At the tender age of five, Rose began playing the bass guitar for his Detroit-based mega-church, and soon became sponsored by the highest selling bass guitar brand in the industry. Rose has since traveled the world performing with the likes of Etienne Charles, Diego Rivera, his mentor Marcus Miller, and many other talented artists.
As a writer, Brandon’s compositions are inspired by his experiences with love and love lost, and by the social protests of the Black Lives Matter movement and other efforts for equality.

Mike Monford and Detroit Effervescense
2022-08-12 19:30 - 23:30, 2022-08-13 19:30 - 23:30, 2022-08-14 19:30 - 23:30
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)
**************************************************************************************************
Native Detroiter Mike Monford got an early start on his love for music. It began at the age of four while constantly digging through his father’s jazz and R&B albums. His musical interests grew through his teen years when he absorbed himself in the hip-hop culture, and morphed into DJing at parties under the name DJ M & M. The turning point came in high school when he explored singing, but it was the saxophone that became his instrument of choice.
Mike immersed himself in private lessons with jazz legend Teddy Harris Jr., who also became his mentor, and he took in the jazz scene at some of Detroit’s best-known jazz clubs – Bomacs Lounge, Bert’s Market Place, The Bluebird, and Baker’s Keyboard Lounge. Along the way, Mike’s mentors included resident masters Ken Cox, George Goldsmith, George Davidson, Marcus Belgrave, Donald Walden, and Phil Lasley.
Fresh out of high school in 1992, Mike studied with master saxophonist Phil Lasley and also turned to his peers Dwight Adams, Cassius Richmond, Karriem Riggens, Rodney Whittaker, and James Carter.
In 1997, Mike was awarded a musical scholarship to the University of Hartford – Hartt School of Music. There, he studied with jazz great and master saxophonist Jackie McLean. He also was awarded a musical scholarship from the Societie of the Culturally Concerned, formerly known as the Bluebird Reunion, based in Detroit.

While studying at the Hartt School Conservatory, Mike traveled to New York where he found and was hired by bassist Bill Lee (filmmaker Spike Lee’s father), pianist Marc Cary, pianist Alan J. Palmer, trumpeter Raymond Williams, and bassist Hakim Jami. Not only did he perform with these greats, he also recorded with them. Mike spent some 20 years in New York honing his talents, and entrenched in the history and sounds of jazz.
Armed with his experiences as a performer, composer, and arranger, “Perseverance,” Mike Monford’s debut CD as a band leader was released in 2012. The CD features Grammy Award winning pianist Marc Cary, Tarus Mateen on bass, Steve Williams on drums, and Rayse Biggs on trumpet.
Learn more about Mike here!

Aaron Bazzell Quartet
2022-08-18 19:00 - 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)
*************************************************************************************************
Aaron Bazzell is a musician, composer and educator based out of Brooklyn, NY. Born in Boston, Massachusetts, at the age of eight the family moved down south. Growing up in Metro-Atlanta, he would eventually come home from school one today to find that his father had purchased an alto saxophone. After receiving some encouragement from his middle school band director, he quickly became serious about the instrument. Originally a classical saxophonist, it was the increased opportunity for freedom of expression along with the sense of community among its practitioners that would lead him to shift his focus to jazz. He holds a B.M. in jazz studies from Michigan State University and a M.A. in music education from Teachers College. His primary teachers include Don Taylor, Jack Morrell, Greg Ward, Wess Anderson, and Diego Rivera. Aaron teaches music within the New York City Department of Education where he hopes to develop within his students the same attributes of empathy, focus and consistency that a life in music has provided him.
