Cliff Bell's

Michigan Tech University Jazz Lab Band + Supercell
2023-01-05 18:00 - 23:00 (America/Detroit)
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) **************************************************************************************

Adam Meckler is a trumpeter, composer, entrepreneur, and educator based in Upper Peninsula Michigan where he is the Director of Jazz Studies at Michigan Technological University. Adam is an Edward’s Instrument Co. Performing Artist and leads the Adam Meckler Orchestra (AMO), an award-winning 18 piece big band that plays his original music. The AMO’s album ‘When the Clouds Look Like This’ was listed as one of the best jazz releases of 2014 by iTunes.

Meckler tours and/or records with many artists including Youngblood Brass Band, Steve Cole, and The Hornheads (Prince). He’s appeared on several albums by Cory Wong including the Golden Hour, a collaboration with smooth jazz master Dave Koz. Meckler arranges horns and records remotely in his home studio for artists all over the world.

SUPERCELL

Supercell is Adam Meckler (trumpet), Brian Courage (bass), and Andrew Green (drums). The band met as students in the 2000s and performed together in a variety of contexts. They joined together to form Supercell in 2020, leaning on chemistry built over a decade of friendship and music making. Supercell thrives on organic, exploratory interaction, performing a mix of original compositions and deconstructed standards. Music that is beautiful and wild, probing and introspective.

DeSean Jones
2023-01-05 19:30 - 2023-01-06 09:30, 2023-01-06 19:30 - 2023-01-07 09:30, 2023-01-07 19:30 - 2023-01-08 09:30, 2023-01-08 19:30 - 2023-01-09 09:30, 2023-01-09 19:30 - 2023-01-10 09:30, 2023-01-10 19:30 - 2023-01-11 09:30, 2023-01-11 19:30 - 2023-01-12 09:30, 2023-01-12 19:30 - 2023-01-13 09:30 and 9 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.

Brandon Williams Quintet
2023-01-06 19:30 - 23:00, 2023-01-07 19:30 - 23:00, 2023-01-08 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)
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Fri: Straight ahead jazz- Dwight Adams/trumpet, Wesley Reynoso/piano, Jeremiah Edwards/bass, Brandon Williams/drums

Sat: Contemporary jazz quartet- Jeff Ponders/sax, Derrick Benford/piano, Damon Warmack/bass, Brandon Williams/drums

Sun: Organ Trio- Gerrard Gibbs/organ, Larry Barris/Guitar, Brandon Williams/drums

Detroit-bred Brandon Williams’ life has always included music in some capacity. First as a listener, then as a musician, and ultimately, as a producer. He is a musical architect that is quickly making his name and stake as a front-runner in the music industry with the release of his 2014 debut album entitled XII featuring Robert Glasper, Jean Baylor (formerly of Zhane’), Frank McComb, Nicholas Payton, Choklate, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and more. The album has received high praises from musical luminaries such as Jean-Paul “Bluey” Maunick (Incognito), Chuckii Booker, Maysa Leak, Ledisi, Rahsaan Patterson, Marion Meadows, Dianne Reeves, Sinbad, Will Downing, Jill Scott and many others. He has also been personally endorsed as a great producer by the legendary Quincy Jones.

He is a tastemaker with an undeniable track record. As an musician, he has performed with Musiq Soulchild, Chantae Cann (Snarky Puppy), Talib Kweli, Dionne Ferris, Eric Roberson, Najee, Angie Stone, Wyclef Jean of The Fugees, Raheem DeVaughn, Keyon Harrold (Miles Ahead), Gordon Chambers, Rance Allen, Ronnie McNair (The Four Tops) Kevin Toney, Kim Burrell, Carvin Winans, Jaguar Wright, Derrick Hodge, Gene Dunlap, Johnny O’Neal, Geno Young, Talib Kweli, Earnest Pugh, Millie Scott, Martha Reeves, The Last Poets, Sy Smith, Zo!, Carmen Rodgers, Conya Doss, Mike Phillips, and Sherry Scott, formerly of Earth, Wind & Fire. He’s also opened for some of the industry’s finest including; Faith Evans, Morris Day and The Time, Jose James, The Isley Brothers, Angela Winbush, Janelle Monae, George Duke, Liv Warfield, Regina Belle, P.J. Morton (Maroon 5), Joe Sample, Norman Brown, and Jonathan Butler, just to name a few. He’s even performed for Earvin “Magic” Johnson, MC Lyte, Holly Robinson-Peete, The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, Curtis Armstrong (Revenge of the Nerds, Ray), Vondie Curtis-Hall, and Spike Lee.

Find more about Brandon Williams HERE!

Noah Jackson & Full Circle: Residency & Session
2023-01-11 19:30 - 21:30, 2023-01-18 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!

Russ Macklem Quartet
2023-01-12 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)
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Making his home on the cross-border music scene in Detroit and Windsor, trumpet player/composer/jazz musician/educator Dr. Russ Macklem is a musical seeker, on a quest for truth and authenticity in art and life. This quest has taken Russ around North America: from his hometown of Kelowna, BC to Montreal, Boston, Toronto, St. Louis, Miami, and currently the Windsor/Detroit area. Russ has performed with acclaimed artists and ensembles in many genres including Jimmy Heath, Cecil McBee, Dave Holland, The Marley Bros (Ziggy, Stephen, Julian, Ky-Mani, and Damian), John Williams, Quincy Jones, amongst many others.
A virtuoso performer, Russ is equally skilled as a lead and jazz trumpeter, and has performed in professional productions of musicals such as In the Heights. His lead trumpet playing is featured on the two most recent albums by the University of Miami Concert Jazz Band: Europa: Explorations for Jazz Ensemble and Justin Morell: Concerto for Guitar and Jazz Orchestra featuring Adam Rogers. As a jazz musician, Russ is a stylist on the trumpet, honing his individual voice on the instrument for over 20 years. He is inventive and exciting improvisor and composer, with roots in the Black Music tradition. As an educator, Russ has taught at the University of Miami Frost School of Music where he was a Teaching Assistant. He also taught with Young Musicians Unite, a Miami-based non-profit providing musical instruction in inner-city schools. In addition, Russ has taught at summer camps, given masterclasses, and taught privately in Canada, the USA, and Mexico. Russ is a sessional lecturer at the University of Windsor.

Micah Thomas Trio
2023-01-13 19:30 - 23:30, 2023-01-14 19:30 - 23:30, 2023-01-15 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) **************************************************************************************
Micah Thomas was born in 1997 in Columbus, Ohio. He started playing songs on the piano by ear at the age of 2, and shortly afterwards he started private piano training. From his sophomore year of high school onwards, Micah began gigging regularly with violinist Christian Howes, and was a regular faculty member at his annual Creative Strings Workshop from 2015-2018. He also has appeared several times with Byron Stripling and the Columbus Jazz Orchestra as a guest artist, performing with John Clayton and Joshua Redman for their 45th anniversary concert series in 2017. He has also performed throughout Ohio with other musicians including JD Allen, Billy Contreras, Eddie Bayard, George Delancey, Cedric Easton, and Bobby Floyd.
In 2015, Micah Thomas received the Jerome L. Greene Fellowship from the Juilliard School, and received his Master of Music (M.M.) degree in 2020. He is now touring and performing locally and internationally, both as a leader of his own trio, a steady member of the Immanuel Wilkins Quartet, and as a sideman for Ambrose Akinmusire, Lage Lund, Billy Drummond, Zoh Amba, Giveton Gelin, Stacy Dillard, Joel Ross, Nicole Glover, Melissa Aldana, Etienne Charles, Harish Raghavan and others.
In June 2020, Micah Thomas released his first album, “Tide”, which received positive reviews from the New York Journal, The New York Times, JazzTimes, and Financial Times, among others. He has appeared on several albums as a sideman for Immanuel Wilkins, Billy Drummond, Zoh Amba, Giveton Gelin, and Walter Smith III.
In September 2022, Micah Thomas released the album “Piano Solo”. Micah was also the curator for the 2022 SWR NewJazz Meeting.

Ben Turner Quartet
2023-01-15 08:00 - 17:00
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)
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Ben, a graduate of the Boyer College of Music at Temple University, is a guitarist, composer, and educator based in the Detroit area where he maintains a busy schedule as a leader, sideman, and teacher. Ben is currently pursuing his master’s degree in jazz studies at Michigan State University as a graduate assistant under Professor Randy Napoleon.
Ben has studied with Peter Bernstein, Bobby Broom, Mike Moreno, Director of Jazz Studies at Temple University Terell Stafford, Tim Warfield, Dick Oatts, Dave Wong, among others.
As part of an exchange program through Temple University, Ben spent four months in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, studying with Jesse van Ruller at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam. While there, he was afforded opportunities to travel and perform around Europe.
Ben has played with musicians such as Adam Niewood, Behn Gillece, Byron Landham, Carmen Lundy, Dwight Adams, John Swana, John Webber, Larry McKenna, Marcus Elliot, Matthew Parrish, Michael Dease, Mike Boone, Rick Roe, and Rodney Whitaker. He has also performed at venues including The Appel Room at Jazz at Lincoln Center, Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, the Millenium Stage at the Kennedy Center, the Kimmel Center, the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, as well as clubs around Philadelphia and Detroit.
Ben was one of two guitarists accepted into the 2018 and 2022 class of Betty Carter’s Jazz Ahead at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. While there he worked with Kennedy Center Artistic Director for Jazz, Jason Moran, as well as an esteemed faculty. Jazz Ahead ultimately concluded with performances of all original music at the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage and Terrace Theatre.
Ben auditioned and was selected for the 2018 Telluride Jazz All-Stars Ensemble which performed at the 2018 Telluride Jazz Festival in Telluride, Colorado, the 2020 Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Jazz Orchestra, which performed at the 2020 Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival, and the 2021 Brevard Jazz Institute.
Ben received an award in Downbeat magazine for outstanding performance (undergraduate college) as part of the 2020 Downbeat Student Music Awards and was selected to participate in the 2020 JAS Academy in Aspen, Colorado.
Most recently, Ben was awarded the 2022 BMI Future Jazz Master Award along with jazz musician Cler Diaz (a first ever tie), and the 2022 U.S. Army Blues Solo Competition (Collegiate Division). He was also a finalist in the 2022 UNISA International Strings Competition and 2019 Wilson Center Jazz Guitar Competition.
Ben has worked as a teaching assistant for Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Summer Jazz Academy at Bard College and the COTA Jazz Camp in Delaware Water Gap, PA, in addition to teaching privately and for MSU Community Music School, Detroit. Ben most recently joined the faculty of Interlochen Arts Academy in Interlochen, MI as adjunct instructor of jazz guitar.

Jeff Ponders Quintet
2023-01-20 19:30 - 23:30, 2023-01-21 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) **************************************************************************************
Saxophonist Jeff Ponders II has captivated audiences for over 20 years with his provocative, soulful approach to music. A Detroit native, he honed his skills under the guidance of jazz masters Donald Walden, Marcus Belgrave, andWendell Harrison, before heading to Philadelphia to further his craft with Dr.Guthrie Ramsey.Jeff has performed and recorded with heavyweights across many genres, including James Carter, Robert Glasper, Boyz II Men, Mike Phillips, Keyshia Cole, Bebe Winans, and Eric Roberson. He toured as a member of the MarvinGaye Orchestra for the hit musical”My Brother Marvin,” and works throughout the US as an artist and keynote speaker.
Jeff’s debut album, Spark (2018), and forthcoming sophomore project Better(2023), are collections of original compositions taking listeners from funk to fusion, swing to soul, and church pews to the Caribbean.
The recordings feature Grammy-nominated artists Brandon Williams, Demetrius “Krayon”Nabors, Shedrick Mitchell, Nate Winn, Damon Warmack, and Gerard Gibbs of the James Carter Organ Trio.Jeff’s 2022 band features Kenny Watson (vocals), Demetrius Nabors (keys),Damon Warmack (bass), and Nate Winn (drums).
