Cliff Bell's

Michael J. Reed & Friends Album Release Show
2021-09-23 19:30 - 23:30, 2021-09-24 19:30 - 23:30, 2021-09-25 19:30 - 23:30 (America/Detroit)
There will be two seatings at 7:30pm & 9:30pm for this performance
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Michael J. Reed is a jazz drummer currently based in East Lansing, Mi. Michael maintains an active performing career throughout the Midwest, performing throughout Northwest Ohio, Detroit and New York with artists such as Rodney Whitaker, Dwight Adams, Diego Rivera, Tim Ries’ Rolling Stones Project, Trunino Lowe, Nicole New, Walter White, Rick Margitza, Steve Davis, Mark Whitfield, Melissa Aldana, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Sachal Vasandani, Damion Sneed, Karen Clark Sheard, Michelle Lordi, the MSU Bebop Spartans all over Michigan and Japan, Ramona Collins, The Dr. Phillips Center Jazz Orchestra in Orlando, Fl and many others.

Michael leads his own groups, which has performed at Cliff Bell’s, the Ohio Theatre, the Toledo Museum of Art, the former Degage Jazz Café, UrbanBeat, and Blue LLama Jazz Club. Michael recently released his second album entitled, Remove All Fear, as well as his first album as bandleader and composer, entitled A Walk of Perspective, in 2018. Michael had the opportunity to record with Rodney Whitaker, and other artists such as Chloe and the Steel Strings, and the Gazebo.

DeSean Jones
2021-09-23 19:30 - 2021-09-24 09:30, 2021-09-24 19:30 - 2021-09-25 09:30, 2021-09-25 19:30 - 2021-09-26 09:30, 2021-09-26 19:30 - 2021-09-27 09:30, 2021-09-27 19:30 - 2021-09-28 09:30, 2021-09-28 19:30 - 2021-09-29 09:30, 2021-09-29 19:30 - 2021-09-30 09:30, 2021-09-30 19:30 - 2021-10-01 09:30 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.

Neal Anderson Quintet
2021-09-26 19:30 - 23:30
There will be two seatings at 7:30pm & 9:30pm for this performance.
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The Neal Anderson Quintet celebrates the release of their second album, “Why Wait?”

Exploring a genre they call avant-groove, the quintet brings odd-meter, polyrhythm, and free improvisation to a groove setting. Thoughtful melodies and electro-acoustic harmonies float over cerebral compositional structures in their original music.

Comprised of creative minds based in Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, Detroit, and Chicago, the quintet has performed together since 2015.

Closed for a Private Event
2021-10-02 00:00 - 23:59
See you tomorrow for Roger Jones & Higher Calling!

The Shawn Maxwell Quartet
2021-10-07 19:30 - 23:30
As a composer, recording artist and performer, saxophonist Shawn Maxwell has endeavored to express his own unique voice. From his latest album Millstream (Jazzline, 2020) to his debut Originals (self-released, 2005), he has released nine albums of original compositions. The traditions of jazz form the foundation for Shawn’s music; he builds on that with material from the music he grew up with – rock, funk, hip hop, R&B, classical. The result, as Hrayr Attarian wrote in Chicago Jazz Magazine, “is refreshingly distinct yet recognizably Maxwellian”. He’s not intent on following any rules – or on breaking them – but on continually expanding what his music encompasses.
For the past three years, Shawn has been touring the U.S. with his quintet Shawn Maxwell’s New Tomorrow. Their first album, Shawn Maxwell’s New Tomorrow (OA2/Origin, 2016), was named one of Downbeat Magazine’s “Best Albums of 2017”. The follow-up, Music in My Mind (OA2/Origin, 2018), was highly praised by critics and enthusiastically received by radio stations. It was chosen as a Downbeat Magazine Editor’s Pick in June 2018.

Richie Goods Project
2021-10-08 19:30 - 23:30, 2021-10-09 19:30 - 23:30
There will be two seatings at 7:30pm & 9:30pm for this performance.
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NY bassist Richie Goods, one of the most versatile and accomplished bass players on the scene today and the youngest person ever inducted into the Pittsburgh Jazz Hall of Fame, came to prominence while touring and recording with the late Mulgrew Miller and credits him for much of his success. Richie went on to make a name for himself through recording and touring with a variety of jazz and popular artists including Sting, The Headhunters, Louis Hayes and the Cannonball Adderley Legacy Band, Lenny White, Milt Jackson, Whitney Houston, and Christina Aguilera. His lengthy discography also includes Grammy award-winning and platinum albums of Alicia Keys and Common. Richie most recently toured with popular jazz trumpeter, Chris Botti for over 5 years.
Known for his ability to “lay down the groove”, Richie infuses funk and gospel influences in his music. He tours the US and internationally extensively, including notable performances at the Monterrey, Montreal, Mendocino, Atlanta, Detroit, San Jose and Jakarta Java Jazz Festivals as well as the Punta del Este International Jazz Festival. Richie, a native Pittsburgher, graduated from the Pittsburgh High School for Creative and Performing Arts and the prestigious jazz program at Berklee College in Boston and studied with such luminaries as Ron Carter and
Ray Brown. Richie received critical acclaim for his first recording with Nuclear Fusion –“Richie Goods & Nuclear Fusion Live at the Zinc Bar” (2009), which was followed by “THREE RIVERS” in 2015.
Richie’s latest release, recorded with his current band, THE GOODS PROJECT, is a tribute to his mentor. “My Left Hand Man – A Tribute to Mulgrew Miller” spent 16 weeks on the JazzWeek charts, 8 in the top 20. As one critic observed, Richie Goods truly has music in his
DNA –“a master musician whose tenure with many of music’s greatest names clearly has worn off on him…”

Maraj Virtuoso
2021-10-10 19:30 - 23:00
Maraj Virtuoso is a multi-cultural Afro-LatinX vocalist and violinist who believes she was born to express her story and love through story-telling, songs and strings.
She creates music that fuses Neo-Soul, Jazz, Latin influences along with dashes of R&B and Indie. This creates a delicious sound with lyrics that weave a story of personal testimony, lifes beautiful twists and turns, vulnerabilities while touching on mental health.
Maraj Virtuoso begin playing the violin at the age of 3 and continued to study classical violin under the tutelage of the Detroit Civic Symphony Orchestra and the mentorship of DSO & New Mexico Philarmonic violinist Marian Tanau.
Her exploration in improvisational strings and her true vocalist style begin in 2014 after continuing music studies at Wayne State University. She then found herself falling in love with lyricism as well as the ins and outs of production and live instrumentation. She expanded her taste in music alongside the open ears and support of her parents who wanted to help her express herself through any form of music out there. She has performed at many venues and festivals across Detroit, Chicago, Brooklyn and Los Angeles having opened up for artists like Black Milk alongside Phil Swish, Kaina, DeadstockV1, Supercoolwicked and more.
Currently living and creating in Detroit, she finds herself constantly inspired by her continued pursuit of all knowledge musically but also the internal self reflection as well as the incredible musicians that surround her in her life. Through her soon to be released project A.D.H.D (Angels.Demons.Hearts.&Dreams) she wants to bring to light that we are all human and in this life, through music and song we are all beacons of light and love.
That we are all capable of kintsirugi. To extend grace beyond measure to not only others but ourselves.
Over the course of her performances at Cliff Bells she will be joined on-stage by openers, friends and performing artists Hugo Biggs, McCrea Deezer, and Kevin Christian adding hints of hip-hop and pop.
