Cliff Bell's

Jason Janas: Monk's Fruit feat. The Marion Hayden Trio
2022-12-28 19:30 - 23:00 (America/Detroit)
Showtimes are at 7:30p & 9:30p for this performance.
(Seatings begin at 5p & 8:45p respectively)
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Jason Janas is originally from New Jersey. He began his tap dance instruction under Ms. Deborah Mitchell and was the first charter member of the New Jersey Tap Ensemble. He then found a love for the dance and continued to learn and study the art form. He also trained and was a member of the North Carolina Youth Tap Ensemble under the direction of Gene Medler.
Jason’s first professional company after high school was Tapestry Dance Company in Austin TX, under the direction of Acia Gray. He was a principal dancer there for 5 years. His hard work ethic began to take notice and Derick Grant invited Jason to be in his show Imagine Tap! which ran for 6 weeks in Chicago, and changed his life. His other show credits include Souls of our Feet with Tapestry Dance Company, Wonderland with Sara Savelli and Ayodele Casel, and most recently co-choreographed and was featured in Tap Stars with Rasta Thomas. He currently teaches for Wild Dance Convention and West Coast Dance Explosion, and has taught at tap festivals in New Jersey, Chicago, New York, L.A., Charlotte, Austin, San Antonio, Vancouver, Zürich, Curitiba (Brazil), Moscow, and Barcelona!

DeSean Jones
2022-12-28 19:30 - 2022-12-29 09:30, 2022-12-29 19:30 - 2022-12-30 09:30, 2022-12-30 19:30 - 2022-12-31 09:30, 2022-12-31 19:30 - 2023-01-01 09:30, 2023-01-01 19:30 - 2023-01-02 09:30, 2023-01-02 19:30 - 2023-01-03 09:30, 2023-01-03 19:30 - 2023-01-04 09:30, 2023-01-04 19:30 - 2023-01-05 09:30 and 10 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.

The Colton Weatherston Quartet
2022-12-29 19:30 - 23:00, 2022-12-30 19:30 - 23:30
Showtimes are at 7:30p & 9:30p for this performance.
(Seatings begin at 5p & 8:45p respectively)
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“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

Noah Jackson & Full Circle: Residency & Session
2023-01-04 19:30 - 21:30, 2023-01-11 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!

Michigan Tech University Jazz Lab Band + Supercell
2023-01-05 18:00 - 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) **************************************************************************************

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.

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!

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
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.
