DeSean Jones
2023-12-18 19:30 - 2023-12-19 09:30, 2023-12-19 19:30 - 2023-12-20 09:30, 2023-12-20 19:30 - 2023-12-21 09:30, 2023-12-21 19:30 - 2023-12-22 09:30, 2023-12-22 19:30 - 2023-12-23 09:30, 2023-12-23 19:30 - 2023-12-24 09:30, 2023-12-24 19:30 - 2023-12-25 09:30, 2023-12-25 19:30 - 2023-12-26 09:30 (America/Detroit) and 12 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
2023-12-20 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!

James Carter Organ Trio
2023-12-22 19:30 - 21:30
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.

The organ combo reigned for several decades as jazz’s meat-and-potatoes mainstay, a populist vehicle for blues-drenched blowing. In the hands of James Carter, one of jazz’s most sophisticated improvisers, the organ trio is no less meaty and satisfying. But his virtuosic saxophone chops elevate the organ combo to a rarefied realm defined by delectable soul, a gourmet repertoire, and consistently inspired group interplay.
Featuring the lithe and muscular keyboard work of Detroit’s rising B3 star Gerard Gibbs and the propulsive drum support of Motor City trap master Alex White, the multigenerational James Carter Organ Trio is now in its seventeenth year.

More information HERE!

Theo Gridiron's You Better Watch Out!
2023-12-26 19:30 - 21:30
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.

You Better Watch Out! Theo Gridiron and Friends adds a fresh take on the holiday classics while also sprinkling in some good ole Detroit soul along the way. You Better Watch Out! is truly what the Holidays are all about, an experience fit for the whole family. When he’s not spreading holiday joy Theo Gridiron also sings for The Detroit Lions. For these shows Theo will be featuring the finest talent in Detroit.

https://youtu.be/yMIAsNAhBaw
https://youtu.be/MAVQHiSpRys
https://youtu.be/u_1mIWv-_Ew

Quartet Now!
2023-12-28 19:30 - 21:30, 2023-12-29 19:30 - 21:30, 2023-12-30 19:30 - 21:30
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.
Featuring:
Vincent Chandler, trombone. Alex Harding, Baritone Sax. Rocco Popielarski, bass. And Djallo Djakate, drums.
Some reunions can result in the participants meeting at a juncture where they were previously, then continuing forward with the same spirit as before. This is precisely what happened when Alex Harding contacted me and said, ‘let’s hit.’ It was the first time since 1995 and the fireworks were still sparking. Soon afterwards, he asked me to recommend a bassist in forming a trio. I immediately told him about Rocco Popielarski. The three of us performed a couple of gigs and hammed and my home a few times.
When trombonist Vincent Chandler returned to Detroit to live, Alex didn’t waste any time sounding on him to join the group. He said the two of them always had a great musical rapport-which is important in terms of a group interaction in which the members trust each enough to take risks and land on their feet. During the fall of 2017, Alex was asked for the name of the group. His first thought was Quartet Now! And so it is, with three generations of musicians who bring their music experiences into one unified whole. Sometimes it can take a while for a new ensemble to develop its own personality; however, this group zeroed in, making it very cohesive right away, especially with serious fun that’s at the roots. The great saxophonist/bandleader, Julian “Cannonball” Adderley, once said that when excellent musicians get together to play it doesn’t matter whether they’ve rehearsed or not…something special will happen. Quartet Now! has that same quality, too. -Dr. Prof. Leonard King
Listen on Bandcamp

Christopher Pitts Trio
2024-01-04 19:30 - 21:30, 2024-01-05 19:30 - 21:30, 2024-01-06 19:30 - 21:30
SHOWTIMES ARE AT 7:30PM & 9:30PM FOR THIS PERFORMANCE.
Doors open at 5pm for dinner. Seating begins at 7pm for “Dinner & a Show”. The second show starts seating at 9pm.
Pianist and composer, Christopher Pitts, is focused on connecting the deep roots of the jazz piano tradition with modern sensibilities through energetic performance, thoughtful collaboration, and aesthetic focused compositions. Christopher’s music stems from his eclectic mixture of influences from Jazz, Classical, Electronic, Trip Hop, Funk, Hip Hop, and traditional music from around the world.
Christopher joined forces with “Clint Breeze and the Groove” as keyboardist/co-composer and recorded their debut album and shared the stage with “Durand Jones and The Indications” and “Trombone Shorty”. Christopher has been featured with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Sara Reich Tap Music Project, Sean Imboden Large Ensemble, The Tucker Brothers, and Rob Dixon. Christopher is featured on Evan Drybread Quartets “Tiger Tail” release as composer and pianist which reached the top 20 on Jazz Week charts.
In 2023 Christopher was a guest curator at Newfields for MLK day weekend designing a weekend of live performances featuring spoken work, thoughtful music presentations and dance. Christopher collaborated with visual artists, rhythmic dancer, poets, and musicians to deliver the story of Indianapolis’s diverse artistic community as musical director of “Convergence: Connecting Our Shared Experience Through Performance and Prose”. This program was nominated for the “Awesomeness Award” at the 2018 Spirit and Place Festival.
In 2018, Christopher teamed up with Robert Newport to bring arts and culture to the historic McGowan Hall in Indianapolis’s Old Northside. Christopher’s piano trio “CP3” hosts live music at the “First Friday After Party” and recently collaborated with Michael Graves and The Bridge collective to feature curated art for the event.
Christopher is currently working the release of his first EP “BE FREE” featuring original muscial sketch’s for trio improvisation. Christopher is committed to using his art to further the jazz piano tradition through collaboration with the arts and community engagement.

Christopher Pitts Trio
2024-01-07 17:30 - 19:30
SHOWTIMES ARE AT 5:30PM & 7:30PM FOR THIS PERFORMANCE.
Doors open at 4pm for dinner. Seating begins at 5pm for “Dinner & a Show”. The second show starts seating at 7pm.
Pianist and composer, Christopher Pitts, is focused on connecting the deep roots of the jazz piano tradition with modern sensibilities through energetic performance, thoughtful collaboration, and aesthetic focused compositions. Christopher’s music stems from his eclectic mixture of influences from Jazz, Classical, Electronic, Trip Hop, Funk, Hip Hop, and traditional music from around the world.
Christopher joined forces with “Clint Breeze and the Groove” as keyboardist/co-composer and recorded their debut album and shared the stage with “Durand Jones and The Indications” and “Trombone Shorty”. Christopher has been featured with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Sara Reich Tap Music Project, Sean Imboden Large Ensemble, The Tucker Brothers, and Rob Dixon. Christopher is featured on Evan Drybread Quartets “Tiger Tail” release as composer and pianist which reached the top 20 on Jazz Week charts.
In 2023 Christopher was a guest curator at Newfields for MLK day weekend designing a weekend of live performances featuring spoken work, thoughtful music presentations and dance. Christopher collaborated with visual artists, rhythmic dancer, poets, and musicians to deliver the story of Indianapolis’s diverse artistic community as musical director of “Convergence: Connecting Our Shared Experience Through Performance and Prose”. This program was nominated for the “Awesomeness Award” at the 2018 Spirit and Place Festival.
In 2018, Christopher teamed up with Robert Newport to bring arts and culture to the historic McGowan Hall in Indianapolis’s Old Northside. Christopher’s piano trio “CP3” hosts live music at the “First Friday After Party” and recently collaborated with Michael Graves and The Bridge collective to feature curated art for the event.
Christopher is currently working the release of his first EP “BE FREE” featuring original muscial sketch’s for trio improvisation. Christopher is committed to using his art to further the jazz piano tradition through collaboration with the arts and community engagement.
