Cliff Bell's

Ragtime Banjo Revival Trio and Session
2025-07-16 19:30 - 21:30, 2025-07-30 19:30 - 21:30 (America/Detroit)
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.
Open Trad Jazz Jam at 9:30pm!
Ragtime Banjo Revival (RBR) is a bold cultural outreach project that aims to grow and strengthen community through live and recorded experiences of historical popular music. RBR revives the joy of ragtime banjo music by illuminating its presence in our shared musical past — and by answering the question most people, in and outside of music circles, haven’t lately thought to ask: Why ragtime, and why now?
The answer lies in the very sounds and stories of this project. Despite its trajectory from the most popular music in the English-speaking world to near-fatal obscurity, this music, its creators, and its history live on today in our relationships with music, popular culture, identity, and history. While audiences tap and hum along with the project’s inspired arrangements, they’ll learn enough to change the way they listen to music and the way they engage with the development of culture. With a curious and optimistic spirit, RBR educates and inspires, welcoming the newcomer and cultivating respect across areas of difference.

Zoe Ny & Cole Ritter
2025-07-17 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.
Described as “a quiet yet depthless power, and a timeless kind soul,” the Michigan born, Nashville based vocalist Zoe Ny returns to Cliff Bells. The recent Berklee College of Music graduate is an Americana songwriter who seamlessly incorporates her influences in soul, jazz, and folk music. Zoe has performed everywhere from Broadway, to Carnegie Hall, to countless East Nashville dives. Though her versatility as a vocalist has brought Zoe to unique places, she always finds her way back to the classics. Her most recent single, “What it’s All About,” produced by Micah Tawlks-is out on all platforms now.

Born and Raised in Nashville, TN, 23 year old Cole Ritter has been playing music for as long as he can remember. Hearing the sounds of Country, Bluegrass and Early Rock and Roll, Cole was inspired to pick up the violin at the young age of 3. He has since been honing his craft into a diverse but cohesive sound that combines elements of Gritty Country and Rock with the Dreamy Reverb-Drenched sounds of Surf and Western Music. Cole was Featured on Season 20 of American Idol, and has shared stages with many rising stars; most recently Sierra Ferrell at her sold out Ryman Auditorium Show.

Drey Skonie and The kLOUDs Band
2025-07-18 19:30 - 21:30, 2025-08-09 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.
Drey Skonie and The kLOUDs Band a.k.a. “Skonie and The kLOUDs” emphasis on the loud. Hailing from the motor city, Detroit, MI. Skonie and The kLOUDs are retro style band, with a new flare. They call themselves the new, old school.
In the past few years, The kLOUDs Band has been shaking up the Detroit Music Scene making the industry take notice. In 2023 Drey Skonie lead singer of the band won “Artist Of The Year” at Motown Museum’s Hitsville Next Amplify Sound Of Detroit singing competition. Then only a month later Skonie and The kLOUDS were also crowned winners of Masterpiece Sound Studios’ Cover Song Contest in honor of the late, legendary Motown songwriter and producer Sylvia Moy with their captivating rendition of Moy’s classic Stevie Wonder Motown hit, “I Was Made To Love Her”. During the competition, Drey met Jackie Wilson’s daughter Brenda Wilson, who was a judge for the competition. Brenda then knew from Drey’s showmanship, that she wanted Drey to play her Dad. Fast forward Drey now plays Jackie Wilson in a TV series entitled “Higher And Higher” coming soon.
The latest album “Rolling Skone” is available on iTunes, Spotify, Amazon, and more. They have appeared on stages from The D to Los Angeles rocking crowds with a multifaceted soul, funk, RnB, and techno sound.
Currently “Skonie and The kLOUDs” are recording live in the studio. You can also hear new material and watch performances of the band on YouTube, as well as Instagram @dreyskonie and @thekloudsband.

Tiki Fest with: Roland Remington featuring Chris Codish
2025-07-19 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.
Join us for two days of relaxed Island vibes! Wear your Hawaiian tee-shirts, kakis, sun dress and soak up the chill atmosphere that comes along with life in the Pacific right here in the center of Detroit! On Saturday it’s Roland Remington and Sunday features Neon Jungle!
Roland Remington plays mid-century exotica (tiki music) on vintage melody percussion instruments.

Tiki Fest with: Neon Jungle
2025-07-20 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.

Modern popular music with a martini twist!

Join us for two days of relaxed Island vibes! Wear your Hawaiian tee-shirts, kakis, sun dress and soak up the chill atmosphere that comes along with life in the Pacific right here in the center of Detroit! On Saturday it’s Roland Remington and Sunday features Neon Jungle! The days when music oozed kitsch, drama, sci-fi, sexiness, the absurd and the exotic have returned…it’s Neon Jungle, your mid-century modern ambassadors.

Neon Jungle is the brainchild of pianist/singer Jarrod Champion. They focus on taking modern pop music of the last few decades and marrying it with the kooky sounds of the Mid Century Modern movement. Concentrating on the lounge-y sounds of the era, they tap such sub genres as exotica, surf/spy, go-go, spaghetti western, space age pop and more, as they filter your favorite tunes through this window into the past, while including some music from the era itself.

Jarrod Champion is a pianist, singer, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, producer and audio engineer. He was born and raised in the Detroit area and has been a part of Detroit’s rich music scene since he was a teen, almost three decades ago. Jarrod has worked as a side-man, session musician and bandleader in just about every musical genre imaginable. He has written and recorded vast amounts of music under various names, has provided music for stage plays, film and video productions and has performed all over the world in some of the most iconic music venues around.

Featuring:

Drums/percussion – Brandon Reeves
Upright bass – Sam Copperman
Guitar/pedal steel – Erik Alderink
Keys/vocals – Jarrod Champion
Saxophone – Joshua James
Lead vocals – Vanessa Cuccia

Wayne State Faculty Concert & Session
2025-07-23 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.
Musicians pay no cover when they bring their instrument.
In its 16th year, J.C. Heard JazzWeek@Wayne will once again give high school students a unique, intensive and rewarding jazz education experience through its one-week workshop at Wayne State University. Through the support of the Detroit Jazz Festival Foundation, Wayne State University Department of Music and the J.C. Heard legacy, approximately 40 high school students selected from competitive auditions will participate in the tuition-free program. New Orleans luminary, Shannon Powell, will serve as a guest Educator-in-Residence, teaching students traditional New Orleans jazz and second-line styles, repertoire and history.
Wayne State University Jazz Faculty: Detroit Jazz Profs featuring Chris Collins (Woodwinds), Vincent Chandler (Trombone), Russ Miller (Woodwinds), Chuck Newsome (Guitar), Paul Keller (Bass) and David Taylor (Drums). The feature set kicks off at 7:30 p.m. Cover charge is $25. Reservations recommended.
Open Jam Session: Kicks off at 9:30 p.m. Students and musicians pay no cover when they bring their instruments.
Special LIVE Community JazzWeek Events at Cliff Bell’s Jazz Club

Susan Tobocman
2025-07-24 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.
“Touch & Go is a superb record from a singer, composer, lyricist, and arranger who deserves a wider audience. Tobocman’s originals are especially notable.”
—Mark Stryker (Jazz From Detroit)
With her warm and flexible voice, combined with impressive arranging and composing skills, Susan Tobocman has been making a name for herself on the NYC jazz scene among audiences and musicians alike for over 20 years—performing, recording, and collaborating with some of the top players anywhere. She has toured extensively throughout Europe and the US, and has also released numerous recordings, including four as a leader on Japan’s eponymous Disk Union label.
Born in Detroit, at 16 Tobocman won the National Scholastic Writing Award for Poetry, then at 17 attended Columbia University to study the craft. Fast forward 15 years to when she decided to make the leap into the unknown (being a full-time musician),and the transition from poet to lyricist was a smooth one. While her first gig was touring with the renowned Tom Tom Club (Talking Heads sans David Byrne), she soon decided to take on jazz—a lifelong endeavor. Susan’s instincts were spot-on. She started writing tunes immediately, connecting the dots between her gift for poetry, early piano lessons, and a childhood filled with music and art. Tobocman is now known for putting her own stamp on strikingly diverse material. Her newest release, Touch & Go, is most definitely not your typical jazz vocalist’s record. She wrote five of the 13 tracks, in addition to all of the arrangements. Something else that sets Susan apart from other vocalists who compose is that she also writes instrumental music. As the late great Mark Murphy said about Tobocman, “Susan sings and writes with a warm, smooth delivery, and a genuine feeling for the music.

Closed for a Private Event.
2025-07-25
Contact us to inquire about yours!

KonGruENT
2025-07-26 19:30 - 21:30
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
Dr. Kenneth Gill is a gifted trombonist, composer, educator, clinician, and advocate for the arts. Born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, Kenneth began his musical journey by playing trombone at Ruddiman Middle School and the Detroit School of Arts (part of the Detroit Public Schools). He later earned a Bachelor of Music in Education from Howard University, a Master of Music from Kent State University, and a Doctor of Musical Arts in Jazz and Contemporary Improvisation from the University of Michigan.
Kenneth continues to forge his own musical path. In 2019, he released an LP titled “The Good News.” As an in-demand trombonist, he has recorded and performed with a variety of artists and ensembles. Some of the notable musicians he has shared the stage with include Marcus Belgrave, Gerald Wilson, Grady Tate, Donald Byrd, Clark Terry, Yusef Lateef, Jimmy Heath, Frank Foster, Gladys Knight, El DeBarge, Boyz II Men, Tori Kelly, Martha Reeves, Ray Chew, Les Nubians, Jennifer Holliday, Mutiny, Mike Phillips, Darius Rucker, Kurt Elling, Terence Blanchard, and many more.
Leslie Hoggatt Gill is a gifted vocalist, arranger, and songwriter. Born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, Leslie sang before she could speak; her parents recognized and nurtured her passion
for music from an early age. She sang her first concert solo at the age of three and began classical piano training at four. Leslie’s vocal talent has enabled her to travel and perform at various public and private events across the United States and abroad. She has also been featured on several studio recordings and has graced the stages of iconic venues such as Detroit’s
legendary Baker’s Keyboard Lounge and the famous Cliff Bell’s jazz club.
Kenneth and Leslie were married in 2020, becoming the Gill Duet in more ways than one. Their deep love for jazz, music history, and each other enriches their creative partnership, which
naturally led to them performing together. Kongruent embodies the essence of its name. This collective of outstanding and accomplished musicians are aligned and united by a common goal: to express freedom through straight-ahead and progressive jazz compositions and arrangements that showcase the bold, powerful sound of horns.
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Mediterranean Medley
2025-07-27 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.
Featuring:

Tano Brock, clarinet
Mavrothi Kontanis, oud
Felicia Goldberg, trombone

Tano Brock, a native of San Francisco, California, was introduced to the world of music at an early age. Growing up, he attended various music camps and festivals throughout California with his family, where he was exposed to diverse global sounds. It was Turkish and Middle Eastern music that particularly captivated him, especially the percussion, which inspired him to begin studying the darbuka.
As a teenager, Tano expanded his musical repertoire to include woodwinds, piano, and guitar, ultimately honing in on the saxophone and clarinet as his primary instruments. His passion for folk music from the Balkans, Turkey, and Greece led him to travel extensively to deepen his understanding of the region’s rich musical traditions. During his travels, he studied under renowned masters like Bekos Beko (Kočani Orkestar) in Macedonia, Zhani Struga in Albania, and Burakcan Güneren in Turkey.
While studying at Berklee College of Music in Boston, Tano founded Sarma Brass Band, which he continues to lead. It was at Berklee where he also had the privilege of collaborating with an array of international musicians, including Panos Aivas (Greece), Tamara Jokić (Serbia), and Han Beyli (Azerbaijan). Over the years, Tano has shared the stage with legendary clarinetists such as Hüsnü Şenlendirici, Ismail Lumanovski, and Sal Mamudoski.
Now based in Los Angeles, Tano works as a music producer and mix engineer, while regularly performing with several groups, including Inspector Gagje brass band. His unique blend of global influences and knowledge of diverse instruments continues to shape his ever-evolving musical journey.
Mavrothi Kontanis is an eternal student of music on a range of instruments and voice, focused especially on the older music of Greece and the Near East. Based in the US but with roots in Halkidiki, Greece, he is known better as a singer in some circles or a teacher in others, but feels most at home crafting a melody with an oud in his hands.
Detroit native, Felicia Goldberg has spent her life studying all genres of music, specifically traditional music from the Balkans from a young age. She grew up playing violin and percussion, then landed on trombone as her primary instrument. She studied trombone at Wayne State University, but her love of Balkan music brought her to study in Macedonia and Serbia in 2019. Her original project, known as “falooshh”, draws influence from many genres, but she is excited to bring it back to her musical roots with this incredibly talented trio!

CANJA de BOA
2025-07-31 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.

CANJA de BOA is a collective of musicians from Flint and Metro Detroit, Michigan. Like the ingredients of any “good soup” (the literal translation of “canja de boa”), each member contributes their own musical flavor to produce CANJA de BOA’s unique sonic concoction, blending styles that range from samba to bossa nova to jazz, R&B, and pop.
The band is led by classical guitarist Kyle Canjar who studied in Minas Gerais, Brazil and specializes in Brazilian music. Inspired by his love for the music and culture of Brazil, he formed CANJA de BOA. Alongside Kyle, CANJA de BOA features Pia Broden Williams (vocals), Michelle Ureña (sax and flute), and Gordon Krupsky (percussion).
Since 2019, the group has been actively performing throughout southeast Michigan. Their laid-back, fun, and summery vibe hits a high note for audiences of all ages and at various venues, be it the Flint Institute of Arts’ Palette Café Patio, the Detroit Club, or Cliff Bell’s. From October 2021 to October 2024, CANJA de BOA was the weekly house band at Fogo de Chão in Troy, MI.

Urban Tropical
2025-08-01 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.
Alina Morr/Urban Tropical is the hottest new group to come out of Southwest Detroit’s lively music scene . The brain-child of Alina Morr, Pianist/Arranger for the legendary Grammy Nominated jazz group Straight Ahead, the band features the city’s hottest Latin and Jazz Players….a powerful mix
Alina Morr cut her musical teeth playing in Detroit’s blues scene, gaining valuable experience in playing Roots Music, then ventured into the jazz scene. She spent several years living in the Spanish Caribbean: living and performing music in Santo Domingo, the Dominican Republic; making 3 trips to Cuba, and performing with a Latin Music Group, Los Hidalgos, on various cruise ships throughout the Caribbean. She then spent a year in Boston, studying at the Berklee College of Music, before returning to Detroit, where she was invited to join the groundbreaking jazz group, Straight Ahead, along with band members Marion Hayden, Gayelynn McKinney and Regina Carter.
Her unique blend of musical influences, as well as her skill and imagination in writing and arranging music have resulted in the creation of a powerful and authentic take on modern Latin Music.
Urban Tropical’s musical crew are: John Douglas, Trumpet; Eddie Caraballo, Bass and Vocals; Armando Vega, Lead Vocals and Congas; Christopher Kaercher, Tenor Saxophone and Flute; Djallo Djakate, Drum Set; and Alina Morr, Pianist/Arranger/Director.

Chris Plum
2025-08-02 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.
A lifelong fan of mid-century nightclub jazz combos and crooners, Detroit native Chris Plum is a genre-flexing jazz singer, songwriter, performer, and “blue balladeer.” Raised immersed in the big band and jazz vocal sounds of the 30’s, 40’s, and 50’s on his parent’s Victrola, he has crafted a sound that is both indebted to the jazz vocal greats, while showcasing his ability to craft and innovate original, authentic compositions. Plum has performed around the world at iconic venues including Ronnie Scott’s and Royal Albert Hall in London, as well as international festivals such as the Montreux Jazz Festival, Reading and Leeds in the U.K., South by Southwest, and Denmark’s Roskilde Festival. Plum has had music featured in indie films, commercials and has performed on late night television. He has recently assembled a band of Detroit jazz musicians to record and release a new album of original compositions titled, “The Small Hours.” Pressed at Third Man Pressing in Detroit’s Cass Corridor, the record has been well received, recently being nominated for Outstanding Jazz Recording at the Detroit Music Awards. For more information about Chris Plum, visit www.chrisplum.com

Follow on:
Instagram- @chrisplum.music
Facebook- chrisplum.music

Janée Angelíque
2025-08-03 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.

“Music has always been a major part of my life. It’s my community, and my first love, outside of God and family.”
A seasoned songstress emerges in the heart of Detroit as vocalist Janée Angelíque makes her debut at Cliff Bell’s. Born and raised in Detroit and beginning with piano lessons at 9yrs old, Janée formed and sealed her dedication as a singer and songwriter from early on. Whether crooning the silky tones of jazz or infusing the rhythmic beats of R&B, Janeé creates an engaging experience which lingers in the air long after the final note, captivating and arresting the attention of her audience. She wrote and co-produced her first album entitled “Se’lah and has been an opening act for well known local, and internationally acclaimed talent, such as Kevin Hart, Horace HB Sanders, Tony Roberts, Mike Bonner, Silk, Chico Debarge, and Case. Her musical collaborations with other artists extend well beyond her native city, however, most recently she has shared the stage with Kasan Belgrave, Thy Bearings, Micheal Malis, Marcus Elliot, Smoke Jones, Houston Patton, and more of Detroit’s finest jazz bands as she has become imbedded in the city’s bourgeoning Jazz community.

Instagram and Facebook @Janee Angelique

William Hill III and Session
2025-08-06 19:30 - 21:30, 2025-08-13 19:30 - 21:30, 2025-08-20 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
William Hill III is a pianist, arranger, composer, and bandleader from Detroit, Michigan. Hill is a graduate of the Detroit School of Arts, and is currently studying at the prestigious Manhattan School of Music undergoing his baccalaureate education.
Hill has had the opportunity to participate in many summer extensive jazz camps such as Jazz House Kids, Jr. Jazz Academy at Lincoln Center, Berklee Summer Programs, Interlochen Center for the Arts, Motown Lyric Project, Keeping an Eye Summer Jazz Workshop located at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, Betty Carer’s Jazz Ahead, and many others.
Hill is honored to receive awards from programs such as the National YoungArts Foundation, a multi-year winner in the instrumental contemporary category for the NAACP ACT-SO National Competition, and the West Virginia Univeristy International Jazz Piano Competition. Musicians that Hill has worked alongside and have been mentored by include Marc Cary, Aaron Parks, Buster Williams, Christian McBride, Curtis Lundy, Jaleel Shaw, Jazzmeia Horn, Joe Farnsworth, Ari Hoenig, Rodney Whitaker, Wynton Marsalis,, and many more.
Hill has had the opportunity to perform at the Detroit International Jazz Festival, Dizzy’s Club, Smalls Jazz Club, Minton’s Playhouse, The Django, The Kennedy Center, Esplanade-Theaters on the Bay (Singapore), Blue Note Tokyo, and many others to name a few. Hill has recently released his debut album, “Three’s Company” summer of 2024. Hill’s passion in life as a musician is to spread joy to everyone around the world with the music that he produces.

Dave Bennett
2025-08-07 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.
“Bennett is a player superbly well balanced between purity and power. Bennett injects three heady shots of adrenalin that bring the music sharply to life.”

Downbeat Magazine

Dave Bennett doesn’t fit the mold.
For starters, you don’t find many jazz clarinet players who name Alice Cooper, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Chris Isaak among their influences. You won’t find many musicians who are equally conversant with the music of Benny Goodman (the “King of Swing”) and Roy Orbison (“The Soul of Rock and Roll”). In fact, you may not find even one other clarinet virtuoso who breaks from his Swing Era repertoire to sing rockabilly hits while accompanying himself at the piano or electric guitar.
Dave began his national touring career at the age of 14. He has been a featured soloist at Carnegie Hall with The New York Pops (2013) and has been featured with 35 other US and Canadian orchestras including Nashville, Houston, Detroit, Rochester, Omaha, Toronto, Calgary, Vancouver, Orlando, San Antonio, Jacksonville, Portland, OR and Portland, ME. Some of his annual appearances include The Elkhart Jazz Festival, The Suncoast Classic Jazz Festival, The Arizona Classic Jazz Festival, The Sacramento Hot Jazz Jubilee, The Clambake Music Festival, and The Redwood Coast Music Festival.
Dave has been featured on NPR Radio’s “Jazz at Riverwalk.” He made his European debut in 2008 at The Bern Jazz Festival (Switzerland) in a combo with jazz legends and Benny Goodman alumni guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli and vibraphonist Peter Appleyard. He has also shared the stage with Ken Peplowski, Byron Stripling, Marcus Printup, Aaron Diehl, and Bria Skonberg.
He has been featured soloist on several jazz cruises, performing with Harry Allen, Warren Vache, Allan Vache, Banu Gibson, and Tardo Hammer.
Dave is a recording artist on jazz label Mack Avenue Records. His second release, Blood Moon reached No. 24 on the Billboard Jazz charts in 2018.
In March 2022, Dave and his band performed to a sold-out audience at New York City’s Birdland Theater.
During the isolation of the pandemic, fate steered Dave’s time off the road into a bold new direction. He put his guitar pedal to the metal and stepped away from his beloved clarinet. A songwriter stepped forward. Road songs, reverb-laded guitar solos that could power a surf documentary, and memories of loves and lives lost are the mile markers that makeup his latest release “Nowhere Fast”. His first full-length rock album is a deep, soul-searching joyride through the back streets of his mind.
Dave has recently joined forces with guitarist/vocalist/pastor Tom Hampton for Dave’s first gospel project. Release is planned for late 2024.

Post Imperial Jazz Band
2025-08-08 19:30 - 21:30
There will be two separate seatings 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.
An early devote of traditional American guitar styles, Nick Schillace began studying fingerpicking techniques at the Augusta Heritage Workshop in West Virginia with artists including John Jackson, John Cephas, Steve James, Roy Book Binder, Del Ray, and many others shortly after picking up a guitar in 1984.
Nick spent a decade adapting these techniques to acoustic and electric guitar, and later banjo, before entering the music program at Wayne State University, ultimately earning a masters degree with a focus on 20th Century American music identity.
Centering his research on the late guitarist and composer John Fahey, Nick explored the intersection of folk and vernacular influences and how these influences develop into a cultivated style for artists. This research still informs the way he approaches his own music, as well as his work as an educator via Orion Music Studio and Detroit Folk Workshop.
Interested parties can download the PDF file of the thesis here. Please note: the file for the final version was lost many years ago so this version may have grammatical and spelling type errors.
In demand as a soloist as well as an ensemble player, Nick works in a variety of collaborations, most notably Lac La Belle, with his wife Jennie Knaggs, and the traditional jazz ensemble Post Imperial Jazz Band. He has recorded several albums as a soloist and in ensembles and has made several tours of the US and Europe.

Cabaret Boreale
2025-08-10 17:30 - 19:30
Showtimes are at 5:30p & 7:30p for this performance. Doors open at 4pm for dinner. Seating begins at 5pm for “Dinner & a Show”. The second show starts seating at 7pm.

Cabaret Boreale was born one dark November eve, deep in the northern woods of Michigan. With paths lit only by the moonlight reflected on the shimmering snow, four musicians emerged from behind the curtain of ice-laden branches.
Not a word was spoken as the accordion began to groan, and wheeze its way into unusual melodics. The ground began to tremble as the resonant thrum of tuba and contrabass lurched into rhythm. Cascading and wild like the glitter blowing in the wind, tumbling lines spill forth from an old guitar steam-shipped from Europe, and the banjo bought off an old man from the moors.
As the band spins into captivating and beguiling harmony, an echoing howl rises up from the distance, and rises up from within, as the banshee herself shrieks and warbles the words that have been long since forgotten, recalled on this night for one and for all.
We sing to you the songs of yore, the songs that tickle, transport, and bemuse. We’re lost in the sounds we love to dive into and we’d love for you to come along too.
Welcome to the Theatre of The North.

DETROIT RIDDIM CREW
2025-08-14 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.
Detroit Riddim Crew play original Jamaican in5luenced reggae, ska, and dub music. Recording at Castle Hooligan and performing for over 5 years, the band features musicians gathered to perform original and foundational tunes from Jamaica. The group has won a Detroit Music Award for Outstanding World Recoding and has been shortlisted for a Grammy Award for their latest release entitled “Detroit Riddim Crew meets Crazy Baldhead: Instru-Mental.” Previous releases found the group on singles for various artists around the world, including a 45 rpm recorded in Jamaica. Their 5irst full length “Detroit Riddim Crew and Friends” was partially recorded in Kingston, JA at Anchor Studios and featured Flabba Holt on bass, Steve Golding on Guitar, and Kirk Bennet on Drums. The focus on the group relies on the vibe and groove of the original music created in Jamaica with a Detroit feel. All records are available through Abbey Productions and JumpUp records in Chicago and worldwide. Having performed at Arts, Beats, and Eats, Winter Blast, and clubs and venues throughout the country, Detroit Riddim Crew always brings the vibe of Jamaica with the spirit of Detroit.

U of D Happy Hour
2025-08-15 17:00
This performance will run from 5pm to 6pm with reservations beginning at 4pm.
The renown UDJO—University of Detroit Jesuit Jazz Orchestra—opens for the U of D Jesuit Jazz Faculty at a special happy hour performance. Come experience the next generation of jazz musicians as they perform for and with some of Detroit’s leading jazz musicians and mentors. Your patronage contributes to the University of Detroit Jesuit Jazz Program.

Kasan Belgrave Quintet
2025-08-15 19:30 - 21:30, 2025-08-16 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.
Saxophonist Kasan Belgrave is a ascending talent newly emerging in the role of a compositional leader. His energetic playing style and improvisational finesse derives from influences of early bebop and jazz, as well flares of fusion and gospel. His musical prowess has more recently been shown through new innovative compositions.
The record “Dual Citizen” is an introductory reflection of Kasan’s own consciousness through experience of musical nurturing & professional practice from the Detroit jazz mentorship empire, led by his father, trumpeter Marcus Belgrave. It provides a glimpse of Kasan’s endless curiousness of sonic ingenuity.
In the formative years of his career, that same mentorship was present in the musical institutions, as he studied with Andrew Bishop, Benny Green, and Robert Hurst at the University of Michigan then held an assistantship under the direction of Diego Rivera and Rodney Whitaker at Michigan State University.
Kasan has toured as a multi-woodwind instrumentalist with Jazz @ Lincoln Center w/ Wynton Marsalis, performed in multiple residencies curated by Terri Lynn Carrington, performed with Karriem Riggins, and Etienne Charles. The 27-year-old multi-woodwind instrumentalist has also made rounds performing in every corner of the Detroit music scene, immersing himself in Latin, R&B, and techno.
Belgrave is just one of many who was nurtured in the realm. The lineup for “Dual Citizen” might be the most outright product of that very circle of mentorship. Bassist Jonathan Muir-Cotton, finishing his degree at MSU, is currently rotating in Christian Sands Trio; Louis Jones aka “WavyLou”, a gun-slinging drummer who has the likes of the Haynes’ and Roach’s, recently hit with ELEW and Johnny O’Neal in Detroit; Brendon Davis, a virtuosic voice on piano shortly studying with the great Chick Corea, is established in composition and arranging of the gospel scene ; the enigmatic Allen Dennard has a trailblazing trumpet sound, recently sharing stages with Dwele and Mike Phillips; and Michael Abbo, the genial menace on both trombone and bass, recently played with Johnny Oneal and Dafnis Prieto. The close fellowship of this group is a sentiment to the power of their sound as the Kasan Belgrave Sextet.

Paola Ancona
2025-08-17 17:30 - 19:30
Showtimes are at 5:30p & 7:30p for this performance. Doors open at 4pm for dinner. Seating begins at 5pm for “Dinner & a Show”. The second show starts seating at 7pm.
Paola Ancona & Friends is an intimate jazz and jazz fusion trio that brings a sophisticated and soulful touch to classic tunes in English and Spanish. Their music blends influences from Sade, Esperanza Spalding, bolero classics, and Motown, offering an elevated experience with a classy jazz twist on beloved standards. Johnny J’s smooth bass complements Paola Ancona’s voice’s warm, honeyed tones, creating an immersive musical atmosphere. Bill Mead and Columbia-trained drummer Ethan Reinbach provide the perfect rhythmic foundation, ensuring every performance is dynamic and engaging.
Paola has shared the stage with modern jazz greats like Debbie Duncan, while Johnny J’s passion for jazz fusion stems from his grandfather, a St. Louis Gaslight Square trumpet player. Their repertoire includes old-school R&B jams, neo-soul, funk, and even lo-fi chillhop-inspired sounds.

Michael Malis Quintet
2025-08-21 19:30 - 21:30, 2025-08-22 19:30 - 21:30, 2025-08-23 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.
Michael Malis is a composer, pianist, and music educator based in Detroit MI. A multi-faceted musical artist, he performs as a jazz musician, composes for the concert stage, and contributes to multidisciplinary collaborations.
2020 saw a proliferation of Malis’ work as a solo artist. In July of 2020, Malis released Dualisms, a multimedia project containing recordings, videos, and an accompanying 16 page zine of writings, artwork, and ephemera. Consisting of brand new original compositions, Dualisms features performances by Malis in duet with saxophonist Kaleigh Wilder, percussionist Thom Monks, and vocalist Denzel Donald, and features artwork by Zara Teicher. Each of the works presented in Dualisms were premiered at New Music Detroit’s 12th annual Strange Beautiful Music Festival in September 2019. All About Jazz praised Dualisms as “an extraordinary multimedia project which illustrates some of the remarkable ways artists in the age of COVID-19 found new approaches to displaying their craft and connecting with their audience.”
His March 2020 release, Three Pieces for Piano, was praised by the Southeast Michigan Jazz Association as “thrilling music, with shifting harmonic and rhythmic qualities that require prodigious precise technique and the kind of generic versatility that few pianists achieve.”
As a composer, Malis has been commissioned by Detroit Chamber Winds and Strings, Chamber Music Society of Detroit, Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival, Detroit Composers’ Project, Virago, Hole in the Floor, and others. His piece Five Stations, premiered in May 2019, featured Malis and saxophonist Marcus Elliot alongside a string quartet of musicians from the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. His string quartet, Emerge, was premiered at the Detroit Institute of Arts in 2018. His piece for piano and cello, Coda, was premiered by Detroit Symphony Orchestra principle cellist Wei Yu in 2018.
In April 2019, Malis and Elliot, who join forces under the duo known as “Balance,” undertook a collaborative performance piece with former Detroit poet laureate Bill Harris. The piece, which featured drummer Gerald Cleaver, set Harris’ collection of short stories I Got to Keep Moving. According to AllAboutJazz.com, “what was most striking about the synergy between Harris and the band was the sheer beauty of the music: the stark contrast between the grim realities of Harris’s story and the band’s melodic core, located in Elliot’s exultant phrases and Malis’s evocative runs, was stirring. And much of the music’s strength was found in the spirit of resilience and defiance that permeates Harris’s text.” The duo’s 2017 eponymous album was praised by the Detroit Metro Times as “contemporary jazz of the highest order, a benchmark for where the genre can go.”
In July of 2015, Malis’ self-released debut album as a leader, Lifted from the No of All Nothing, was called by The Detroit Free Press “an uncommonly mature and distinctive debut.” It was described by Hot House Jazz Guide (NYC) as “cover[ing] a broad range of free expression. [Malis] bridges the gap between original composed, complex material and the spontaneity of improvisation.” In September 2016, his trio made their debut at the Detroit International Jazz Festival.
As a pianist, he has shared the stage with a diverse array of musicians, including notables such as Marcus Belgrave, Gerald Cleaver, Jaribu Shahid, John Lindberg, William Hooker, A. Spencer Barefield, Tyshawn Sorey, Ken Filiano, J.D. Allen, Andrew Bishop, Dennis Coffey, and Marion Hayden. He has performed at the Yokohama Jazz Promenade (Yokohama, Japan), the Kennedy Center, Birdland (NYC), and The Stone (NYC).
