Past Events

Jeff Cuny is an excellent string bassist. He is also the chief arranger & bassist for the Planet D Nonet and appears around the city with singer/trombonist Tbone Paxton as well as his own groups. His fellow musicians include David Dunham on guitar & David…

Djangophonique is a musical project born out of reverence for the Parisian Jazz Manouche style that was made popular by the legendary Sinti guitarist Django Reinhardt and his Quintette du Hot Club de France. While remaining steeped in the rich and virtuosic tradition, the group…

Our long-standing early Saturday piano trio series, led by Evan, a fine player who now tours throughout the world with soul diva Bettye LaVette and the US with country-rock band Whitey Morgan. Samuel Chase Harris on bass & Jake Matthews on drums, all three are…

Zen Zadravec, Jazz pianist and saxophonist, is a musical chameleon. Whether it is Jazz, R&B, Funk, Rock, or Pop, he plays each with a freshness and confidence rarely found in someone so young. Born in Winnipeg, Canada in 1974, Zadravec studied classical piano from the…

Jarrod Champion is a self-taught pianist, vocalist, organist, songwritier and multi-instrumentalist. Born in a suburb east of Detroit, Michigan, he’s the son of two working class parents, both trained pianists. Originally based in rock and roll, Jarrod eventually spread out into the prominent jazz, blues…

Speakeasy Sundays is a monthly Detroit burlesque show featuring talent from around the globe, hosted at historic Cliff Bell’s. Cliff Bell’s originally opened in 1935 by John Clifford Bell and retains many of its original features to this day, including its luxurious mahogany and brass…

Cliff Bells is closed Tuesday, 2/11/2020. D-Three + Two will return Tuesday, 2/18/2020 @ 8p.  

The Dennard / Daher / Deas Trio harnesses raw, rhythmic, and spiritual improvisational energy in their explorations of the open space of the chordless trio. Standards are blended with structured improvisations built from intentions, concepts, and compositional fragments in the trio's emergent sonic journeys through…

Scott Gwinnell is an award-winning pianist, composer/arranger, and educator born in Detroit, and residing in the Metro-Detroit area. He currently freelances as a sideman and leads various groups; the most well-known being the 16-piece Scott Gwinnell Jazz Orchestra. He is an adjunct professor of music…

Jeff Cuny is an excellent string bassist. He is also the chief arranger & bassist for the Planet D Nonet and appears around the city with singer/trombonist Tbone Paxton as well as his own groups. His fellow musicians include David Dunham on guitar & David…

Two big shows! 8:00p - 9:15 and 9:45 - 11p. Celebrate Valentine's Day at Cliff Bell's with a special program of love songs from legendary Detroit vocalist Shahida Nurullah, in collaboration with award-winning New York City based pianist Ben Rosenblum and his trio, on tour…

Our long-standing early Saturday piano trio series, led by Evan, a fine player who now tours throughout the world with soul diva Bettye LaVette and the US with country-rock band Whitey Morgan. Samuel Chase Harris on bass & Jake Matthews on drums, all three are…

Endowed with the kind of liquid phrasing and sheer wisdom that comes from depth of experience on the jazz performance campaign trail, Vanessa Rubin is an ever-evolving classic singer. The development of a true jazz singer is a long-range prospect, laden with learning experiences that…

Jarrod Champion is a self-taught pianist, vocalist, organist, songwritier and multi-instrumentalist. Born in a suburb east of Detroit, Michigan, he’s the son of two working class parents, both trained pianists. Originally based in rock and roll, Jarrod eventually spread out into the prominent jazz, blues…

The students of the Wayne State University Jazz Program run a fantastic jam session! All invited!

Lifelong buddy’s RJ Spangler & Tbone Paxton started working together in 1980 with a very popular band around Detroit called the Sun Messengers. They toured the east coast, Midwest and deep south for a number of years. Back then Tbone was awarded a Motor City…

David Alvarez III is a Jazz drummer, composer, arranger, and music educator based in the Metro-Detroit area. The drum set was introduced to him at the age of five, growing up playing in church. At the age of nine, he started to learn how to…

The Alex Anest Organ Trio is dedicated to finding exciting repertoire for the organ based group. Original tunes as well as works by the likes of Duke Pearson, Emily Remler, and Herbie Hancock have found their way into the set list. The focus is on…

CLIFF BELLS IS CLOSED FOR A PRIVATE EVENT

Jeff Cuny is an excellent string bassist. He is also the chief arranger & bassist for the Planet D Nonet and appears around the city with singer/trombonist Tbone Paxton as well as his own groups. His fellow musicians include David Dunham on guitar & David…

With roots in traditional jazz, the Aral Sea Divers play a variety of popular styles from the early 20th century. Celebrating the great American tradition of diversity, listeners are whisked from New Orleans to Buenos Aires, Naples to New York City. You may hear words…

Our long-standing early Saturday piano trio series, led by Evan, a fine player who now tours throughout the world with soul diva Bettye LaVette and the US with country-rock band Whitey Morgan. Samuel Chase Harris on bass & Jake Matthews on drums, all three are…

"Together the three musicians bond over a deep respect for piano trio lineage, all the while contributing their own voices to Jazz's most commonly used configuration." This trio features the virtuosic and thrilling piano performances of Ben Maloney, as well as the inimitable bass playing…

Jarrod Champion is a self-taught pianist, vocalist, organist, songwritier and multi-instrumentalist. Born in a suburb east of Detroit, Michigan, he’s the son of two working class parents, both trained pianists. Originally based in rock and roll, Jarrod eventually spread out into the prominent jazz, blues…

Drummer/Educator Sean Dobbins and the Southeastern Music Academy has an outstanding music faculty – successful performers with strong academic credentials that perform regularly with professional groups.

Jeff Pedraz is a Philadelphia native and now Detroit-area resident bassist and composer. Working on both the double bass and electric bass, and has worked in an array of musical genres, ranging from traditional orchestral to modern Jazz. Pedraz received much of his training on…

The 2nd Annual Cliff Bell's Mardi Gras! Laissez les bons temps rouler! Let the Good Times Roll! “Fat Tuesday” is the Tuesday before Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, so its time to party! Percussionist/bandleader RJ Spangler has been playing the music of New Orleans for…

The Motor City Quartet, led by Drummer Joe Syrian , features Alexa Kalasz on vocals, Rodney Rich on guitar, and Josh Rich on Bass. All veteran and well respected Detroit area musicians. Expect a night of real swinging jazz!

Tariq Gardner, an electrifying drummer, composer and educator from Detroit who has his roots in Detroit's rich and storied jazz tradition. He was brought up in the music by his mother, bassist, Marion Hayden, who greatly impacted his musical knowledge and instinct. A broad lover…

Jeff Cuny is an excellent string bassist. He is also the chief arranger & bassist for the Planet D Nonet and appears around the city with singer/trombonist Tbone Paxton as well as his own groups. His fellow musicians include David Dunham on guitar & David…

The Hughes Smith Quintet (HSQ) is a Detroit-based jazz quintet that performs original music with purpose. The group is spearheaded by Saxophonist James Hughes & trumpeter Jimmy Smith and features the rhythm section of Phil Kelly, Takashi Iio and Nate Winn. The quintet formed in…

Our long-standing early Saturday piano trio series, led by Evan, a fine player who now tours throughout the world with soul diva Bettye LaVette and the US with country-rock band Whitey Morgan. Samuel Chase Harris on bass & Jake Matthews on drums, all three are…

Shawn Maxwell Millstream is a quartet of musicians from Chicago IL. They perform all original jazz material which is influenced by several other genres, including: rock, r&b, classical, funk and more. Making composition as important as improvisation, they best way to describe the group is…

Jarrod Champion is a self-taught pianist, vocalist, organist, songwritier and multi-instrumentalist. Born in a suburb east of Detroit, Michigan, he’s the son of two working class parents, both trained pianists. Originally based in rock and roll, Jarrod eventually spread out into the prominent jazz, blues…

John “Tbone” Paxton Takes the Spotlight in “Back in Your Own Backyard” One of John “Tbone” Paxton’s prize possessions hangs just above his piano. It’s a caricature drawing of his late father, musician Fred Paxton, drawn in 1949 at the London Chop House. The elder…

David Alvarez III is a Jazz drummer, composer, arranger, and music educator based in the Metro-Detroit area. The drum set was introduced to him at the age of five, growing up playing in church. At the age of nine, he started to learn how to…

Organist Lyman Woodard called both guitarist Ron English & drummer/vocalist Leonard King Jr. to join his newly formed trio at the Hobby Bar on Detroit's westside in September 1973 which bonded musically very quickly. All three members were the nucleus of various groups Lyman formed…

Talking Ear is a four-piece progressive music ensemble based out of the Midwest, committed to providing a unique experience for listeners through composition, collaboration, and improvisation. The band consists of guitarist Daniel Palmer, pianist Benjamin Maloney, bassist Aidan Cafferty, and drummer Travis Aukerman. Each musician…