GQ Jazz Ensemble is happy to be returning to Cliff Bells for another show! This group has been performing since 1991 and focuses on jazz and modern standards that the band believes people will enjoy. They also play a large array of American songbook tunes and try to mix the music for an entertaining evening...Read More
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 the autumn of 2012 with the purpose of promoting their...Read More
Shawn Maxwell’s New Tomorrow is a quintet made up of five of Chicago’s finest musicians. Performing all original material, they specialize in a style of jazz that is heavily influenced and blended with several other modern genres. Focusing on composition just as much as improvisation, they reveal stunning melodies hidden within complex time signatures. This...Read More
Pianist/Composer Rod Williams was born in Detroit April 15, 1954 and studied with the great pianist Kenny Cox. In the summer 1981 he was playing with the Sam Sanders’ group “Visions” at the Detroit Jazz Center as an opening act for Air (Henry Threadgill, Fred Hopkins and Steve McCall), Henry Threadgill strongly encouraged him to...Read More
Pianist/Composer Rod Williams was born in Detroit April 15, 1954 and studied with the great pianist Kenny Cox. In the summer 1981 he was playing with the Sam Sanders’ group “Visions” at the Detroit Jazz Center as an opening act for Air (Henry Threadgill, Fred Hopkins and Steve McCall), Henry Threadgill strongly encouraged him to...Read More
CARL CAFAGNA & North Star Jazz blend East Coast Sophistication with Midwestern Grit, and take listeners on a thrilling and varied instrumental music adventure. The Majestic 3-horn front line (trumpet and 2 saxophones) and breathtaking compositions and arrangements are highlights. Band Leader Carl Cafagna, Berklee trained, runs a tight ship, which includes many of the...Read More
