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It’s only fitting that an album recorded live at the Blue LLama should have its release party here as well. Come celebrate the vinyl only release of Anest, Kendrick, and McKinney – Live at the BLUE LLAMA Vol.2. The focus is on working together and connecting with the audience through improvisation, groove, and feel. Music should be fun to listen to as well as to play, and this trio is all about enjoying the music. The album will be available for sale at the show.
ABOUT THE BAND:
Alex Anest is a lifelong guitarist and musician who is fascinated with the endless possibilities of improvisation. He has been teaching, performing, and recording in the Southeast Michigan area since 1996. Over the years he has been a founding member of various jazz oriented groups including the Ann Arbor Guitar Trio, Nomad, Giraffe, and Never Nebula. Since 2018 he has played with Gayelynn McKinney in her McKinney Zone project, which won a Detroit Music Award for Outstanding Jazz Recording. Alex has studied with Miles Okazaki, Chris Buzzelli, Benny Green, Mark Kirschenmann, and Ellen Rowe. He has also appeared on over 30 albums, mostly recorded in Michigan.
One of Detroit’s most accomplished drummers, Gayelynn McKinney has played for renowned international artists like Aretha Franklin, Freda Payne, Chaka Khan, Benny Golson, Roy Hargrave, Larry Coryell, Marcus Belgrave, Ralphe Armstrong, Roy Ayers, and Geri Allen. She is the recipient of a Kresge Arts Fellowship, a Motor City Music Award and a Detroit Black Music Award. She has performed at the 1996 Olympic Games and at the prestigious Kennedy Center for The Performing Arts, and she has entertained the armed forces in Germany and Italy – and via live broadcast to military bases in Afghanistan. Add a Grammy Nomination to her resume and you quickly realize what an exceptional musician Gayelynn is.
Corey Kendrick is a pianist, organist, composer, recording artist, and educator currently living in Davenport, IA. Kendrick is Director of Instrumental Music at Black Hawk College in Moline, IL where he teaches music theory, aural skills, piano lab, recording techniques, and music appreciation, directs the jazz ensemble and coordinates their annual jazz festival. Praised by Downbeat Magazine as a “very accomplished, highly gifted jazz pianist” with “a patient, maturing voice,” Kendrick has a skillful touch that is both immediately recognizable and deeply expressive.
