DOORS @6PM, SHOWTIME @6:30PM

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, including most recently a pair of organ trio records – Anest, Kendrick, and McKinney Live at the Blue Llama Volumes 1 and 2. Both are available on Bandcamp at http://alexanest.bandcamp.com/

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.

Organist Cliff Metcalf first found success as a bassist and tenor sax player, for which he took numerous awards at local and regional jazz festivals. Clif is a recipient of the Swaby Scholarship, the Freshman Music Prize, Distinguished Artist Award, and the Jazz Alliance of Mid Michigan Izenson Memorial Scholarship. His Hammond Family status has allowed him to meet and make valuable connections with jazz organ greats including the legendary Dr. Lonnie Smith.