Aguankó, the ensemble led by percussionist and composer Alberto Nacíf, is a talented group of Michigan based musicians who are steeped in the tradition of jazz infused Son-Salsa. In La Bicileta and Chiquita, for example, you might hear shades of Conjunto Libre or Eddie Palmieri’s La Perfecta Orchestra. And, like the Fort Apache Band, there […]
Five-time Juno Award winner, Jane Bunnett has turned her bands and recordings into showcases for the finest musical talent from Canada, the US, and Cuba. She has been nominated for three Grammy Awards, received The Order of Canada, The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal, and, most recently, The Premier’s Award for Excellence. With Maqueque, Bunnett has created something […]
Five-time Juno Award winner, Jane Bunnett has turned her bands and recordings into showcases for the finest musical talent from Canada, the US, and Cuba. She has been nominated for three Grammy Awards, received The Order of Canada, The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal, and, most recently, The Premier’s Award for Excellence. With Maqueque, Bunnett has created something […]
ABOUT OLIVIA: Olivia is a young performer with an old soul influenced by swing and bebop jazz from the mid-20th century. Music is undeniably a part of her identity, her voice being the instrument she communicates with. She draws from the Great American Songbook and other jazz standards in a way that is beyond replicating […]
ABOUT OLIVIA: Olivia is a young performer with an old soul influenced by swing and bebop jazz from the mid-20th century. Music is undeniably a part of her identity, her voice being the instrument she communicates with. She draws from the Great American Songbook and other jazz standards in a way that is beyond replicating […]
Based in Ann Arbor, Jesse Kramer is one of the most in demand drummers in Metro Detroit. Kramer has performed with countless local and national artists, and is himself a respected band leader. He has recorded with artists such as Paul Keller, Demetrius Nabors, Miles Brown, and Vincent Chandler.
Nick Collins grew up in Washington, D.C. and Ann Arbor, MI, where he attended Ann Arbor’s Community High School. Nick completed a BFA in performance at New School University in New York City, where he lived and played for 6 years. After returning to Ann Arbor in 2004, Nick continues to play around the Detroit […]
Gayelynn McKinney is one of the most accomplished drummers in Detroit. Her father was the legendary Jazz pianist and composer, Harold McKinney, who once played with Billie Holliday, and her mother was a noted singer. She has played for renowned international music artists like Aretha Franklin, Freda Payne, Chaka Khan, Benny Golson, Roy Hargrave, Larry Coryell, […]
Gayelynn McKinney is one of the most accomplished drummers in Detroit. Her father was the legendary Jazz pianist and composer, Harold McKinney, who once played with Billie Holliday, and her mother was a noted singer. She has played for renowned international music artists like Aretha Franklin, Freda Payne, Chaka Khan, Benny Golson, Roy Hargrave, Larry Coryell, […]
Pianist/Arranger Alina Morr, best known as pianist and arranger for the Grammy nominated jazz group, Straight Ahead brings her deep love of Latin music, developed during her years living in Santo Domingo, and frequent trips to Cuba, to her newest project, Urban Tropical. The group, which features Detroit’s top Jazz and Latin players, plays authentic […]
Recognized in both the vocal jazz performance and scholarship worlds, Ellie Martin is a highly respected vocalist, composer, educator, and Jazz studies scholar. She is currently the vocal jazz instructor at the University of Toledo, as well as Toledo School for the Arts. She performs a wide variety of repertoire from Brazilian music, American Songbook, […]
After hearing a YouTube video of George Benson performing ‘Affirmation’ for the first time when he was eleven years old, East Lansing based guitarist Luke Sittard knew the sound he wanted to pursue for the rest of his life. With a mission to be a torchbearer for the bebop and jazz guitar traditions, his music […]
Margherita Fava, is a pianist, composer, arranger, bandleader, and educator based in Knoxville, Tenn. She was born into a family of classical musicians in the small village of Follina in northeast Italy. Fava attended Michigan State, where she studied piano with Xavier Davis and came into the orbit of the charismatic bassist Rodney Whitaker. After […]
Margherita Fava, is a pianist, composer, arranger, bandleader, and educator based in Knoxville, Tenn. She was born into a family of classical musicians in the small village of Follina in northeast Italy. Fava attended Michigan State, where she studied piano with Xavier Davis and came into the orbit of the charismatic bassist Rodney Whitaker. After […]
The Patrick Fitzgibbon Band brings an eclectic blend of musical styles into a modern jazz setting. Composer and percussionist Patrick Fitzgibbon draws from his experience traveling and studying music throughout the Caribbean, West Africa and India. There is no cover and reservations are not required for this show.
Ursula Walker and Buddy Budson, the 2020 Detroit Jazz Festival Legacy Artists, will perform standards and jazz classics, including jazz instrumentals with lyrics by Ursula and Buddy, with their sextet. Ursula has been a mainstay of the Detroit music world for 69 years. As a unique stylist of ballads, standards, and jazz, she gained national […]
Ursula Walker and Buddy Budson, the 2020 Detroit Jazz Festival Legacy Artists, will perform standards and jazz classics, including jazz instrumentals with lyrics by Ursula and Buddy, with their sextet. Ursula has been a mainstay of the Detroit music world for 69 years. As a unique stylist of ballads, standards, and jazz, she gained national […]
Join us for a fabulous evening at Blue LLama Jazz Club for Salsa Night! This unique experience includes dancing and a live Latin band, Armando Vega & 313 Orchestra! We welcome all dancing experience levels and will have a salsa instructor, Náli, present if you’d like her to walk you through a few steps before […]
Lisa Sung is a talented and versatile pianist, studied in both classical and jazz music. Her passion is to interpret world music into jazz. She has performed and recorded with Terell Stafford, Rodney Whitaker, Ron McClure, Stafford Hunter, Marion Hayden, Rob Smith, Thomas Knific, Diego Rivera, Dmitri Methany, Jordan VanHemert, John Webber, and many others.
Jonathan Taylor is a Detroit-based drummer, improviser, composer, and educator. He leads groups representing a vast array of musical dialects including the art-rock band Saajtak, Your World is Fire, a solo project for drums and electronics, Teiku, which reframes his family’s ancestral Jewish melodies in a creative music context, and his quartet which explores his own compositions […]
ABOUT SEAN DOBBINS: Sean Dobbins got his start as sought-after Detroit area jazz sideman at a young age, when he would regularly play with Blue Note artist Louis Smith. As Sean’s Career progressed, he found himself the recipient of many awards and accolades including the “Woody Herman Jazz Award”, an award for outstanding musicianship, as […]
ABOUT SEAN DOBBINS: Sean Dobbins got his start as sought-after Detroit area jazz sideman at a young age, when he would regularly play with Blue Note artist Louis Smith. As Sean’s Career progressed, he found himself the recipient of many awards and accolades including the “Woody Herman Jazz Award”, an award for outstanding musicianship, as […]
Nick Collins grew up in Washington, D.C. and Ann Arbor, MI, where he attended Ann Arbor’s Community High School. Nick completed a BFA in performance at New School University in New York City, where he lived and played for 6 years. After returning to Ann Arbor in 2004, Nick continues to play around the Detroit […]
Out of Detroit's lively jazz scene, which has produced some of the best musicians in the world, comes the ground breaking all female jazz group, Straight Ahead. A group of strong, inventive instrumentalists and vocalists, they have shown themselves to be powerful and imaginative composers and arrangers. Straight Ahead’s founding members are the foundation for […]
Out of Detroit's lively jazz scene, which has produced some of the best musicians in the world, comes the ground breaking all female jazz group, Straight Ahead. A group of strong, inventive instrumentalists and vocalists, they have shown themselves to be powerful and imaginative composers and arrangers. Straight Ahead’s founding members are the foundation for […]
Elegant, smooth, rich and soulful are words often used to describe renowned vocalist Re’Monda. At a young age, the native Detroiter began her musical journey under the tutelage of Motown’s legend; Earl Van Dyke and gospel great Rudolph Hawkins. Re’Monda is a product of rich musical heritage gained by studying and sharing the stage with […]
Bass Trombonist Wyatt Forhan is an aspiring young musician from St. Louis, MO. He began his musical career at a young age when he learned drums and then progressed to discover jazz and classical piano. Wyatt started to play the Trombone in fourth grade and added the Bass Trombone to his studies a year later. […]
ABOUT ELLEN: Ellen Rowe, jazz pianist and composer, is currently Arthur F. Thurnau Professor of Jazz and Contemporary Improvisation at the University of Michigan. When not leading her own trio, quartet or quintet, she is in demand as a sideman, having performed with a wide variety of jazz artists including Kenny Wheeler, Tim Ries, Tom […]
ABOUT ELLEN: Ellen Rowe, jazz pianist and composer, is currently Arthur F. Thurnau Professor of Jazz and Contemporary Improvisation at the University of Michigan. When not leading her own trio, quartet or quintet, she is in demand as a sideman, having performed with a wide variety of jazz artists including Kenny Wheeler, Tim Ries, Tom […]
Vocalist La Tanya Hall is poised to take her place as one of the foremost jazz vocalists in the world today. Her ability to reinvent the Great American Songbook is amassing glorious reviews from around the globe. Her versatility in a variety of musical genres has allowed her to collaborate with some of music’s most […]
Vocalist La Tanya Hall is poised to take her place as one of the foremost jazz vocalists in the world today. Her ability to reinvent the Great American Songbook is amassing glorious reviews from around the globe. Her versatility in a variety of musical genres has allowed her to collaborate with some of music’s most […]
Blue LLama Jazz Club and Boylesque are teaming up to make a difference for Ozone House! Join us for a fun, energetic Sunday fundraiser via Drag Brunch! ABOUT BOYLESQUE: Boylesque Michigan is a drag troupe based out of Ypsilanti, Michigan founded in 2012. They love to put on a fabulous show and create change by […]
Blue LLama Jazz Club and Boylesque are teaming up to make a difference for Ozone House! Join us for a fun, energetic Sunday fundraiser via Drag Brunch! ABOUT BOYLESQUE: Boylesque Michigan is a drag troupe based out of Ypsilanti, Michigan founded in 2012. They love to put on a fabulous show and create change by […]
Bassist and Vocalist Gwenyth Hayes' hybrid reinterpretations give due respect to classic songs and soul covers from many genres and eras. They center around her sultry voice, groove-oriented bass lines and tight instrumental arrangements. This approach serves to reinvent popular soul, jazz, soft rock, and blues standards with a sensual and contemporary feel. Gwenyth's sound […]
Alyssa Smith is a musician, pianist, and composer from Madison, Wisconsin and is currently pursuing her Master’s degree in Jazz and Contemporary Improvisation from U-M. She specializes in free, solo improvisation, and has performed numerous solo performances at Madison’s local jazz club, Cafe Coda. She has also worked in many collaborative settings with singer/songwriter, and […]
Josie Ala is a trumpeter, pianist and vocalist from Windsor, Ontario. She is currently based in Michigan and is in her senior year at the University of Michigan studying jazz trumpet under the guidance of Bill Lucas. She will receive her degree in jazz studies this Spring. During her time at Michigan, Josie has played […]
Josie Ala is a trumpeter, pianist and vocalist from Windsor, Ontario. She is currently based in Michigan and is in her senior year at the University of Michigan studying jazz trumpet under the guidance of Bill Lucas. She will receive her degree in jazz studies this Spring. During her time at Michigan, Josie has played […]
Drummer and bandleader Nick Collins is proud to present his quintet at the Blue LLama Jazz Club, featuring a fun variety of high-energy modern, classic, and original jazz. With deep roots in Ann Arbor, Nick lived and played music in New York City from 1998 to 2004, and returned to his hometown in 2004 to […]
Join us for a very special evening as we celebrate the four-year anniversary of Blue LLama Jazz Club by paying tribute to the late great Joe Defrancesco. We’ll be featuring a full instrumental combo, vocalists, and special guest stars from the local jazz scene. Joey D was one of the first national-level stars to grace […]
