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Five
Guys Named Moe
“Performance was
outstanding,
masterful,” said
John G. Constant,
University of
Michigan-Dearborn.
“Not only
professionally and
artistically
outstanding, but
also extremely
charismatic.”
(Benjamin
Benjaminov, Rose-Hulman
Institute) Get
ready for a
sumptuous
smorgasbord of
sophisticated vocal
and instrumental
sounds—an
eclectic mix of
swing, jazz, Texas
swing, zany humor
and much more. Five
Guys Named Moe, a
lively and
accomplished
quintet from Ann
Arbor, collectively
brings decades of
performing
experience to its
unique arrangements
of some of the best
in American jazz,
traditional and
popular music. This
is real crooning
and riffing: hot,
smooth, and cool.
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Hideko!
As a multicultural,
five-piece,
contemporary
jazz-fusion group,
Hideko! offers a
poly-rythmic
extravaganza of
Latin/Afro-Cuban,
jazz-fusion,
R&B and world
avors in an
unforgettable
evening of original
music. A
high-energy,
all-engaging band,
Hideko! escorts the
audience on an epic
journey, leaving
people dancing in
their seats. Their
music is melodic,
lively and moving.
Headed up by
Hideko, the only
female ever to win
the Detroit Music
Awards "Best
Jazz
Guitarist,"
they have forged a
unique musical
identity that is
inherently their
own.
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Jake
Reichbart,
Guitarist
In 1991, Reichbart
won the WEMU/Emily
Remler Scholarship
for best jazz
guitarist. Ever
since, he has been
one of the busiest
freelance
guitarists in the
state, working with
Michigan’s finest
bands and
entertainment
contractors.
Reichbart’s forte
lies in
instrumental solo
work, tastefully
blending jazz and
pop standards in
the styles of Joe
Pass, Tuck Andress,
and others.
Reichbart performs
at casual settings,
formal affairs and
concerts,
constantly
traveling the
Midwest. To
experience the
elegance of his
work, call for a
free demo video.
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James
Dapogny’s Chicago
Jazz Band
James Dapogny’s
Chicago Jazz Band
is small band swing
at its most
stylish.
Specializing in
authentic and
spirited classic
jazz, music from
the first 50 years
of jazz history,
Dapogny’s band
plays
turn-of-the-century
ragtime, New
Orleans and Chicago
jazz of the 1920s
and small band
swing of the 1930s
and early 1940s.
Dapogny’s
tasteful
arrangements,
combined with his
dry sense of humor,
makes for an
evening of great
fun. James
Dapogny’s Chicago
Jazz Band tours
extensively, has
appeared on PBS’s
The Lonesome Pine
Specials, and has
been featured on
Garrison
Keillor’s A
Prairie Home
Companion.
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Jeff
Haas Trio &
Friends
The Jeff Haas Trio,
featuring bassist
Chuck Hall and
drummer Alex
Trajano, with
legendary trumpeter
Marcus Belgrave,
multi-instrumentalist
Rob Smith, and
alto- clarinetist
Marvin Kahn perform
music from Haas’
extensive book of
originals as well
as a broad
repertoire of jazz
standards from
Gershwin and
Ellington to Miles
and Monk. A unique
blend of the Jewish
and
African-American
musical traditions,
Haas’ critically
acclaimed national
release, L’Dor
VaDor—Generation
to Generation, was
voted top jazz
recording of 1996
by the Albuquerque
Journal and hailed
by the Pittsburgh
Tribune as “a
marvelous blend of
jazz and Hebrew
melodies. Four
stars!” Haas
& Friends
conduct workshops
in schools K–12
and universities
throughout the
Midwest.
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Jive
At Five
Since 1992, Jive At
Five has presented
their energetic
show of swing, jazz
and blues music to
enthusiastic
audiences
throughout Michigan
at festivals,
concerts and
dances. They have
years of experience
in performance and
workshops,
including a program
introducing swing
music and dance to
school groups.
“Jive At Five
embodies and blends
the elements of the
swing and jazz era
. . . a truly
enjoyable
experience for all
ages,” said James
M. Rancillo,
Bullard Sanford
Memorial Library.
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Mr.
B, Mark Braun,
Blues and Boogie-Woogie
Pianist
Mr. B is considered
by his peers and
critics alike to be
one of the finest
living players of
classic blues and
boogie piano. He
regularly performs
worldwide giving
audiences a rare
chance to hear this
once nearly
forgotten form. His
passionate approach
to the music makes
these concerts an
unforgettable
experience. In
addition, he has
contributed a
wealth of new music
by composing pieces
which often stretch
the boundaries of
the traditional
forms, adding an
important new
aspect to the
lineage of this
fabulous form of
musical expression.
Mr. B is also
available with a
variety of
ensembles.
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New
Reformation Band
Since 1970, the New
Reformation Band
has delighted jazz
fans throughout the
country, and the
popularity of their
most recent
national PBS
program has them
more in demand than
ever. Classic jazz
is their style, but
entertainment is
their specialty.
Equally at home on
concert stages with
symphony orchestras
or in school
auditoriums
performing for
students, the
audience will find
their enthusiasm
and prodigious
humor ever present.
The spontaneous
combustion of wit
and music produced
by these guys,
combined with a
repertoire spanning
New Orleans
two-beat jazz to
big-band sounds of
the swing era,
these friendly
fellows provide a
memorable
entertainment
experience.
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OOPAPADA
featuring Dr. Prof
Leonard King
OOPAPADA exhibits a
varied palette of
music styles
including soca,
blues, jazz,
gospel, and rock.
The group
specializes in
performing for
people of all ages.
Based in the
metropolitan
Detroit area, the
group has performed
at Montreaux/Detroit,
the Festival of the
Arts, The Deep
Freeze Blues
Festival, The Music
Menus, Ja-Da’s
Restaurant, and at
many other events.
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Pamela
Wise & the
Afro-Cuban All
Stars
Pamela Wise and her
hot ensemble have
been scene stealers
at major festivals
in metropolitan
Detroit and
surrounding areas.
Wise mainly
performs her own
award-winning
compositions but
also embraces the
music of jazz
greats Horace
Silver, Duke
Ellington and
Herbie Hancock. Dan
Ouellette of
Downbeat said,
“Wise, an assured
Bop pianist with a
Tyneresque (McCoy
Tyner) touch,
composes strong
melodies and braces
them with the
simmering rhythms
of the Afro-Cuban
tradition.”
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Paul
VornHagen Jazz
Ensemble
Presentation of a
jazz program that
includes saxophone,
flute, vocal,
piano, acoustic
bass, drums, and
trumpet when budget
allows. Composers
include Cole
Porter, Gershwin,
Dexter Gordon,
Thelonius Monk,
Duke Ellington, as
well as original
compositions.
Friendly, relaxed
presentation with a
light sense of
humor. School
workshops are
available upon
request.
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Sheila
Landis Trio
Built from the
foundation of the
award-winning Rick
Matle/Sheila Landis
Duo, the Sheila
Landis Trio shines
with the addition
of percussionist
Dennis Sheridan.
Vocalist Sheila
Landis has been
voted
“Outstanding Jazz
Vocalist” four
times by the
Detroit Music
Awards. Guitarist
Rick Matle plays
bass and guitar
parts
simultaneously on
his vintage Gibson
L-5. Performing on
bongos, congas,
shakers and
modified drum kit,
percussionist
Sheridan adds bossa
nova, samba, World
Beat, and swing
rhythms.
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Straight
Ahead
Straight Ahead is a
culturally diverse
group of women who
combine all the
elements of jazz
into their own
blend of
traditional, Latin
and contemporary
jazz. Widely
recognized for
their eclectic and
soulful approach to
creating music,
their sound moves
comfortably from
mainstream jazz to
R&B ballads to
Latin salsa. Their
live performances
are a joyful
celebration; they
delight in changing
textures and
creating moods.
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The
Bird of Paradise
Orchestra
The Bird of
Paradise Orchestra
(BOPO) is a
16-piece jazz big
band that takes its
name from its home
base, the Bird of
Paradise Jazz Club
in Ann Arbor. Since
its inception in
1989, the BOPO has
earned widespread
acclaim as one of
Michigan’s most
popular jazz
ensembles
performing in a
variety of settings
including
festivals, concerts
and dances. Under
the expert
leadership of
bassist Paul
Keller, the BOPO
has recorded four
compact discs
featuring classic
and obscure big
band materials from
the history of
jazz.
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Vincent
York’s
“Jazzistry”
Vincent York’s
“Jazzistry”
program is designed
to educate and
expose students and
teachers to music
and culture that
developed in
America and is, in
fact, America’s
only unique art
form. This program
is presented by a
group consisting of
Vincent York and
five of Detroit’s
most versatile and
accomplished
musicians: Ron
English (guitar and
banjo), Alma Smith
(piano), John Dana
(acoustic bass),
Dwight Adams
(trumpet and flugel
horn), and George
Benette (drums).
Designed to fit all
ages, their
presentation
consists of the
different band
members talking
about and playing
the styles and
forms of music that
evolved into jazz,
tracing the history
of jazz from its
beginning in Africa
to the present day.
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Wendell
Harrison &
Mama’s Licking
Stick Clarinet
Ensemble
Arts Midwest Jazz
Master Wendell
Harrison has
recorded 18
releases, including
two new compact
discs out on Enja
Records: Battle of
the Tenors
featuring Harrison
and the legendary
Eddie Harris, and
Rush & Hustle
featuring
Harrison’s
Mama’s Licking
Stick Clarinet
Ensemble.
Harrison’s fame
as a clarinetist
and saxophonist has
spread throughout
the United States,
Caribbean, Africa
and the Middle
East. The ensemble
performs his
original recorded
compositions and
highlights prolific
composers such as
Duke Ellington and
Louis Armstrong.
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Western
Jazz Quartet
The Western Jazz
Quartet (WJQ)
presents a blend of
jazz from Duke
Ellington and Dave
Brubeck to
contemporary
originals and the
sounds of Brazil.
They have released
four award-winning
compact discs. The
group members, all
faculty at Western
Michigan
University, are at
home playing for
students of all
ages or touring
with artists such
as Bobby McFerrin
and Randy Brecker.
The WJQ has toured
from Boston to Los
Angeles, appears
regularly in
Europe, South
America, and Asia,
and is a hit
performing with
symphony
orchestras.
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