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FEATURED ARTISTS

Tatiana Eva-Marie "Djangology"

"The Gypsy-jazz Warbler"

NICOLE HENRY

1/14 11:30 AM
Jazz and soul vocalist
This award-winning vocalist (+ quartet) performs songs from “TIME TO LOVE AGAIN,” her eighth CD; fourth TOP-10 recording; and what Downbeat described as “an exuberant, joyous and immaculately executed set.”

YAMANDU COSTA Showcase 1/14 12:00PM, 1/15 3PM

Yamandu Costa, 7-string guitar virtuoso, was born in Passo Fundo, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. He began his guitar studies with his father Algacir Costa, band leader of "Os Fronteiriços", when he was 7 years old. Later, he perfected his technique with Lúcio Yanel, Argentine virtuoso who was then settled in Brazil.
When he was 17, he played for the first time in São Paulo at "Circuito Cultural Banco do Brasil" (BB Cultural Tour). From then on he was recognized as one of the most gifted guitar players of Brazil. The music documentary by Finnish film maker Mika Kaurismaki, called “Brasileirinho” on “choro music” also featured Yamandu Costa, which gave him additional international attention.

Yamandu has created his very particular style of compositions, somewhere between the typical music from the south of Brazil, Choro and Samba with finger acrobatic like passages, high tempo and yet very delicate and melodious pieces.
The recognition he has earned throughout the years reveals what he can offer the audience - recreation of the magic of music - once from his fingers the music he plays travels through his body and soul and is almost miraculously transformed.
Yamandu is a guitar player, composer and arranger that does not fit into a single music style, yet he creates his own when he combines all of them playing his 7-string guitar.

ACUTE INFLECTIONS Showcases 1/14 12:30PM & 1/15 12:30PM

Our names are Elasea Douglas (former Broadway singer) and Sadiki Pierre (bassist), and together, we are Acute Inflections. One reviewer described us as “a velvety mix of Erykah Badu & Billie Holiday paired with the cool grooves of a 007 on bass”. While we are based in New York, we travel across the country and abroad performing for concerts and special events. We’ve shared the stage with Jennifer Hudson, Keith Urban, and other notable artists, and we’ve been featured on Discovery and NPR. Our diverse repertoire includes Jazz, R&B, Top-40, and everything in between, and we work closely with each client to ensure our attire complements their theme.

ALLAN HARRIS & Kates Soulfood Showcase 1/14 1:00 PM

Ever since he burst on the jazz scene in the latter part of the twentieth century, the Brooklyn-born, Harlem-based vocalist/ guitarist/bandleader/composer Allan Harris has reigned supreme as the most accomplished and exceptional singer of his generation. Aptly described by the Miami Herald as an artist blessed with, “the warmth of Tony Bennett, the bite and rhythmic sense of Sinatra, and the sly elegance of Nat ‘King' Cole,” the ample and aural evidence of Harris’ moving and magisterial artistry can be heard on his 14 recordings as a leader; his far-flung and critically-acclaimed concerts around the world, and his numerous awards, which include the New York Nightlife Award for “Outstanding Jazz Vocalist” – which he won three times – the Backstage Bistro Award for “ Ongoing Achievement in Jazz,” the DownBeat Critic’s Poll Award for “Rising Star Jazz Vocalist,” the Hot House Jazz Magazine “Jazz Vocalist of theYear Award” for both 2015 and 2016, and the Harlem Speaks “Jazz Museum of Harlem Award.” Allan Harris has established himself as one of the jazz world's most acclaimed vocalists, possessing a potent combination of dynamic vocal abilities, impeccable phrasing, and powerful emotional resonance. Heralded by The New York Times, The Atlantic, Wall Street Journal, Atlantic Magazine, Jazz Times, DownBeat, and more Mr. Harris is a real story teller through authentic interpretations of the American Songbook, classic and contemporary jazz, popular standards, blues and originals.

JO HARROP Showcase 1/14 1:30 PM & 1/15 7PM

The Heart Wants, a new recording..."Here, they combine with a rare mixture of delicacy and boldness, the arrangements understated but always ear-catching... Sheer perfection." (The Guardian)

THE STRING QUEENS Showcase 1/14 2PM

Authentic -|- Soulful -|- Orchestral
Praised for its authentic, soulful, and orchestral sound, The String Queens (TSQ) is a dynamic trio that creates stimulating musical experiences that inspire diverse audiences to love, hope, feel, and imagine! With an array of repertoire spanning from the Baroque era to the Jazz Age to today’s Billboard Hot 100 Chart, TSQ performs versatile programs that take listeners on a rousing musical journey through time and a multitude of musical genres.

Based in Washington, D.C., TSQ has been featured in performances at renowned concert halls and venues across America, including Carnegie Hall in New York City and The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in the nation’s capital. Notable appearances include a special performance dedicated to Vice President Kamala Harris at the “We Are One” Presidential Inauguration Concert in January 2021 and rendering a spotlight presentation of TSQ’s electrifying arrangement of Harry Styles’s hit song “Golden” for the world’s most prestigious tennis tournament “The Championships, Wimbledon” in June 2021. As an ensemble who frequents the D.C. jazz scene, other headlining performances include multiple appearances at the DC Jazz Festival and the Capital Jazz Fest.

G. Thomas Allen

Award winning vocalist/composer/music educator winner of the 2021

SAMUEL BONNET Showcase 1/14 3PM

Montreal guitarist Samuel Bonnet launches his 5th album, Hybride, at the crossroads of jazz and classical. With his trio he offers an acoustic break during which the interaction between the instruments is at the heart of the work.

DAVE SHARP WORLDS QUARTET Showcase 1/14 3:30PM

Recognized in the Jazz Times 2010 Critic’s Poll, the DAVE SHARP WORLDS QUARTET masterfully blends rhythms, sounds, and textures from across the globe with world music inspired original compositions. Featuring oud, violin, electric bass, synthesizer and world percussion, the WORLDS QUARTET is fueled by the spirit of jazz, world music and dynamic exploratory improvisation. Bassist, composer and bandleader Dave Sharp leads the WORLDS QUARTET to explore music traditions from Turkey, Egypt, Ukraine, India, Bulgaria and Greece.

The quartet has appeared at Detroit Jazz Festival, Lansing Jazz Fest, Concert of Colors Detroit, Ann Arbor Summer Festival, Bach Music Festival, Lansing Harmony Celebration Lansing, Rasa Indian Arts Festival Ann Arbor, and intimate venues such as Kerrytown Concert House in Ann Arbor, Music Hall Jazz Cafe Detroit, UrbanBeat Events Center Lansing and Riverfolk Music and Arts Blacksmith Shop Concert Series in Manchester.

SANTI DEBRIANO Showcase 1/14 4PM

Debriano was raised in Brooklyn, having moved there with his family at age four. He studied composition at Union College in New York, then attended the New England Conservatory of Music and Wesleyan University. He worked with Archie Shepp in the late 1970s and early 1980s, then moved to Paris and played with Sam Rivers for three years. He returned to New York City and has since worked with Don Pullen, Pharoah Sanders, Sonny Fortune, Billy Hart, Larry Coryell, Chucho Valdés, Hank Jones, Cecil Taylor, Randy Weston, Freddie Hubbard, Kirk Lightsey, and Attila Zoller.

Debriano has led several of his own units, including small groups in the late 1980s and Circlechant, a world music-influenced ensemble which has had among its members Helio Alves, Will Calhoun, and Abraham Burton.

Debriano was also the music director for arts at Dwight Morrow High School in Englewood, New Jersey, and was given an award for jazz education by New York University in 2001.

BRANDON GOLDBERG Showcase 1/14 4:30PM

Brandon Goldberg, now 16 years old, has been playing piano and making music since he was three years old. With “ample dexterity and wise-beyond-his-years sound” (JAZZIZ), Goldberg found his passion for jazz by listening to his favorite artists including Herbie Hancock, Bill Evans, Oscar Peterson, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, and John Coltrane. Goldberg was a featured performer at TEDxYouthMiami, TEDxBocaRaton and TEDxCoconutGrove conferences. He also works closely with the Jazz Foundation of America (JFA) and performed at their annual Gala – A Great Night in Harlem at the famous Apollo Theater where he presented McCoy Tyner with his Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016.

At a young age, Goldberg had some break-through moments on National television in Season 1 and Season 2 of NBC’s Little Big Shots, The Steve Harvey Show and the Harry Connick, Jr. Show.

JORGE LUIS PACHECO Showcase 1/14 5PM

Hailing from Havana, Cuba – this fiery young talent is fast becoming a seasoned veteran, having performed at some of the most respected venues in the world. From Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York - the Jazz Capital of the World to the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. Pacheco wowed the crowd at New York’s Blue Note Jazz Festival and gained notoriety at the legendary Apollo Theater for the Lifetime Achievement Award ceremonies presented to living legend Herbie Hancock. Whether solo piano or with his quartet, Pacheco is staking his claim in the jazz world.
He has collaborated with the likes of Wynton Marsalis and the JLCO, Arturo O’Farrill and the legendary Lenny White, as well as Dave Weckl and Richie Goods in a trio format in 2018. This young talent expresses charisma, exciting energy and respect in the stage and constantly captures the audience’s attention with his heartfelt performances, his incredible art of improvisation and his latin energy.
Monty Alexander exclaims, “Pacheco defies genre.” Winner of the 2007 JoJazz Award in Havana Pacheco is also the winner of the “Audience Award” and the “Jury Award” at the Montreux Jazz Piano Solo Competition, Switzerland in July 2014 .

DENNIS JETER Showcase 1/14 5:30 PM, 1/15 1:30 PM

Washington, DC native, Dennis Jeter, is a refreshing voice to hear
today. A longtime interpreter of the American Song Book, Dennis is steeped in the tradition of Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Mel
Tormé, and Ella Fitzgerald, Dennis approaches the music with a flair that harkens back to the masters of old. He began his professional journey as the creator of the
famous Iridium Jazz Club Jam Session in New York City. His session was host to some of the hottest players on the New
York jazz scene. Since, he has toured throughout Europe and the US including London, Pori, Bologna, Istanbul, Venice,
New York, Washington, DC, and Marciac, France.
A graduate of the Manhattan School of Music, with a degree in
Classical Trumpet, Dennis had the opportunity to work with famed
trumpet player, Wynton Marsalis, for 12 years as his director of
touring. In this role, Dennis also played trumpet and sang with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra on several tours throughout the US.

JUUMANE SMITH Showcase 1/14 6PM, 1/15 5PM

American Jazz trumpeter, vocalist and composer Jumaane Smith who’s credits include performing on 5 Grammy Awards winning records, two Emmy nominated tv performances, concerts at the White House, the Grammy Awards with Stevie Wonder, on the Today Show, Tonight Show, Oprah Show, Good Morning America and American Idol. Albums featuring Jumaane have sold more than 50 million copies. Jumaane has spent the last 15 years touring extensively and recording with Michael Bublé as lead trumpeter and vocalist. Jumaane has worked with Quincy Jones, and Herbie Hancock, Aretha Franklin and many other well known artists. 2017-2018 Jumaane was a member of Harry Connick Jr.’s house band for the syndicated daytime TV show "Harry". 2013 was the year Jumaane toured as guest soloist for Jackie Evancho’s, “Songs of the Silver Screen” world tour backed by a 60 piece symphony orchestra. Originally hailing from Seattle, Washington Smith received a full scholarship to attended the Juilliard School of Music 2001-2005 as part of the inaugural class of Jazz Studies, Wynton Marsalis was his primary trumpet teacher.

Eugenie Jones Showcase 1/14 6:30 PM 1/15 1:00 PM

Eugenie Jones is an American Jazz singer/songwriter. Her 2022 release - Players - was a Best Jazz Vocal Album Grammy® contender, ranked #30 on Jazz Week Top Albums for 2022 and internationally ranked #7 on Jazz Week's top 50 charts.

The recording/performing artist is a Vocalist of the Year Award recipient. She is the first vocal recording artist to receive the Earshot Jazz Recording of the Year Golden Ear Award. High praise for Jones appears in the 2022 issues of every mainstream jazz publication, including DownBeat, JazzTimes, JazzIz, and others.

Her showcase performances will include reimagined jazz standards, original mainstream tunes displaying Jones's "cleverly-gifted lyricism," and a sampling of classic soul and blues.

"In that overcrowded arena known as "female jazz singers," Seattle-based Eugenie Jones manages to stand apart from the crowd...she is one of the very few African-American women singer-songwriters in jazz today. And finally, the lady can sing as well as she can write. She is an intelligent, thoughtful composer in the tradition of Abbey Lincoln and Nina Simone. Fans of true jazz singing, it's time for you to sit up and take notice." Curt's Jazz Noir Radio

"This is an extraordinary singer, songwriter, and a source of a light we are fortunate to experience."
NEA Jazz Master Reggie Workman

"...an excellent singer with a voice, style, and range encompassing multiple idioms. I predict she will become the next singing sensation in all of music."
Joe Chambers /Legendary Blue Note Record's Artist

Accompanied by Lafayette Harris on piano, Lonnie Plaxico on upright bass, and Douglas Plaxico on drums, Jones' warm, engaging stage presence and "deft" vocal ability captivates and welcomes you to "jazz you can feel." ENJOY!
PLAYERS - Jazz Week Top 100 Albums for 2022
PLAYERS #7 on Jazz Week Top 50- The Music - The Reviews
DOWNBEAT - June 2022 Press/Website: www.eugeniejones.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/eugeniejonesjazz
Twitter: www.twitter.com/eugeniejonesjaz
All About Jazz
360-509-9414
Jazz Week Review/Top 10 Artist
Winner, NW Recording of the Year & NW Vocalist of the Yr.

AMBER WEEKES Showcase 1/14 7PM

Amber Weekes is a “straight ahead jazz” vocalist and recording artist who has an on-going love affair with the “Torch Song.”

Of Latin and Caribbean roots, Amber is a native of Los Angeles, California who was raised by parents born (her father) and raised (her mother) in Harlem, New York. Among her many influences are: Diahann Carroll, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Shirley Bassey, Lena Horne, Oscar Brown, Jr., and the very early recordings of Barbra Streisand.

Amber has sung since her childhood, and has studied with Gwendolyn Wyatt, Phil Moore, Jr., Catherine Hansen, Sue Fink, and in most recent years with three-time Grammy nominee, Sue Raney.

A patron at one venue described her voice as being “as soft as a pillow.”

She has performed in many venues in Southern California and has also performed at the New Rochelle Jazz Festival in New York and Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas. She has also been a repeated guest on Chet Hanley’s “Jazz In the Modern Era” and “Straight Ahead Jazz Plus.”

Amber’s earlier release “ ‘Round Midnight” was played in markets across the country. It is Amber’s hope, that her new release, “Pure Imagination” will be played in markets around the world.

WILLIAM CEPEDA Showcase 1/14 7:30PM

Known as a cultural icon of Puerto Rico and a four-time Grammy nominee and composer, William Cepeda was born and raised in Loiza, the heart of Puerto Rico’s “Little Africa.”His artistic excellence, authenticity, and advocacy for research and comprehensive documentation of Puerto Rican music, dance and culture have earned him multiple awards, grants,and recognition.Cepeda’s musical influences include Dizzy Gillespie, Miriam Makeba, Miles Davis, Fela Kuti, and Lester Bowie among others.

His ensemble has toured the world and performed at such prestigious jazz festivals as Montreux,North Sea, and Tabarka and performing arts venues and clubs.

A protégé of the Dizzy Gillespie, Cepeda was a member of the United Nations Orchestra. Also, he has traveled the world and performed with many jazz artists, such as Lester Bowie and his Brass Fantasy, David Murray, James Moody, Steve Turre, Bobby Watson, Miriam Makeba, and Slide Hampton & the Jazz Masters. Also, he is equally known in the Latin music scene and has performed with such legendary figures as Tito Puente, Paquito D’Rivera, Arturo Sandoval, Eddie Palmieri, Celia Cruz, Marc Anthony, Ruben Blades, and Oscar de Leon. In addition to his jazz and world music repertoire, Cepeda’s oeuvre includes Bomba Sinfonica, a
full-length orchestral work for a symphony, opera, choir, and soloists. In 2013, Cepeda was bestowed an Honorary Doctorate from the Berklee College of Music. The same year the Puerto Rico Heineken Jazz Festival was dedicated in his honor.
Cepeda continues to compose, develop new projects and seek new opportunities

MAFALDA MINNOZZI Showcases 1/14 8 PM & 1/15 6PM

A singer of international stature: the insiders say it, the public says it and the numbers confirm it.
In 35 years of career Mafalda Minnozzi has performed over 1,000 concerts on three continents, has produced 18 CDs, 2 DVDs, dozens of video clips and more than 250 videos recorded on the stages of theaters, auditoriums and festivals to document a career built “live”. Her voice is featured on dozens of compilations and soundtracks of television series and films, in which she has also appeared as a composer. For Mafalda, singing is a necessity. With determination and courage she placed music at the center of all her life’s choices, considering it to be the most powerful tool of cultural integration. Around the music she has created encounters, collaborations and projects to which she has dedicated all her energies. The approval of the critics and the unfailing “standing ovation” of the public at each concert, have paid off and continue to constantly reward her for her dedication. Her very soul is in fact international, because she welcomes the spirit of the three countries in which she has written the main chapters of her history to date: Italy, Brazil and the United States.

DARA TUCKER Showcases 1/15 12PM & 6:30PM

Vocalist, songwriter and bandleader Dara Tucker presents fresh and inspired arrangements of classic singer-songwriter and soul compositions of the protest era on her latest album Dreams of Waking: Music For a Better World. Tucker’s powerful new release gives voice to the cry for social justice and change that has swept across the United States in the new decade. Songs from such legendary songwriters as Stevie Wonder, Donny Hathaway and Paul Simon are presented through a jazz lens with a compelling performance from the vocalist and her illustrious band of musicians.

TAMMY MCCANN Showcase 1/15 2:00 PM (New music release) & 3:30 PM: Mahalia Jackson Trib

Tammy McCann is an internationally recognized Jazz Vocalist and is currently Artist in Residence for the Music Institute of Chicago. Her powerful, sultry, and emotionally charged voice paints pictures and tells stories by merging Classical vocal technique and Gospel esthetic with Jazz to create a sound that is completely her own. Chicago Tribune’s Arts Critic, Howard Reich says McCann has, “A voice that soars in all registers, at all tempos, on all occasions... a voice that inspires wonder! Cultural & Jazz Critic Stanley Crouch says, “Her pitch is superb…clear on the top and startling at the bottom, while all of the steps in between are polished with swing. "

TWANGUERO Showcase 1/15 4:00 - 4:55 PM (1 Hr)

Rolling Stone calls Twanguero “a journey into the heart of the music,” and indeed BACKROADS, VOL. 2, is exactly that. A stunning, solo sequel to the award-winning BACKROADS, Vol. 1, (“Best World Music Album” at the 2018 MIN awards,) volume 2 continues Twanguero’s journey of musical exploration of the blues and ragtime of north America to the rhythms of south America and Mexico and the jungles of Costa Rica, where the album was entirely composed during the Covid lockdown. A documentary crew followed him throughout his time in Costa Rica to record the entire process of making the cd in the jungle and illustrate the experience.

For the past 18 years Allan Harris and I have been devoted to presenting
2 GREAT DAYS OF JAZZ
during APAP’s annual New York conference.
In 2023 we are really excited to be live and in person once again!
To that end, we have curated an amazing group of jazz and world artists for this year's lineup, full of diversity and unique talent. Take a look below to learn more about these artists. FYI, each showcase is 25 minutes long.
As always, we are located on the 4th floor in the
New York Suite of the NY Hilton hotel. We know you're going to
want to sign these artists for your 2023-24 Season and beyond!
Check back for updates, schedule changes and additional showcases...