Results for "Philadelphia"

Suzanne Burgess

Born: August 2

Suzanne Burgess began singing professionally a few years ago but, in reality has been singing all her life. Originally, a native of Southern Chester County, Oxford PA where she is the oldest of three, Suzanne now makes Philadelphia her home. You can call her “country gone city” but, she adores her simple roots. Her church roots, schools and talent shows growing up, prepared her for the stage. Her passion to dance and sing grew stronger as she took tap, ballet and jazz. Suzanne danced in private troops and sang in small plays in and around Philadelphia. Her foundation in the arts comes from her grandmother and aunts, uncles who played and taught her how to find her notes, to harmonize and learn where she’s supposed to be in song and in her life

Fred Adams

Fred Adams is an inspiring composer who discovered the creative, artistic form of compositional writing at the Philadelphia College of Performing Arts, where he studied trumpet and piano.

Fred is most noted for his thirty year association with the Sun Ra Arkestra and has toured throughout the world as a longstanding member. Sun Ra encouraged Fred to lead his own band and he later founded the Philadelphia Heritage Art Ensemble. It started out as vehicle to present late Philadelphia composers (Hank Mobley and Lee Morgan), along with original compositions through a residency at the Mill Creek Cultural Center

Shakoor

Born: May 11, 1993

Philadelphia has produced some of the most dynamic musical innovators in jazz history. Rising star Shakoor Sanders can be added to the pantheon of distinctive African drumming.

Billy Paul

Born: December 1, 1934

Paul Williams, known professionally as Billy Paul, was a Grammy Award-winning American soul singer, known for his 1972 #1 single, "Me and Mrs. Jones", as well as the 1973 album and single "War of the Gods" which blends his more conventional pop, soul, and funk styles with electronic and psychedelic influences. He was one of the many artists associated with the Philadelphia soul sound created by Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff, and Thom Bell. Paul was identified by his diverse vocal style which ranged from mellow and soulful to low and raspy. Questlove of the Roots equated Paul to Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder, calling him "one of the criminally unmentioned proprietors of socially conscious post-revolution '60s civil rights music.

James Collins

James Collins is a young up-and-coming jazz pianist and composer in the Philadelphia area. Born into a musical family, James was exposed to great music of all genres from a very early age. At five years old, James started taking piano lessons. By age 7, he was ear training and refining his perfect pitch. Before leaving elementary school, James had already begun to build his repertoire in jazz and classical music. In 2010, James began pursuing his Bachelor Degree in music studies at Temple University. During his stay at Temple University, James had the honor of studying with jazz greats including Terell Stafford, Bruce Barth, Dick Oatts, Elio Villafranca and others

Tim Brey

Tim Brey is a Philadelphia-based jazz pianist and composer. In his diverse career as a bandleader, sideman, and solo pianist, Brey has performed with Terell Stafford, Renée Fleming, Houston Person, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Veronica Swift, Peter Bernstein, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Warren Wolf, Samara Joy, Steve Wilson, Tim Warfield, Rodney Whitaker, and many more.

His third studio album as a leader, “News,” debuting in October 2022, follows Brey’s expanding compositional vision for his sextet. Digital copies are available for download via Bandcamp. Find more info on upcoming live performances on his website.

Southwork

Eclectic and expansive, Southwork are a seven-piece band of multi- instrumentalists from Philadelphia. Anchored by the songwriting acumen of vocalist/guitarist Mike Vivas, his compositions are rhythmically propelled by Mike Vogel (Keyboards, Backing Vocals, Kazoo), Nick Anastasi (Bass) and Joe Smith (Drums, Backing Vocals) and transported to another dimension by the hellacious horn trifecta of Al Smith (Baritone Sax, Backing Vocals, Percussion), Tony Trov (Tenor Sax, Percussion, Ukulele) and Erich Miller (Trumpet, Percussion).
Formed in July 2010, Southwork is the amalgamation of two previous groups

Minas

Orlando Haddad and Patricia King formed Minas in 1978 at North Carolina School of the Arts to bring Brazilian music to stateside audiences. They proceeded to play all over the eastern US before going back to their musical roots in Brazil, where they entertained, traveled extensively and recorded their first album, Num Dia Azul. Today Minas is one of the most sought-after Brazilian bands in the United States. Minas is built upon the duo's multiple talents as vocalists, instrumentalists and composers with an impressive grasp of the whole range of Brazilian musical idioms. At the core of any Minas show are the voices of the duo, which reflects two decades of vocal and instrumental blending. Warm and engaging, this magical sound becomes infectious when Minas adds bass, drums, percussion and horns to Orlando's guitar and Patricia's keyboards.

Kendrah Butler

Kendrah E. Butler has lived and breathed music ever since she could remember. She studied at Settlement Music School in Germantown, PA for 11 years with classical world renowned pianist Charles Pettaway. Kendrah studied jazz piano at the Mount Airy Cultural Center under the direction of saxophonist Anthony “Tony” Williams. At Mount Airy, she would intensely study jazz piano with greats such as Don Wilson, Kenny Gates, and for 5 years with the late great jazz pianist Eddie Green through a Roam and Haas Scholarship at Settlement Music School. Through her experiences in classical and jazz, Kendrah would premier on TV’s CN8 with the group, “The Best Yet Jazz Quintet”, cut a demo CD with Gamble and Huff records, perform around the tri-state area, and work with the late Grover Washington all before the age of 17

David Hotep Middleton

Born: January 22

From North America's west coast to the east, across Western and Eastern Europe, thru the Tuvan steppes of Siberian Mongolia to the Fuji Mountains of Japan, D.mHotep has traveled across the northern hemisphere [and into Brazil] for the past decade: observing, hearing, performing, and learning music of the human earth. After picking up the guitar rather late in high school, and then leaving behind a career in architectural design, intense self- initiative and excellent private teachers such as Curtis Harmon Sr., Steve Giordano, Myrtle Young, Robert Kenyatta, Marshall Allen, and [Dennis Sandole students] Glenn Wallace and Pat Martino have helped to hone his jazz/music theory and guitar performance skills. In his first professional experience, he functioned as an integral member of the legendary DJ Tat Money's Halfro Productions team – playing both bass and guitar, contracting musicians, and even appearing in an MTV/BET broadcasted video with the hip-hop group EBS — one of the acts produced by the company. In the early 1990s, he co-founded the music ensemble JazGuardian with Philadelphia drummer Kimpedro