Past Events

Jeff Cuny is a fine string bassist. He is also the chief arranger & bassist for the Planet D Nonet and appears around the city with Tbone Paxton and also the Rhythm Society Orchestra. His fellow musicians include David Dunham on guitar & David Alvarez…

Keyboardist/vocalist Bill Heid was born August 11, 1948, in Pittsburgh, PA. A natural and virtuosic musician who was inspired to play jazz and blues by listening to the radio, he played in both piano and organ groups. His brother is the well-respected drummer and producer…

Our long-standing early Saturday piano trio series, led by Evan, a fine player who now tours throughout the world with soul diva Bettye LaVette and the US with country-rock band Whitey Morgan. Samuel Chase Harris on bass & Jake Matthews on drums, all three are…

Keyboardist/vocalist Bill Heid was born August 11, 1948, in Pittsburgh, PA. A natural and virtuosic musician who was inspired to play jazz and blues by listening to the radio, he played in both piano and organ groups. His brother is the well-respected drummer and producer…

Jarrod Champion is a self-taught pianist, vocalist, organist, songwritier and multi-instrumentalist. Born in a suburb east of Detroit, Michigan, he’s the son of two working class parents, both trained pianists. Originally based in rock and roll, Jarrod eventually spread out into the prominent jazz, blues…

Speakeasy Sundays - Miss Holly Hock's Birthday Extravaganza Show! Nov 10 / Doors 7:30 & Show 8:30 Featuring performances by: Elektra Cute Camille Leon Sio Bast Darling Violet Miss Holly Hock Emcee: Sammy Tramp Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/speakeasy-sundays-miss-holly-hocks-birthday-extravaganza-show-tickets-75596446005 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/434038697249717/

The Lovestruck Balladeers enchant audiences with their masterful performances and inspired repertoire of ragtime, jazz and beautiful songs from around the world. They might whip out a lost melody from a forgotten mandolin folio or they might play a Mexican waltz. They might push into…

LULU FALL is a singer, songwriter and actor currently based in New York. Lulu, a formally trained jazz vocalist with a musical theatre background, is one complete and unexpected package. As a product of Senegalese and Cameroonian parentage, her music reflects her global perspective by…

Scott Gwinnell is an award-winning pianist, composer/arranger, and educator born in Detroit, and residing in the Metro-Detroit area. He currently freelances as a sideman and leads various groups; the most well-known being the 16-piece Scott Gwinnell Jazz Orchestra. He is an adjunct professor of music…

Jeff Cuny is a fine string bassist. He is also the chief arranger & bassist for the Planet D Nonet and appears around the city with Tbone Paxton and also the Rhythm Society Orchestra. His fellow musicians include David Dunham on guitar & David Alvarez…

Shawn plays blues, boogie-woogie and jazz piano and organ and is a strong vocalist as well. He has toured much of the world with Larry McCray, Alberta Adams, Joe Weaver & Johnnie Bassett

Our long-standing early Saturday piano trio series, led by Evan, a fine player who now tours throughout the world with soul diva Bettye LaVette and the US with country-rock band Whitey Morgan. Samuel Chase Harris on bass & Jake Matthews on drums, all three are…

Twenty-four-year-old trumpeter Allen Dennard has one foot firmly planted in the classic jazz canon. The 2016 graduate of the University of Michigan's School of Music, Theatre & Dance leads his own rotating jazz ensemble while also regularly playing with the likes of Detroit legends Marion…

Jarrod Champion is a self-taught pianist, vocalist, organist, songwritier and multi-instrumentalist. Born in a suburb east of Detroit, Michigan, he’s the son of two working class parents, both trained pianists. Originally based in rock and roll, Jarrod eventually spread out into the prominent jazz, blues…

A student jam session - but all are invited to participate.

WHFR programs ALTERNATIVE VARIETY, music little heard elsewhere on Detroit area radio stations, almost 40% of which is Classical but also featuring: Alternative/Modern Rock, Big Band, Country, Americana/Folk, Blues, Hip Hop, Jazz, Space Rock, Urban, and World music, in addition to a weekly public affairs…

David Alvarez III is a Jazz drummer, composer, arranger, and music educator based in the Metro-Detroit area. The drum set was introduced to him at the age of five, growing up playing in church. At the age of nine, he started to learn how to…

Trunino Lowe is one of Detroit’s promising young musicians. Born & raised on Detroit’s eastside, he is a proud graduate of the Detroit School of Arts. Mr. Lowe was mentored by Detroit trumpeters Kris Johnson, Dwight Adams, Rayse Biggs and John Douglas. He is now…

The Ryan Bills Quartet is a group of Wayne State students and alumni dedicated to providing a sophisticated yet enjoyable interpretation of the swing tradition. Emphasis is placed on group communication within individual improvisation, following in the tradition set by the greats such as Lester…

Jeff Cuny is a fine string bassist. He is also the chief arranger & bassist for the Planet D Nonet and appears around the city with Tbone Paxton and also the Rhythm Society Orchestra. His fellow musicians include David Dunham on guitar & David Alvarez…

Michael Zaporski’s FUTUREVISIONS explodes across the soundscape, taking audiences on a lyrical epic, connecting two continents and two quintessential traditions: American Jazz and West African rhythms. Their performances are a whirlwind of dynamic energy leaving listeners hanging on every pulse-pounding note. Jazz aficionados and novices…

Our long-standing early Saturday piano trio series, led by Evan, a fine player who now tours throughout the world with soul diva Bettye LaVette and the US with country-rock band Whitey Morgan. Samuel Chase Harris on bass & Jake Matthews on drums, all three are…

Deeply steeped in the generations of great Jazz and Blues that centers the rich musical legacy of Detroit (which includes Kenn Cox, Donald Walden, Marcus Belgrave and Thomas “Beans” Bowles), Shahida Nurullah is one of the motor city’s premier and most treasured jazz vocalists. Her…

Jarrod Champion is a self-taught pianist, vocalist, organist, songwritier and multi-instrumentalist. Born in a suburb east of Detroit, Michigan, he’s the son of two working class parents, both trained pianists. Originally based in rock and roll, Jarrod eventually spread out into the prominent jazz, blues…

The debut date of this new project born in the Michigan State University when a group of friends got together with the intention of celebrating the amazing pianist and composer Cedar Walton and his music. TATATU' COLLECTIVE is brought to you by: Margherita Fava (piano)…

David Alvarez III is a Jazz drummer, composer, arranger, and music educator based in the Metro-Detroit area. The drum set was introduced to him at the age of five, growing up playing in church. At the age of nine, he started to learn how to…

RJ & Tbone have collaborated for decades and have a repertoire that spans Fats Waller to Louis Jordan to Earl King and other New Orleans fonk, as Dr. John would say.  RJ and organist Dale Grisa held down a steady Wednesday night gig at Cliff…

Jeff Cuny is a fine string bassist. He is also the chief arranger & bassist for the Planet D Nonet and appears around the city with Tbone Paxton and also the Rhythm Society Orchestra. His fellow musicians include David Dunham on guitar & David Alvarez…

If you have not yet experienced Planet D Nonet, your groove tank is missing out on some serious fuel. They’re Detroit’s own down and dirty little big band, known nationally for curating some of the best in early jazz traditions and Black-American musical influences from…

Our long-standing early Saturday piano trio series, led by Evan, a fine player who now tours throughout the world with soul diva Bettye LaVette and the US with country-rock band Whitey Morgan. Samuel Chase Harris on bass & Jake Matthews on drums, all three are…

The Rob Crozier Jazz Ensemble is a jazz ensemble based in Ann Arbor focused on presenting the work of the singing bassist/multi-instrumentalist/composer Rob Crozier. After a whirlwind performance at the 2019 Detroit Jazz Festival, this fine group continues to wow audiences with its high energy…

Jarrod Champion is a self-taught pianist, vocalist, organist, songwritier and multi-instrumentalist. Born in a suburb east of Detroit, Michigan, he’s the son of two working class parents, both trained pianists. Originally based in rock and roll, Jarrod eventually spread out into the prominent jazz, blues…

Join the OU Jazz Program for a great night of music.

David Alvarez III is a Jazz drummer, composer, arranger, and music educator based in the Metro-Detroit area. The drum set was introduced to him at the age of five, growing up playing in church. At the age of nine, he started to learn how to…

The Hughes Smith Quintet (HSQ) is a Detroit-based jazz quintet that performs original music with purpose. The group is spearheaded by Saxophonist James Hughes & trumpeter Jimmy Smith and features the rhythm section of Phil Kelly, Takashi Iio and Nate Winn. The quintet formed in…

Michael Malis and Common Tongue Michael Malis — piano and compositions Rafael Statin — saxophones and reeds Brian Juarez — bass Jonathan Taylor — drums Michael Malis (b. 1988) is a composer, pianist, and music educator based in Detroit MI. A multi-faceted musical artist, he…

Jeff Cuny is a fine string bassist. He is also the chief arranger & bassist for the Planet D Nonet and appears around the city with singer/trombonist Tbone Paxton as well as his own groups. His fellow musicians include David Dunham on guitar & David…