B-Sharp Jazz Quartet

Herb Graham, Jr., the B-Sharp Jazz Quartet's founder/drummer/co-leader, and fellow members of the L.A.-based band -- saxophonist/co-leader Randall Willis, keyboardist Rodney Lee, and bassist Osama Affifi (all in their twenties or early thirties) seek to differentiate themselves from other young jazz artists generally identified as "young lions." Graham has been quoted as saying, "We view our music as alternative jazz. We want to...tap into the same creative spirit as our heroes -- people like Art Blakey and John Coltrane. It's important that we let people know there's somthing out there that's different. Not to say we're playing the most cutting-edge music, but it's different." The quartet has garnered enthusiastic reviews for their third album, "Searching for the One" (MAMA Foundation 1015), which stretches and revitalizes our notions of straight ahead jazz. Return to Schedule

Bird of Paradise Orchestra

The 14-piece Bird of Paradise Orchestra was established in 1989 by Ann Arbor bass virtuoso Paul Keller. Making their home at the Bird of Paradise Club in in Ann Arbor, BOPO has become one of Metro Detroit's most visible big bands -- with a huge repetoire ranging from well-known standards to classic and obscure compositions and arrangements by members of the band. BOPO was a hit at the 1996 Flint Jazz Festival. During their return engagement this year as Friday-night headliners, the Bird of Paradise Orchestra will perform arrangements of compositions by the late Flint jazz pianist/composer Eddie Russ, to whom the 1997 Flint Jazz Festival is dedicated. Return to Schedule

Frank Morgan

Wynton Marsalis once said of Frank Morgan, "There is no one around who is better on the alto saxophone. What comes out of his horn is soulful, full of fire and timeless." In 1986 -- having spent nearly half a lifetime in prison -- Frank Morgan, once hailed as the "New Bird," began a remarkable comeback to finally add his own distinctive imprint to the bop legacy of Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and Thelonius Monk. Morgan's recent Telarc releases "Bop!" and "Love, Lost and Found" show this propensity for the essence of the bebop tradition -- and, at the age 63, a rapport with generationally younger musicians who share that affinity. Return to Schedule

Roland Vasquez Quintet

Native Californian composer/drummer/producer Roland Vasquez decided to become a musician after attending a performance by the Mongo Santamaria Band in 1963. After working as a drummer with R & B and rock bands in and around Los Angeles, Vasquez began composing for his first jazz-fusion band in 1974 -- eventually forming the Urban Ensemble. Over time his style of music has been described as "funky-salsa-bebop." Other members of the quintet are Walt Weiskopf (tenor sax & flute), recognized as one of the most creative tenor players on the scene today; Mark Soskin (piano), regarded as a fine jazz soloist as well as one of the best contemporary players; Anthony Jackson (bass guitar), possibly the most recorded bass guitar player in the world; and Ricardo Candelaria (congas and percussion), regarded by his peers as a master of the Puerto Rican and Afro-Cuban Folkloric drumming styles. Return to Schedule

Sherman Mitchell

A hometown jazz institution, trombonist-flutist-saxophonist Sherman Mitchell achieves new heights every time he performs. Although "semi-retired," Sherm stsill manages a healthy itinery playing special bookings nationally and throughout the Great Lakes. A prolific composer ("Once Upon a Lifetime," "Far From Tranquil") and educator (Michigan State University, explores mainstream, Latin, Brazillian, and his own works, equally at home with ballads and up-tempo jazz. He's performed at jazz festivals worldwide -- from Europe to Montreux-Detroit. Return to Schedule

Sheila Landis		Roger Jones
Sheila Landis has been performing her unique style of jazz and blues since 1973 and has appeared in scores of Metro Detroit's most exciting venues. She has developed her own style, drawing upon the melodic inventiveness of the legendary Sarah Vaughan, appealing to the most discriminating of jazz enthusiasts. In 1991 she received the Metro Times "Best Jazz Vocalist" award, followed in 1994 by Detroit Music Awards "Best Jazz Vocalist." Recordings include "Fine and Mellow" and "Jazzscapes," both self-produced SheLan Records releases with guitarist Rick Matle.		Roger Jones was born in Flint in 1971 and graduated from Carman-Ainsworth High School. He attended the Oberlin Conservatory from 1989 to 1992. Playing professionally since the age of 17, Roger has performed with Marcus Belgrave, Bobby Watson, Wallace Roney, Dwight Adams, Joe Henderson, and J.J. Johnson. Last year, he made Manhattan his base of professionally operations, where his career continues to grow.
Return to Schedule

George "Sax" Benson		Stephenie
With his name, it's easy to mistake a noted saxophonist for a noted guitarist. But Detroiter George Benson's career commands respect in its own right. A respected teacher (improvisation, theory) at Henry Ford Community College, Schoolcraft Community College, and Wayne State, Benson is a staple of the Motor City jazz scene. His work with the Austin-Moro Big Band, Tommy Flanagan, Barry Harris, the Jones Brothers (Hank, Thad, Elvin), Yusef Lateef, Sonny Stitt, Erroll Garner, and Gene Ammons highlights a distinguished career.		Flint singer Stephenie and pianist Cliff Monear (a Ypsilanti native) are a well-suited pair.Stephenie's soul-tinged vocal inflections sail through jazz, pop, Top 40, or musical show tunes with emotional gusto. Backed by Cliff's sterling piano lines, what materializes is a great sound that has been a popular fixture in the Flint area.
Return to Schedule

Capital Jazz Quartet		Vincent York
The Lansing-based Capital Jazz Quartet sports high academic standards. As CJQ bandleader-founder, trumpeter-fluegelhornist Rick Holland (Berklee School of Music, DePaul Univ.) has played in Boston and Chicago with Herb Pomeroy's Studio Orchestra, Makofo Ozone, Frank Mantooth and Louis Bellson's Big Band, among others. Bassist Ed Fedewa (an MSU grad) has worked with Marcus Belgrave, Eddie Russ, and Donald Walden. Drummer Joe Lane, just 22, has two recordings with Shawn "Thunder" Wallace (a 1996 Flint Jazz Festival headliner) and attends MSU. Pianist Terry Lower (Berklee) has recorded with the Larry Nozero Quartet and trumpeter Eddie Daniels.		A former member of the Duke Ellington and Dick Stabile Orchestras, saxophonist Vincent York has recorded on Duke Ellington Records in Tokyo, Japan, as well as Jazzstronauts Records, Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Winner of many honors, York is a jazz educator as well as performer.

Schedule

Artist Info

About the Festival

Sponsors

MasterPlan, Inc.

How to Get There

Past Festivals