iRock Jazz LIVE! with Piano Manufacturer, Warren Shadd

Warren Shadd is a second generation piano technician and third generation musician. He has per formed and toured worldwide in every aspect of live and recorded musc with hundreds of celebrities in the entertainment industry. On drums, at the early age of four, he played his first of many jazz …

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Vanessa Rubin: Sheer Wisdom and a Depth of Experience

Vanessa Rubin is a jazz vocalist, composer, producer, and actress who has graced the jazz scene since the early 80s. She has worked with Etta Jones, Frank Foster, Lewis Nash, Patience Higgins, Kenny Burrell, Grover Washington Jr, and Steve Turre to name a few. Rubin studied under Barry Harris at …

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Steve Turre: Shelling It Out for Jazz

Trombonist and seashellist Steve Turre has been a jazz favorite of critics and listeners for many years. Growing up in the San Francisco Bay area, Turre was exposed to great music at an early age by his parents. They would take the young musician to listen to live big band …

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Bobby Caldwell: The Art of Staying Relevant

Bobby Caldwell has established himself as an adult contemporary powerhouse. He is an acclaimed singer/songwriter and his music has been featured in numerous films including “The Perfect Man” and “Simone”. His beginnings started in Manhattan, NY where his parents were the host of Suppertime, a TV variety show. This exposed …

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Chaka Khan: Achieving Musical Immortality

In a career that includes ten Grammy-Awards, multiple platinum albums, and an influence immeasurable in scope, all I can think about is “Be Bop Medley.” It seems strange, I know. Here we are celebrating four decades of Chaka Khan and for whatever reason my mind is fixated on this solitary …

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Freda Payne: Sophisticated Lady Pt. 1

Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images It’s the early 1970’s, the era where Black Power was still at its high, Afros were the norm, Blaxploitation films were the top movies to see and Black actresses like Pam Grier, Tamara Dobson, Lonette McKee, Denise Nicholas, Vonetta McGee and Freda Payne were …

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Dionne Warwick

Celebrating 50 years of Music with Dionne Warwick

Luther Vandross and Dionne Warwick “Some people make things happen, some watch things happen, while others wonder what has happened”. –Author Unknown Dionne Warwick is the first. Singing since the age of six, Dionne Warwick has carved out a path that has resulted in nearly sixty charted hits since “Don’t …

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