Aaron Graves Quartet featuring Denise King to perform June 2
True Blue Jazz, independent, straight-ahead jazz producers, continues to set the musical bar high in the Cape Region as it hosts the second show in the 1st Wednesdays at the Pines series at the Top of the Pines in downtown Rehoboth Beach.
On the heels of its sold-out first endeavor, True Blue Jazz will present the Aaron Graves Quartet featuring Denise King for one show only, from 7 to 8:30 p.m., Wednesday, June 2.
True Blue Jazz welcomes new sponsor Pat Coluzzi, Realtor, of Ocean Atlantic Sotheby’s and thanks her for helping to make this incredible show possible.
The multi-talented Aaron Graves was raised in North Carolina as the son of a musical preacher. A pianist, conductor, arranger, composer and producer, Graves always brings a spiritual, down-home feeling to his music. He has appeared and recorded with many jazz greats including Stanley Turrentine, Oscar Brown Jr., Dakota Staton, Jimmy Scott, Kenny Burrell, Grady Tate, Frank Foster, Grover Washington Jr., Vanessa Rubin, Donald Byrd, the Smithsonian Masterworks Jazz Orchestra, the Boys Choir of Harlem, James Moody and Kevin Mahogonay. Among his Broadway credits, he was music director for “The Devil’s Music: The Life & Blues of Bessie Smith.” His television credits include the award-winning documentary “Eyes on the Prize” with Sweet Honey and the Rock, and the Lou Rawls Show.
Artists aren’t made – they are born with an innate sense of wonder and a unique perspective of the world, and vocalist Denise King is no exception. During the past 25 years, she has sung at almost all of the top jazz venues in Philadelphia, New York, Paris, Milan, Turkey, Brazil, Africa, Germany and Japan. Her dozens of albums have paired her with some of the world’s greatest jazz musicians. Her recent sessions with Italian jazz great Massimo Farao and his trio are outstanding. A keeper of the flame, King holds the preservation and presentation of the traditional style of jazz singing close to her heart. She invokes no gimmicks or pyrotechnics, just an intense focus on the melody and the lyrical content. With her warm and welcoming presence on stage, the subtle nuance of a bygone days, and the recordings that speak to the natural elegance of an era that greatly influenced her life, King is keeping the romance and nostalgia of all the great ladies of jazz alive and well.
A Philadelphia native, bassist Lee Smith is a composer, arranger, producer and educator. He’s also the proud father of seven-time Grammy Award-winning bassist Christian McBride. True Blue Jazz hosted Christian as a headliner at its 2017 festival and is honored to now have Lee Smith join the True Blue Jazz family of musicians. For over 40 years, Lee has worked with numerous jazz greats including Mongo Santamaria, Cab Calloway, Lionel Hampton, Erskine Hawkins, Benny Golson, Bud Shank, Dizzy Gillespie, Cedar Walton, Donald Harrison, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Roberta Flack, Sonny Fortune, Odean Pope and Billy Hart. Lee worked with Philadelphia piano great Trudy Pitts for almost 10 years. He also performs with the Jazz Orchestra of Philadelphia under the direction of Terell Stafford.
Joining that trio of Philly jazz royalty are two young musicians stepping readily into the path laid by the lineage of Philly jazz giants. Nasir Dickerson, on tenor saxophone, is a powerhouse on- and off-stage. He is a highly sought-after recording artist and a respected music teacher in the Camden public school system, winning Best Teacher of the Year in 2010.
Drummer Khary Abdul-Shahedd came to music naturally since his mother is a pianist and vocalist, and his father is a drummer and percussionist. He began playing music at age 2 and hasn’t looked back. He has studied and played with the best musicians in Philly and has become a highly respected jazz drummer in his own right.
Tickets are $25. To purchase, go to thepinesrb.com or call 302-567-2726. The Pines is located at 56 Baltimore Ave., Rehoboth Beach.
Doors open to the lounge for cocktail service at 5:30 p.m. The showroom opens at 6 p.m. when guests can order dinner before the show. Early reservations are encouraged, as shows may sell out. For more information, go to truebluejazz.org.
