Ooh Baby! Songwriters at Play celebrates the music of Smokey Robinson and Aretha Franklin at the High Roller Tiki Lounge in Solvang on Saturday Jan. 13. The concert includes local and touring artists doing such favorites as You Really Got a Hold on Me, Respect, Natural Woman, Tracks of My Tears, and many more. Reserved seats for the 2pm concert are $20, available at my805tix.com
The lineup of performers includes Bay Area balladeers Zoe FitzGerald Carter, Aireene Espiritu, and Jesse Loren Strickman; SoCal singers Pi Jacobs, Jason Luckett, and Jeanne Newhall; Santa Barbara’s Will Breman, and California Valley’s Holly Ann Lewis.
The concert is produced by Songwriters at Play, husband-wife team, Steve Key and Bonnie Nelson-Key. They produced many tributes at SoHo in Santa Barbara, and various venues in the San Luis Obispo. Their events have covered the music of Chuck Berry, Sam Cooke, Leonard Cohen, James Taylor, Carole King, Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt, and Bob Dylan. They also host monthly song contests at High Roller Tiki Lounge; the winners of their 10-part series will compete for the $1,000 grand prize next April. www.songwritersatplay.com
Ooh Baby! Songwriters at Play celebrates the music of Smokey Robinson and Aretha Franklin at CCAT on Sunday Jan. 14. The concert includes local and touring artists doing such favorites as You Really Got a Hold on Me, Respect, Natural Woman, Tracks of My Tears, and many more.
The lineup of performers includes Bay Area balladeers Zoe FitzGerald Carter, Aireene Espiritu, and Jesse Loren Strickman; SoCal singers Pi Jacobs, Jason Luckett, and Jeanne Newhall; Santa Barbara’s Will Breman, and Central Coast artists The Taproots, and Holly Ann Lewis.
Pi Jacobs, Will Breman, and Aireene Espiritu played CCAT in last January’s tribute to Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson. The Taproots and Zoe FitzGerald Carter were in the Nov. 2022 tribute to Joni Mitchell. Jeanne Newhall has played many Songwriters at Play events, including this year’s tribute to Joan Baez. Jason Luckett and Holly Ann Lewis make their CCAT debuts in this show.
The concert is produced by Songwriters at Play, husband-wife team, Steve Key and Bonnie Nelson-Key. Their tributes at CCAT have included the music of James Taylor, Carole King, Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt, and Bob Dylan. They also host monthly song contests at Schooners in Cayucos; the winners of their 10-part series come to CCAT next April 14. www.songwritersatplay.com
The first Friday of the month is December 1st, so we’ll be doing The Holiday Edition of First Fridays Jazz Night w/ Jason Luckett & Friends. I’ll be joined by the Brothers Figaro (last time we were on a bill together was last century!!), and Dorothy Coleman Pincus, one of my secret vocal stars!
The Brothers Figaro are Phil Parlapiano and Bill Bonk. These guys made a huge impression on me as young artist when I’d open for them at Molly Malone’s. Their songwriting, singing and musicianship were so energetic and encompassed such a wide variety of sounds that it helped me to believe that so much was possible. I’m thrilled that they are going to bring their Old Time Christmas show to us on the 1st.
And Dorothy Coleman Pincus, has a résumé from Aretha Franklin to Barry Manilow, Stevie Wonder to Tupac Shakur. In fact, California knows how to party, in part, because of her vocals on that legendary collaboration “California Love” by Shakur and Dr. Dre (with Roger Troutman of Zapp fame — anyone ever slow dance to “I Want to be Your Man”? But I digress…). She’s sung with me and recorded over at my studio many times over the past couple decades. I’m going to accompany her on some holiday favorites. She always brings the love! Albeit, this evening, from a jazzier perspective!
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So happy to announce that you can now stream the 2022 live album on all the usual streaming music platforms. Please add it and enjoy! Happy Thanksgiving!
The next First Fridays Jazz Night w/Jason Luckett & Friends is on December 1, 2023. It’s the Holiday Edition!
Joining me for the show are the Brothers Figaro Orchestra doing an Old Time Christmas, Dorothy Coleman Pincus bringing her love, my annual holiday revue (after a long hiatus) and hopefully more surprises.
First Fridays Jazz Night w/ Jason Luckett & Friends
Friday, December 1, 2023
8-10:30pm (doors: 7:30)
Lyd & Mo Photography Studio & Gallery
27 N Mentor Ave, Pasadena, CA 91106
The Brothers Figaro Orchestra
Dorothy Coleman Pincus
Jason Luckett
& more!
Hosted by Jason Luckett
Doors: 7:30
Showtime: 8pm
Suggested donation: $20 at the door or online
PayPal.me/jasonluckett
Venmo: @jasonluckett
(100% goes to the musicians).
In Playhouse Village in the heart of Pasadena
IG: @firstfridaysjazznight
Kristi Callan and I know each other through the indie pop music scene and Harry Nilsson fandom. I love close vocal harmonies and at the last Nilsson birthday tribute we got to talking and she told me she was part of a group called the Roswell Sisters. I thought they’d be great addition to our eclectic First Fridays Jazz Night.
Check out this résumé!
A captivating close-harmony group from Los Angeles, modeled loosely on the legendary jazzy New Orleans 30s band the Boswell Sisters, but bringing unexpected, eccentric, and occasionally even glam rock touches to that vintage vocal style. Group leader Justin Tanner has a special gift for arranging songs from the 20s and 30s straight through to originals by Roswells pianist Kristian Hoffman in classic “old tyme” tight, dense harmonies, dazzling in their complexity. Justin (tenor) is a noted Los Angeles playwright (“Zombie Attack,” “Pot Mom,” “Day Drinkers”) and a classically trained pianist. Lisa Jenio (alto), lead singer and songwriter for L.A. pop band Candypants, has also collaborated with the Negro Problem and Ronnie Spector. Kristi Callan uses her varied experience working with a wide range of artists from David Gray to Dave Davies to her own alt-country band, Dime Box and 80s girl group Wednesday Week, to inform her role as the emotive soprano in the group.
The Roswell Sisters are backed by Kristian Hoffman (Ann Magnuson, Prince Poppycock, Rufus Wainwright, Mumps, Klaus Nomi) on piano and Pierre Smith (El Vez, Ann Magnuson, New Marines, Human Hands) on guitar. The response to this young combo has been wildly enthusiastic, and audiences have been transfixed by the gorgeous harmonies the Roswells bring to classic 30s songs like “Shuffle Off to Buffalo” and modern pop gems like the Mumps’ “Just Look, Don’t Touch.”
From their show-stopping version of “42nd Street” to their spectacular original “Imaginary Friend,” the group delivers a mesmerizing performance every time. The Roswells have played eclectic venues all over the greater Los Angeles area and are currently in the studio recording their debut.
And on 11/3 they’ll be with us!
| Date | City | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| Jason Luckett Pasadena Residency: First Fridays Jazz Night w/ JL & Friends | ||
| Saturday, 12/14/24 | Pasadena, CA | Archetype Yoga |
| Time: 7:30pm. Admission: $20 suggested donation. Age restrictions: All Ages. Address: 638 E. Colorado Blvd. Ste. 301. Venue phone: 626-345-5676. Our new venue, and my annual holiday show, featuring Jami Lula and Phil Parlapiano. Related post. | ||
Jennifer Leigh Warren is a new friend of mine whom I met celebrating the 25th anniversary of Nana-Ama Danquah’s memoir, Willow Weep for Me. (Nana-Ama included an essay of mine in the anthology, The Black Body.) We started talking and laughing and I thought she’d be a great addition to our series. I asked her. And I’m so glad she said yes!
Her resume is rich with Broadway, touring and TV experience. For FFJN, she’s trying something new with just guitar accompaniment, from me. And we’ll duet on a couple things. It’s been so much fun seeing what we can do together.
Here’s her bio:
Jennifer Leigh Warren has been lauded for her theatrical work, from her show-stopping performance as “Alice’s Daughter” in the original Broadway cast of Big River (singing a song written for her by Roger Miller), to originating the role of “Crystal” in the Alan Menken/Howard Ashman Off-Broadway hit Little Shop of Horrors, to her performance in the original Broadway cast of Marie Christine at Lincoln Center. In the television musical event RENT: LIVE, she showcased her versatility as Mrs. Jefferson, Mrs. Cohen, Support Sue and the infamous bag lady. With the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, in the Disney Concert Hall, she performed as the narrator/vocalist in the “Rock my Soul” festival and performed her “Diamonds Are Forever: The Songs of Shirley Bassey” concert directed by Richard Jay Alexander in the Renberg Theater in Los Angeles. She starred as “The Blues Singer” in all four national tours of A Night with Janis Joplin (USA, Canada) streaming now on Broadway HD.com. For REPRISE! she was Lalume in Kismet, Cleo in The Most happy Fella and stopped the show as Shelia in Hair (with a vocal arrangement made for her by the great Peter Matz). On The Tonight Show, CONAN and Jimmy Kimmel, she performed with Broken Bells, The Kills, Trombone Shorty, Lisa Loeb and OK GO. In Japan, she re-created her Big River role (in Japanese) and in Denmark sang with Al Jarreau (televised LIVE throughout Europe). Film: Garry Marshall’s Valentine’s Day, The Other Sister and Dear God, Allison Anders & Martin Scorsese’s Grace of My Heart, Sean Penn’s The Crossing Guard, Larry David’s Sour Grapes. She is a graduate of Dartmouth College and a proud SAG-AFTRA AEA member.
| Date | City | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| Jason Luckett Pasadena Residency: First Fridays Jazz Night w/ JL & Friends | ||
| Saturday, 12/14/24 | Pasadena, CA | Archetype Yoga |
| Time: 7:30pm. Admission: $20 suggested donation. Age restrictions: All Ages. Address: 638 E. Colorado Blvd. Ste. 301. Venue phone: 626-345-5676. Our new venue, and my annual holiday show, featuring Jami Lula and Phil Parlapiano. Related post. | ||
10/21/23
I didn’t want to let this day pass without acknowledging the anniversary of Document: Freedom: Spring and the life saving surgery that happened the same day, 10/21/22. It was a little bit like two births. And what’s come from it has been so life affirming. Thanks to the sweet people who wrote testimonials for the record, Todd Lawrence, Dee Madden, Imani Tolliver, Steve Hochman, and Mark Davis. Thanks to Simko for taking pictures when I realized that I didn’t have any photos from the concert! Thanks to Ray Moore for helping to make it sound like a record.
Then Anne Dixon introduced me to Raspin Stuwart who brought me to Lyd & Mo’s, where Mo tried to convince me that I was playing jazz and asked me to curate a monthly jazz night — and I’d be the featured artist. It seemed a little outrageous to me, but it pushed me to reach out to amazing musicians like Russell Ferrante, Edwin Livingston, Reggie Quinerly and Nailah Porter who joined me to do a Jazz Vespers at All Saints Church where I did my best to channel Mahalia Jackson and Sam Cooke. I felt so bolstered by that experience.
And the gift Mo gave me, I’ve been able to share with my friends, giving other artists a chance to do something different or re-energize what they’ve always done before this incredible loyal audience of deep listeners at our First Fridays Jazz Nights.
Somewhere along the way this has also re-energized my recording studio and I’m starting to record more people there, holding a safe space for creativity.
This is only a snippet of the good that’s come in the past year or so when I decided to put something positive into the world on surgery day. Choosing joy and letting go of what’s toxic in one’s life creates so much room for love, growth, and experience. I feel high and so grateful.
Thank you to my family. Thank you to the good people at Kaiser. Thanks to Bandcamp. Thanks to the Warner Grand Annex. Thanks to you for being such loving supporters of what I try to do with music and building – and supporting – community.
You are a gift to me.
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