Sat

8/4/2012

7:00pm

Jazz

An Evening with Susan Chastain

Kerrytown Club series - 7pm

• $30 Assigned Rows 1-2
• $20 Assigned Rows 3-5
• $15 General Admission
• $10 Student

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• Susan Chastain, voice
• Paul Keller, bass
• Phil DeGreg, piano

Event Details

Make a reservation for the 7pm show.

Make a reservation for the 9pm show.

KCH welcomes back Susan Chastain, celebrated jazz vocalist and owner/impressaria of the Firefly Club of many years. She is joined by her superb jazz colleagues Paul Keller and Phil DeGreg. To celebrate her birthday, Susan will perform selections from the Great American Songbook. This concert is part of KCH's Kerrytown Club series, a chance to enjoy great musical moments in a nightclub setting. Call early to reserve café tables in the front of the hall. A cash bar will be available.

This event is co-sponsored by the Southeastern Michigan Jazz Association.

This performance is supported by WEMU 89.1

Susan Chastain

Susan Chastain made her public debut at age three, performing in her mother's bar in Oklawaha, Florida, singing along with Patti Page records on the jukebox. Susan has sung with Paul Keller's big band since 1991 when she was a waitress at the Bird of Paradise jazz club. Susan went on to do extraordinary things for the jazz community as owner of Ann Arbor's famous Firefly Club. For ten years, the Firefly Club presented top-quality jazz and blues seven nights a week. Susan's vision, dedication and tireless efforts made the Firefly Club a well-loved destination for jazz musicians and jazz fans alike. The Firefly Club hosted a myriad of jazz and blues talent including Benny Golson, Monty Alexander, Jeff Hamiton, David "Fathead" Newman, Mulgrew Miller, Danilo Perez, Mose Allison, Greg Osby, Dave Liebman, Mose Allison, Patricia Barber, Janis Siegel, Big Bill Morganfield, Elmore James, Jr., Alvin Youngblood Heart, Tim Ries, Barbara Morrison, Kermit Ruffins, Mark Elf, Roseanna Vitro, The Clayton Brothers, Eric Reed, Maria Muldaur, Brian Auger, Johnny Varro, David Sanchez, Tierney Sutton, and Karrin Allyson. Even more importantly, Susan and the Firefly Club provided a home for the many local jazz musicians to who thrived there thanks to her generosity and nurturing. Sadly, the Firefly Club closed its doors permanently in August of 2009.

Now, Susan splits her time between Ann Arbor, MI and St. Augustine, FL where she can be near her one-year-old grandson Atreyu. Susan Chastain remains a valued member of the Paul Keller Orchestra (which plays every Monday night at Zal Gaz Grotto), and Paul Klinger's Easy Street Jazz Band (which plays every Tuesday from 5:30 till 8:30 at Zal Gaz Grotto in Ann Arbor for the popular Dixieland Happy Hour). She has accompanied the PKO on their two European tours and appears on five of their CDs (www.pkorecords.com), and she appears on all four of the Easy Street Jazz Band CDs. Susan has performed at all of the Michigan-area jazz festivals. Susan is featured prominently on her 2005 CD “Steady Gig” with the Paul Keller Ensemble. On “Steady Gig,” Susan sings 11 of her favorite standards with memorable musical arrangements by Keller. Susan's rich alto voice, relaxed style and personal warmth shine throughout this recording. Her newest venture is a non-profit organization called The Jazz Greenhouse, which focuses on jazz education for young musicians, and presenting jazz in non-traditional venues for the benefit of the community, with special emphasis on children and senior citizens.

Paul Keller

Paul Keller is one of the busiest bassists in the Detroit area today, earning the nickname “The House Bass Player For The State Of Michigan.” Since 1989, Paul has led the 15-piece Paul Keller Orchestra, which plays original, obscure and classic big band material from all periods of jazz history, and performs every Monday night at Zal Gaz Grotto in Ann Arbor. Paul also plays in the popular Keller/Kocher Quartet and in The Paul Keller Ensemble, a three-horn sextet that features creative arrangements by Keller and his bandmates. Keller’s groups are well-known and highly regarded throughout Michigan. His jazz groups have appeared at many regional music festivals, including the Detroit International Jazz Festival, the Ann Arbor Summer Festival, the Ann Arbor Jazz and Blues Festival, The Michigan Jazz Festival and the Flint Jazz Festival. They have presented successful concerts for the Thunder Bay Arts Council, the Crooked Tree Arts Center, the West Michigan Jazz Society, The Dennos Museum Center at NWMU, the Windsor/Detroit Jazz Club, Bay City’s State Theatre, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and the Detroit Institute of Arts. Keller tours with his long-time bandmates drummer Pete Siers and vibraphonist Cary Kocher as members of clarinetist Dave Bennett’s Benny Goodman Tribute band. Paul has been recognized internationally for his association with pianist/singer Diana Krall and guitarist Russell Malone.

Phil DeGreg

Phil DeGreg began playing the piano in his childhood and now performs as a jazz pianist internationally. His earliest jazz influences were Bud Powell and Bill Evans, but he is accomplished and comfortable in a wide range of jazz styles, ranging from mainstream to bebop to Brazilian jazz. His versatility has led to professional performances with dozens of internationally recognized jazz artists, as well as leading and recording with his own groups. Phil DeGreg has released nine recordings as a leader and has been recorded as a sideman on many other jazz projects. He is also featured with J.J. Johnson on the video "J.J. Johnson Live in Concert." His most recent recorded project is a piano trio recording “Down the Middle” featuring drummer Joe LaBarbera and bassist Tom Warrington. A native of Cincinnati, Phil has toured the world with Woody Herman's Thundering Herd and was the recipient of two National Endowment for the Arts grants. He was named one of the 10 finalists in Jazziz Magazine's 1995 "Keyboardists on Fire" competition, and was a 1996 finalist in the Great American Jazz Piano Competition. For for 16 years he served as the house pianist at Cincinnati's famous Blue Wisp Jazz Club, accompanying visiting artists on weekends. His jazz festival appearances include the North Sea, Pori, Monterey, Montreux, Brecon, Wigan, and Elkhart Jazz Festivals. Phil has performed in clubs and concerts throughout the United States, and in the United Kingdom, France, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Guatemala, Costa Rica, and Brazil. Phil is currently Professor of Jazz Studies at the University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music, where he teaches jazz theory, arranging, piano, and ensembles.

Make a Reservation Now!