The Midwest Swing Set with Petra van Nuis, Andy Brown, Paul Keller, and Pete Siers
June 9 @ 7:30 pm
The Midwest Swing Set
with Petra van Nuis, Andy Brown,
Paul Keller, and Pete Siers
Friday, June 9th at 7:30 pm
The Midwest Swing Set reunites Michigan’s own rhythm section of bassist Paul Keller and drummer Pete Siers with Chicago musicians, vocalist Petra van Nuis and guitarist Andy Brown. In a review of one of their past performances at KCH, the Ann Arbor Observer labels Petra and Andy “Chicago’s First Couple of Jazz” while praising their “enormous repertoire of obscure songs” possessing “clever, literate lyrics, lovely elegant melodies and rich, sumptuous harmonies.” Van Nuis’ vocal quality is described as “highly expressive” with a “cool, hip, yet engaging” stage demeanor. Guitarist Brown is cited as “her ideal complement” who “solos with authority.” Keller and Siers are hailed as the “Dream Team” who make the concert “worth attending as much for the sidemen as for the main act.”
String bassist Paul Keller is a Michigan jazz hero; he loves his life in Saline, MI where he lives with his wife and two kids and performs locally – in Detroit and across his home state of Michigan. Paul wear many jazz hats: He leads several successful and busy jazz ensembles including his 27-year old, 15-piece big band The Paul Keller Orchestra; he’s an in-demand side man, a prolific composer, a creative and skilled arranger, an enthusiastic and innovative jazz educator, a recording company owner and producer, and a nationally recognized recording artist. Paul can be heard every week at his home base – Zal Gaz Grotto in Ann Arbor (on Mondays with his PKO big band and on Tuesdays with the Easy Street Jazz Band).
Keller spent several years on the road with guitarist Russell Malone and later with singer/pianist Diana Krall. Together with Russell and Diana, Paul recorded Diana’s Grammy-nominated GRP/Impulse CD All For You. These days, Paul performs frequently with guitarist/singer and jazz super-star John Pizzarelli – they just toured Brazil for a week. Paul travels the world to play special concerts and festivals with a myriad of jazz stars including Jackie Ryan, Scott Hamilton, Larry Vuckovich, Benny Green, and Warren and Alan Vache.
Upon moving to Michigan in the fall of 2001 to pursue a Master’s Degree in Clarinet Performance from the University of Michigan (MM, ’03), Sarah crossed paths various jazz musicians that jump started her musical pursuits in a new direction. With composer and musician Chad Hughes (Sir Wick Productions) Sarah began to gain some attention as a vocalist. Sarah’s “Thank You, Lord” on the debut CD Sir Wick; An Interpretation of A Universal Language has been reviewed as one of the best independent releases in 2008. Other Sir Wick recordings include; Portrait of Rafael with saxophonist Rafael Statin; and Christmas at Wick’s. In 2014, she finished her first Big Band CD, “Happiness” with the PKO, having released “At Sundown” in 2012 featuring the At Sundown jazz quartet and most recently the 2016 release of “My Blue Heaven”. She is also featured on the 2014 release of Paul Klinger’s Easy Street Band’s “Do Something”. She is currently recording her 2018 solo album, “Medicine Man”.
Sarah is passionate about all things music and her grace and musicianship in all styles and genres continues to attract new fans. It has continued through her regular associations with Paul Keller and through performances with many great Michigan and national jazz artists such as Ellen Rowe, Alex Graham, Rafael Statin and Johnny Trudell.
Sarah D’Angelo’s professional clarinet resume includes stints with the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra, Dearborn Symphony Orchestra, and Livonia Symphony Orchestra. Her vocal work history includes appearances at various jazz festivals throughout Michigan including the Grand Labor Day Jazz Festival on Mackinac Island, the Michigan Jazz Festival, the GRandJazzFest and Brighton’s Smokin’ Jazz and BBQ Festival. Sarah’s love for a variety of styles of music and has led to a long association with the pop/rock band NINE, Sarah and the Deadlies and the Detroit’s Blue Water Kings. Sarah sings and plays clarinet regularly in the metro Detroit area as a freelance artist and with such groups as the Paul Keller Orchestra/Septet/Trio, The Easy Street Jazz Band and The “At Sundown” Quartet.
Paul Keller says, “Our audiences adore Sarah and so do her bandmates. She possesses a natural and intuitive jazz feel, spot-on pitch control, a deep devotion to the study of her art, and a laid-back, friendly demeanor that makes working with her a genuine pleasure! Sarah’s charming and intimate singing style resonate with her listeners and her beautiful clarinet playing is an extra added bonus!”
Pianist Adam Mosely is originally from Greenville, South Carolina. In 2014, he graduated from Belmont University in Nashville, where he met saxophonist and Grand Hotel music director Alex Graham. Graham recruited Adam to Mackinac Island, where he met Paul Keller and a new musical brotherhood was born. Adam shows great admiration for George Shearing, and is also a devotee of the music of Erroll Garner, James P. Johnson and Oscar Peterson. You’d never guess by hearing his fully formed, mature piano style that Adam is just 30 years old.
Vibraphonist Cary Kocher trained at the University of Michigan under Michael Udow, the late Charles Owen, and Salvatore Rabbio. Kocher plays with latin jazz group Los Gatos and co-leads a classic vibraphone quartet with bassist Paul Keller. Paul Keller’s life-long buddy, the two played together in the Grand Rapids Youth Symphony in 1977-80. Cary recently retired as Forsythe Middle School band director after a distinguished 32-year career as a music educator for the Ann Arbor Public Schools. Cary also taught at the University of Michigan for 12 years.
Ralph Tope (Detroit, MI) picked up the guitar at the age of 16 after hearing Detroit jazz guitar stalwart Perry Hughes. Ralph went to see Perry play constantly, sitting quietly in the audience and intently watching every move. After many months of appearing at his gigs but never approaching Perry, Mr. Hughes finally asked Ralph why he kept coming out. Ralph exclaimed he wanted to play guitar like him and after much prodding Perry agreed to teach him. Within a few short years, Ralph became and remains an in-demand player on the Detroit scene.
He enrolled at Michigan State University in 2006, where he met and studied under former organissimo guitarist Joe Gloss and Rodney Whittaker, former bassist for the Jazz At Lincoln Center orchestra led by Wynton Marsalis and current head of the Michigan State University Jazz program.
Ralph’s style is influenced by the best of the great jazz guitarists including George Benson, Grant Green, and Wes Montgomery. Ralph’s current favorite is Peter Bernstein and the two have hooked up for lessons and chats often.
Ralph brings his own voice and approach to organissimo. He playing is full of fire and audiences love his entertaining expressiveness on stage.
Petra van Nuis is a jazz vocalist who has been described by DownBeat Magazine as having “a light, gorgeous, and fairly delicate voice…a gift for melody and plenty of rhythmic confidence.” All About Jazz Magazine calls her music “hauntingly atmospheric and filled with creative substance…poetic, moving and subtly provocative.” Famed jazz critic and author of “Singing Jazz” Bruce Crowther says “Van Nuis is not as well known internationally as should be the case although she has a devoted following in Japan. An exceptionally gifted singer, she has a light yet subtly textured sound and is always delightfully melodic….lyrics are clearly very important to her and she delivers them with admirable sincerity.”
A former dancer and Cincinnati native, Petra came to Chicago in 2004 via New York City with her husband, jazz guitarist Andy Brown. Petra performs regularly at Chicago’s prominent venues including the Jazz Showcase, the Green Mill, Winter’s Jazz Club and Andy’s Jazz Club. Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs has presented Petra’s groups at the Chicago Cultural Center and Chicago Summer Dance. The Jazz Institute of Chicago has featured Petra’s Recession Seven band (an authentic Chicago-style jazz collective with internationally-known horn men Russ Phillips, Art Davis and Eric Schneider) at the Chicago Jazz Festival and Jazz City.
Internationally, Petra regularly tours Europe and has five CDs released in Japan which are used as in-flight music for All Nippon Airways (Japan’s largest airline). Petra’s two most recent CDs “Lonely Girl – I Remember Julie” and “Because We’re Night People” were given 4 stars in DownBeat Magazine.
Chicagoan Andy Brown has been called a “superior mainstream guitarist” in Downbeat magazine.
As a sideman he has performed with internationally known jazz musicians including Scott Hamilton, Howard Alden, Harry Allen, Warren Vaché, Ken Peplowski, Hod O’Brien, Anat Cohen and many others.
His love of great tunes as well as accompanying skills have made him a favorite with vocalists in the Chicago area. He had the good fortune to accompany Barbra Streisand when she appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show in 2009, and he accompanies Michael Feinstein annually at Chicago’s famed Ravinia Festival.
Andy has made many festival appearances around the world including performances in Brazil, Europe and Canada. In 2012, his trio was invited by the Chicago Mayor’s office to perform for the Nobel Peace Prize dinner in Chicago where invited guests included U.S. presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter, as well as the Dalai Lama and Mikhail Gorbachev.
Since 2009, Andy has co-led a two-guitar quartet with renowned guitarist Howard Alden. In 2013, Delmark Records released a CD of the group entitled “Heavy Artillery” which received four stars in Downbeat Magazine and was featured in their annual Albums Of The Year issue.
His latest CD is the critically acclaimed 2020 String Damper Records release “Alone Time.”
String bassist Paul Keller is a Michigan jazz hero; he loves his life in Saline, MI where he lives with his wife and two kids and performs locally – in Detroit and across his home state of Michigan. Paul wear many jazz hats: He leads several successful and busy jazz ensembles including his 27-year old, 15-piece big band The Paul Keller Orchestra; he’s an in-demand side man, a prolific composer, a creative and skilled arranger, an enthusiastic and innovative jazz educator, a recording company owner and producer, and a nationally recognized recording artist. Paul can be heard every week at his home base – Zal Gaz Grotto in Ann Arbor (on Mondays with his PKO big band and on Tuesdays with the Easy Street Jazz Band).
Keller spent several years on the road with guitarist Russell Malone and later with singer/pianist Diana Krall. Together with Russell and Diana, Paul recorded Diana’s Grammy-nominated GRP/Impulse CD All For You. These days, Paul performs frequently with guitarist/singer and jazz super-star John Pizzarelli – they just toured Brazil for a week. Paul travels the world to play special concerts and festivals with a myriad of jazz stars including Jackie Ryan, Scott Hamilton, Larry Vuckovich, Benny Green, and Warren and Alan Vache.
Like Clark Kent, jazz percussionist Pete Siers is soft-spoken and unassuming – but put him behind a drum set, and a hard-swinging, intensely physical, dynamically sensitive drummer emerges. According to the Southeastern Michigan Jazz Association, when Pete plays, “readily apparent musical joy” can be expected. Paul Pearce of Bass World magazine writes that “Pete absolutely ‘sings’ with his drum kit.”
Siers has played with jazz luminaries such as Russell Malone, Mulgrew Miller, Marian McPartland, Lee Konitz, Benny Golson, James Moody, Kenny Werner, David “Fathead” Newman, Eddie Daniels, Frank Morgan, Scott Hamilton, Bob Wilber, and Barry Harris. In addition to his expansive performance career, Siers has played on over 50 recordings.
Pete has taught percussion and jazz drumming for over 25 years, teaching privately, as well as at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor School for Performing Arts, Emory University, Purdue University and Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp.
COVID-19 Safety Policy for Indoor Concerts
- Masks are welcome and available as needed.
- Please do not attend a performance if you are feeling ill or have any symptoms of COVID-19.we
