RANDY NAPOLEON TRIO with vocalist MELISSA MORGAN
Singing Sassy, Lady Day, and Queen: Standards of Sarah Vaughan,
Billie Holiday and Dinah Washington
Sunday, December 5th @ 7:30 PM
Kerrytown Concert House is delighted to welcome back to the House West Coast jazz singer, Melissa Morgan! She brings with her an impressive trio led by guitarist Randy Napoleon with bassist Jeff Pedraz and drummer, David Alvarez III.
“You have to check out this voice. It is interesting. It is sassy. It is sexy,” says producer John Clayton. Brought up in the jazz clubs of New York City, Melissa Morgan has a voice that is unexpected. From the exterior you would assume a sultry lounge singer, which does make an appearance once and awhile, but from inside she contains a powerful instrument. While you will always hear definitive influences from Nancy Wilson, Dinah Washington and Billie Holliday, “Melissa isn’t copying anybody” (London Evening Standard) and most certainly has a definitive sound all her own. Join us for an unforgettable evening of vocal jazz!
COVID-19 Safety Policy for Indoor Concerts
- Moving forward, all patrons and artists who wish to attend or present performances indoors at KCH must provide a valid, complete COVID-19 vaccination card OR proof of a negative COVID-19 test performed within the previous 72 hours prior to entry. Such proof must be presented at concert check-in, may be displayed on a smartphone OR presented as a physical copy, and must also be accompanied by a matching, valid ID for verification.**
- Additionally, according to current CDC recommendations, masks are required for audiences inside the House. When performing, artists may wear a mask, or not, at their own discretion.
**Proof of vaccination exceptions will be made for children under 12 and people with a medical condition or closely held religious beliefs that prevent vaccination. These guests must provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken within the previous 72 hours prior to entry.
“You have to check out this voice. It is interesting. It is sassy. It is sexy,” says producer John Clayton. Brought up in the jazz clubs of New York City, Melissa Morgan has a voice that is unexpected. From the exterior you would assume a sultry lounge singer, which does make an appearance once and awhile, but from inside she contains a powerful instrument. “Prepare to fall in love” (Bay Area Reporter), and fall in love you do. On stage, she bares everything and makes you laugh while doing it. While belting a blues or tenderly massaging a ballad, she has come a long way from her appearance at the 2004 Thelonious Monk Competition. In 2009, Melissa released her debut album on Telarc Records, “Until I Met You” to enthusiastic reviews and was embraced by the jazz community as “the one we’ve been waiting for”(Dr. Herb Wong, jazz critic and historian). Downbeat Magazine included her on their 2009 Rising Star List and JazzTimes has named her “audacious and decidedly salty”. With her new album close to completion, she has gathered together her dearest friends to tell her story of the last five years, growing in the business and as a musician. While you will always hear definitive influences from Nancy Wilson, Dinah Washington and Billie Holliday, “Melissa isn’t copying anybody” (London Evening Standard) and most certainly has a definitive sound all her own.
Known as a forward-thinking musician with a passion for the jazz tradition, guitarist Randy Napoleon is an Associate Professor at Michigan State University. He is currently touring as a leader after twenty years of road apprenticeship with some of the most celebrated musicians and groups of our time.
Napoleon cut his teeth touring with pianist Benny Green, The Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, Michael Bublé, and a thirteen year tenure with Freddy Cole. He has also performed with artists across the jazz spectrum such as Bill Charlap, Natalie Cole, Monty Alexander, Rodney Whitaker and John Pizzarelli.
Napoleon has performed or arranged on over seventy records. He arranged as well as performed on Freddy Cole’s seven most recent records including the Grammy-nominated releases, Freddy Cole Sings Mr. B and My Mood Is You. He performed on The Clayton Hamilton Orchestra: Live at MCG. Napoleon is featured on Bublé’s Grammy-nominated CD/DVD Caught in the Act.
Napoleon has played on The Tonight Show, Late Night With David Letterman, The View, The Today Show, and The Ellen DeGeneres show as well as TV shows in South America, Europe and Asia. He has performed across the globe at notable venues including Royal Albert Hall, The Sydney Opera House, The Hollywood Bowl, and Lincoln Center.
Guitarist George Benson calls Napoleon “sensational.” Detroit Free Press critic Mark Stryker says Napoleon “plays with a gentle, purring tone that makes you lean in close to hear its range of color and articulation.” Washington Post critic Mike Joyce praises his “exceptionally nimble finger-style technique.” Comparing him to Wes Montgomery, music critic Michael G. Nastos says, “he displays an even balance of swing, soul, and single-line or chord elements that mark an emerging voice dedicated to tradition and universally accessible jazz values.”
Napoleon has four records as a band leader with a fifth, Common Tones, released Oct 4, 2019 on the Detroit Music Factory label.
Originally from Bucks County, PA, Detroit based composer and bassist Jeff Pedraz received much of his training onstage at Philadelphia’s Ortlieb’s Jazzhaus while attending Temple University majoring in music education. He soon found himself spending more time in the club than in the classroom, playing in the house band and learning from jazz masters including drummers Mickey Roker and Bryon Landham, bassists Arthur Harper and Mike Boone and pianists Sid Simmons and Sam Dockery to name a few. It was here that a deeper understanding of jazz culture was formed and he found his musical voice and way forward. 
David Alvarez III is a jazz drummer, composer, arranger, and music educator in Detroit, Michigan. He was introduced to the drum set at age five where he grew up playing in church. At age nine, he began his jazz education through a summer program called The Arts League of Michigan. For eight years, he was part of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra’s Civic Youth Ensemble jazz program where he was mentored by professors and students from the University of Michigan and Michigan State University. During his undergraduate studies at the University of Michigan, he was selected to be a member of the 2015 Disney All-American College Band; through this opportunity, he gained professional performance experience and participated in music entrepreneurship masterclasses. In 2017, he graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree of Fine Arts in Jazz Studies with Teacher Certification. Since then, he toured nationally with the Benny Green Trio and is currently a member of the Clayton Brothers Quintet. For the past three years, he has performed with both of these groups on The Jazz Cruise. David freelances and teaches music in Southeast Michigan.
