The Young Lions Collective AT KERRYTOWN CONCERT HOUSE
Blue Note REVISITed
Sunday, June 27th @ 7:30 PM
This concert is generously sponsored by Bev & Larry Seiford.
The Young Lions Collective at Kerrytown Concert House represents the best and brightest of Michigan’s next generation of jazz musicians. The Young Lions Collective will feature a rotating cast of promising young artists destined to make an impact in Michigan and beyond.
In their inaugural performance, the YLC will perform a wide array of selections from the classic Blue Note catalog. Drawing inspiration from legendary musicians such as John Coltrane, Art Blakey, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, and more, the YLC pays homage to these giants, whilst simultaneously reaching for exciting new heights. Featuring Allen Dennard on trumpet, Kasan Belgrave on alto saxophone, Kenji Lee on tenor saxophone, Jordan Anderson on piano, Jonathan Muir-Cotton on bass, and Eliza Salem on drums, this electrifying lineup is sure to bring a sensationally swinging affair to KCH.
*The Lot Lounge is an in-person event venue outside in our back parking lot. If this event needs to be cancelled due to inclement weather, the show will go on for you at home! We’ll move the artists inside and pivot to a livestreamed concert on the same date and time at a private link that will be shared only with ticket holders. All decisions regarding inclement weather cancellations will be made no later than 2 hours prior to the performance, at which point all ticket holders will be notified by email about the cancellation with instructions for accessing the private livestream.
PLEASE NOTE: Since we have this livestreaming option for our audiences (and the artists we engage), there will be no refunds or exchanges for The Lot Lounge ticket purchases this summer. Thank you for your support and understanding as we work to find innovative ways to continue connecting artists and audiences!
Allen Dennard is a trumpeter, composer and bandleader who was born and raised in the city of Detroit, Michigan. Around his senior year of high school Allen had the privilege of being mentored by the great Marcus Belgrave, one of Detroit’s own legendary trumpeters. From then on Allen’s involvement in jazz increased exponentially. After high school, Allen decided to attend the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor where he received a full ride from the university’s jazz department. From then on he obtained other pivotal opportunities that would further him in his music career. Allen has made three appearances as a sideman in the Detroit Jazz Festival. In January 2019, Allen was chosen by the Detroit MetroTimes as one of ten artist they thought would become famous in that year. Soon after that Allen was approached with many interview requests, one being with Detroit Public Television/ PBS and the other being with Honeysuckle Magazine, a New York City based magazine company. Aside from that Allen has worked with several artist from the Detroit Music Factory label, such as Gayelynn Mckinney, De’Sean Jones and Sean Dobbins. He has also worked with Detroit saxophonist David McMurray from the Blue Note record label. Adding to that, Allen also got the opportunity to share the stage with New York based saxophonist J.D Allen, who is with HighNote Records.
Multi-woodwind-instrumentalist and Detroit native Kasan Belgrave holds a unique stance in the city as one of the young torchbearers of the Detroit jazz collective. His father, the late maestro trumpeter Marcus Belgrave, laid a foundation for him as he continues to carry on the legacy of Detroit jazz royalty. Following close to his father’s strides, Kasan takes pride in contributing to Detroit’s rich pedigree of musical mentorship, as he strives to continue passing down the knowledge and exposure of jazz music to generations after him.
The 23-yr-old is a recent graduate of University of Michigan, and also currently holds a graduate assistantship under bassist Prof. Rodney Whitaker at Michigan State University. Belgrave has shared the stage with many greats such as Nicholas Payton, Barry Harris, Benny Green, Rodney Whitaker, Theo Crocker, Robert Hurst, Karriem Riggins, Dee Dee Bridgewater, and the Jazz @ Lincoln Center Orchestra w/ Wynton Marsalis.
Kasan has performed around the globe. He attended a jazz summer clinic that his father ran at the University of California-Berkeley in 2011, where he met flautist Elena Pinderhughes, trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire, and Walter Smith III. He traveled to Barbados in 2013, along with saxophonist Marcus Elliott and pianist Ian Finkelstein, where they performed a masterclass and concert sponsored by the U.S. Embassy. He’s performed frequently at the Detroit Jazz Festival, as a sideman for Wendell Harrison, Rob Pipho, Rick Margitza, Nicholas Payton, and Detroit bassist Ali Bey.
In 2017, he performed a duet with the Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin in her last ever live Detroit performance at the Music Hall.
Kenji Lee is a saxophonist, composer, and educator based in Detroit, Michigan. Born in Tokyo, and raised in Southern California, Lee has proven to be an honest, versatile, and compelling musician rooted in the vibrant tradition of Black American music. His hope is to respectfully and reverentially represent the vast and momentous legacy of his heroes with personal authentic relevance as continuum.
Lee has had the immense privilege of performing with some of his heroes including Wayne Horvitz, Karriem Riggins, Robert Hurst, Rick Roe, Marion Hayden, Jeff Pedraz, Andrew Bishop, and Ellen Rowe. Additionally, he has performed at many acclaimed venues internationally including Carnegie Hall (NY), The Detroit Jazz Festival (MI), Renee & Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall (CA), The Emmett Ray (Can), Jazzspot Intro (JP), Blue Llama Jazz Club (MI), Cliff Bell’s (MI), Jazz Central Studios (MN), The Royal Room (WA), Spaghettini’s (CA) and more.
Lee’s work is extensive and diverse, including Sakura (a mixed-chamber ensemble), Juarez – Lee – Alvarez (a straight-ahead trio), and Kenji Lee’s Clandestine Reality (a quartet focused on the critique of surreptitious coercion executed by many of the world’s most powerful and influential leaders).
His debut recording, darkhorse: the superhero, is available now at kenjilee.bandcamp.com
Kenji holds degrees from The University of Michigan in Jazz Studies and Music Education. He has studied saxophone and improvisation with Andrew Bishop, Wendell Harrison, Robert Hurst, Benny Green, Miles Okazaki, Ellen Rowe, Ingrid Jensen, Roger Shew, and Jeff Ellwood.
Jordan Anderson is a multifaceted musician and keyboardist from Minneapolis, Minnesota. His upbringing was largely influenced by the diverse array of music his parents exposed him to and at age 7 he chose the piano as a means to further express his musicality. Jordan’s education and introduction to the traditions Black American Music stem from the mentorship acquired through his attendance at Walker West Music Academy, a (uniquely) black institution within a predominantly white music scene. This mentorship proved invaluable to Jordan’s development and played part in future successes, such as earning a BFA in Jazz Studies at University of Michigan in Spring 2020, where he had the privilege of studying under Benny Green, Andy Milne, and Bob Hurst. Jordan permanently resides in Michigan and will attend Michigan State University in the Fall under the tutelage of Rodney Whitaker and Xavier Davis. Jordan has performed with Anthony Cox, Wes Anderson, Charles McPherson, Bob Hurst, Irv Williams, Ignacio Berroa, Scotty Barnhart, Francisco Mela, Charlie Gabriel, and Shannon Powell.
Jonathon S. Muir-Cotton is a multi-award winning young, up and coming double bassist and bassist trained in both the jazz and classical traditions; playing many genres including jazz, funk, gospel, blues, R&B and neo-soul. Under the mentorship and tutelage of great Detroit bassists like Marion Hayden, Robert Hurst, Rick Robinson, Rodney Whitaker and Ralphe Armstrong, Jonathon is working towards making his own mark in the music world.
Jonathon has continued to garner great opportunities to perform in Detroit, the greater Detroit Metropolitan area, the Ann Arbor-Ypsilanti area, as well as many other venues across the country. Jonathon is a student at Michigan State University pursuing his Bachelors in Jazz Studies.
Muir-Cotton has performed with various renowned artists both locally and nationally, including Karriem Riggins, Kris Johnson, Dwight Adams, Curtis Taylor, Quiana Lynell, Vincent Chandler, Ali Jackson, Benny Rubin, Esperanza Spalding, Ian Finkelstein, and Kamau Kenyatta. He has his own talented and versatile extended band Expressions, and is an often sought out bassist for other artists, their bands, and for studio work. Jonathon continues to hone his craft, hopes to tour the world, and eventually become a music educator, teaching jazz at the collegiate level as well as be an inspiration and give back to the next generation of students and aspiring musicians.
Eliza Salem is a drummer currently based in Ann Arbor where she just completed her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan. She is a Metro DC native who learned her craft in the Washington area’s vibrant musical scene under the guidance of mentor Paul Carr. While at Michigan, Eliza had the privilege of working with her professors including Michael Gould, Ellen Rowe, Dennis Wilson, and more. Over the last few years she has worked heavily as both a sideman and bandleader, and performed at acclaimed venues in both the greater Detroit and D.C. areas. She has toured with the Univeristy of Michigan Jazz Ensemble and the Newport Foundation’s Generations Jazz Assembly Band, whose goal is to encourage young students to pursue and preserve the great tradition of jazz. Recently, Eliza was one of 15 fellows selected to take part in the Ravinia Steans Music Institute’s renowned jazz program where she had the opportunity to learn from and workshop original compositions with masters Rufus Reid, Billy Childs and Steve Wilson. Eliza also served as the concert coordinator for Ann Arbor’s renowned music venue Canterbury House for two years.
