LIVE STREAM CONCERTS

JAZZ & HISTORY ON VIBES & PIANO
Cecilia Smith & Lafayette Harris, Jr.
For the first in a series of three live stream concerts from Brooklyn, New York, vibraphonist Cecilia Smith and pianist Lafayette Harris, Jr. will play arrangements that made vibes popular from the swing big band era of the 1930’s, through bebop and jazz fusion in the 1970’s. Smith is a leading vibraphonist as well as a composer, arranger and teaching artist, and has performed throughout the world. She has received numerous commissions, A Joyce Award for teaching people with disabilities in hospitals, and a Masters in Jazz Award for her work at new England Conservatory and Kennedy Center, Washington DC. Harris’ 9th and newest CD: You Can’t Lose with The Blues (Savant) went to #1 on the Jazzweek Jazz charts in Feb, 2020. It was the third most played CD in all of jazz radio that year. He has performed with the Duke Ellington Legacy Orchestra, Houston Person, Max Roach, Ernestine Anderson, and many others. Harris conducted and played in the smash hit Bring In 'Da Noise, Bring In 'Da Funk (1995-1999), among several other Broadway shows including The Color Purple (2005-2008). Watch for the second concert in the series entitled Jazz & Emotion on Vibes & Piano, 12:00-1:00pm on Sept. 17, 2021, and the third entitled Jazz & Culture on Vibes & Piano, 12:00-1:00pm on Oct. 15, 2021.

This concert series is presented as a Thank You to celebrate the COVID-19 response of staff, individuals served, and families of Michigan Medicine, Centra Health Community Health, Lynchburg General Hospital, Virginia Baptist Hospital, Central Virginia Alliance for Community Living, and Virginia Commonwealth University Health. This series is possible through a Digital Residency grant by Amherst Glebe Arts Response, organized in partnership with musicians Cecilia Smith and Lafayette Harris, Jr. to help bring stress reduction and musical joy, from Chamber Music America through its Residency Endowment Fund.

Gifts of Art free concert series
Friday, Aug. 12, 2021, 12:00-1:00 pm
Live stream on Michigan Medicine YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/19NrRhEi3uY
Watch again (for 4 weeks) on Gifts of Art featured concerts playlist: https://michmed.org/q4w9Y

FEATURED CONCERTS

RAGTIME
River Raisin Ragtime Revue Quintet
The River Raisin Ragtime Revue (R4) transports audiences to the cultural and social conditions of turn of the 20th century America. Special emphasis is given to the contributions of African American composers and the obstacles they had to overcome to gain acceptance for this unique, original art form. R4 recreates part of the nation’s music heritage, utilizing the passion and talents of outstanding musicians and observing period performance practices. R4 is based in Tecumseh, situated on the River Raisin in Southeast Michigan. More.




JAZZ/SWING, BLUEGRASS & NEW ACOUSTIC
Grant Flick & Friends
Grant Flick, of Bowling Green, Ohio, plays, performs and teaches on violin, mandolin and tenor guitar. He has received numerous music awards including the 2013 Daniel Pearl Memorial Violin, and he was a 2015 finalist in the Walnut Valley Festival Fiddle Competition in Winfield, Kansas. Flick is currently attending the University of Michigan studying Jazz Performance. For this concert, he will be joined by members of some of his musical groups. More.




CHAMBER MUSIC
Vox3Machina Duo
The name Vox3Machina references the group’s commitment to explore together both the vocal expressivity and mechanistic frontiers of their instruments, through new and established repertoire. Kathryn Goodson, piano, is an international performer, teacher and coach of both vocal and instrumental repertoires. For this performance, she will be joined by bass trombonist Randall Hawes, a master teacher who enjoys a remarkable career on orchestral, chamber music and festival stages as well as recording studios throughout the world. More.




VIOLIN, GUITAR & TABLA
Sprig of That
Minneapolis’ Sprig of That performs lush original works and fresh arrangements of folk favorites. Influenced by groundbreaking works like Bela Fleck’s 2009 album The Melody of Rhythm, the group’s sound sits somewhere between Northern European fiddle styles, modern American string music, and the “indie classical” contemporary movement. In 2019, they were chosen to spend a week in New York City as a part of Carnegie Hall and the Julliard School’s inaugural Audience Engagement Institute, exploring different ways to connect with audiences and tell stories through music. More.




EARLY JAZZ & SWING
TBone Paxton & RJ Spangler Quintet
The TBone Paxton & RJ Spangler Quintet is a subset of Planet D Nonet (PD9), Detroit’s down and dirty little big band. They are known nationally for curating some of the best in early jazz traditions and Black-American musical influences from the 20s, 30s and 40s. Early big band music and the evolution of swing gave rise to the sound that defined jazz music’s most popular era. The group has been nominated and received multiple awards over the past decade, including several Detroit Music Awards (DMA) from 2011-2015. In 2016, PD9 was named DMA Outstanding Traditional Jazz Artist/Group. More.




CHAMBER MUSIC
Beo String Quartet
Beo String Quartet exists as a 21st century quartet by directing the future of the art through original music and projects. They engage listeners through entertainment and thoughtful demonstration, perform the masterpieces of the string quartet literature, and collaborate with living composers to showcase the music of our time. Now in its sixth season, Beo has performed over 100 concert works in the US and Europe – including over 30 world premieres. More.




PARISIAN JAZZ MANOUCHE
Djangophonique
Djangophonique is a musical project born out of reverence for the Parisian Jazz Manouche style that was made popular by the legendary Sinti guitarist Django Reinhardt and his Quintette du Hot Club de France. While remaining steeped in the rich and virtuosic tradition, the group brings this music into the present with stunning improvisation, spontaneity and musical interaction. Hot swing, lush ballads, musette waltzes, jazz standards, boleros, and moody minor pieces are all fused together with theatrical flair and musical humor. More.




CHAMBERGRASS
Westbound Situation
Westbound Situation blends the precision of classical chamber music, the rhythmic drive of bluegrass, and the colorful expression of jazz into a new style of chamber music – chambergrass. The quartet, comprised of Grant Flick on violin, Matt Davis on banjo, Zach Brown on cello, and Jacob Warren on bass, mixes composition and improvisation seamlessly into their entirely memorized arrangements. More.




CHAMBER MUSIC
Altius Quartet
Currently based in Boulder, Colorado, Altius Quartet is highly praised for their musicianship and versatility. Deriving their name from the Olympic motto Citius, Altius, Fortius (Latin for Faster, Higher, Stronger), Altius strives to communicate art to a diverse audience through community engagement and captivating performance. The Altius Quartet has garnered an international reputation and attracts audiences through their charisma, vitality and innovative repertoire. More.




FOLK MUSIC
Brad Phillips
For more than 15 years, multi-instrumentalist Brad Phillips has served as a sideman for some of Michigan’s most prevalent singer/songwriter acts. He is most known for his appearances with Jeff Daniels, the Verve Pipe, and the Celtic-fusion group Millish. He has also appeared with May Erlewine, Joshua Davis, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin and Pat Metheny. A graduate of U-M School of Music, Theatre & Dance, Phillips now serves as resident artist in the U-M Chamber Music department and Purple Rose Theatre Company. More.




CHAMBER MUSIC
Carpe Diem String Quartet
One of the most unique and sought-after chamber ensembles on the concert stage today, the Carpe Diem String Quartet defies easy classification with programming that includes classical, Gypsy, tango, folk, pop, rock, and jazz-inspired music. Carpe Diem has been awarded six transformative grants from the PNC Foundation for their community outreach in Central Ohio. More.

PRIVATE INPATIENT CONCERTS

Since May 2020, Gifts of Art at Michigan Medicine has partnered with Project: Music Heals Us to offer private real-time concerts for inpatients from remote locations. The following musicians are currently holding concerts at Michigan Medicine:

CLARINET MUSIC
Mark Dover
In addition to his work in the classical world, Mark Dover has an extensive background in jazz and improvised music. He is currently the clarinetist of the Manhattan Chamber Players and serves on the clarinet faculty at Rutgers University Mason Gross School of the Arts as well as CUNY Queens College at the Aaron Copland School of Music. A graduate of Interlochen Arts Academy, Mark received his Master of Music from Manhattan School of Music, and his Bachelor of Music from the U-M School of Music, Theatre, and Dance. He is part of Grammy-nominated Imani Winds. More. Presented by Gifts of Art in partnership with Project: Music Heals Us.

CLASSICAL WOODWINDS
Monica Ellis & Toyin Spellman-Diaz
Imani Winds co-founder, administrative director and tour manager, Monica Ellis (bassoon), received her bachelor of music degree from Oberlin College Conservatory of Music, her master of music degree from Juilliard School, and professional studies certificate from Manhattan School of Music. Imani Winds oboeist Toyin Spellman-Diaz earned her bachelors of music degree from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and her master’s and professional studies degrees at the Manhattan School of Music. In 2016, Imani Winds received their greatest accolade in their 20 years of music making: a permanent presence in the classical music section of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington DC. More. Presented by Gifts of Art in partnership with Project: Music Heals Us.

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