Musicians 2008-2009

Taslimah Bey's Ragtime Band

TASLIMAH BEY'S RAGTIME BAND

Pianist Taslimah Bey will lead a Mardi Gras in Detroit celebration with her all-star ensemble, which includes the great Detroit trumpeter Dwight Adams, a regular on Stevie Wonder tours.

Bey began studying classical music at age 16, but soon switched to jazz, beginning a lifelong passion for the music. She is famed for her playing in the Ragtime tradition — music of legendary composers/pianists such as Scott Joplin, Jelly Roll Morton and Fats Waller.

Bill Meyer Group

Bill Meyer leads the Bill Meyer Group, which has been a successful and prominent dance band in the area for more than 30 years. This ensemble of versatile musicians plays at many of the major establishments, country clubs and parties, and as well as at major jazz festivals. Meyer is also part of the acclaimed SBH Trio, house band for the Open Mic Jazz Jam at Bert's Marketplace in the Eastern Market.

Marcus Belgrave & Michéle Ramo

Trumpet master, Detroit Jazz Laureate Marcus Belgrave joins Italian-born, 8-string guitarist/violinist Michéle Ramo for an evening of chamber jazz spanning rhythms from Hot Jazz, Gypsy and Latin to Bebop and beyond.

MARCUS BELGRAVE

Marcus Belgrave, Detroit’s official Jazz Laureate, winner of numerous awards and honors, and legendary master jazz trumpeter, was born in Chester, PA. He is best known for his longtime association with Ray Charles.

Jason Amos and Jannina Barefield

Celebrate our grand finale with Detroit-born violist Jason Amos, and New York violinist Jannina Barefield, who grew up in Palmer Woods. Amos is a 2007 Sphinx Competition Laureate. Barefield has soloed with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and performed with Itzhak Perlman’s youth ensembles in NYC and Israel. Both artists have toured and performed with the Sphinx Chamber Orchestra at Carnegie Hall, Detroit’s Orchestra Hall and throughout the U.S. and are part of the resident faculty at the Sphinx Performance Academy.

Gabriel Bolkosky and Sarah Bob

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A classical dream, violinist Gabriel Bolkosky and pianist Sarah Bob will play Beethoven sonatas and other memorable gems.

Detroit-born, Bolkosky is a sought-after performer and teacher who plays with the “overwhelming serenity of a masterwithout a hint of coldness.”

Hailed as “sumptuous and eloquent” by the Boston Globe, Bob is an active soloist and chamber musician noted for her charismatic performances and diverse repertoire.

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