June 3rd - Byron Center Jazz Orchestra

The Byron Center Jazz Orchestra is part of a well-rounded jazz education program in Byron Center Public Schools, a West Michigan school district just south of Grand Rapids. Their jazz program includes three high school jazz ensembles and one middle school jazz ensemble.

The Byron Center Jazz Orchestra has been fortunate enough to perform with some of the finest musicians in the world. These musicians include Camille Thurman, Carmen Bradford, Kenny Rampton, Christian McBride, Freddy Cole, Rodney Whitaker, Marcus Printup, Herlin Riley, Aaron Diehl, Tanya Darby, Renee Rosnes, Alphonso Horne, Tim Warfield, Terell Stafford, and Wycliffe Gordon.

Byron Center is fortunate to have wonderful parent, school, and community support.

June 10th - Dave Bennett Quartet

Dave Bennett - Clarinet, Guitar, Vocal

Jeff Kressler - Piano

Ed Fedewa - Bass

John Hill - Drums

“Bennett is a player superbly well balanced between purity and power. Bennett injects three heady shots of adrenalin that bring the music sharply to life.”

- Downbeat Magazine

Dave Bennett doesn’t fit the mold.

For starters, you don’t find many jazz clarinet players who name Alice Cooper, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Chris Isaak among their influences. You won’t find many musicians who are equally conversant with the music of Benny Goodman (the “King of Swing”) and Roy Orbison (“The Soul of Rock and Roll”). In fact, you may not find even one other clarinet virtuoso who breaks from his Swing Era repertoire to sing rockabilly hits while accompanying himself at the piano or electric guitar.

Dave began his national touring career at the age of 14. He has been a featured soloist at Carnegie Hall with The New York Pops (2013) and has been featured with 35 other US and Canadian orchestras including Nashville, Houston, Detroit, Rochester, Omaha, Toronto, Calgary, Vancouver, Orlando, San Antonio, Jacksonville, Portland, OR and Portland, ME. Some of his annual appearances include The Elkhart Jazz Festival, The Suncoast Classic Jazz Festival, The Arizona Classic Jazz Festival, The Sacramento Hot Jazz Jubilee, The Clambake Music Festival, and The Redwood Coast Music Festival.

Dave has been featured on NPR Radio’s “Jazz at Riverwalk.” He made his European debut in 2008 at The Bern Jazz Festival (Switzerland) in a combo with jazz legends and Benny Goodman band alumni guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli and vibraphonist, the late Peter Appleyard.

In March 2022, Dave and his band performed to a sold-out audience at New York City’s Birdland Theater.

Dave is a recording artist on jazz label Mack Avenue Records. His second release, Blood Moon reached No. 24 on the Billboard Jazz charts in 2018.

During the isolation of the pandemic, fate steered Dave’s time off the road into a bold new direction. He put his guitar pedal to the metal and stepped away from his beloved clarinet. A songwriter stepped forward. Road songs, reverb-laded guitar solos that could power a surf documentary, and memories of loves and lives lost are the mile markers that makeup his latest release “Nowhere Fast”. His first full-length rock album is a deep, soul-searching joyride through the back streets of his mind.

Leave it to Dave Bennett to prove that sometimes the best way to move forward is to go back to the beginnings of what drives you.

June 17th - MexiCuba

Yuriana Sobrino: Voice and percussion

Wity Zaldívar: Piano

Yordano Parsons : Bass/Voice

MexiCuba was born after the encounter of two musicians one from Mexico and one from Cuba . The idea was to create a blend of music from those different cultures. The Afro Cuban rhythms from Cuba and the Mexican folk traditional music came together to create a new sound, MexiCuba ! The band originally created in Grand Rapids, has been performing all over west Michigan bringing their music to dance clubs, festivals, schools and many other venues around Michigan!

June 24th - Holland Concert Jazz Orchestra directed by Dr. James Sawyer

The Holland Concert Jazz Orchestra was formed in 2018 to be a new voice for jazz on Michigan's west coast. With a steadfast commitment to performances at the highest level, the Holland Concert Jazz Orchestra strives to make jazz available to all.

Dr. James Sawyer, Music Director/Conductor

Nathan Kark, Alto I

Bill Bier, Tenor I

Roger Wagner, Tenor II

Mike Hamann, Bari

Shawn Nichols, Tpt. I

Austin Hunt, Tpt. II

Keith Walker, Tpt. III

Danny Wade, Tpt. IV

Ed Spier, Tbn I

Pat Parrish, Tbn II

Jim Groelsma, Tbn III

Adam Graham, Tbn IV

Lisa Sung, Piano

Liam Coussens, Bass

Dave Gillespie, Gtr

Mark Lopez, Drums

July 8th - Ivan Akansiima Trio

Ivan Akansiima is a Christian and a Ugandan born Jazz pianist with a BA in music performance from Hope College Holland MI, and aMaster’s Degree in Jazz Performance. He is a multi-instrumentalist, a composer, music arranger, worship leader, biblical teacher, and music instructor. His music style draws from biblical spirituality and faith and combines indigenous Ugandan and African rhythms with Jazz music traits that are historically rooted in African music traditions.

July 15th - Lisa Sung Group

Ms. Sung holds a Bachelor of Jazz piano performance from Temple University, Philadelphia, and performed in the top band under trumpeter Terrell Stafford. 

She also holds a Master of Jazz Performance from New York University.  She studied composition with Ron McClure and Dave Schroeder and studied jazz piano with Thomas Lawton, Don Friedman and Don Glanden.

She has performed with bassist Ron McClure, drummer Jeff Brillanger, and saxophonist Patrick Wolf.  She has also performed a weekly duo with bassist/vocalist Gerald Benson in Philadelphia, New Jersey, and in New York.  Coming to Grand Rapids, Ms. Sung has been serving as the music director for the Calvin University Gospel Choir and teaches jazz piano at Hope College and Calvin University. Ms. Sung also has been a regular member at the Central Michigan University jazz faculty concert series.

July 22nd - [Bill and Laurie] Sears and Sears Quintet

The saxophone stylings of Bill and Laurie Sears have been electrifying jazz audiences in Northern Michigan and throughout the state since their move to Traverse City in 1987. Each has forged individual careers, but it is when they combine their unique and individual musical voices in the Sears and Sears Quintet that their chemistry shines. Collectively they have graced the stage with a veritable “Who’s Who” of jazz and popular music including Ray Charles, Dizzy Gillespie, Bob James, Nancy Wilson, Natalie Cole, Aretha Franklin, Johnny Mathis, Frank Sinatra, The Temptations and countless others. Laurie can be heard regularly as the featured saxophonist with the Jeff Haas Trio appearing at Chateau Chantal Winery, The Union in Northport and most recently the newly opened Alluvion in Traverse City, in addition to leading her own groups. Bill can be heard Wednesday’s at the Workshop Brewing Company in Traverse City, occasionally joining Laurie with Jeff Haas, and leading a quartet at various venues in and around the Traverse City region. Both are charter members of the Traverse Symphony Jazz Orchestra and perform often with the Grand Rapids Symphony.

In addition to their impressive credentials as performing artists, both have dedicated a significant part of their careers to music education. Bill was the Director of Jazz Studies at the Interlochen Center for the Arts for 34 years and has also taught at various summer jazz camps for the past 45 years. Laurie has led a varied career teaching at Grand Valley State University, Interlochen Center for the Arts, a studio of private saxophone students and most notably, as the Director of Jazz Bands at Northwestern Michigan College. Nothing gives them greater pleasure than ensuring that the music continues to grow in the hands of future generations of talented student-musicians.

The Sears and Sears Quintet performs music in a variety of jazz styles, with the arrangements tailored to highlight Bill’s energetic approach that is steeped in the tradition of jazz, and Laurie’s elegant and soulful stylings. Each performance is memorable and is sure to include something that touches the heart of every listener. Rounding out the Quintet for this performance are three outstanding Michigan based musicians who are well acquainted with the Sears’ and one another: bassist Jack Dryden, pianist Matthew Fries, and drummer Keith Hall.

Bill Sears-Tenor Saxophone

Laurie Sears-Alto and Tenor Saxophones, Flute

Matthew Fries-Piano

Jack Dryden-Bass

Keith Hall-Drums

July 29th - Jeff Shoup Group featuring singer, Freddie Cunningham

Jeff Shoup, drums

Ralph Tope, guitar

Jim Alfredson, organ

Freddie Cunningham, vocal

Jeff Shoup is a drummer and music educator based in Lansing, MI, and is the host of the weekly music series Jazz Tuesdays at Moriarty's Pub. Joining Jeff in the trio we have Hammond organist Jim Alfredson, who is well-known internationally for his highly successful band organissimo, and the great Detroit guitarist Ralph Tope.

Vocalist Freddie Cunningham is the driving force behind the legendary Michigan-based blues band Root Doctor. After (mostly) retiring from touring with Root Doctor, Mr. Cunningham has enjoyed putting his own bluesy stamp on the jazz standard song book.

August 12th - Mary Rademacher Quartet featuring Paul Keller

Mary Rademacher is probably the most well-known singer/entertainer in our area.  Besides her vocal talent, she is a choreographer, director and costumer at Kenowa Hills High School for their Drama Program. She is a dancer, an actor, educator, voice talent and is always a bundle of fun! Mary began her vocal career while working at Tootsie VanKelly’s in downtown Grand Rapids and has since fronted so many bands it is impossible to keep track!  Mary toured to the Far East and S. Pacific  with the USO, performs regionally & nationally in jazz festivals and clubs and has headlined in dozens of area theatre productions. She was a proud member of the fabulous Boogie Woogie Babies, which was a nationally touring performance group known for its tight harmonies for over 25 yrs.    @maryradsings

Pianist, vocalist and left-hand bass player Mark S. Kahny is also a gifted accompanist, a skill which makes him a favorite with singers both in Michigan and California. He spends winters in Palm Springs, where Mark plays at the iconic Purple Room Supper Club, among others. Kahny was classically trained at the University of Cincinnati’s Conservatory of Music, but has become proficient in playing most any style of music. @Markkahnymusic

The RadPack has been working together for over 30 years and treasures their friendships, on and off the bandstand. 

Mary Rademacher - vocals

TBD - keys/vocals

TBD - drums/vocals

Bass - Paul Keller

August 19th - Grand Rapids Jazz Orchestra

For over 45 years, The Grand Rapids Jazz Orchestra has been one of Michigan’s premier jazz ensembles, featuring some of the finest musicians in the area playing swinging original compositions and arrangements as well as traditional favorites.

The musicians that create the live sounds are some of the area’s best soloists, sidemen, and educators available. Many have jazz projects of their own, yet dedicate time to fostering the performance of live big band jazz.

The band was founded in 1976 by the late Bruce Early, and has performed with many famous artists such as Clark Terry, Louis Bellson, Phil Woods, Pearl Bailey, Kenny Wheeler, Randy Brecker, Maria Schneider, Allen Vizutti, Phil Wilson, Bobby Shew, and has been enjoyed by thousands of people at concerts, dances, and festivals throughout the region.