"Building Transformative Leadership through Music & the Arts"
Undefeated Jazz! The mission of festival producers, LifeLine Music Coalition (LMC). LMC is celebrating its 10th Philadelphia Undefeated Jazz Festival and is going back to the venue where it all began – The Philadelphia Clef Club of Jazz and Performing Arts (PCC). Sit back and enjoy 6 hours of world-class music from some of Philly’s finest artists including:
December 16, 2023
Bobby Watson – 7:30 pm
$35
Bobby Watson’s year-long birthday celebration continues at PCC with a pre-holiday concert. Saxophonist Bobby Watson sits among the pantheon of present-day jazz greats. Born in Lawrence, Kan., his career now spans more than four decades. A multi-GRAMMY®-nominated saxophonist, composer, bandleader, educator and producer, Watson trained formally at the University of Miami and then, from 1977-1981, earned his “doctorate” as musical director of Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers. During his four-plus years with the legendary drummer, the saxophonist contributed to 14 Jazz Messengers recordings — more than anyone else in the group’s 35-year (1955-1990) storied history. Early on, in addition to Blakey, the saxophonist also worked with notable jazz icons and elder statesmen such as Max Roach, Louis Hayes, George Coleman and Sam Rivers, as well as sharing music experiences with innumerable noteworthy peers and colleagues as well as legendary vocalists such as Joe Williams, Lou Rawls, Betty Carter, Dianne Reeves and Carmen Lundy.
Percussionist Edgardo Cintron is a second-generation Puerto Rican and a second-generation musician. Known as much for his affable personality and generous spirit as for his tasty musicianship, Edgardo has created his new band mambo magic in 2023 featuring the music of the great Tito Puente, Ray Barretto, Eddie Palmieri, Spyro Gyra and more.
February 24, 2024 – 7:30 pm Anthony Walker presents the Prince of Soul (Jazz/Soul Tribute to Marvin Gaye) $35 Anthony Walker began his piano training in his native St. Paul, Minnesota, at age five, making his public debut at age ten. He
March 9, 2024 – 7:30 pm
Camille Thurman and Darrell Green Quartet
$35
Called a ”classic double threat” by NPR, Camille Thurman is equally adept on tenor saxophone, flute, and vocals. The New York City native has distinguished herself as a potent player as a member of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra from 2018-2020. Her own albums as a leader — Origins (2013), Spirit Child (2014), Inside the Moment (2017) and Waiting for the Sunrise (2019), a collection of standards and original compositions— showcased her chops as both an incredibly dynamic singer and instrumentalist. A respected leading musician, she has appeared at notable venues and festivals around the world, including The Kennedy Center, Rose Theater, Winter Jazz Fest, and on The Colbert Show.
April 20, 2023 7:30PM
Odean Pope|Reggie Workman Philadelphia Summit
$45
Odean Pope
Odean grew up in jazz rich territory with other Philadelphia notables such as: John Coltrane, Lee Morgan, Clifford Brown, Benny Golson, McCoy Tyner, Jimmy and Percy Heath, Ray Bryant, Bill Barron, Kenny Barron, Archie Shepp, Jymie Merritt, Jimmy Garrison, Philly Joe Jones and Dizzy Gillespie. Coltrane chose Odean to replace him in Jimmy Smith’s Group when he left for New York to join Miles Davis. Although he was close to Coltrane and continues to revere his artistry, Odean was always searching for his own musical sound.
Reggie Workman
Early in his career, Workman worked in jazz groups led by Gigi Gryce, Donald Byrd, Duke Jordan and Booker Little. In 1961, Workman joined the John Coltrane Quartet, replacing Steve Davis. He was present for the saxophonist's Live at the Village Vanguard sessions, and also recorded with a second bassist (Art Davis) on the 1961 album. Workman also played with James Moody, Yusef Lateef, Pharoah Sanders, Herbie Mann and Thelonious Monk. He has recorded with Archie Shepp, Lee Morgan and David Murray. Workman, with pianist Tommy Flanagan and drummer Joe Chambers, formed The Super Jazz Trio in 1978.
May 18, 2024 – 7:30 pm
Steve Green's Return of the Griot’s Groove: The Power of the Drum
$35
The program takes a musical journey through the origin of African American Music while reflecting on the historical and cultural experiences that birthed the creation of this great art form. The Music, dance and poetry that would rise from the ashes of oppression to captivate and change the entire world. Return of the Griots Groove is American History. Return of the Griots Groove is our history.
June 3, 2024 7:30PM
Jazzmeia Horn - Jazz Cultural Voices Concert Series
$45
““Horn is among the most exciting young vocalists in jazz, with a proud traditionalism that keeps her tightly linked to the sound of classic figures like Nancy Wilson and Betty Carter, but a vivacity of spirit and conviction that places her firmly in the present.”
— The New York Times
June 8th @7:30PM
George Cables - Jazz Cultural Voices Concert Series
$45
George Cables has emerged as a major voice in modern jazz. He is currently performing and recording as a soloist, with trio and larger ensembles, and as a clinician in college jazz programs. In addition to composing and arranging for his own albums, George Cables has contributed to recordings by Dexter Gordon, Art Pepper, Freddie Hubbard, Woody Shaw, Bobby Hutcherson and many others. He is noted for his fresh Interpretations of classic compositions and for his innovative style of writing.
June 15, 2024 – 7:30 pm
Danilo Perez Trio featuring John Patitucci and Adam Cruz
$45
As a solo artist and as a collaborator with jazz giants from Dizzy Gillespie to Wayne Shorter, for over three decades Grammy-Award Winning Panamanian Pianist-Composer Danilo Pérez has been lauded as one of the most creative forces in contemporary music. With Jazz as the anchoring foundation, Pérez’s Global Jazz music is a blend of Panamanian roots, Latin American folk music, West African rhythms, European impressionism – promoting music as a borderless and multidimensional bridge between all people. Since 1993 Pérez has released twelve albums which have earned him critical acclaim, and numerous accolades around the world. He is a recipient of the United States Fellowship 2018, and the 2009 Smithsonian Legacy Award.
October 3, 2024 7:30PM
Steve Turre - Jazz Cultural Voices Concert Series
$35
One of the world’s preeminent jazz innovators, trombonist and seashellist Steve Turre, has consistently won both the Readers’ and Critics’ polls in JazzTimes, Downbeat, and Jazziz for Best Trombone and for Best Miscellaneous Instrumentalist (shells). Turre was born to Mexican-American parents and grew up in the San Francisco Bay area where he absorbed daily doses of mariachi, blues and jazz. While attending Sacramento State University, he joined the Escovedo Brothers salsa band, which began his career-long involvement with that genre.
Join The Arpeggio Jazz Ensemble as the open the holiday season and relive our favorite Motown tunes like Get Ready, Can’t Help Myself, Tracks of My Tears and more that make us dance, laugh, and enjoy life to the fullest.
Jeff Knoettner has performed widely, including with his own group (jeffjazz trio). He’s played at festivals nationwide, including at Delaware’s own renowned Clifford Brown Jazz Festival, where he’s played with bands that opened for performers like Buddy Guy, B.B. King, BWB, and Grammy- and Emmy- winner Arturo Sandoval. And for over 25, years, he’s been pianist for The Cartoon Christmas Trio, whose holiday tunes pack the house in scores of venues.
The incredibly versatile Saunders Sermons is a two-time Grammy award winning singer/songwriter/trombonist who has toured the world with some of the most acclaimed artists in the industry including Tedeschi Trucks Band, Jay-Z, P Diddy, Maxwell, and Roy Hargrove to name a few.
Composer-pianist VIJAY IYER has released two dozen albums, including seven on ECM Records, and has collaborated with Amiri Baraka, Wadada Leo Smith, Carrie Mae Weems, Teju Cole, Tyshawn Sorey, Pamela Z, Henry Threadgill, Jennifer Koh, Matt Haimovitz, Brentano Quartet, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, and many other artists across disciplines.
Multi GRAMMY® Award nominee Nnenna Freelon is known worldwide as a compelling and captivating live performer. Recently, Nnenna starred in the critically acclaimed show Georgia on My Mind: Celebrating the Music of Ray Charles - no stranger to the music of the master singer - she toured with Ray Charles, as well as many other great jazz artists including Ellis Marsalis, Al Jarreau, George Benson, Earl Klugh, Take 6, and others.
Nabaté Isles is a Grammy-winning trumpeter as well as a composer and producer, born and raised in New York City. Nabaté's second album called, En Motion, was released on Ropeadope Records on January 27, 2023. The album features the core lineup of Sam Barsh (also the album’s producer), Eric Harland, Kaveh Rastegar, David Gilmore and Rachel Eckroth & guests include James Francies, Ben Wendel, Victor Provost, Sasha Berliner and Badia Farha. Added featured performers on the album are Mumu Fresh, Kardinal Offishall and Chuck D.
Frank Butrey graduated from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania with a B.A. in Guitar Performance and Studio Teaching. He studied classical guitar under the expert tutelage of Dimitri Erdely. Frank studied jazz improvisation, composition and arranging with Basil Ronzitti, Ed Flanagan and Steve Giordano.
Nicholas Payton is an NEA Jazz Master who is a Grammy Award-winning musician and a multi-instrumentalist, composer, producer, arranger, and social activist.
Alexander Claffy is a jazz bassist, composer and arranger based in New York. He has played with artists including Jimmy Cobb, Louis Hayes, Harold Mabern, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Christian Scott and Joey Alexander. In addition to an album of standards, he has released a series of genre-defying compositions with his band simply known as Claffy.
Warren Oree started the Arpeggio Jazz Ensemble in 1979 and has been touring the world and performing with the group at jazz festivals in Europe, the Caribbean and South America ever since. His command and demand of his upright acoustic bass mesmerizes audiences, unaccustomed to hearing the wide, colorful array of sounds that he can extract - from frenetically bowing and knocking on the base, to delicately lifting it through the air in an ecstatic dance of digital delay.
