Sneak peak
I’m back again choreographing “Coming Home to Christmas.” Yay!!!!
If you missed the production last year, no worries! The show will run again this holiday season
Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, December 19 – 21, 2014.
Here’s one of my favorite numbers from the show…..
Enjoy!
“Mary, Did You Know”
–Excerpt from “Coming home to Christmas” performed last year at the Theatre of Riverside Church, December 2013.
Choreography by Candice Michelle Franklin
EASILY ACCESSIBLE BY PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
For Information About Up-coming Shows:
Call Tiny Star Productions
888.679.3104 info@tinystarrproductions.com
Jazz Ain’t Dead® principal dance artists Jerome Melaun Warren and Candice Michelle Franklin perform together again as guests for the New York Jazz Choreography Project which runs April 27 – 28 at the Manhattan Movement and Arts Center in midtown.
For the first night, dance artists Jerome Melsaun Warren and the young and beautiful, Maria Rodriguez (plucked from Miss Franklin’s advanced trainee Jazz dance classes at the renowned Joffrey Ballet School) will be performing a duet accompanied by Jazz Ain’t Dead vocalist, Rajdulari Barnes. On the second day of the show run, Jazz Ain’t Dead® choreographer, Candice Michelle Franklin, will join Warren, her long standing partner (about ten years we think if you don’t count when Franklin was Warren’s teacher), in performing the same duet with Jazz Ain’t Dead’s live band. Principal music arranger for Jazz Ain’t Dead®, Chris Rob, will be accompanying the dancing pair with his new samba arrangement of Stevie Wonder’s “Overjoyed” both singing and playing the piano in a vocal duet of the famous song with JAD’s Rajdulari Barnes. Also sitting in is Wallace Roney’s fabulous bass player, Rashaan Carter, and the great salsero, Geraldo Flores. We welcome these great musicians to the Jazz Ain’t Dead family!
Tickets:
Available at the MMAC box office or purchase online.
$21 ($18 children 12 and under)
The New York Jazz Choreography Project is a celebration of jazz dance featuring originals works by emerging and established choreographers. Audiences of all ages will be treated to dances in a variety of jazz styles—from swing to contemporary—and the chance to see jazz dance as the rich art form it is, with its glorious variety of styles and cultural influences. Following the performance on Sunday, April 28th, the audience is invited to stay for a talk back with the choreographers.
Dates:
Saturday, April 27th, at 8 p.m.
Sunday, April 28th, at 3 p.m. – A talk back with the choreographers follows this performance.
Place:
manhattan movement & arts center
248 W. 60th Street
New York, New York 10023
212-787-1178
www.manhattanmovement.com
Tickets:
Available at the MMAC box office or purchase online.
$21 ($18 children 12 and under)
The performances will be approximately 70 minutes long with no intermission. Latecomers will be seated at the discretion of management. The box office will close 30 minutes after the performance starts. No refunds or exchanges.
![419510_3307965972150_2102794202_n_thumb[3]](https://jazzaintdead.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/419510_3307965972150_2102794202_n_thumb3.jpg "419510_3307965972150_2102794202_n_thumb[3]")
Jazz Ain’t Dead principle dancers Candice Michelle Franklin and Jerome Melsaun Warren will perform, Saturday, April 6 with Onaje Allan Gumbs and New Vintage at BAM Café, 30 Lafayette Avenue, Brooklyn, NY. There a ton of brilliant musicians sitting-in and exciting guests also on the program. Please come and check it out!
![Onaje Allan Gumbs Show at BAM Cafe[1]](https://jazzaintdead.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/onaje-allan-gumbs-show-at-bam-cafe11.jpg "Onaje Allan Gumbs Show at BAM Cafe[1]")
For more information directly from BAM, click here for a direct link.
Photography by Julie Atwell
Jazz Ain’t Dead®
with Lafayette Harris, Jr.
Saturday, February 18, 2012
@The Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival
Ronnie Wells Main Stage
Hilton Hotel & Executive Meeting Center
1750 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland 20852
Featuring Tap dance artist, Baakari Wilder, from the Broadway Cast of Bring in ‘da Noise, Bring in ‘da Funk,
Dancers from Jazz Ain't Dead® and Choreography by Candice Michelle Franklin
plus Two World Premiers of New Music Composed by
Kenneth Salters, and Lafayette Harris, Jr.
Lafayette Harris, Jr., Music Director, Candice Michelle Franklin, Artistic Production Director
Click Here for Official Press Release
Tickets are $50 and may be purchased on the Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival website at http://www.midatlanticjazzfestival.org/tickets.
For more information about Jazz Ain't Dead, visit www.JazzAintDead.com.
Program for Live Show Subject to Change by Artists' Discretion
Artist Biographies...
About Jazz Ain’t Dead
Produced by Candice Michelle Franklin, Jazz Ain't Dead® is a dance collective based in New York City that performs house, acid, funk, and soul songs with an urban jazz sensibility. Featuring live dancers, singers, musicians, and live DJ, Jazz Ain't Dead's signature sound is taking popular classical jazz standards and re-igniting them into house, acid jazz, funk, and soul. Also in repertory are contemporary and Nu Jazz covers, original works, and straight-ahead classics all theatrically performed by the Jazz Ain’t Dead dancers and talented musicians. Guests and Sit-ins rotate frequently. Recent sit-ins or guest spots include Bob Baldwin, Onaje Allan Gumbs, Lou Myers, V. Jeffrey Smith, Chris Rob, M. Nahadr, Sofia Coffee, and Stix Bones and the Bone Squad. Choreographer for Jazz Ain’t Dead® is Candice Michelle Franklin (Choreographer for SHAKTI, BLACK TAXI, BRASCO, Deadbeat Darling, MACY GRAY). Musical Director for Jazz Ain’t Dead® is Lafayette Harris (Musical Director for Bring in da’ Noise/Funk and Color Purple).
Jazz Ain’t Dead® has performed at the Apollo, Joyce SoHo, the Iridium Jazz Club, Aaron Davis Hall, the Paradise Theater, the Bowery Poetry Club, Southpaw, DNA, Nuyorican Poet's Cafe, the Adinkra House, Jordan’s Lounge, Sage Theater, The Player’s Club, Rush Arts Gallery, Therapy Bar, and other live music clubs as well as numerous private events, schools, and galas. Jazz Ain’t Dead® also partners with Mo Beasley’s UrbanErotika, lending musicians and dancers for their monthly UrbanErotika Juke Joint series, performing choreographed features with poets and live music as well as non-choreographed/unscripted, completely improvised jam sessions for both dancer, lyricist, and musician. During the Summer, Jazz Ain't Dead dancers teach for the Joffrey Ballet Jazz and Contemporary Summer Dance Intensive and, during the year, choreographer, Candice Michelle Franklin, is on faculty teaching advanced jazz to their elite dancers in the pre-professional trainee program. In addition, Jazz Ain’t Dead® has shared its love of dance with the community by teaching the art of Jazz dance to elementary school-aged children, through Ready, Set, Learn, LLC, a summer day camp and after school program providing free to low- cost activities for children living in the Bronx Housing projects of New York City. In the future, Jazz Ain’t Dead® hopes to extend our commitment to programs such as Ready, Set, Learn by providing music lessons as well. For more information about Jazz Ain’t Dead, please visit www.JazzAintDead.com.
About Candice Michelle Franklin (Choreographer)
Candice Michelle Franklin is a professional dancer, choreographer, and producer who has been seen in numerous film, tv shows, music videos, industrials, and, of course, on the live stage performing in plays and dance companies. She owns Dance Industrial Professionals, Inc./The Pro DANZ Group in which she oversees the dance and creative direction of several performance groups, industrials, and stage shows. Her work has been performed in a host of New York venues as well as numerous casinos on the east coast such as Turning Stone, the Foxwoods, Mohegan Sun, Trump, Tropicana, Borgata, and Caesar’s. Most recently, her choreography work has been seen in the webby-nominated music video for the rock band Black Taxi called “Shoeshine” and in the gospel stage play, Blest Be the Tide, performed at Aaron Davis Hall in New York City. Currently, she works as the producer and choreographer for Jazz Ain't Dead, and as choreographer for CEG Productions LLCand a number of independent recording artists as well as the internationally celebrated Bollywood Hip hop artist, SHAKTI, the rapper BRASCO, Buffalo Stance, and Grammy award recording artist, Macy Gray.
About Lafayette Harris, Jr. (Jazz Piano, Music Director)
Known as the “go to” pianist by other musicians and band leaders, Mr. Harris has performed with the Duke Ellington Legacy Orchestra, toured for seven years with Max Roach, and has worked with Al Grey, John Gordon, Slide Hampton, Curtis Fuller, Roswell Rudd, Chico Freeman, and Cindy Blackman, Allan Harris and many others. Lafayette’s two most recent albums are “IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT,” a contemporary funk/fusion project, which was released in 2006 and most recently “TRIO TALK,” a jazz trio outing featuring Winard Harper and Dwayne Dolphin. His breakthrough gig was as a conductor and keyboardist for the smash hit, Bring In 'Da Noise, Bring In 'Da Funk. Harris has since been involved with more Broadway shows including The Full Monty, Ride Down Mt. Morgan, Kat And The Kings, and The Color Purple. Mr. Harris currently tours Europe and the U.S. with four time Grammy nominee-Ernestine Anderson.
About Mo
About Baakari Wilder (Tap Dance Artist)
Tap dancer Baakari Wilder has had an astounding career. A native Washingtonian, Baakari was Savion Glover's replacement in the Broadway production of "Bringin 'da Noise, Bringin 'da Funk" in New York City. At the age of twelve he opened the show at the Kennedy Center for legendary tappers Harold Nicholas, Sandman Simms, Brenda Buffalino and Savion Glover. Baakari studied tap under Glover, Gregory Hines, Yvonne Edwards and Renee Kreithen, and has delighted audiences in places such as Germany, Africa, Japan and Carnegie Hall in New York City. Baakari also has a list of television appearances to his credit, including the 1996 and 1997 Tony Awards. He is currently teaching in the Washington D.C. area and just finished choreographic a piece for D.C.'s own "Tappers With Attitude", the company in which he was the original dance captain.
CLICK HERE to LISTEN to our New Music Arrangements of our latest evening length production: Jazz Ain't Dead Celebrates the Legacy of George Gershwin's Porgy & Bess! Lafayette Harris (Keys/Jazz Piano), Axel Tosca (Keys), Travis Antoine (Trumpet), Rogerst Charles (Alto Sax), Kenneth Salters (Drums), Steve Rodriguez (Bass), Mansa Gory (Trombone), Jimmy Lopez (Congas), Gabrielle Jennings (Djembe), Chris Rob (Keys) JAD Singers: Daphne Shawn, Kenyetta Coffee, Billy Davis JAD DJ: Nyck Henry JAD Dancers: Jerome Melsaun Warren, Careitha Davis, JoiLynn, Carmen Carriker, Candice Michelle Franklin, Chelsey Arce, Andrea Colabufo, Gierre Godley, Leah Tubbs, April Holloway, Ashley Chavonne McGill, Shawn Cruz, Gabriel Malo, Adisa Gooding-Henry, Tony Wright, Natonia Monet Harrison, Angel Chin, and Shelley McLaughlin
| Produced by Candice Franklin for DIP and Associates Jazz Ain't Dead® Performs it's 2011 season at
(Between Houston & Prince, New York City) Special $5 Discount Offer
To Purchase Tickets Visit www.Joyce.org or Call JoyceCharge 212-242-0800
Jazz Ain't Dead® and Jazz Ain't Dead Presents is produced by | ||||||||||||
Jazz Ain't Dead
®, A Young Urban Jazz Music and Dance Collective
Showtimes:
| JAZZ Ain't Dead® Joyce SoHo Season 2011 Set List | |
| Thursday, March 24, 7:30pm | JAD Lounge (35 min. TRT): JAD Jam, My Funny Valentine, Billie Jean, Black Panties, Whatever Lola Wants, I Know You Know, Fall In, Portuguese Love -Intermission - Jazz Ain't Dead® Celebrates the Legacy of Gershwin's Porgy and Bess (40 min. TRT): Sometime Thang, Summertime Burlesque, It Ain't Necessarily So, Red-Headed Woman, I Loves You, Porgy, Bess, You is My Woman Now, There's A Boat, My Man's Gone Now, Summertime Interlude, Summertime House |
| Friday, March 25, 7:30pm | Jazz Ain't Dead® Celebrates the Legacy of Gershwin's Porgy and Bess: Sometime Thang, Summertime Burlesque, It Ain't Necessarily So, Red-Headed Woman, I Got Plenty of Nuttin', I Loves You, Porgy, Bess, You is My Woman Now, There's A Boat, My Man's Gone Now, Summertime Interlude, Summertime House |
| Friday, March 25, 9:30pm | JAD Lounge: JAD Jam, My Funny Valentine, Since I've Been Loving You, Black Panties, Whatever Lola Wants, Billie Jean, I Know You Know, Fall In, Portuguese Love |
| Saturday, March 26, 7:30pm | JAD Lounge: JAD Jam, My Funny Valentine, Since I've Been Loving You, Black Panties, Whatever Lola Wants, Billie Jean, I Know You Know, Fall In, Portuguese Love |
| Saturday, March 26 9:30pm | Jazz Ain't Dead® Celebrates the Legacy of Gershwin's Porgy and Bess: Sometime Thang, Summertime Burlesque, It Ain't Necessarily So, Red-Headed Woman, I Got Plenty of Nuttin', I Loves You, Porgy, Bess, You is My Woman Now, There's A Boat, My Man's Gone Now, Summertime Interlude, Summertime House |
| Sunday, March 27, 6:00pm | JAD Lounge (35 min. TRT): JAD Jam, My Funny Valentine, Since I've Been Loving You, Black Panties, Whatever Lola Wants, Billie Jean, I Know You Know, Fall In, Portuguese Love -Intermission - Jazz Ain't Dead® Celebrates the Legacy of Gershwin's Porgy and Bess (40 min. TRT): Sometime Thang, Summertime Burlesque, It Ain't Necessarily So, Red-Headed Woman, I Got Plenty of Nuttin', I Loves You, Porgy, Bess, You is My Woman Now, There's A Boat, My Man's Gone Now, Summertime Interlude, Summertime House |
Thursday, March 24, 7:30pm
Friday, March 25, 7:30pm/9:30pm
Saturday, March 26, 7:30pm/9:30pm
Sunday, March 27, 6:00pm
Music:
It Ain't Necessarily So -Original Music by George Gershwin, New Music Arrangements by Chris Rob for Jazz Ain't Dead®
A Woman is a Sometime Thang -Original Music by George Gershwin, New Music Arrangements by Chris Rob for Jazz Ain't Dead®
Summertime Burlesque -Original Music by George Gershwin, New Music Arrangements by Lenny Underwood for Jazz Ain't Dead®, Text and Spoken word performance by Mo Beasley.
Red-Headed Woman -Original music by George Gershwn, New Music Arrangements by Donald Hayes for Jazz Ain't Dead®
I Love's You Porgy --Original Music by George Gershwin, New Music Arrangements by Lafayette Harris for Jazz Ain't Dead®, Spoken Word performance by Natonia Monet with Text by Nihara Michelle
There's a Boat -Original Music by George Gershwin, in the style of Ray Charles, Live Music Direction by Lafayette Harris
My Man's Gone Now --Original Music by George Gershwin, New Music Arrangements by Chris Rob for Jazz Ain't Dead®
Bess, You is My Woman Now -Original Music by George Gershwin, New Music Arrangement and live music direction by Lafayette Harris for Jazz Ain't Dead®
Summertime Interlude --Original Music by George Gershwin, New Music Arrangements by Lenny Underwood for Jazz Ain't Dead®
Summertime House --Original Music by George Gershwin, New Music Arrangements by Lenny Underwood for Jazz Ain't Dead®
JAD Jam -Arrangement and lyrics by Candice Michelle Franklin with Live Music Direction by Lafayette Harris for Jazz Ain't Dead®
My Funny Valentine -Music arrangement by Chris Rob with Live Music Direction by Lafayette Harris for Jazz Ain't Dead® and text and spoken word performance by Mo Beasley
I Know You Know -Music by Esperanza Spalding, Live Music Direction by Lafayette Harris
Fall In -Music by Esperanza Spalding, Live Music Direction by Lafayette Harris
Portuguese Love -Music by Teena Marie, Live Music Direction by Lafayette Harris
Billie Jean -by Michael Jackson, Live Music Direction by Lafayette Harris
Black Panties - Music "Jungle Fever" by The Chakachas, Music Direction by Lafayette Harris, Spoken Word Performance/Text by Mo Beasley
Whatever Lola Wants -Music arrangement by Marcus "BellRinger" Bell/Bellringer Productions/InnerTemple Music for Jazz Ain't Dead®
Since I've Been Loving You -Music by Led Zepplin, Live Music Direction by Lafayette Harris
For press inquiries, please contact the following:
Shanon Shaw, Press Contact
media@JazzAintDead.com
212--426--1305
Hope to see you at Joyce SoHo!
