Middle C Jazz welcomes countless National Artists to our stage. Don’t miss your chance to see Marcus Anderson, Althea Rene, Spyro Gyra, Lindsey Webster, Jonathan Butler, Antonia Bennett, Judith Hill and more right here at Middle C Jazz – Charlotte’s Home for Cool!
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PERFORMING THIS WEEK
6.12.2024
Carolyn Wonderland- Joyous Rock-injected Blues
The depths of the Texas blues tradition with the wit of a poet. Carolyn Wonderland hits the stage with an unmatched presence, a true legend in her time.
“Carolyn Wonderland is the real deal. She’s an amazing guitar player. And damn, can she sing.” – Los Angeles Times
“With incendiary guitar chops and raw, powerful vocals, fiery Texas blues rocker Carolyn Wonderland draws instant comparisons to fellow Texans Stevie Ray Vaughan and Janis Joplin.” –NPR Music
6.13.2024
Rodney Shelton & Eric Brice presents Brandon Stevens singing the songs of
Michael McDonald & Maxwell
Come hang out and kick back during this Thursday night series with The Rodney Shelton Group.
Music Is His Gift. Rodney “Keys” Shelton is the quiet storm in the music industry. Rodney began his career at the tender age of 13. Deriving from humble beginnings as a native of Martinsville Virginia, Rodney started his own band and while performing at schools and local clubs, he landed his first gig opening for artists “Betty Wright and King Floyd”.
Featured Artist
6.14.2024
Saxophonist Steve Cole
Saxophonist Steve Cole is one of the most celebrated players in contemporary jazz. The Chicago native exploded onto the scene in 1998 with the album “Stay Awhile” that was produced by fellow Chicagoan Brian Culbertson. The disc scored multiple #1 hits and earned Cole the Oasis Smooth Jazz Award for best new artist shortly before his sophomore set, “Between Us,” was released in 2000. His catchy singles made him an instant radio favorite and he cranked them out with regularity on subsequent albums “NY LA” (2003), “Spin” (2005), “True” (2006), “Moonlight” (2009), “True” (2013), “Turn It Up” (2016), “Gratitude” (2019) , and his newest release “Without A Doubt” (2023)
Cole grew up on a diet of bebop blended with pop radio hits, and honed his skills on the diverse 1990s Chicago music scene, where he was called on to play everything from jazz to funk to gospel to rock to R&B and soul. All of those experiences come into play on Cole’s exhilarating new album, Without a Doubt. His first outing with producer and songwriter partner Adam Hawley, the album finds Cole taking the opportunity of this fresh start to approach his music with the open mind of a beginner and the confidence of a veteran at the top of his game.
The album is chock full of memorable melodies that could be easily retooled as hits for the likes of the Commodores or Earth, Wind & Fire. In a sense, that brings Cole full circle to some of his earliest musical experiences.
“That’s how I learned to play,” he recalls. “When I was just starting out as a kid, I would turn on pop radio and play along, adding sax solos to songs that didn’t have them. I still connect with that music on a fundamental level, and I hope that comes through on every record that I make. Without a Doubt is no exception – it’s part of a continuing exploration into how I can continue the lineage of music that I’ve always connected with and create new and interesting variations based on my experience.”
Perhaps one of the greatest lessons that Cole could teach up-and-coming musicians is to remain open to new influences and experiences. That perspective has certainly served him well on Without a Doubt through his first-time collaboration with Adam Hawley. A gifted guitarist discovered by Maurice White of Earth, Wind & Fire, Hawley had crossed paths with Cole in a sideman role as his career was in its rapid ascendancy.
6.22.2024
An Evening with Flautist and Soul-Jazz Phenomenon Ragan Whiteside
Flute-playing soul-jazz phenomenon Ragan Whiteside has become one of the genre’s most consistently dynamic and popular artists. Thanks to her incredible skill and creativity on her chosen instrument, as well as her charismatic presence on stage, Whiteside is at the top of her game. That was demonstrated in October 2022, when she became the first artist to win the competitive Best Contemporary Jazz Artist Award at the inaugural Jazz Music Awards, held at the Cobb Energy Centre in Atlanta. Whiteside is also a 2023 NAACP Image Award Nominee and four-time nominee for the Smooth Jazz Network’s Best Artist Award.
That distinction is well-deserved, as the Atlanta-based musician, songwriter, and vocalist has become one of very few women players to excel in the male-dominated instrumental sphere, garnering eight consecutive Top Ten Billboard airplay singles by 2022. And she’s done it as an independent artist, releasing projects on Randis Music, the label she founded with her husband, producer, and composer Dennis Johnson
Livestream is available when you join Middle C On Demand at $9.99 per month.
6.15.2024
David Benoit: A Midnight Rendezvous
Have you ever met an artist whose craft is merely an extension of who they are? The iconic pianist, composer, arranger, producer, film and TV scorer David Benoit, embodies this archetype. He is as cool, measured, engaging, soulful and sophisticated as one of his mellifluous solos in a flight of fancy. A Founding Father of Contemporary Jazz, his four-decade career is rooted in the tradition of Dave Brubeck and Bill Evans.
Benoit fulfills a long-time dream in his highly anticipated 2022 recording, A Midnight Rendezvous, and shares that music with us.
Livestream is available when you join Middle C On Demand at $9.99 per month.
6.16.2024
Gino Rosaria’s Father’s Day Jazz Concert
A classy Father’s Day evening with Billboard jazz pianist Gino Rosaria featuring Soul Vocalist Shemaine Fox.
Gino Rosaria, born and raised in Curaçao, made his debut into the contemporary jazz scene with his billboard charting album “Still Waters Run Deep”. In 2023, Gino was inducted into the Akademia Hall of Fame in Los Angeles.
6.19.2024
Summer of Funk feat Music of Sly & The Family Stone, Kool & The Gang, The Gap Band, Maze, and more
Join us for this Wednesday series every month! Middle C will be filled with the sounds of PFunk, Prince, Rick James, James Brown, and other timeless funk legends. Throw on your favorite pair of bell bottoms and follow your nose to the Funk!
Born in early 2019, House of Funk was conceived by Charlotte guitarist Stefan Kallander as a monthly night for the funk lovers of the Queen City where hips could move to the sounds of funk classics and deep cuts. The band features some of Charlotte’s finest musicians: Courtney Gibson, Jesse Lamar Williams, Zach Wheeler, Braxton Bateman, Simon George, and Stefan Kallander, in addition to monthly sit ins and features of other stunning artists from the deep well of Charlotte Funk. The series began to grow throughout the next year until our favorite runt cousin Covid 19 took center stage. But now House of Funk is back!
6.20.2024
Just Fine: MJB Tribute Band
Just Fine- the ultimate Mary J. Blige Tribute Band takes you back to your favorite days and times experienced in the 90s, giving you everything you remember about Multi-Award winner Mary J. Blige.
This 7 piece band’s groove and sound provides you with the amazing throwback memories as well as the more recent feel good vibes from this musical icon. This great unit is lead by Professional Recording Drummer Rashad King and lead vocalist and entertainer Ms. Tre’Jae who delivers the look and sound of her musical idol, Mary J. Blige.
Just Fine- the Ultimate MJB Tribute Band will highlight hits such as Real Love, You Remind Me, and My Life, just to name a few. Just Fine will give you the Ultimate Tribute concert experience. Satisfying and supplying you with your MJB fix.
6.21.2024
An Evening with Two-time Grammy Nominated Musician Christian Sands Trio
Steinway Artist and five-time Grammy Nominee Christian Sands is an emerging jazz force. His abundant piano technique perfectly matches his conception, accomplishing a much deeper musical goal: a fresh look at the entire language of jazz. Christian says, “My music is about teaching the way of jazz and keeping it alive.” Whether it’s stride, swing, bebop, progressive, fusion, Brazilian or Afro-Cuban, Sands develops the past while providing unusual and stimulating vehicles for the present… and for the future. He expresses himself through an extensive vocabulary of patterns, textures and structures, all the while maintaining a strong sense of understatement, sensitivity, taste and swing — hallmarks for as long as he has been playing.
We welcome the Christian Sands Trio back by popular demand.
6.2.2024
An Evening of Smooth Jazz with Jazmin Ghent
Flute-playing soul-jazz phenomenon Ragan Whiteside has become one of the genre’s most consistently dynamic and popular artists. Thanks to her incredible skill and creativity on her chosen instrument, as well as her charismatic presence on stage, Whiteside is at the top of her game. That was demonstrated in October 2022, when she became the first artist to win the competitive Best Contemporary Jazz Artist Award at the inaugural Jazz Music Awards, held at the Cobb Energy Centre in Atlanta. Whiteside is also a 2023 NAACP Image Award Nominee and four-time nominee for the Smooth Jazz Network’s Best Artist Award
Livestream is available when you join Middle C On Demand at $9.99 per month.
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