The Omni Sacred Jazz Brunch

The Omni Sacred Jazz Brunch

May 27, 2018 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.

Do you hear that? Can you smell that?! The Omni Sacred Jazz Brunch returns for 2018 with guaranteed reservation times!Lift your spirits and dine on a buffet of gourmet cuisine prepared by the expert chefs of the Omni Jacksonville Hotel as you listen to the unique blend of jazz and traditional gospel music from Noel Freidline Quintet with Maria Howell. There is truly no better way to bid farewell to the Jacksonville Jazz Festival than this perfect sensory experience.

For tickets, visit: JacksonvilleJazzFest.com/ Brunch

Noel Freidline

As the leader of the Noel Freidline Quintet for the last 26 years, Freidline has recorded eight albums; performed at jazz festivals such as the Jacksonville Jazz Festival, Bethlehem Musikfest, and Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland; has held down a three-year house band position at the Bellagio in Las Vegas; and performed for actress Julia Roberts’ surprise 35th birthday party. In February of 2018, Noel released his eighth album, Old Devil Moon, a collaboration with vocalist Maria Howell.

In addition to his work with the NFQ, Noel performs regularly with the Charlotte Symphony as well as with touring Broadway shows, most recently “Jersey Boys.” With the NFQ, Noel has opened for such diverse artists as Tony Bennett, saxophonist David Sanborn, Kenny G, Rosemary Clooney, pianist Dave Brubeck, vocalist Layla Hathaway, jazz legend Roy Ayers, and vocalist Jennifer Holliday.

Maria Howell

Best known for her role as the choir soloist in the 1985 Oscar-nominated film The Color Purple, Maria Howell is a captivating, dynamic performer, combining an endearing stage presence with a musicality rarely heard in vocalists. She has an innate ability to establish “instant rapport” with an audience. A Gastonia, NC native, and now residing in Los Angeles, Howell has been known to leave audiences mesmerized with her powerful, sultry, smooth voice, mixing R&B, gospel, and soul into her renditions of jazz classics.

As an actress Howell has appeared in the feature films “The Color Purple,” “The Hunger Games” “The Blind Side” and the Academy Award nominated “Hidden Figures,” as well TV’s “Revolution” and “Devious Maids.” As a vocalist Maria has shared the stage with Ray Charles, Najee, George Howard, Ramsey Lewis, George Benson, Nancy Wilson, lyricist Tim Rice and Marvin Hamlisch among others.