DOREEN KETCHENS
AUGUST 8
CONGREGATIONAL
UNITED CHURCH
CORAL GABLES
With nicknames including Lady Louie, Miss Satchmo and The Female Louis Armstrong, it’s been said that Doreen Ketchens plays like Charlie “Bird” Parker, sings like Mahalia Jackson, and has the chops and personality of Louis Armstrong. And since receiving her Doctorate in music in 2022, she is also Dr. Doreen J. Ketchens! She and her family, collectively known as Doreen’s Jazz New Orleans, have established a stellar reputation with millions of fans around the globe, as well as online fame with 85+ million views.
Growing up in New Orleans’ Tremé, Ketchens took up the clarinet in fifth grade to get out of a pop quiz by signing up for band. After high school, Ketchens auditioned and was accepted to NOCCA, Louisiana’s Arts Conservatory in New Orleans, and also attended Delgado Community College, Loyola University of New
Orleans, Southern University in New Orleans, and (through scholarships, including one from the New York Philharmonic) University of Hartford’s The Hartt School in Hartford, CT where she interned with the Hartford symphony orchestra.
She worked her way through college and conservatories as a chef, and met her husband – arranger and sousaphonist for Doreen’s Jazz New Orleans, Lawrence
Ketchens – at Loyola. Interestingly, Ketchens says, “I started playing jazz because I fell in love with a tuba player! Lawrence, my husband, had a jazz band, and all of the sudden, jazz wasn’t so bad. I started to listen to jazz so I could learn the tunes and fit in with his band.”
The couple’s first jazz gig together was at the 1987 Republican National Convention, and they were performing on the streets of New Orleans soon after, evolving into Doreen’s Jazz New Orleans, entertaining crowds at street shows, jazz festivals, and direct internet sales of their music and videos.
Ketchens’ daughter Dorian Ketchens-Dixon, made her stage debut at age nine, as a
music, multiple genres, musical terms, performance styles and techniques, while spreading the culture and music of New Orleans.
Live on stage or in the studio performing jazz, blues, gospel, R&B or classical, Ketchens can also be found in numerous radio and television shows, including Tremé, Drunk History, Out of Blue, Come On, Come On, Tyler Perry’s Temptation, Jimmy Kimmel Live and CBS Sunday Morning. In 2006, she was part of a program for South African cultural exchange with the Field Band Foundation that was sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and Jazz at Lincoln Center in Johannesburg, Durban, and Cape Town. She has also been featured in numerous documentaries about New Orleans, its heritage, and its music, including several profiles by NO jazz radio station WWOZ (“The Greatest Station in the Nation”), and dozens of articles from major newspapers and magazines around the world. The group continues to perform on Royal Street in the French Quarter of New Orleans after more than three
Polly O’Keary
and the Rhythm Method
After learning to read music by kerosene lamp in a log cabin in a remote part of Washington State, Polly O’Keary started playing in ex-pat bars in Mexico at 16. By 21 she had logged more stage hours than most musicians twice her age. At 28, upon seeing Jeff Healey at a friend’s bar in Canada, she became obsessed with blues, studying and practicing her way on to the Pacific Northwest blues scene. Today, O’Keary is a PhD student, a world-traveled bassist, and one of Washington State’s most highly-awarded female blues singers and songwriters. But her music reflects the life of a modern blues woman; she’s seen the river rise and take everything more than once, and lived to laugh, sing, and write music about it. Polly O’Keary and the Rhythm Method is the trio she built with her husband and drummer Tommy Cook, winner of the 2017 Washington Blues Society Blues Drummer award, with whom she shared rhythm section duties for international touring act Too Slim and the Taildraggers for four years. Rounding out the trio is guitarist David Miller, previously of The Dave Miller Band, one of Southern California’s most popular blues bands for almost two decades. In 2021, all three Rhythm Method members turned 50, inspiring the name of their sixth and current release. 50 furthers the innovations that made the band’s last studio album, Black Crow Callin’ a finalist in the Best Self Produced CD category at the 2018 International Blues Challenge. More at polly okeary.com AUGUST 16
Leo
Quintero
Originally from Caracas, Venezuela, composer, guitarist and arranger Leo Quintero is a member of a dynasty of musicians and singers like his father “El Negro” José Quintero and his siblings Maricruz and Frank Quintero. He graduated cum laude from Boston’s famed Berklee College of Music, and served on the faculty from 1991 to 1995. A Miami resident since 1995, Quintero has diligently cemented his legacy as a guitarist and composer. For more than 30 years, he has been noted for his work as a recording studio guitarist on more than 1,000 projects including Tiger’s Baku (tour of the USA, Canada and Japan 1981-1984), The Bob Moses Band (tour of Europe 1985-1986), Igor Buttman Quintet (Boston 1989-1990), Paquito de Rivera and the Habana Ensemble (Boston 1991), and The Road Quartet (Miami 1998-2004). For more than 50 years Quintero has also been noted for his work as a session guitarist. His long career in pop and Latin music boasts many highlights, including performances on Ricky Martin’s Grammy-winning 1998 Vuelve album, and his work with Jose Negróni on 2015’s Latin Grammy-nominated Negróni Piano + 9 Quintero’s solo recording career spans 2004’s Another Day and 2005’s Ofrendas through 2020’s Christmas Album. While he was declared legally blind about four years ago, Quintero has continued his multi-faceted music career and also works as a music instructor. His student Néstor Rigaud was recently awarded a 2019 Latin Grammy Award for
AUGUST 10
BAYCARE SOUND
AUGUST 11 ST
AMPHITHEATRE ST
ZZ Ward
Born Zsuzsanna Eva Ward, 28-year-old ZZ Ward joined her first band at age 12. Her 2011’s debut EP Criminal was released the same year as Eleven Roses, a free mixtape featuring her interpretations of tracks by urban and R&B acts. Ward’s debut full-length album, 2012’s the Casket Drops includes the singles “365 Days,” “Last Love Song” and “Put the Gun Down,” which broke into the Top 10 on the Adult Alternative Airplay radio chart and stayed there for 10 weeks, and also broke into the Top 40 on the Billboard Alternative chart. In 2017, collaborated with Gary Clark Jr. on “Ride” from the soundtrack to Cars 3, and released her second studio album, The Storm. It peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Blues Albums chart, at No. 12 on the Billboard Rock Albums chart, and at No. 75 on the Billboard 200. In 2021, Ward launched Dirty Shine Records, a nod to her fanbase where the phrase “dirty shine” means being your authentic self; imperfections and vulnerabilities included. She also released her third studio album Dirty Shine. Earlier this year, Ward released the singles “WTH Did I Do?”and “Best Friends”from her third EP, Where Did All the Love Go? And Ward just released her first single “Mother” with Sun Records last month. And the hat? Ward started wearing a fedora onstage at age 12 when she performed with her father’s blues band and wanted to feel “more confident like Muddy Waters and Big Mama Thornton.” It’s working! More at zzward.com
Greg Diamond
Acclaimed jazz guitarist Greg Diamond is known for his innovative and soulful approach to music. Born in New York City to a musical family of mixed EasternEuropean Jewish and Colombian heritage, Diamond draws his influence from an eclectic palette of sounds. Diamond’s father, a Julliard-trained classical pianist and opera singer, exposed Diamond to the rich sounds of Rachmaninov, Chopin, Bach, and Puccini, while his mother played the vibrant tropical sounds of cumbia legends Lucho Bermúdez and Pacho Galán at family gatherings. With his impassioned performances and distinctive sound, Diamond has stepped into the spotlight as an innovator with a distinct brand of Latin-infused contemporary jazz. His original compositions blend sophisticated harmonies with infectious grooves, taking listeners on a sonic journey that transcends boundaries, with that deep-rooted connection to his Latin heritage finding expression with vibrant rhythms and colorful textures. His albums, most recently 2023’s trio release Beata and 2022’s solo set of classical guitar covers Calera, have received widespread critical acclaim and garnered him a dedicated following worldwide. Diamond has performed with his group at premier venues and events including The Blue Note New York, Jazz Ahead in Bremen, The National Centre for Performing Arts in Mumbai, the Madrid International Jazz Festival, and was a semifinalist in the 2007 Gibson International Jazz Guitar Competition hosted by the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland. He holds a DMA in Instrumental Jazz Performance from the University of Miami and currently resides in Miami. More at gregdiamondmusic.com
John Lumpkin II
Producer, arranger, and artist in the jazz, R&B and gospel scenes, John Lumpkin II obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Jazz Studies from the University of North Florida and a Master’s Degree from Florida State. Lumpkin grew up in the Pentecostal church and he says, “The church is the root of my zeal for music and forever shall be.” Throughout his career Lumpkin has shared the stage with greats such as Delfeayo Marsalis, Wycliffe Gordon, Emmet Cohen, Diane Schurr, Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, Arturo Sandoval, and many others. He is the founder of the Jazz Discovery Series at The Ritz Theatre in Jacksonville. And The John Lumpkin Institute offers Duval County students the opportunity to be a part of a Jazz Youth Orchestra, studying repertoire spanning from Bach to the Miles Davis Quintet while challenging them to be creative innovators of modern music. Says Lumpkin, “When we are able to learn from the past, we then can create a brighter future for the next generation.” One way Lumpkin himself does this is with The Covenant, his five-piece gospel/jazz band, and 2015 brought the release of his first album, Devotion. Lumpkin has participated internationally in the Jazz at Lincoln Centers Artist in Residency Program, and in 2017 he was part of the Dr. Phillips Jazz Orchestra, by Wynton Marsalis in conjunction with Dr. Phillips Fine Arts Center in Orlando Along with his passion for the church, he is also a part of Beyond Music, an online platform where artists from around the world can create music. More at johnlumpkinmusic.com
JOEY GILMORE
1944-2024
“Beyond his musical talent, Joey was a kind and humble man. He was always generous with his time, offering guidance and support to aspiring musicians and never hesitating to share his knowledge and experiences. His warmth and genuine nature made him a beloved figure in the music community and beyond.
Joey’s legacy will live on through his music, which will continue to inspire and move us. His contributions to the world of blues are immeasurable, and his spirit will forever echo in the hearts of those who had the privilege of knowing him and experiencing his art.”
Excerpt from a tribute to Joey Gilmore by Randy Steel. Gilmore graced the cover of our April 2015 issue.
Champ Jaxon
AUGUST 31
CELTIC RAY
PUNTA GORDA
Thirteen-year-old aspiring blues-rock musician Champ Jaxon has already performed more than 180 gigs with The Champ Jaxon Band in nine different states… and counting. Born in New Bedford, MA, Jaxon’s family relocated back to their Florida hometown in 2013 when he was just three years old. In May of 2021, a video of Jaxon performing The Marshall Tucker Band’s “Can’t You See” went viral, which led to the band inviting him to a show and inviting him up to perform that song with them. Two months later, they asked him to fill in on lead guitar for an entire set, opening for the band Alabama. He appeared on The Ellen Show with guest host Brad Paisley in December 2021 and made his acting debut on NBC’s “Ordinary Joe”a month later. By 2022 he was on Beale Street in Memphis, representing the Southwest Florida Blues Society at the International Blues Challenge. He also performed at the 2022 Young Artist Academy Awards in Hollywood, CA, where he took home Outstanding Instrumentalist honors. Jaxon has been invited to play alongside The Allman-Betts Band, Eric Gales, and Damon Fowler, among others. Additionally, The Champ Jaxon Band has been a supporting act on bills listing Gov’t Mule, Blackberry Smoke, and Old Crow Medicine Show. Their 2021 debut album Grove includes six original songs and one cover. They also released a live album in 2023 titled Evening with the Champ Jaxon Band. Two new singles are out now:
“Homework Blues” and “Gas Station Tie-Dye. More at champ jaxon.com
