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Craft cocktails and small plates begin at 6:00 pm.
Seating includes the club & patio and is first-come at the door. Only Baby Grand Members qualify for preferred seating. Learn more about Middle C Jazz memberships.
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Seating includes the club & patio and is first-come at the door. Only Baby Grand Members qualify for preferred seating. Learn more about Middle C Jazz memberships.
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Craft cocktails and small plates begin at 5:00 PM.
Seating includes the club & patio and is first-come at the door. Only Baby Grand Members qualify for preferred seating. Learn more about Middle C Jazz memberships.
John Dillard
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Profusely creative, highly energetic, sensitive, and yet dynamic: These are a few words that describe the artistry of this extraordinary artist and bassist. From Gospel to RnB, Funk to Jazz, John’s versa-le style has been a key element for many artists, producers, and musical directors worldwide.
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THURSDAY NIGHT JAZZ JAM & MARTINIS WITH THE RODNEY SHELTON GROUP!
Craft cocktails and small plates begin at 6:00 pm.
Seating includes the club & patio and is first-come at the door. Only Baby Grand Members qualify for preferred seating. Learn more about Middle C Jazz memberships.
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”.
While pursing a degree at Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, North Carolina, Rodney continue to develop his gift of music. Unwearingly in his work ethic, the young Rodney Shelton started touring the east coast with the show band “Time Square” and only after a few years of touring, Rodney moved into his calling as a songwriter/producer creating hundreds of songs for signed artist.
In the early 90’s after meeting with the Legendary Music promoter/manager “Howard Rosen”, that Rosen encounter lead to another encounter with the Legendary producer Stewart Levine and Jolie Jones (daughter of Quincy Jones) in king a production deal.
With the legends at work, shopping “the demo” to top record labels, the band “Curio” signed a deal with Motown records. During the recording of their album, the band unique sound, the band performed in the HIT movie “Another 48 hours” featuring Eddie Murphy, doing three songs on the movie soundtrack.
While signed to Motown, Rodney met R&B singer “Keith Washington” and along with Marsha Jenkins wrote the NOW platinum record “Kissing You”, which after 20 years is still rocking the airwaves!
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Craft cocktails and small plates begin at 6:00 pm.
Seating includes the club & patio and is first-come at the door. Only Baby Grand Members qualify for preferred seating. Learn more about Middle C Jazz memberships.
The great Dave Brubeck is one of the most iconic names in jazz. Along with saxophonist Paul Desmond, bassist Gene Wright and drummer Joe Morello, Brubeck helped define the genre of West Coast “cool” jazz." In 1959 Brubeck released Time Out, which included the iconic “Take Five,” a Desmond composition that would go on to become Brubeck’s signature song. Featuring compositions in odd and mixed meters (outside the conventional 4/4 time that Western ears were primarily accustomed), Time Out is widely considered one of the greatest and most influential albums in jazz history. Join the Noel Freidline Quartet featuring saxophonist Adrian Crutchfield (Prince, Lionel Richie) as they explore the diversity of Brubeck’s music - from Time Out classics “Take Five” and “Blue Rondo a la Turk,” to Brubeck’s take on Stephen Foster and the music of Disney.
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Seating includes the club & patio and is first-come at the door. Only Baby Grand Members qualify for preferred seating. Learn more about Middle C Jazz memberships.
The great Dave Brubeck is one of the most iconic names in jazz. Along with saxophonist Paul Desmond, bassist Gene Wright and drummer Joe Morello, Brubeck helped define the genre of West Coast “cool” jazz." In 1959 Brubeck released Time Out, which included the iconic “Take Five,” a Desmond composition that would go on to become Brubeck’s signature song. Featuring compositions in odd and mixed meters (outside the conventional 4/4 time that Western ears were primarily accustomed), Time Out is widely considered one of the greatest and most influential albums in jazz history. Join the Noel Freidline Quartet featuring saxophonist Adrian Crutchfield (Prince, Lionel Richie) as they explore the diversity of Brubeck’s music - from Time Out classics “Take Five” and “Blue Rondo a la Turk,” to Brubeck’s take on Stephen Foster and the music of Disney.
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Craft cocktails and small plates begin at 6:00 pm.
Seating includes the club & patio and is first-come at the door. Only Baby Grand Members qualify for preferred seating. Learn more about Middle C Jazz memberships.
Bold, yet simultaneously charming; Edgy; yet at the same time beautiful; these seemingly opposing adjectives might well-describe the music of artist/trumpeter Willie Bradley, but also fittingly tell about the man! Willie Bradley’s music brings together many varied styles but takes Smooth Jazz to another whole level.
Willie Bradley is a native of Orangeburg, SC, and a graduate of South Carolina State University, Orangeburg, SC where he earned his BS Degree in Music Education and Performance. Over the course of his career, he has become a go–to musician for many of soul music’s greats over the years. Willie’s stage presence includes performances with jazz greats including Dizzy Gillespie, Clark Terry, Frank Foster, Max Roach, Betty Carter, Gerald Albright, Walter Beasley, Alex Bugnon, Ronnie Laws, Hiroshima, and Marion Meadows.
In 2014, Willie released his debut Contemporary Jazz CD “Another Day & Time” produced and co-written by keyboardist/Recording Artist Nicholas Cole. Tracks from this CD made the Smooth Jazz Billboard Charts and have been added to Smooth Jazz Radio Stations worldwide to include Music Choice, Pandora, Spotify, and iHeart Radio.
Bold, yet simultaneously charming; Edgy, yet at the same time beautiful; these seemingly opposing adjectives might well-describe the music of artist/trumpeter Willie Bradley, but also fittingly tell about the man! Willie Bradley’s music brings together many varied styles but takes smooth jazz to a whole new level. On his new CD project “Going With The Flow”, Willie is definitely not just going with the average flow of things. Together with multi-award winning producer Preston Glass, (Kenny G., George Benson, Earth Wind & Fire, and many more) they have brought together a fantastic group of songs as well as a cast of stellar musicians with varied styles (Greg Manning, Gerald Alston from The Manhattans, Bob Baldwin, Club Nouveau, and Jerry Martini of Sly & The Family Stone).
This musical adventure promises to be an appetizer of sweet things to come for Willie; savor it with open ears; and heart!
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Seating includes the club & patio and is first-come at the door. Only Baby Grand Members qualify for preferred seating. Learn more about Middle C Jazz memberships.
Bold, yet simultaneously charming; Edgy; yet at the same time beautiful; these seemingly opposing adjectives might well-describe the music of artist/trumpeter Willie Bradley, but also fittingly tell about the man! Willie Bradley’s music brings together many varied styles but takes Smooth Jazz to another whole level.
Willie Bradley is a native of Orangeburg, SC, and a graduate of South Carolina State University, Orangeburg, SC where he earned his BS Degree in Music Education and Performance. Over the course of his career, he has become a go–to musician for many of soul music’s greats over the years. Willie’s stage presence includes performances with jazz greats including Dizzy Gillespie, Clark Terry, Frank Foster, Max Roach, Betty Carter, Gerald Albright, Walter Beasley, Alex Bugnon, Ronnie Laws, Hiroshima, and Marion Meadows.
In 2014, Willie released his debut Contemporary Jazz CD “Another Day & Time” produced and co-written by keyboardist/Recording Artist Nicholas Cole. Tracks from this CD made the Smooth Jazz Billboard Charts and have been added to Smooth Jazz Radio Stations worldwide to include Music Choice, Pandora, Spotify, and iHeart Radio.
Bold, yet simultaneously charming; Edgy, yet at the same time beautiful; these seemingly opposing adjectives might well-describe the music of artist/trumpeter Willie Bradley, but also fittingly tell about the man! Willie Bradley’s music brings together many varied styles but takes smooth jazz to a whole new level. On his new CD project “Going With The Flow”, Willie is definitely not just going with the average flow of things. Together with multi-award winning producer Preston Glass, (Kenny G., George Benson, Earth Wind & Fire, and many more) they have brought together a fantastic group of songs as well as a cast of stellar musicians with varied styles (Greg Manning, Gerald Alston from The Manhattans, Bob Baldwin, Club Nouveau, and Jerry Martini of Sly & The Family Stone).
This musical adventure promises to be an appetizer of sweet things to come for Willie; savor it with open ears; and heart!
More Information
Craft cocktails and small plates begin at 6:00 pm.
Seating includes the club & patio and is first-come at the door. Only Baby Grand Members qualify for preferred seating. Learn more about Middle C Jazz memberships.
Bold, yet simultaneously charming; Edgy; yet at the same time beautiful; these seemingly opposing adjectives might well-describe the music of artist/trumpeter Willie Bradley, but also fittingly tell about the man! Willie Bradley’s music brings together many varied styles but takes Smooth Jazz to another whole level.
Willie Bradley is a native of Orangeburg, SC, and a graduate of South Carolina State University, Orangeburg, SC where he earned his BS Degree in Music Education and Performance. Over the course of his career, he has become a go–to musician for many of soul music’s greats over the years. Willie’s stage presence includes performances with jazz greats including Dizzy Gillespie, Clark Terry, Frank Foster, Max Roach, Betty Carter, Gerald Albright, Walter Beasley, Alex Bugnon, Ronnie Laws, Hiroshima, and Marion Meadows.
In 2014, Willie released his debut Contemporary Jazz CD “Another Day & Time” produced and co-written by keyboardist/Recording Artist Nicholas Cole. Tracks from this CD made the Smooth Jazz Billboard Charts and have been added to Smooth Jazz Radio Stations worldwide to include Music Choice, Pandora, Spotify, and iHeart Radio.
Bold, yet simultaneously charming; Edgy, yet at the same time beautiful; these seemingly opposing adjectives might well-describe the music of artist/trumpeter Willie Bradley, but also fittingly tell about the man! Willie Bradley’s music brings together many varied styles but takes smooth jazz to a whole new level. On his new CD project “Going With The Flow”, Willie is definitely not just going with the average flow of things. Together with multi-award winning producer Preston Glass, (Kenny G., George Benson, Earth Wind & Fire, and many more) they have brought together a fantastic group of songs as well as a cast of stellar musicians with varied styles (Greg Manning, Gerald Alston from The Manhattans, Bob Baldwin, Club Nouveau, and Jerry Martini of Sly & The Family Stone).
This musical adventure promises to be an appetizer of sweet things to come for Willie; savor it with open ears; and heart!
More Information
Seating includes the club & patio and is first-come at the door. Only Baby Grand Members qualify for preferred seating. Learn more about Middle C Jazz memberships.
Bold, yet simultaneously charming; Edgy; yet at the same time beautiful; these seemingly opposing adjectives might well-describe the music of artist/trumpeter Willie Bradley, but also fittingly tell about the man! Willie Bradley’s music brings together many varied styles but takes Smooth Jazz to another whole level.
Willie Bradley is a native of Orangeburg, SC, and a graduate of South Carolina State University, Orangeburg, SC where he earned his BS Degree in Music Education and Performance. Over the course of his career, he has become a go–to musician for many of soul music’s greats over the years. Willie’s stage presence includes performances with jazz greats including Dizzy Gillespie, Clark Terry, Frank Foster, Max Roach, Betty Carter, Gerald Albright, Walter Beasley, Alex Bugnon, Ronnie Laws, Hiroshima, and Marion Meadows.
In 2014, Willie released his debut Contemporary Jazz CD “Another Day & Time” produced and co-written by keyboardist/Recording Artist Nicholas Cole. Tracks from this CD made the Smooth Jazz Billboard Charts and have been added to Smooth Jazz Radio Stations worldwide to include Music Choice, Pandora, Spotify, and iHeart Radio.
Bold, yet simultaneously charming; Edgy, yet at the same time beautiful; these seemingly opposing adjectives might well-describe the music of artist/trumpeter Willie Bradley, but also fittingly tell about the man! Willie Bradley’s music brings together many varied styles but takes smooth jazz to a whole new level. On his new CD project “Going With The Flow”, Willie is definitely not just going with the average flow of things. Together with multi-award winning producer Preston Glass, (Kenny G., George Benson, Earth Wind & Fire, and many more) they have brought together a fantastic group of songs as well as a cast of stellar musicians with varied styles (Greg Manning, Gerald Alston from The Manhattans, Bob Baldwin, Club Nouveau, and Jerry Martini of Sly & The Family Stone).
This musical adventure promises to be an appetizer of sweet things to come for Willie; savor it with open ears; and heart!
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Craft cocktails and small plates begin at 12:00 noon.
Seating includes the club & patio and is first-come at the door. Only Baby Grand Members qualify for preferred seating. Learn more about Middle C Jazz memberships.
Fuel your body and move your soul! With classic gospel playlists and live gospel performances with the El Lambert Band Featuring Joseph Preister. Be prepared to feast on inspirational music that will surely move your body and fuel your soul.
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Rodney Shelton and Eric Brice Present Mandyl Evans: The Songs of Teddy Pendergrass
Craft cocktails and small plates begin at 6:00 pm.
Seating includes the club & patio and is first-come at the door. Only Baby Grand Members qualify for preferred seating. Learn more about Middle C Jazz memberships.
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”.
While pursing a degree at Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, North Carolina, Rodney continue to develop his gift of music. Unwearingly in his work ethic, the young Rodney Shelton started touring the east coast with the show band “Time Square” and only after a few years of touring, Rodney moved into his calling as a songwriter/producer creating hundreds of songs for signed artist.
In the early 90’s after meeting with the Legendary Music promoter/manager “Howard Rosen”, that Rosen encounter lead to another encounter with the Legendary producer Stewart Levine and Jolie Jones (daughter of Quincy Jones) in king a production deal.
With the legends at work, shopping “the demo” to top record labels, the band “Curio” signed a deal with Motown records. During the recording of their album, the band unique sound, the band performed in the HIT movie “Another 48 hours” featuring Eddie Murphy, doing three songs on the movie soundtrack.
While signed to Motown, Rodney met R&B singer “Keith Washington” and along with Marsha Jenkins wrote the NOW platinum record “Kissing You”, which after 20 years is still rocking the airwaves!
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Craft cocktails and small plates begin at 6:00 pm.
Seating includes the club & patio and is first-come at the door. Only Baby Grand Members qualify for preferred seating. Learn more about Middle C Jazz memberships.
Jason “Slim” Gambill Is a multi-genre guitarist, producer, composer, arranger and songwriter. He is best known as the lead guitarist for the multi- platinum Big Machine Recording Artist Lady A, who has sold more than 16 million albums worldwide, racked up 7 GRAMMYs and countless ACM, CMA and People’s Choice Awards, and had 9 #1 songs.
For the past 12 years, music fans across the globe have come to know guitarist Jason “Slim” Gambill as the secret weapon of country superstars Lady A. Of course, he makes sure he’s hard to miss: His two-foot-long braids are as easily recognizable as his fiery, hook-filled, rock-and-soul-infused solos. In short, when it comes to authenticity and individuality, Gambill is as real as it gets.
So it comes as something of a head scratcher that he’s called his first solo album Fake Jazz & Theme Songs, especially when there’s nary a smidgen of a false note or an overly stylized moment to be found on the entire disc. With characteristic modesty, Gambill explains the tongue-in-cheek first half of the title thusly: “I guess you could say I’m a tourist when it comes to jazz, much in the way that I’ve been to London, but I’ve never lived there. My music is very informed by the genre, but I would never put myself on the level of guys who have devoted their lives to jazz.”
Which isn’t to say that Gambill hasn’t put in his time with jazz. Back when he was a student at the University of Southern California, he spent countless hours transcribing standards as part of his studies in the Studio Jazz Guitar Program. “It was great training, but I just couldn’t see spending a week writing out somebody else’s solo,” he says. “I wanted to write and play my own music. That’s what I was itching to do.”
As for the “theme songs” portion of the title, it harkens back to Gambill’s earliest days as a player, when he would sit in front of the TV and jam along to the music in ‘80s police dramas. “I learned so much about the guitar that way,” he says. “I still love to practice to the TV. I don’t even consider it practice – it’s just fun.”
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Seating includes the club & patio and is first-come at the door. Only Baby Grand Members qualify for preferred seating. Learn more about Middle C Jazz memberships.
Jason “Slim” Gambill Is a multi-genre guitarist, producer, composer, arranger and songwriter. He is best known as the lead guitarist for the multi- platinum Big Machine Recording Artist Lady A, who has sold more than 16 million albums worldwide, racked up 7 GRAMMYs and countless ACM, CMA and People’s Choice Awards, and had 9 #1 songs.
For the past 12 years, music fans across the globe have come to know guitarist Jason “Slim” Gambill as the secret weapon of country superstars Lady A. Of course, he makes sure he’s hard to miss: His two-foot-long braids are as easily recognizable as his fiery, hook-filled, rock-and-soul-infused solos. In short, when it comes to authenticity and individuality, Gambill is as real as it gets.
So it comes as something of a head scratcher that he’s called his first solo album Fake Jazz & Theme Songs, especially when there’s nary a smidgen of a false note or an overly stylized moment to be found on the entire disc. With characteristic modesty, Gambill explains the tongue-in-cheek first half of the title thusly: “I guess you could say I’m a tourist when it comes to jazz, much in the way that I’ve been to London, but I’ve never lived there. My music is very informed by the genre, but I would never put myself on the level of guys who have devoted their lives to jazz.”
Which isn’t to say that Gambill hasn’t put in his time with jazz. Back when he was a student at the University of Southern California, he spent countless hours transcribing standards as part of his studies in the Studio Jazz Guitar Program. “It was great training, but I just couldn’t see spending a week writing out somebody else’s solo,” he says. “I wanted to write and play my own music. That’s what I was itching to do.”
As for the “theme songs” portion of the title, it harkens back to Gambill’s earliest days as a player, when he would sit in front of the TV and jam along to the music in ‘80s police dramas. “I learned so much about the guitar that way,” he says. “I still love to practice to the TV. I don’t even consider it practice – it’s just fun.”
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“Jazz Group of the Year” nominee, The Lao Tizer Quartet feat Karen Briggs make their debut at Charlotte’s new premiere jazz venue, Middle C Jazz, on Friday, March 20, 2020 in support of their new, Billboard Jazz Top 10 CD/DVD combo-pack release, Songs From The Swinghouse! Led by pianist, keyboardist, composer and former “Best New Jazz Artist” nominee, Lao Tizer (Special EFX, Down To The Bone), the group also features violinist extraordinare, Karen Briggs (Yanni, Stanley Clarke), Grammy winning drummer Gene Coye (Larry Carlton, Terence Blanchard) and Senegalese bassist, Cheikh N’Doye (Baaba Maal, Mike Stern). Please join us for a memorable evening of music not to be missed!
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“Jazz Group of the Year” nominee, The Lao Tizer Quartet feat Karen Briggs make their debut at Charlotte’s new premiere jazz venue, Middle C Jazz, on Friday, March 20, 2020 in support of their new, Billboard Jazz Top 10 CD/DVD combo-pack release, Songs From The Swinghouse! Led by pianist, keyboardist, composer and former “Best New Jazz Artist” nominee, Lao Tizer (Special EFX, Down To The Bone), the group also features violinist extraordinare, Karen Briggs (Yanni, Stanley Clarke), Grammy winning drummer Gene Coye (Larry Carlton, Terence Blanchard) and Senegalese bassist, Cheikh N’Doye (Baaba Maal, Mike Stern). Please join us for a memorable evening of music not to be missed!
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Meadows was born in West Virginia and grew up in Stamford, Connecticut. He began playing the clarinet and studying classical music at the age of nine.
He started playing tenor sax in high school, and then migrated to soprano sax. His passion for various types of music led him down an eclectic musical path. He was intrigued by the styles of jazz musicians, like Stanley Turrentine, Sidney Bichet, Johnny Hodges, John Coltrane, Sonny Stitt, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Dexter Gordon, Cannonball Adderley, Coleman Hawkins, Sonny Fortune, Joe Henderson, Grover Washington and many others. After studying jazz at Rippowam High School in Stamford, CT with Anthony Truglia, Meadows attended Berklee College of Music. There he majored in arranging and composition. He later went to the SUNY Purchase School for the Arts. During his college years he played in a number of bands including disco, R&B and various jazz ensmbles. I got a lot of sideman jobs in college, and I have always said I got my real graduate degree playing clubs, says Meadows, who perfected his craft studying with Sonny Fortune, Joe Henderson, Dave Liebman and Eddie Daniels. “Not long after I finished school, (drummer) Norman Connors recorded one of my songs, “Invitation” and then asked me to join his band. I later produced his Passion album with my colleague Jacques Burvick (Aquarium Dream) . Things just fell into place. Meadows first hit the airwaves in 1991 with “For Lovers Only”, but his career really began one day in the late ‘80s at New York’s Grand Central Station. He had been a sideman with Connors for three years, with only vague notions of eventually going solo. One day, while waiting for a train, he pulled out his horn and began playing under the huge dome. His sweet sound caught the attention of fellow traveler, producer and TV composer Jay Chattaway, who happened to be passing by on his way to the train. Chattaway was so impressed with Meadows’ sound that he hooked Meadows up with legendary keyboardist Bob James. Meadows and James collaborated on a recording which unfortunately went unreleased. The experience put him on the road to his eventual success. Meadows hooked up with numerous artists and musicians and became a well known sideman in his own right, recording or performing over the years with Brook Benton, Eartha Kitt, Phyllis Hyman, Jean Carne, The Temptations, Michael Bolton, Angela Bofill, Will Downing , Bob Baldwin, Chuck Loeb, John Lee, among many others. In the late ‘80s, Meadows stretched his boundaries by becoming a member of a New York avant-garde band called the Aboriginal Music Society. In 1990 Meadows submitted a solo project to Steve Backer at Novus/RCA and was signed to a recording contract, thus marking the beginning of his solo career. Meadows’ first RCA release “For Lover’s Only” was a huge success and was followed by his ground breaking “Keep it Right There” album. He became a staple of the contemporary jazz format with his subsequent recordings, which include Body Rhythm (1994) and Forbidden Fruit (1996), Passion (1997), Another Side Of Midnight (1999), Next To You (2000), In Deep (2002), Players Club (2004), Dressed To Chill (2006), Secrets (2009) Whisper (2013) and most recently Soul Traveler, the first installment of his Soul Trilogy which now showcases his current release, Soul City" on the New York based Shanachie Label. Meadows is a semi-pro cyclist, graphic artist and designer. Marion received a doctorate from Wilberforce Universty in 2016.
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Seating includes the club & patio and is first-come at the door. Only Baby Grand Members qualify for preferred seating. Learn more about Middle C Jazz memberships.
Marion Meadows
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Meadows was born in West Virginia and grew up in Stamford, Connecticut. He began playing the clarinet and studying classical music at the age of nine.
He started playing tenor sax in high school, and then migrated to soprano sax. His passion for various types of music led him down an eclectic musical path. He was intrigued by the styles of jazz musicians, like Stanley Turrentine, Sidney Bichet, Johnny Hodges, John Coltrane, Sonny Stitt, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Dexter Gordon, Cannonball Adderley, Coleman Hawkins, Sonny Fortune, Joe Henderson, Grover Washington and many others. After studying jazz at Rippowam High School in Stamford, CT with Anthony Truglia, Meadows attended Berklee College of Music. There he majored in arranging and composition. He later went to the SUNY Purchase School for the Arts. During his college years he played in a number of bands including disco, R&B and various jazz ensmbles. I got a lot of sideman jobs in college, and I have always said I got my real graduate degree playing clubs, says Meadows, who perfected his craft studying with Sonny Fortune, Joe Henderson, Dave Liebman and Eddie Daniels. “Not long after I finished school, (drummer) Norman Connors recorded one of my songs, “Invitation” and then asked me to join his band. I later produced his Passion album with my colleague Jacques Burvick (Aquarium Dream) . Things just fell into place. Meadows first hit the airwaves in 1991 with “For Lovers Only”, but his career really began one day in the late ‘80s at New York’s Grand Central Station. He had been a sideman with Connors for three years, with only vague notions of eventually going solo. One day, while waiting for a train, he pulled out his horn and began playing under the huge dome. His sweet sound caught the attention of fellow traveler, producer and TV composer Jay Chattaway, who happened to be passing by on his way to the train. Chattaway was so impressed with Meadows’ sound that he hooked Meadows up with legendary keyboardist Bob James. Meadows and James collaborated on a recording which unfortunately went unreleased. The experience put him on the road to his eventual success. Meadows hooked up with numerous artists and musicians and became a well known sideman in his own right, recording or performing over the years with Brook Benton, Eartha Kitt, Phyllis Hyman, Jean Carne, The Temptations, Michael Bolton, Angela Bofill, Will Downing , Bob Baldwin, Chuck Loeb, John Lee, among many others. In the late ‘80s, Meadows stretched his boundaries by becoming a member of a New York avant-garde band called the Aboriginal Music Society. In 1990 Meadows submitted a solo project to Steve Backer at Novus/RCA and was signed to a recording contract, thus marking the beginning of his solo career. Meadows is a semi-pro cyclist, graphic artist and designer. Marion received a doctorate from Wilberforce Universty in 2016.
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Craft cocktails and small plates begin at 6:00 pm.
Seating includes the club & patio and is first-come at the door. Only Baby Grand Members qualify for preferred seating. Learn more about Middle C Jazz memberships.
Meadows was born in West Virginia and grew up in Stamford, Connecticut. He began playing the clarinet and studying classical music at the age of nine.
He started playing tenor sax in high school, and then migrated to soprano sax. His passion for various types of music led him down an eclectic musical path. He was intrigued by the styles of jazz musicians, like Stanley Turrentine, Sidney Bichet, Johnny Hodges, John Coltrane, Sonny Stitt, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Dexter Gordon, Cannonball Adderley, Coleman Hawkins, Sonny Fortune, Joe Henderson, Grover Washington and many others. After studying jazz at Rippowam High School in Stamford, CT with Anthony Truglia, Meadows attended Berklee College of Music. There he majored in arranging and composition. He later went to the SUNY Purchase School for the Arts. During his college years he played in a number of bands including disco, R&B and various jazz ensmbles. I got a lot of sideman jobs in college, and I have always said I got my real graduate degree playing clubs, says Meadows, who perfected his craft studying with Sonny Fortune, Joe Henderson, Dave Liebman and Eddie Daniels. “Not long after I finished school, (drummer) Norman Connors recorded one of my songs, “Invitation” and then asked me to join his band. I later produced his Passion album with my colleague Jacques Burvick (Aquarium Dream) . Things just fell into place. Meadows first hit the airwaves in 1991 with “For Lovers Only”, but his career really began one day in the late ‘80s at New York’s Grand Central Station. He had been a sideman with Connors for three years, with only vague notions of eventually going solo. One day, while waiting for a train, he pulled out his horn and began playing under the huge dome. His sweet sound caught the attention of fellow traveler, producer and TV composer Jay Chattaway, who happened to be passing by on his way to the train. Chattaway was so impressed with Meadows’ sound that he hooked Meadows up with legendary keyboardist Bob James. Meadows and James collaborated on a recording which unfortunately went unreleased. The experience put him on the road to his eventual success. Meadows hooked up with numerous artists and musicians and became a well known sideman in his own right, recording or performing over the years with Brook Benton, Eartha Kitt, Phyllis Hyman, Jean Carne, The Temptations, Michael Bolton, Angela Bofill, Will Downing , Bob Baldwin, Chuck Loeb, John Lee, among many others. In the late ‘80s, Meadows stretched his boundaries by becoming a member of a New York avant-garde band called the Aboriginal Music Society.
