Straight Ahead and Mr B in SEMJA / KCH Club Series
There will be two events in the SEMJA/KCH Club Series at Kerrytown Concert House this month. Mr B (Mark Braun) will play his annual Birthday Bounce at Kerrytown Concert House on February 13 at 8:00 p.m., and on February 20 Detroit's own Straight Ahead will appear, also at 8:00 p.m.
Mr B is a boogie-woogie piano master who learned a lot from Detroit’s legendary Boogie Woogie Red at the Blind Pig in Ann Arbor. B has a long list of recordings, including Mr B Live, a 2002 CD from his appearance at KCH on his birthday, Joybox in 1998 with Paul Keller and Pete Siers, and Hallelujah Train with the Bird of Paradise Orchestra in 1996. He has also recorded with Detroit jazz legends drummers JC Heard and Roy Brooks and trumpeter Marcus Belgrave. Every summer he appears on the streets of the Ann Arbor Art Fair, but it is also special to hear him on the Steinway at Kerrytown for his birthday bounce.
Straight Ahead was formed in 1987, and some of the original members are still with it: bassist Marion Hayden and drummer Gayelynne McKinney. The most well-known original member was violinist Regina Carter, who departed for the East Coast in 1991. The group recorded three albums for Atlantic in the 1990s featuring its own version of fusion jazz. Hayden and McKinney have since become central pillars of the Detroit jazz scene and invited saxophonist Yancyy, pianist Alina Moor, and vocalist Kymberli Wright for this latest version of the group.
The Club Series is a cooperative venture between SEMJA and KCH. SEMJA volunteers will serve beer, wine, and soft drinks at the event to create more of a jazz club feel. The Kerrytown Concert House is located at 415 North Fourth Ave. in the Kerrytown Market district. You can make reservations by calling 734-769-2999 or visiting the Kerrytown Concert House website.
LEFT: Marion Hayden
RIGHT: Mr B.