Susan Chastain Next in
SEMJA / KCH Club Series

Vocalist Susan Chastain will celebrate her birthday at Kerrytown Concert House in Ann Arbor on Friday, April 11, with pianist Phil DeGreg and bassist Paul Keller. The group will play at both 8:00 pm and 9:30 p.m. Since this is part of the SEMJA/KCH Club Series, SEMJA volunteers will be working the bar to serve wine, beer, and soft drinks at both concerts.

Susan Chastain worked as waitress and bartender at the Bird of Paradise in Ann Arbor in the early 1990s and decided to try singing with Paul Keller’s big band that had a regular Monday night gig at the club. She eventually started her own club, the Firefly, and Keller’s band was one of the bands featured there. Susan appears on five of the Paul Keller Orchestra (PKO) CDs and also on four CDs made by Paul Klinger’s Easy Street Jazz Band. In 2005 she recorded her own Steady Gig with the Paul Keller Ensemble. The Firefly lasted until 2009 when Susan moved to Florida, but she has made the trek back to Ann Arbor for this reunion several times to the delight of many of her old fans.

Phil DeGreg is a veteran Cincinnati, Ohio, pianist who has released nine recordings as a leader, most recently Down the Middle. He was the house pianist at Cinci’s Blue Wisp Jazz Club and had the chance to play with a long line of prominent names in jazz.

To make a reservation for this concert, please call KCH at 734-769-2999 or go to their website. KCH is located at 415 North Fourth Ave. in Ann Arbor, opposite the Kerrytown Market.