You are invited to experience the extraordinary talent of the 5th Clements Place Singer Showcase. This wildly successful series has been a big hit with our audiences as you will be immersed in captivating melodies and soulful arrangements performed exclusively for jazz enthusiasts like you. Indulge in a memorable evening at Clements Place, surrounded by world class singers, musicians, friends, family and loved ones. Experience the power of their passion and unwavering commitment to live music. Join us for an unforgettable evening guaranteed to leave a lasting impression.
2023 Clements Place Singer Showcase #5
The 5th Clements Place Singer Showcase has been curated by Gregory Burrus Productions exclusively for Clements Place featuring professional singers Dermel Warren, Wilma Ann and Mala Waldon. They will be supported by a stellar, top-notch house band consisting of Victor Jones on drums, Motoki Mihari on bass and Mala Waldon on Piano.
Mala Waldron
Mala Waldron (pronounced MAL-uh) Jazz/Soul Vocalist, Pianist & Composer from NYC. Daughter of renowned pianist-composer, Mal Waldron, is a native of NYC whose first paid gig was playing keys and singing back-up vocals with a local R&B band, “Liquid Pleasure” at the Elk’s club at age 15. Shortly after joining, the band was signed to RCA records (Midland International.) She later enrolled at SUNY, Old Westbury to study African-American Music Makanda Ken McIntyre, Richard Harper, Andrei Strobert, Warren Smith and Amina Claudine Myers, earning a Bachelor’s Degree.
Mala’s music career has taken her all over the world doing performances in such countries as Japan, France, Italy, Belgium, Russia, Belarus & China. She has performed on some of NYC’s most prestigious stages, including the Iridium Jazz Club, the Blue Note, the Jazz Standard, the 55 Bar, Brooklyn’s BAM Cafe, and at the Kennedy Center (Millennium Stage in Washington D.C.
She has done numerous international tours and festivals, including, Hennessy-Moet Asian XOXO Jazz Tour (with shows in China, Taiwan & Malaysia), the Catania Jazz Fest, Corinaldo Jazz Fest and Farfa Voice Fest (Sabina) as well as festivals in the U.S., a highlight of which was the Annual Diet Coke Women in Jazz Festival (JALC) opening for Patrice Rushen.
Dermel Warren
Dermel Warren was born and raised in Memphis, TN, where she grew up singing in her mother’s church. At church, she received her vocal training from Kelley Muller-Smith, first lady of Miracle Temple Ministries, Inc. She has performed background and lead vocals for Donald Lawrence, Richard Smallwood, Karen Clark-Sheard, Yolanda Adams, Ernest Pugh, jazz drummer Winard Harper (Betty Carter, Harper Brothers), and many more. Dermel has toured with Blues artists, Sergio Davis and the late Mel Waiters (“Hole in the Wall Man”). She also opened up forValerie Simpson, Jill Scott, Anthony Hamilton, & Mint Condition as a solo artist as part of the Budweiser Summer Fest Tour in 2011. She is currently based out of Greater New York, New Jersey, is co cofounder and lead vocalist for JD Warren and the Rudiment, also collaborating with producers on their projects, and working on her debut EP.
Wilma Ann
St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands native Wilma Ann crossed crystal blue waters to share her dynamic vocal presence. Her voice is touched with an intimate soul, softened by jazzy resonance and glorified with the cunning to flow smoothly through tight gospel-tinged riffs. Her music is at once soulful and funky, with an occasional hip-hop edge.
Wilma Ann began her musical career in grade school studying the flute, and she also began singing in church at age eleven. As her love for vocal music grew, she changed disciplines and formally studied vocal music by attending New York City’s “Fame” High School of the Arts. There she studied classical music and learned to sing in Italian, French, German, and Spanish. As a student at the Ivy League’s Cornell University, she directed the University’s gospel choir and founded Baraka Kwa Wimbo, a smaller gospel ensemble.
She also performed as a soloist and as part of a vocal trio with the university jazz ensembles which have accompanied legends such as Dizzy Gillespie. Wilma Ann has recorded a Gospel Soul album entitled “Under the Surface,” sung at Carnegie Hall with the New York Choral Society, toured internationally as a member of the Bobby Lewis Ensemble, and continues to perform as an international soloist and with her jazz band.
VICTOR JONES
George Benson states,”Whether playing funk, rock or jazz, Victor Jones is one cat that gets it right.”
Dynamic Drummer from NYC/Copenhagen, Denmark is considered a visionary in today’s music business, is a new breed of Drummer & Bandleader bringing new and exciting ideas to the world of jazz and world music.
Victor Jones, the Drums and Percussion director for BAAMS, is internationally recognized for his consistent, subtle, and stylistic drumming on stage and in the studio. Victor Jones is known as an innovator who is not afraid to bring together different styles and sounds. He has played on hundreds of recordings, played hundreds of live concerts and performed in clubs everywhere on this planet, often as a backing musician for a variety of well-known artists, including Lou Donaldson, Chaka Khan, Woody Shaw, Freddie Hubbard, Stan Getz, and many others.
No stranger to traditional or modern jazz, Victor E. Jones started his career as a teen-age musician playing in local bands in his birthplace of Newark, New Jersey and touring world-wide with Lou Donaldson. In his early twenties he toured the world with Stan Getz. Later tours were with James Moody, Michel Petrucciani, Joe, Olivia, Stanley Clarke, Phyllis Hyman, Dizzy Gillespie and Chaka Khan as well as others.
Victor played on the Grammy nominated EMI Korean recording, Second Moon, which won Record of the Year in 2006. Victor also was featured on the Best Latin Jazz recording in 2008 with Papo Vasquez. When asked about his greatest achievement he replied, “My greatest achievement in life was having five children with my wife Ane Jones.”
A very much in demand drummer he has performed with a whose who’s of musicians: William Bell, Woody Shaw, Stan Getz, Virginia Mayhew, Vinnie Cutro, Slide Hampton, Chico O’Farrill, Little Jimmy Scott, Mac Gollehon,
Jimmy Ponder, Woody Shaw, Camila Benson, The Perry Sisters, Mal Waldron, Valery Ponomarev, Mingus Big Band and Michel Petrucciani
Stan Getz said, “Victor is one of the top world class caliber drummers and I don’t say that lightly.”
“Victor E. Jones is a new breed of outstanding drummer bandleaders … nothing Jones does is ever boring.” Time Out New York
Motoki Mihara
Motoki Mihara: Versatile Bassist from Kyoto, Japan. Motoki Mihara is a truly exceptional bassist. Hailing from Kyoto, Japan, Motoki brings a unique blend of talent and experience to the stage. With a background in jazz performance from CCNY, his skillset extends far beyond the ordinary.
Motoki has also delved into the captivating worlds of African percussion, Haitian Kompa, and Caribbean music, adding a vibrant energy to his performances. Drawing from these diverse influences, his music transcends boundaries and captivates audiences with its rich, global sound.
Don’t miss your chance to witness this talented bassist in action as he performs on a regular basis in numerous Jazz Venues all around the greater New York and New Jersey area.
Come join us for a great time.
Register here: https://gregoryburrusproductions.com/event/clements-place-singer-showcase-feat-mala-waldon-dermel-warren-wilma-ann/
