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Sunday Blue Room Brunch featuring the John Lee Quartet South Valley BBQ
April 21, 2024 @ 2:00 pm – 6:00 pm EDT
Jazz Appreciation Month 2024 – “Grammy Winning Producer John Lee was Dizzy Gillespie’s bassist from 1984 thru 1993. Performing and recording in the trumpet master’s various bands including the Dizzy Gillespie Quintet, Dizzy Gillespie Big Band and Dizzy’s Grammy Award winning United Nation Orchestra.
Jazz Appreciation Month
JAM is intended to stimulate and encourage people of all ages to participate in jazz – to study the music, attend concerts, listen to jazz on radio and recordings, read books about jazz, and more
Please join us for Jazz Appreciation Month – Live Music and a Blue Room Brunch on Sunday Afternoons and let’s hear some great jazz. .
Come join us at South Valley BBQ and Lounge for an unforgettable live music Brunch in the Blue Room. Every Sunday, Gregory Burrus Productions in concert with South Valley BBQ will bring the best local and regional live music bands to the SVBBQ Blue Room.
Register and Reserve your space.
Sunday Blue Room Brunch on April 21, 2024
Brunch is 1 to 6 PM.
Music 2 Sets 2:00 PM and 3:45 PM
Price Fixe Menu starts at $35.00 Collected on Entry to the Blue Room.
John Lee Quartet
Grammy Winning Producer John Lee was Dizzy Gillespie’s bassist from 1984 thru 1993
Bassist, producer, composer and audio engineer, John Lee wasborn June 28th, 1952 in Boston, MA. The son of an A.M.E.minister and a social worker, John’s earliest musical impressions were formed in church and at home listening tohis parent’s extensive Jazz and Gospel record collection. In1970, after graduating from Overbrook High School,
John enrolled at the Philadelphia Musical Academy to study string bass and composition. He also began performing with the bands of Carlos Garnett, Joe Henderson, Pharoah Sanders and Max Roach. In June of 1972, Herbie Hancock introduced John to his friend and kindred musical spirit, Chris Hinze, the great Dutch flautist.
In August of 1972, John moved Holland to join the Chris Hinze combination. During this time abroad, he also worked and recorded with Gary Bartz, Philip Catherine, Joe Henderson, Jasper Van’T Hof, Joachim Kühn, Charlie Mariano, James Moody, Sahib Shihab, Jeremy Steig and Toots Thielemans. After returning to the United States in the fall of 1974, John moved to New York and began working in the bands of Norman Connors, Joe Henderson and Lonnie Liston Smith. In 1975, John joined Larry Coryell’s Eleventh House Band and he also began to form his own bands with drummer Gerry Brown.
In 1977, John left the Eleventh House to concentrate on the John Lee/Gerry Brown Band. In1982, he joined the McCoy Tyner Quintet, where he worked until joining the legendary Dizzy Gillespie in 1984. The long personal and professional association that ensued was to be a turning point in Lee’s career. From 1984 until Dizzy transitioned in 1993, John was the bassist in the trumpet master’s various bands including the Dizzy Gillespie Quintet, Dizzy Gillespie 70th Anniversary Big Band, Dizzy’s Grammy Award‐winning United Nation Orchestra and Dizzy Gillespie & Miriam Makeba’s “Back to the Future Band. ”
After Dizzy’s passing, his family asked John to create an ongoing tribute to the great man and his music…and the concept for the Dizzy Gillespie All‐Stars was born. John also began working in the bands of Jon Faddis, Aretha Franklin, Roy Hargrove, Jimmy Heath, Gregory Hines, James Moody, Claudio Roditi and Sonny Rollins. At present, John is the executive and musical director of the Dizzy Gillespie All‐Stars, the Dizzy Gillespie All‐Star Big Band and the Dizzy Gillespie Afro‐Latin Experience.
John is also a Grammy winning record producer and a seasoned recording engineer. To date he has engineered over 100 CDs and he has produced over 70 CDs. The Dizzy Gillespie All‐Star Bands have performed in major concert halls and jazz festivals throughout the world including; Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Curaçao, Denmark, England, Finland, France, Germany, Holland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lebanon, Luxembourg, Monaco, Norway, Portugal, Russia, Scotland, Singapore, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Uruguay and Wales.
Joining John Lee on stage are:
Freddie Hendrix – Trumpet & Flugelhorn
Over the past two decades, Freddie Hendrix has become one of the most in demand trumpeters in Jazz and beyond. Also an accomplished composer, arranger and educator, the Teaneck, New Jersey native’s skill and versatility has resulted in him working with a wide array of performers that range from the Count Basie Orchestra, the Dizzy Gillespie All-Star Big Band, the Christian McBride Big Band, the Roy Hargrove Big Band and the Heath Brothers, to Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder and Alicia Keys. A product of the esteemed Jazz program at William Paterson University, with a Masters in Jazz Studies and Performance from New Jersey City University, Hendrix also shares his knowledge and passion for the music by serving as a faculty member at the The New School in New York and Jazz House Kids, in Montclair, New Jersey.
Gerry Brown – Drums
This musical journey started in Philadelphia with fellow schoolmate Stanley Clarke who introduces him on stage as “the first musician I ever played with, master drummer, Gerry Brown.” Together they crafted the revolutionary “School Days” recording that perennially inspires drummers and bassists worldwide. Since those early days, Gerry’s reputation has only expanded as the “groove master” while playing with legendary artists including Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder, Lionel Ritchie, Chick Corea, George Benson, Larry Coryell, and many others.
Gerry has been drumming for Stevie Wonder and Diana Ross over the years, and shares his insights on how to have longevity in the music industry, as well as showmanship while grooving.
Alex Collins – Keys
I am a composer/arranger and pianist. As a performer, I can be seen at venues from jazz clubs to concert halls playing all styles of music. My compositions have been performed at the Kennedy Center, Eastman Theatre, among many other venues.
Grab your friends, family, or significant other, and head over to South Valley BBQ and Lounge at 34 S. Valley Road in West Orange, NJ. There’s plenty of free parking so stop in after church or make it your weekly Sunday destination. With our warm and inviting atmosphere, friendly staff, and top-notch musicians, you’re guaranteed to have a fantastic time. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to experience one of best live music brunches at its finest right in the neighborhood..
See you Sunday.
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