MARILYN MAYE
October 27th, 2023, 8pm
The marvelous Ms. Maye sets the pace for this line-up of outstanding talent, although she is not the first act of the season. She’s ninety-five-years-old—now, and at the age of nine, Maye won a Topeka talent show that earned her a 13 week slot on the radio. The child star earned a mere $3.00 for her star-turn on WIBW. This is an awesome opportunity to see one of the undisputed greats of the vocal world, not to be missed.
SAMARA JOY
October 14th, 2023, 8pm
After studying with Alexis Cole & Jon Faddis at SUNY, one album, and two Grammy wins have catapulted Samara Joy into the international spotlight. You might refer to her as the very first TikTok jazz star with 2 billion hits and counting, and a new release, an expanded version of her already top-selling Verve recording, Linger Awhile.
LUCY WIJNANDS
August 23rd, 2023, 7pm
Lucy also studied at SUNY with renowned vocalist Alexis Cole, who happens to come from a similar background as Lucy. “Lucy’s singing is full of magic,” said Ms. Cole recently, “It’s not just that her time feel is spectacularly thrilling, especially at breakneck tempos, or that her warm vibrato makes you feel like you’ve died and gone to heaven. There’s something indescribable about her approach to the lyric that is so personal and wise beyond her years. She is a truly captivating vocalist.” Lucy Wijnands, who was a Downbeat Award winner in 2020 and the winner of the Ella Fitzgerald Competition that same year. For this concert, Lucy will be joined by her father, pianist, Bram Wijnands.
ALEXA TARANTINO QUARTET
November 11th, 2023 8pm
During the pandemic, Tarantino co-founded A Step Ahead Jazz workshop with pianist Steven Feifke. Their Summer Jazz Online featured guest artists including Wynton Marsalis, Jeff Coffin, Sherrie Maricle, and more. In February 2021, Alexa launched her new virtual community-style jazz education platform, The Alexa Approach. She holds a master’s degree in jazz studies from The Juilliard School and bachelor’s degrees in jazz Saxophone Performance and Music Education from the Eastman School of Music. Tarantino is a graduate of Hall High School’s award-winning music program in West Hartford, Connecticut and currently resides in New York City.
BETTE SMITH
September 30th, 2023, 8pm
Bette Smith is a critically acclaimed rock & soul singer, a female Bruce Springsteen. Her Brooklyn based family totally gives their lives to the church. She says she is in a good place today, “I am more than a survivor. I’m a thriver! I have hope, strength, and optimism going forward in life. It’s very spiritual and I go into a trance when I’m singing. The fans are like family. I feel very loved. They are very present. I went through all of this so I could sing and now that I can sing I’m finding the love that I’ve been looking for all my life.”
Five must see shows www.follytheater.org
Comments