KJ Denhert- Urban Folk Jazz artist

KJ Denhert, multiple award-winning Urban Folk Jazz artist arrives with her full-size, full-sound touring band –  featuring ATN Stadwijk/Keys, Aaron Heick/Sax, Mamadou Ba/Bass and Ray Levier/Drums www.KJDenhert.com

 Guitarist and songwriter, KJ Denhert, calls her music Urban Folk and Jazz. Her voice is powerful, her lyrics full of intelligent insight, and her musicianship is impeccable. Her eclectic yet unified performances reach out to audiences without compromising her music and beliefs. She performs the unusual feat of being both highly individual and quite accessible.

KJ remembers, “I picked up a guitar when I was ten and immediately I started writing music. I loved Sergio Mendes’ songs and really got into James Taylor and Joni Mitchell who I still consider my two main influences. I also loved the singer-songwriters of the time including Carole King and Laura Nyro and later fell in love with Steely Dan’s music, and just wore out my copy of Hubert Laws’ Rite of Spring.”   KJ co-produced her CD, Number 9, supported by a strong cadre of players, including longtime band members Mamadou Ba, (Harry Belafonte, Regina Carter)  on bass and drummer Ray Levier.  Saxophonist, Aaron Heick (Richard Bona, Chaka Khan, and Sting) has remained a regular since his debut on KJ’s 2007 recording Dal Vivo a Umbria Jazz, while balancing a busy schedule that paired him with Sting on the latest recording of  “Englishman in New York.”

Opener: Margaret McDuffie-Featuring Steve Raleigh/Guitar, Jim Curtin/Bass and

T. Xiques/Drums-https://www.margaretmcduffie.com/music.html

Song-writing jazz and blues singer, Margaret McDuffie, has performed with a numerous Hudson Valley musicians. Her debut CD, Under A Spell, is a rousing mix of jazzy blues and 60s-style R&B, and marks a shift toward R&B and rustic blues. Her is voice engaging, clear, now smoky, now soaring, with a timeless quality that as one fan puts it: “stopped me in my tracks.”

Guitarist, Steve Raleigh is the common thread running through McDuffie’s recent projects. With wit and ease he moves from jazz to funk and blues.

Bass player, Jim Curtin’s gregarious style, has been playing with the Gabriel Butterfield Blues Band and with the Joe Corozza Trio, supporting their CD Release “Crossing the Hudson”.

Drummer, T. Xiques works with artists such as Savoy Brown, Dr. Know and Daryl Jenifer, Garth Hudson, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Roswell Rudd, John Medeski, Robbie Dupree and Colin Hay of Men at Work.