Art, Wine & All That Jazz Performances

Ericka Ovette

 Jazz vocalist Ericka Ovette was born and raised in New York City. From a young age, Ovette was surrounded by the music of Duke Ellington, Mirian Makeba and Count Basie. Upon reaching young adulthood, the voices of Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Nancy Wilson and Nina Simone inspired Ovette and influenced her vocal style. Throughout her career, Ovette has played with the band “Body and Soul” in Zimbabwe, musicians such as saxophonist Herb Smith and big band leader Terrell Jones of Washington D.C. and pianist Mosin Menezes of India. Ovette is an active member of the local Washington D.C. jazz scene, playing private parties and local restaurants and cafes.

Laurence Elder & Bobby Read

  Laurence Elder’s fresh, inspired blend of jazz, rock, blues and pop, along with his “triple threat” talents as a singer-songwriter-pianist, set his music apart as a vital new original sound.  A signed artist on ESC Records in Europe and in Japan on the P-Vine label, Laurence has recorded with Grammy winners Paquito D’Rivera and Peter Erskine, who both appear as guests on his critically acclaimed debut album, “Surrounded”. Laurence has toured internationally with his band, headlining with and opening for artists such as Spyro Gyra, Mike Stern, Dianne Reeves, Al Dimeola, Kenny Werner and Betty Buckley.  More information on Laurence and his music can be found at www.laurenceelder.com

Bobby Read is a music industry veteran of 35 years. As a player he has been in many groups including the prog-rock group However, chamber-folk group Trapezoid, jamband Modereko, numerous jazz and rock groups. He has been a member of Bruce Hornsby and the Noisemakers since 1993, playing countless concerts around the US. As an engineer and/or producer he has recorded over 100 records. As a composer he has created music for many dance and theatre productions, a bit of television work and has put out 2 CDs of original jazz, ‘Monkfish’ and ‘Simbia’.  Bobby works out of his studio ‘Small World Audio’ in Afton, Virginia and can be found at www.bobbyread.com.

Matt Wigler
Matt Wigler is a 15-year-old jazz and blues composer and pianist from Baltimore, Maryland. Wigler has been playing piano since age 5 and was introduced to jazz and blues at age 8. Wigler’s debut CD, XIII, was released in June 2007 (Vista Records) to positive reviews. Wigler’s inventive, mature approach is mirrored in his second CD, Epiphony, released in July 2009 (Vista Records). Wigler has played at festivals across the country and performed with musicians such as Buckwheat Zydeco, Deanna Bogart and Marcia Ball. The young performer has also opened for legendary blues guitarists Buddy Guy and Joe Bonamassa.

Deanna Bogart
Deanna Bogart is a Maryland-based blues and boogie pianist and saxophonist. Bogart’s performances combine the sounds of 1930s-style boogie piano blues with the contemporary blues music of New Orleans, Chicago and Memphis. After playing with western swing and R&B bands throughout Maryland and Washington D.C., Bogart started her own band in 1988 and released their first album in 1989. Bogart’s live performances are legendary, and since 1989 she has built up a loyal following. Throughout her career, Bogart has played with BB King, Brian Setzer, Buddy Guy, James Brown and Ray Charles. Bogart is the recipient of 20 Washington Area Music Awards, including Best Blues Vocalist and Songwriter of the Year.

Dan Leonard Trio

Dan Leonard, originally from northern Virginia, was inspired at a young age by the styles of Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page. Leonard graduated from George Mason University with a major in classical guitar and composition. The guitarist has been nominated for numerous Washington Area Music Awards and placed first in the Jazz/New Age category at the 1998 Songwriters Association of Washington. Leonard has performed in the Washington D.C. area for more than 30 years with the Dan Leonard Trio, the Deanna Bogart Band and the Doug Segree Band. Leonard has also been a guitar instructor in northern Virginia for more than 25 years.

Rebel Run Dixieland Band  

The Rebel Run Dixieland Band has been playing Dixieland music throughout Virginia and Washington D.C. for more than 25 years. In 1983, Rebel Run won the grand prize at the University of Virginia’s Best of the Roaring 20s competition. Rebel Run has played many private parties, charity events and festivals throughout Virginia, including the City of Fairfax Fall Festival. Rebel Run also performed at the Washington Redskins Barbecue at Dulles Airport that included guests such as the Governor of Virginia, congressmen and the Washington Redskins players and their guests.

2x88

 It was the Fall of 2008 at the country store in Batesville, VA, where Jim, playing solo piano for the Saturday afternoon wine tasting, colluded for the first time with Hod. When Hod came by the store and was pressed into playing some piano, Jim took out his trusty melodica, and with Richard Cooper singing Sinatra, the 3 rocked the store for a memorable couple of hours. Now its just history. On New Year’s day 2009, 2x88 was officially born with a house concert on the double Yamaha grands of Phyllis Olin’s. That seminal performance was recorded and the CD is now available.

*All performances are subject to change without notice.*