Jazz Bridge Third Thursday Concert Series on The Main Line presents vocalist Valray and her Quartet at The New Leaf Club—1225 Montrose Avenue in Rosemont—on Thursday, January 15. Tickets are $10, $5 for students, and are available only at the door. Showtime is 7:30 p.m. Information: 215-517-8337.
Vocalist and producer Valray, who studied at Philadelphia’s prestigious Freedom Theater, cites Nina Simone and Carmen McCrae as among her original influences. As she evolved as a stylist and performer, Valray has combined the blues-tinged earthiness of Dinah Washington with the jazz inventions of Ella Fitzgerald and Betty Carter—all performed with an unparalleled sense of excitement—to fashion a style that is uniquely her own. Listeners cannot help a feeling of sheer exhilaration when listening to her cooking CD, “Valray Live: No Fool, No Fun.” She’s a great favorite in this area, appearing frequently at the Barnes Foundation, Art Museum and LaRose Jazz Club. As a producer, she’s staged sell-out concerts featuring the likes of Tony Williams, Billy Paul, Bootsie Barnes, as well as an impressive production called “Songstresses Celebrating Sisterhood,” a tribute to legendary female jazz singers past and present.
Jazz Bridge, an award-winning nonprofit dedicated to assisting Greater Philadelphia Metro area jazz and blues musicians and vocalists in times of crisis, sponsors these neighborhood concerts throughout the region to keep the sound of Philadelphia alive.
Vocalist and producer Valray, who studied at Philadelphia’s prestigious Freedom Theater, cites Nina Simone and Carmen McCrae as among her original influences. As she evolved as a stylist and performer, Valray has combined the blues-tinged earthiness of Dinah Washington with the jazz inventions of Ella Fitzgerald and Betty Carter—all performed with an unparalleled sense of excitement—to fashion a style that is uniquely her own. Listeners cannot help a feeling of sheer exhilaration when listening to her cooking CD, “Valray Live: No Fool, No Fun.” She’s a great favorite in this area, appearing frequently at the Barnes Foundation, Art Museum and LaRose Jazz Club. As a producer, she’s staged sell-out concerts featuring the likes of Tony Williams, Billy Paul, Bootsie Barnes, as well as an impressive production called “Songstresses Celebrating Sisterhood,” a tribute to legendary female jazz singers past and present.
Jazz Bridge, an award-winning nonprofit dedicated to assisting Greater Philadelphia Metro area jazz and blues musicians and vocalists in times of crisis, sponsors these neighborhood concerts throughout the region to keep the sound of Philadelphia alive.
