Mack Avenue recording artist Ilona Knopfler will entertain audiences in Manhattan, Detroit, Ann Arbor and Pittsburgh with her distinctive blend of jazz, rock and blues at a series of club dates beginning on November 18 and running through November 25. Backing Ilona on the various dates are an assortment of the most in-demand players in each market. For example, at New York’s Cutting Room, where Ilona will launch the week-long tour on November 18, she will be joined by Alain Mallet (Jonatha Brooke, Miles Donahue) on keyboards and James Genus (Bill Evans, Anita Baker) on bass. Ilona’s Mack Avenue label-mate, Sean Jones, will also be on hand to lend his support on trumpet to Ilona’s set. The Cutting Room is located at 19 W. 24th St, and show time is at 10:00 PM. Tickets are $10.00.
At her three shows in Michigan, Ilona will be supported by an eclectic array of Detroit area-based musicians, including pianist Gary Schunk (George Benson, Marcus Belgrave, Mark Murphy.)
Ilona will conclude the tour on November 25 with a free show at the Crawford Grill in Pittsburgh, at the weekly MCG Jazz Tuesdays at Crawford Grill on the Square. Performing with Ilona will be guitarist Marty Ashby (Nancy Wilson, Paquito D’Rivera), along with Steve Rudolph (Tommy Dorsey Orchestra) on piano, Dwayne Dolphin (James Brown, Stanley Turrentine, Wynton Marsalis) on bass, and Roger Humphries (Horace Silver) on drums. The Crawford Grill is located at 2141 Wylie Avenue, and Ilona will perform two sets, at 7:00 and 9:00 PM.
Since releasing Some Kind of Wonderful earlier this year, Ilona has earned critical acclaim for her interpretive take on such pop tunes as “Breaking Up Is Hard To Do, “Unchain My Heart” and “Alfie,” The Internet site jazz.com says Ilona is “an individual who may well revitalize an interest in vocalese,” and, according to The All Music Guide, “Knopfler is a pop singer in the old sense of the word, the way Clooney, Vaughan, or Washington were, singing pop music as poetry; as if her very life…. depended on it.”
The full tour schedule is as follows:
November 18 New York, NY The Cutting Room November 19 Ann Arbor, MI Firefly November 23 Detroit, MI Bakers November 24 Detroit, MI Memphis Smoke November 25 Pittsburgh, PA Crawford Grill
For interview requests or more information contact All About Jazz Publicity.
