Tag Archives: Jazz in the Sanctuary

Warm jazz on chilly day: Jazz in the Sanctuary begins new season Nov. 17

3-bottom, Local Entertainment, Upcoming Events,
Vocalist Ashley Daneman and her husband, trumpeter Benje Daneman, center. (Supplied)

By WKTV Staff
ken@wktv.org

Jazz standards, African-American spirituals and a little something new will be on the setlist as the Jazz in the Sanctuary concert series opens its sixth season Sunday, Nov. 17, in the acoustically inspiring sanctuary of Fountain Street Church in downtown Grand Rapids.

Robin Connell (Supplied)

Each concert in the series has guest performers joining Robin Connell, series host and local jazz musician, onstage for an hour or so of music and musical conversation. The Nov. 17 concert, set for 3 p.m., will feature vocalist Ashley Daneman and her husband, trumpeter Benje Daneman, Andrew Peck on bass and Connell on piano.

There is no bad seat in the house due to the venue’s famous acoustics and a large projection screen displays the performers up-close. Connell often invites audience members to ask questions.

According to supplied material, the setlist “will include standards, African-American spirituals, compositions by Benje and music from Ashley’s new album, People Are Fragile.”

Vocalist Ashley Daneman and her husband, trumpeter Benje Daneman. (Supplied)

Ashley Daneman, originally from Ohio, honed her singing voice in Washington, D.C., and New York City, earning her master’s degree from the prestigious Manhattan School of Music. Her original music is available on Bandcamp and other online platforms, according to supplied material, and she has drawn comparisons to Becca Stevens, Laura Nyro, and even Stephen Sondheim.

Benje Daneman started his professional career in 2007 with the Doc Severinsen Big Band and now performs and records with his band SearchParty. He has co-founded and directed multiple educational programs including the Jazz & Creative Institute (JCI), Kalamazoo Youth Jazz Orchestra, Kalamazoo Trumpet Workshop, and JazzStart Summer Jazz Workshop.

Included on a long musical resume, Connell received West Michigan Jazz Society’s 2017 “Musician of the Year” award for her widespread collaboration with area jazz artists and her work on this series. She performs regularly throughout West Michigan, often with her husband, trombonist and educator Paul Brewer.

General admission to each Jazz in the Sanctuary concert is $15 online or at the door. Students admission is $5 with a valid school ID. Please visit fountainstreet.org/jazz.

‘Jazz in the Sanctuary’ begins sixth season Nov. 17 at Fountain St. Church

Citizen Journalism, Upcoming Events,

By Virginia Anzengruber, Fountain Street Church


The sixth season of the ​Jazz in the Sanctuary ​concert series will begin on Sunday, Nov. 17, at 3pm. The series combines contemporary jazz performance with the neo-Romanesque beauty and acoustic splendor of Fountain Street Church in downtown Grand Rapids.


For each concert in the series, guest performers join Robin Connell, series host and an accomplished jazz musician herself, onstage for more than an hour of music and light conversation. A large projection screen displays the performers in detail, and Connell often invites audience members to ask questions.


The Nov. 17 concert will feature vocalist Ashley Daneman and her husband, trumpeter Benje Daneman.


Ashley Daneman, originally from Ohio, honed her singing voice in Washington, D.C., and New York City, earning her master’s degree from the prestigious Manhattan School of Music. Her original music, which can be heard on Bandcamp and other online platforms, has drawn comparisons to Becca Stevens, Laura Nyro, and even Stephen Sondheim.


Benje Daneman got his professional start in 2007 with the Doc Severinsen Big Band and now performs and records with his band SearchParty. He has co-founded and directed multiple educational programs including the Jazz & Creative Institute (JCI), Kalamazoo Youth Jazz Orchestra, Kalamazoo Trumpet Workshop, and JazzStart Summer Jazz Workshop.


Connell ​received West Michigan Jazz Society’s 2017 “Musician of the Year” award for her widespread collaboration with area jazz artists and her work on this series. She performs regularly throughout West Michigan, often with her husband, trombonist and educator Paul Brewer. She is currently planning this season’s second ​Jazz in the Sanctuary ​ event, which will feature pianist Lisa Sung.


General admission to each ​Jazz in the Sanctuary ​ concert is $15 online or at the door. Students admission is $5 with a valid school ID. Please visit fountainstreet.org/jazz.



May 5th ‘Jazz in the Sanctuary’ season finale will feature Michigan musicians

Citizen Journalism, Entertainment, Local Faces, Upcoming Events, , , , ,

By Virginia Anzengruber, Fountain Street Church


The ​Jazz in the Sanctuary concert series will conclude its sixth season at Fountain Street Church on Sunday, May 5th. The concerts, curated and hosted by West Michigan jazz mainstay Robin Connell, pair the spontaneous wonder of jazz with the acoustic and architectural beauty of the century-old, neo-Romanesque sanctuary in downtown Grand Rapids. As the church celebrates its 150-year Anniversary in 2019, Connell will welcome fellow Michigan musicians Elgin Vines on bass and Alain Sullivan on saxophone.


Vines has been described as one of the most sought-after jazz bassists in West Michigan. As a student at Norfolk State University, he paid his tuition by gigging along the Virginia Beach strip and was a member of the house trio on the daily Morty Nevins Television Show for three years. After graduating, he went on the road with The New Direction for eight years, and then in 1972 settled in Grand Rapids to play for the Bennie Carew Trio and work as a technologist for Amway. In 2005, the West Michigan Jazz Society named him their Musician of the Year.


Sullivan is a 19-year-old jazz saxophonist, bandleader, composer/arranger, and woodwind instrumentalist based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He currently attends the University of Michigan, pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in biochemistry toward pre-medicine, as well as a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in jazz studies under the tutelage of its esteemed faculty, including Andrew Bishop, Ellen Rowe, Dennis Wilson, Robert Hurst, and Benny Green. He has performed in a wide variety of musical settings, including jazz settings of all types and several pit orchestras for musicals, doubling on flute and clarinet. He has played frequently throughout Michigan, across the country, and in Germany and Denmark. In 2018, he was presented with a YoungArts award, which is given to just a handful of young artists in multiple disciplines.


Connell herself is a prolific jazz pianist, vocalist, and educator who received the 2017 Musician of the Year award from West Michigan Jazz Society for her widespread collaboration with other artists and her continuing work on the ​Jazz in the Sanctuary series. Whether solo or in a group, she performs regularly throughout the region.


General admission to ​Jazz in the Sanctuary is $15 online or at the door. College students may show ID for $5 admission. Tickets and additional information are available at fountainstreet.org/jazz.

Fountain Street Church is an independent house of worship with an open pulpit and a 150-year history of progressive action in the heart of West Michigan.

For more information about Fountain Street Church or the Jazz in the Sanctuary concert series, please contact Conor Bardallis, Events Manager, at cbardallis@fountainstreet.org or 616-459-8386 ext. 221 or Virginia Anzengruber, Content and Communications Manager at vanzengruber@fountainstreet.org.

‘Jazz in the Sanctuary’ concert series returns Nov. 4

Citizen Journalism, Entertainment, Upcoming Events,

By Fountain Street Church

 

The fifth season of Fountain Street Church’s ‘Jazz in the Sanctuary’ concert series will begin on Sunday, Nov. 4, at 3pm. The series pairs the spontaneous wonder of jazz with the acoustic and architectural beauty of the century-old sanctuary in downtown Grand Rapids.

 

Robin Connell, series host and staple of the West Michigan jazz scene, will welcome trombonists Paul Brewer and Altin Sencalar for over an hour of exciting music and light conversation. Connell received West Michigan Jazz Society’s 2017 “Musician of the Year” award for her widespread collaboration with area jazz artists and her continuing work on the Jazz in the Sanctuary series.

 

Brewer, a prolific trombonist and singer, is the Director of Instrumental Music at Aquinas College and the Director of Aquinas Jazz Camp. He has performed with more than 50 nationally touring artists, including Mel Torme, Lena Horne, and The Temptations. His latest project, “J & K — Trombone Tribute”, is an homage to legendary jazz trombonists JJ Johnson and Kai Winding.

 

Altin Sencalar

Sencalar is an internationally recognized trombonist, music educator, and composer who has opened for the O’Jays and Chaka Khan. He has received prizes for competitions such as the American Trombone Workshop, the International Trombone Association, and Downbeat Magazine’s Student Music Awards. He currently serves as a graduate assistant at Michigan State University.

 

The second and third concerts of this season will take place on Feb. 10, 2019, featuring pianist Xavier Davis, and May 4, 2019, featuring saxophonist Alain Sullivan and bassist Elgin Vines.

 

Jazz in the Sanctuary is made possible by the Music Committee of Fountain Street Church, Aquinas College Music Department, Blue Lake Public Radio, West Michigan Jazz Society, WGVU Radio, WOOD-TV, and WYCE 88.1fm.

 

General admission to each Jazz in the Sanctuary concert is $15 online or at the door. College students may show ID for $10 off. Tickets and additional information are available at fountainstreet.org/jazz.

‘Jazz in the Sanctuary’ season finale features guest pianist Dave Proulx

Entertainment,

By Fountain Street Church

 

The fourth season of Fountain Street Church’s Jazz in the Sanctuary concert series will conclude on Sunday, March 11, at 3 p.m.

 

The series pairs the spontaneous wonder of jazz with the acoustic and architectural beauty of the century-old sanctuary in downtown Grand Rapids. Robin Connell, series host and staple of the West Michigan jazz scene, will welcome pianist Dave Proulx and bassist David Rosin for more than an hour of exciting music and light conversation.

 

Robin Connell

Connell received West Michigan Jazz Society’s 2017 “Musician of the Year” award for her widespread collaboration with area jazz artists and her continuing work on the Jazz in the Sanctuary series.

 

 

Dave Proulx

Originally from Grand Rapids, Proulx is the pastor of Battle Creek Community Church and an accomplished musician in the realms of worship, jazz, and beyond. His brother, John Proulx, is perhaps the better-known jazz pianist in Michigan, but the two benefited equally from growing up in the same musically rich household and continue to share their passion for jazz piano.

 

David Rosin

Rosin, jazz bassist and educator, grew up in the metro Detroit area and currently resides in East Lansing. He studied under the state’s great bassists at Western Michigan University and Michigan State University and has performed extensively throughout the Midwest. In 1997, he toured Australia with the Andrew Speight Quartet and recorded an album that won an Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) music award for “Best Jazz Album”.

 

General admission to the March 11 concert is $10 online or at the door. College students may show ID for $5 off. Tickets and additional information are available at fountainstreet.org/jazz .

 

Pianist Akansiima a guest for Jazz in the Sanctuary at Fountain Street Church

Entertainment, Local Entertainment

 

By WKTV Staff

ken@wktv.org

 

Fountain Street Church’s Jazz in the Sanctuary concert series continues this week with special guest Ivan Akansiima, on piano and guitar, joining series host Robin Connell and bassist Chris Kjorness on Sunday, Feb. 11, at 3 p.m.

 

Connell is a pianist, vocalist and recently honored at the West Michigan Jazz Society’s 2017 Musician of the Year.

 

Akansiima — who lives in Holland, Mi., but is originally from Kampala, Uganda — studies music at Hope College and Western Michigan University, and has a growing reputation in the Western Michigan area and on the national music scene.

 

The final concert in the series will be Sunday, March 11, also at 3 p.m., when Connell is joined by special guest pianist Dave Proulx and bassist David Rosin.

 

General admission tickets are $10 ($5 for students) and available at the door or by visiting

fountainstreet.org/jazz .

 

WKTV also produced a video on local jazz featuring Connell.