Home > Events and Programs > Special Events > Java and Jazz 2008 Special Events Comerica Java and Jazz 2008 Main Library • 5201 Woodward Avenue, Detroit, MI 48202 Detroit has long been known as a great jazz town. Mix in the exciting art of spoken word and you've got the 2008 Comerica Java & Jazz Series.   Celebrating its 8th season, Comerica Java & Jazz continues the tradition of providing a monthly after work concert series that showcases some of Detroit's finest creative talent. Performances are free and open to the public. For more information please call 313.833.4042. Alvin Waddles & Versiz - February 19, 2008, 6:00 p.m. Alvin Waddles' Fats Waller Review Experience the wit, whimsy and wonderful legacy of the late, great Thomas Wright Waller through Alvin Waddles' Fats Waller Review. Rounded out by local jazz luminaries Charlie Gabriel (not pictured), Marion Hayden and Alex Trajano, this exuberant quartet strives to recapture the spontaneous mirth and magic of the 'King of the Harlem Rent Parties' with such favorites as "Ain't Misbehavin", "Too Sleepy People" and "Your Feet's Too Big". So grab a date and don't be late 'cause when the piano starts thumpin' you know the Joint is Jumpin'! Jamaal "Versiz" May Jamaal "Versiz" May, a favorite of Java & Jazz fans, is a poet, producer, rapper and recording engineer. He has made three Detroit poetry slam teams, been named Detroit's Grand Slam Champion twice, made final stage at the last two Individual World Poetry Slams and placed 11th at the last National Poetry Slam in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He is a Broadside Press Jury Prize winner and a Cave Canem Fellow. If you haven't seen "Versiz" perform, then you definitely should experience what all the fuss is about. Barbara Ware & Jessica Care Moore - March 18, 2008, 6:00 p.m. Barbra Ware Barbara Ware has an intimate voice that speaks directly to you from the great American songbook of the past fifty years. Her long, lean and sinuous frame with a dazzling smile, is reminiscent in her assured approach to the most burnished jazz standards. Ware’s voice can be feather-light, or can pierce steel with its poignancy. If you have not witnessed Detroit's premier song stylist, than shame on you…but here's your opportunity. Jessica Care Moore Jessica Care Moore is an internationally renowned poet and performance artist. Moore has been featured on the rapper Nas’ album “Nastradamus” and has shared the stage with hip-hop artists such as: Mos Def, Talib Kweli, KRS 1, along with legendary artists, George Clinton, Gil Scott Herron, Roy Ayers and The Last Poets. Moore made Detroit proud when she excited the crowd while performing on the infamous Showtime at the Apollo stage, where she is recognized as an Apollo Legend. Pathe Simon & Tava Simon - April 15, 2008, 6:00 p.m. Pathe Jassi Pathe Jassi is one of Detroit's best-kept secrets. Before moving to the United States recently, Jassi spent half of his career playing and recording alongside legendary West African singers Youssou N'Dour of Senegal and Cheikh Lo of Burkina Faso. He is known among jazz musicians for his rare ability to combine hard bebop with a polyrhythmic African sound - a skill he says he learned from Detroit jazz legend Sam Sanders, who took him under his wing in Senegal. Tava Simon Tava Simon comes to the Java & Jazz stage all the way from Louisiana, but now makes the Motor City her home. Simon has loved poetry all her life and in fall of 2007 began writing slam performance pieces to standing ovations. She has participated in every official Slam venue in the city of Detroit and is proud to be representing Detroit in the 2008 Women of the World Poetry Slam. She is passionate about her writing and shares her words in hopes to inspire, encourage and celebrate living. Mubaruk Hakim & Johnny Jenkins - May 20, 2008, 6:00 p.m. Mubaruk Hakim Mubaruk Hakim, a Detroit native, has always enjoyed rhythmic music with great percussion beats. He grew up listening to Mongo Santamaria and soon began his studies in African drumming with Sundiata Keita and the Omowale Cultural Society. Currently, Mubarak Hakim is one of the stellar percussionists on the national music scene. Johnny Jenkins Johnny Jenkins a Louisiana born, native Detroiter Jenkins is the Co-Producer and Resident host of the EchoVerse Poetry and Slam Series. He is also the Slam master of the Detroit slam team at the Java Exchange Café. Jenkins is a multimedia producer who explores the creative concept of visual verse through the collective works of poetry, performance Visual art and design. Al McKenzie & Justice Umbiya - June 17, 2008, 6:00 p.m. Al McKenzie Al McKenzie’s musical endeavors are as diverse as his musical interest, which includes everything from conducting the Buffalo Symphony, to playing for the children’s choir at Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church. Whatever the task, McKenzie has always been unafraid to meet the challenges of his demanding music menu. With an impressive line-up of artist he has worked with throughout his career from all over the world, one thing is for certain. To see him perform is to witness true passion and abandon. Join us as we bring you the Al Mckenzie experience. . Justice Umbiya Justice Umbiya is a dynamic spoken word artist/ poet who has been writing for over 17 years, performing for two years and reaching out to the community with his gifted craft his entire life. Justice recently released his freshman CD titled “Dead Fall of November.” Come discover what many of his peers have confirmed…Justice has arrived! Tumbao Bravo & Berhenda Williams - July 15, 2008, 6:00 p.m. Tumbao Bravo Tumbao Bravo will make you put your dancing shoes and commence to grooving as the five to seven piece Cuban Jazz combo moves the crowd. Come hear original mambos, cha chas, rumbas and boleros and some classic Cuban jazz tunes too. A good time is bound to happen when Latin music comes to the stage. Berhenda Williams Ask Berhenda Williams and she will tell you that “The pen is her sword,” the words she lives by. Ber-Henda, Germanic and Greek in origin, means “Bear Hearted Protector.” Williams is the founder of Poetry, Pages and Scribes, a monthly poetry series. Fluent in Spanish, she writes poems in the language that has added a richness and passion to her work that has prepared her to take on the world. Marcus Belgrave & Drizzle Rainman - August 19, 2008, 6:00 p.m. Marcus Belgrave Marcus Belgrave has been an internationally recognized jazz trumpet great for forty years. Bursting into prominence as a teenaged sensation in The Ray Charles Orchestra. Marcus also delivered the soulful horn that helped to define the legendary “Motown Sound”. Chosen by Wyton Marsalis for the original Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, he continues to tour and record around the world while appearing on television. Drizzle Rainman Drizzle Rainman, born Nathan Paul Johnson, was named after the rain that can be a symbol of pain or growth. Drizzle has used his name to let people know that even your bad times are setting you up for success. Rainman incorporates a mixture of spoken word and rap with a plan to touch your mind, body and soul. This young artist is leading a pack of dreamers and ready to bring a new sound to the masses. Marion Hayden & Echo Verse Slam Team - September 16, 2008, 6:00 p.m. Marion Hayden Marion Hayden is one of the nation’s finest proponents of the acoustic bass. Under her expert leadership, Hayden will lead a Comerica Java & Jazz finale jam session with previous series performers that promises to end the series the way it started – with the joint jumpin! Echo Verse Slam Team Echo Verse Slam Team will be an exciting compliment to the Java & Jazz finale jam session. The dynamic team will offer fans a powerful slam session to close out the 2008 Comerica Java & Jazz season.