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MEET THE LEGENDARY TALENTS

Jean Carne- The 2008 Honoree found herself as featured vocalist with jazz giant Duke Ellington, the last vocalist to do so before his death, touring and exposing herself to more mainstream audiences. After her stint with Ellington, Jean was approached by hot young drummer Norman Connors, a protégé of Pharoah Sanders. Connors was ready to record for Buddah Records and he put together a stable of young talented vocalists like Jean, Phyllis Hyman, Eleanor Mills, and Dee Dee Bridgewater. Jean hit the charts in 1975 with a duet with Michael Henderson, a bassist from Detroit who together, "Valentine Love" was at the Top Ten and Jean toured with Connors, wowing audiences all over. When she teamed up with Norman Connors the result was magic, and she can be heard on four of his acclaimed albums. She then contributed her sassy vocals to the "Reach For It" album by George Duke in 1977. Jean Carne hit the charts with her spirited version of "Free Love." 1978 saw the release of "Happy To Be With You", another release that included her now classic, "Don't Let It Go To Your Head". "When I Find You Love" came out in 1979, and besides the beautiful title song, Jean had a popular dance tune, "Was That All It Was", a song that transcended most "disco" music and filled the dance floors. Today, Jean still wows the audience with her incredible voice all over the country.

Phyllis Hyman - For fans of Phyllis Hyman,The Phyllis Hyman Story will tell the story that to many has been long overdue. Those who are unfamiliar with the legacy of Phyllis, it will be an introduction into the life of an extraordinary entertainer. An incredible woman with vocals that wowed the audience everywhere she performed. It was with Norman Connors that Phyllis, along with Jean Carne made her major label debut in 1976 that planted the seed for the Philadelphia-bred vocalists to make their mark on the music world. Slowly but surely, Phyllis was becoming a force to be reckoned with hits like "You Know How to Love Me," "Living Inside Your Love," and "Under Your Spell" inched their way up the charts. Despite a failed marriage, weight gain, insecurities, and missed opportunities (she was slated to play Shug Avery in The Color Purple), Phyllis found a fresh start at Kenneth Gamble's Philadelphia International Records. She struggled with bipolar disorder, depression, alcoholism, weight gain and financial problems. She was also emotionally exhausted from lending her talents to AIDS benefits concerts and support groups. Adding to her depression, in 1993 her mother, grandmother and a close friend all died within the span of a month. Life had become unbearable and on June 30, 1995, Phyllis Hyman took her own life. She was a few days shy of her 46th birthday.

Jean Carne will perform some of Hyman's hits as a commemorative tribute to her legacy. It will truly be a treat for serious jazz fans!

Lonnie Liston Smith- Back by popular demand, Smith was the 2007 Smooth Legends of Jazz Honoree that brought the house down at The Roper Performing Arts Center in Norfolk, VA. Born in Richmond, VA, it’s been suggested that if anyone bridged the gap between John Coltrane and Earth, Wind & Fire, it was keyboardist Lonnie Liston Smith. Smith received a Bachelors of Science degree in music education from Morgan State University in Baltimore, MD, and shortly after graduation he began getting side gigs. In 1960, he began his jazz career playing acoustic piano as a sideman with such luminaries as Pharoah Sanders, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Betty Carter and Gato Barbieri. A stint with Miles Davis in the early ‘70s influenced Smith to switch from acoustic to fusion, a career change that has since defined him. When Lonnie Liston Smith made the transition from sideman to leader in 1973, it was the beginning of a fusion/crossover/post-bop band he dubbed Lonnie Liston Smith & the Cosmic Echoes. The post-bop of model explorers like Coltrane, Sanders, Kirk, Yusef Lateef, McCoy Tyner, and Charles Lloyd was a heavy influence on Smith's composing since all of those artists shared the Cosmic Echoes' spiritual concerns.

Lonnie Liston Smith continues with his success by adding a hot drummer, Lee Pearson (right) that can undoubtedly be compared to the legendary
Billy Cobham. Pearson's performance is one that can be truly entertaining as well as skillful. Playing behind his back??? He's the one to watch!

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Bobby Lyle - Pianist Bobby Lyle learned long ago that success and longevity in the music business are directly related to versatility and the ability to constantly refine and reinvent God-given talent. Thus, in a career that has spanned some three decades, Lyle has established himself as a songwriter, producer, arranger, music publisher, sideman, bandleader, musical director and world-class performer. Audiences at home and abroad have been mesmerized by his melodic compositions and dazzling piano techniques. Born in Memphis, Tennessee, Bobby eventually got noticed by musicians and club-owners, and soon the gigs began to pour in. This “on the job” training coupled with exposure to the great jazz piano masters (Art Tatum, Erroll Garner, Oscar Peterson, McCoy Tyner, Ahmad Jamal and Hammond B-3 pioneer Jimmy Smith) advanced Lyle’s performing skills. He left college after two years, feeling that the time was right to join the mainstream of national touring musicians. The first opportunity arrived in the form of Red Holt and Eldee Young (Young-Holt Unlimited), ex-Ramsey Lewis band members, who whisked Lyle away from the Twin Cities and into the national jazz club circuit. He has several albums under his belt and has future plans also include breaking into film scoring and setting up musical seminars in schools and colleges to make sure future generations continue to have an awareness of America’s original art form, jazz. Lyle was also the musical director for Bette Midler Diva Las Vegas HBO special, which earned him an Emmy nomination in 1997. He's one of the most sought after pianist in the jazz genre and back in Virginia by popular demand, Lyle is making his way to Norfolk, VA to honor his longtime fellow performer, Jean Carne.

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