Christie Dashiell

Contemporary Jazz Pianist and Composer Anthony Walker along with his amazing band brings his blend of Jazz, Soul, Inspirational and R&B to the legendary Blues Alley once again! Anthony began his piano training in his native St. Paul, Minnesota, at age five, making his public debut at age ten. He received his M. Mus degree in Piano Performance and Pedagogy from Temple University where he studied with the late Natalie Hinderas. His musical background in classical, gospel, jazz and rhythm & blues has established Anthony in high demand as a solo artist, session musician, teacher and producer. His sophisticated style is comparable to jazz icons Herbie Hancock, Joe Sample, Ramsey Lewis, Bobby Lyle, and George Duke. His talent as a pianist has allowed Anthony to perform for audiences on five continents, sharing the stage with acts such as Stevie Wonder, Patti Austin, Raheem DeVaughn, Leela James, Kelly Price, Chaka Khan, Cynthia Erivo, Robert Glasper, The Yellow Jackets, jazz vocal group Take Six, gospel legend Richard Smallwood, Donnie McClurkin, Maurette Brown Clark, Kim Burrell, Edwin Hawkins, BeBe & CeCe Winans, Vickie Winans, and T.D. Jakes and the Potter's House Mass Choir. He also spent five months on Broadway and 18 months touring with The Winans in the gospel musical, "Don't Get God Started." Additionally as a solo artist, Anthony headlined at the prestigious Blues Alley in Washington D.C., City Winery, Amp by Strathmore and the legendary jazz venue The Blue Note in New York City. He’s also been a featured performer with National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center in February 2019. In his role as musical director for Grammy Award winner Ledisi, Anthony performed at The White House (at the request of First Lady Michelle Obama) as well as the 2013 Inauguration of President Barack Obama and has made multiple television appearances including the NBC Today Show, the CBS Morning Show, Late Night with David Letterman Show, Good Morning America and The Queen Latifah Show. In 2000-2001, the Smithsonian Institution invited Anthony to be part of its 18-month-long exhibit of historic pianos, commemorating the 300-year anniversary of instrument's invention. As part of this showcase, Anthony played pianos that had been favored instruments of artists as diverse as Liberace, Liszt, Duke Ellington, Beethoven and Mozart. Anthony is the Music Director at Hope Christian Church (Greater DC area) as well as Music Director for the Washington performing Arts Men, Women and Children of the Gospel Choirs. He is currently an Adjunct Professor of Piano and Music at Eastern University in St. David’s, PA.

Hailing from the musically rich city of Brotherly Love Philadelphia PA, Steven B. has lived in the Washington, DC - Maryland area since 1986 His musical journey started to unfold early on in his life. After graduating from high school, Delaware State University was the next stop. Initially entering school as a music major, Steven B. changed his major concentration and received a BA degree in English Literature. During his college tenure he participated in the marching band, jazz band ensembles as well as co-lead a jazz group that included several of the college faculty members. Today, his musical arsenal not only consist of the alto saxophone, but now includes the soprano and tenor saxophones as well as the Yamaha WX-11 wind controller. And yes, he is still singing, processing a lush and beautiful voice making him a “double threat” on stage. “Early on I realized somewhere deep in my spirit that when I sang and or played the saxophone, there was a feeling of something divine and powerful happening. A feeling I couldn’t describe or explain. All I knew was that it felt “peacefully right” and that I was meant to do this! In other words, my sense of purpose - my ultimate connection with the universe!” -SB

Billboard N0.1 Contemporary Jazz Saxophonist Jackiem Joyner - RB/Soul Contemporary saxophonist, author, and music producer Jackiem Joyner has set the bar high in his close to 20 years as a performer. With a number one jazz album, several Billboard chart-topping hits, and a series of critically acclaimed books to his name, he has shown himself to be the rare artist capable of transcending his instrument and reaching a mainstream audience. Now, as he begins the 18th year of his career during a time of unprecedented change in the entertainment industry, he remains as focused on his art as ever. Jackiem was born in Norfolk, VA. At an early age, he began to show signs of the restless creativity that would later define his career. Despite his humble upbringing, he was able to get his hands on a saxophone as a child. The instrument quickly became his constant companion. After years of practice, he emerged in style with 2007’s ‘Babysoul.’ A masterclass in seductive smooth jazz, the album marked the arrival of a brilliant instrumentalist, and set the stage for a prolific recording career that would include Grammy runner ups, hit singles, and no shortage of critical adoration, right up through 2019’s ‘Touch’, and on to 2020’s EP “Journey of Passion” As a performer, he has toured over 30 countries and performed with the likes of the late George Duke, Marcus Miller, Keiko Matsui, Donnie McClurkin, Angela Bofill, Najee, Kirk Whalum, Peter White, and many others.

Presented by The Songwriters’ Association of Washington DC (SAW) Local performer Juels Bland assembles three fellow songwriters (Lena Traynham, Kevin de Souza, Michael Potts) for a night of storytelling and intrigue! And music! A singer/songwriter/person from Silver Spring, Juels Bland has performed broadly throughout the Mid-Atlantic and Appalachia as well as countless open mics and coffeehouses here and there. Original lyrics and music full of rich tones provide a thought provoking, penetrating, and (sometimes) uplifting sound conjuring scenes of love, loss, longing and murder.

Born in Washington, D.C. and raised in Greenville, North Carolina, Christie Dashiell is a graduate of Howard University and the Manhattan School of Music. As a member of Afro-Blue, Howard’s premier vocal jazz ensemble, Dashiell appeared on NBC’s “The Sing Off.” She has twice received recognition in DownBeat Magazine’s Student Music Awards as Outstanding Soloist and Best Vocalist in the Graduate College division and was recently selected as a semifinalist in the 2015 Thelonious Monk Institute Vocals Competition. Dashiell tours with her own quartet, Marcus Strickland and Twi-Life, Otis Brown, III and was featured on Revive Music’s Supreme Sonacy Vol. 1, a release under Blue Note Records. She has appeared at Jazz at Lincoln Center Doha, Qatar, Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, the Kennedy Center Jazz Club, Atlanta Jazz Festival, Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Festival, DC Jazz Festival and Winter Jazzfest in New York City.

Join Broadway and television actress and singer Lea Michele for an intimate evening of songs and stories. “I really want to create a show that gives guests the feeling of sharing stories and singing songs together at a friend’s home,” Lea says. Lea will take us back to the beginning, performing a variety of songs from the iconic Broadway shows that started her career to fan favorites from the hit show “Glee” while sharing personal and memorable stories along the way.

Trying to describe her with one word would be impossible. Few can master one genre of music, but pure, God-given talent allows her to master all. Her immeasurable vocal, songwriting and producing talents bestow upon audiences a remarkable experience, replenishing one's hopefulness, love, and aspiration. Tracy Hamlin has performed alongside numerous music legends including Carlos Santana, Marcus Miller, Jonathan Butler, Esperanza Spalding and Chaka Khan, to name a few. She toured internationally as lead background vocalist for Disco Queen, Gloria Gaynor, as well as being credited as vocal arranger on Gloria’s last project. Tracy also toured internationally as the lead vocalist with Jazz recording group, Pieces of a Dream. The songstress fuses the boundaries between Soul, Jazz, R&B and House music and has experienced significant international success, holding the #1 position on the UK Soul Charts for two weeks with Better Days, and also for two weeks with This is My Life in 2013. Her project, No Limits held the #1 position on the UK Soul Charts for five weeks in 2015! Hamlin released five solo albums through her own label, DMH Records, LLC, ‘Seasons’ (2005), ‘Better Days’ (2009), ‘This is My Life’ (2013), ‘Home’ (2013) and ‘No Limits’ (2015) and continues to release at-least two house music tracks each month to her international fans. Tracy is also producing an exclusive NFT Album to be released in 2022 for her super-fans. Tracy is a former Vice President of the Washington DC Grammy Chapter and currently serves on the Recording Academy’s National Board of Trustees.

City Winery Washington DC presents French musicians and sister duo Les Nubians live in back-to-back concerts on Sunday July 10 at 6 and 9:30 PM. Les Nubians is an Afropean, Urban, R&B Grammy-nominated duo composed of sisters Hélène and Célia Faussart from Paris France. In 1985 the sisters moved with their parents to Chad, Africa. Seven years later, they returned to Bordeaux, France and began singing A Cappella, producing poetry slams in Bordeaux and Paris, and singing background vocals for various artists worldwide. To critical acclaim, the duo's debut album Princesses Nubiennes was released by Virgin Records, France, in 1998. They have become one of the most successful French-language musical groups in the U.S., best known for their Billboard R&B Single "Makeda" from their Grammy nominated album Princesses Nubiennes. Les Nubians were the 1999 Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards winners for Best New Artist, Group or Duo and received two NAACP Image Awards nominations in 2000. To date, Les Nubians have made their home base Brooklyn, New York. They continue to tour the U.S. and around the world performing at Festivals, art centers, theaters and clubs.