"...the atmosphere is great, the music cool
and people are having a good time..."

Celebrating our 13th Season

 2009-2010Jazz Depot...Evenings of Intimate Jazz

Northeast Georgia's "hottest" ticket to Northeast Georgia's "coolest" jazz series.

The guitar duo of Pruett & Davis offers instrumental music that combines Latin, Classical and Jazz Fusion to spice up their sound. Rick reunites with his long time musical partner, Mark Davis to bring Gainesville the guitar magic that has graced stages from Las Vegas to Montreux, Switzerland.
Pruett & Davis has performed with a wide variety of renowned artists including, Herbie Hancock, Spyro Gyra, Fourplay, Acoustic Alcemy, George Duke, Chicago, John McLaughlin, Styx, the Steve Morse Band, The Dixie Dregs and Asia (featuring Steve Howe). In 1993, Pruett & Davis performed by personal invitation of legendary Claude Nobs at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland. Several ‘friends’ will join Rick and Mark on stage including an Evenings of Intimate Jazz favorite Maria Howell, the child star of “The Color Purple.”

Larry Barker Jazz Ensemble
Saturday
January 9, 2010 - 8PM

Gainesville, Georgia's own Larry Barker is a jazz pianist with an eclectic musical background. Originally from St. Louis, Missouri, Barker has performed and/or recorded with Charles Glenn, the U. S. Army Band, the Glenn Miller Band, Tom Kennedy, Theo Peoples, Peter Mayer, The Drifters, and numerous others. For years, Mr. Barker has collaborated most often with vocalist Charles Glenn, resulting in one CD release (Offerings) and countless memorable jazz club performances. Since moving to Georgia in 2006, Larry has performed with Atlanta Acoustic Jazz, Atlanta Beat, Sam Skelton, Ken Watters, the Sweet Lu Quartet, FootLights. Barker's influences on jazz piano include Oscar Peterson, Gene Harris, Michel Petrucciani, Bill Evans, Fred Hersch, George Shearing, Dave McKenna, Nat King Cole, Ray Kennedy, and Kenny Barron. He prefers not to play "outside" in the manner of many jazz musicians, rather Mr. Barker finds ways to explore his way "inside" the music. His approach keeps audiences engaged with each song. Barker will be joined by Ken Watters on trumpet and Neal Starkey on bass.

A well-known and highly acclaimed performer on the local entertainment scene in her beloved hometown of Las Vegas, Sandy Kastel has spent an exhilarating lifetime singing, both literally and figuratively, the praises of the city and its incredible legacy of music. Now, with the upcoming release of her debut album on Silk & Satin Records, the former Miss Nevada becomes a true cultural ambassador for the city, bringing this magic to the rest of the world for the very first time.
Kastel is currently putting the finishing touches on her eagerly anticipated recording, a tribute to the glorious entertainers who have defined the Vegas legend over the years. Putting her own unique spins on songs that continue to transfix our imaginations decades after we first heard them, the singer pays homage to, among others, Frank Sinatra (a medley of "All Of Me," "I've Got You Under My Skin" and "Just One Of Those Things," plus "Luck Be A Lady"), Wayne Newton ("Danke Schoen"), Peggy Lee ("Fever," "Come Back To Me"), Johnny Mathis ("Misty"), Dinah Washington/Celine Dion ("When I Fall In Love") and Judy Garland ("Over The Rainbow").

Lynne Arriale
Saturday
March 30, 2010 - 8PM

Lynne first performed at Evenings of Intimate Jazz during the 2004-2005-season. Pianist/composer, Lynne Arriale, earned a master's degree in piano performance before turning to jazz. Her trio now performs internationally and celebrates its tenth anniversary and ninth CD release with Come Together. Their previous CD, Arise, hit #17 on Billboard, #1 - UPI's Best Jazz CD's of 2003, and along with its predecessor, Inspiration, reached #1 on national jazz radio and #1 in New Yorker Magazine's Best CDs of 2003. Appearances in national media include PBS-TV's Profile of a Performing Artist, CNN/FN's Biz, NPR's Piano Jazz with Marion McPartland, Weekend Edition, Jazz Set and NPR's Jazz Piano Christmas - Live from The Kennedy Center. Arriale won 1993's Great American Jazz Piano Competition and toured Japan with 100 Golden Fingers, which also included legends Hank Jones, Tommy Flanagan, Kenny Barron, Harold Mabern, Junior Mance, Monty Alexander, Roger Kellaway, Ray Bryant and Cedar Walton. By popular demand, this will be Lynne’s 3rd year to perform for our Gainesville audience.

Singer/pianist Diane Marino was born in Manhattan, NYC. She received her early piano training of classical studies and improvisation from the age of 10. Diane was accepted on NYC'S 'Famed' High School for the Performing Arts as a classical piano major. She later attended the Mannes College of Music in Manhattan where she studied piano with world-renowned concert pianist Murray Perahia. While working towards her Bachelor of Music degree in piano performance, Diane began singing with small groups in the NYC tri-state area, After graduating from Mannes, she was singing professionally 6 nights a week. It was only natural and a matter of time before she would combine her singing and piano playing skills. Diane performed solo gigs for several years in the NYC area before teaming up with bassist Frank Marino. The duo formed the nine member Brazilian group, 'Som Brasileiro' (Sounds of Brazil) in 1993 and have performed at numerous jazz festivals, venues and concerts in the Southeast sharing the bill with artists such as Tania Maria, Pete Escovedo, Joe Henderson and Dr. John, to name a few. Diane's debut jazz quartet CD 'A Sleepin' Bee' was released in 2003 and has received national acclaim charting on the national charts as well as receiving extensive radio airplay and rave reviews. This CD offers a wide array of vocal and instrumental traditional jazz standards, Latin jazz, and Brazilian jazz (sung in Portuguese)

Sam Skelton All Star Quartet
Saturday
May 8, 2010 - 8PM

As a woodwind doubler, Sam Skelton's playing defies categorization, except that he is well versed in any genre of music. His classical influence results in one of the richest and cleanest tones on the local music scene, readily recognizable in recording and live performance. Sam has performed and/or soloed with the London Symphony Orchestra, The Atlanta Symphony, The Atlanta Ballet Orchestra as well as numerous local ensembles. World Premieres include James Oliverio's Children of A Common Mother, Lee Johnson's Ora Pro Mi: Concerto for Winds Soloist and Seaside Symphony. Sam also played the premiere recording of Ora Pro Mi and Seaside Symphony with the London Symphony Orchestra. With a discography of over 70 compact discs, Skelton remains very active in the studio and can be heard on recordings by such artists as: Matchbox 20, The Gap Band and The Ohio Players. Sam is Professor of Saxophone at Georgia State University and Kennesaw State University and is a Yamaha Performing Artist. Joining Sam at Evenings of Intimate Jazz is Justin Varnes-Drums; Tyrone Jackson-Piano and Ramon Pooser- Bass.