The Manhattan Transfer
The group went from strength to strength, when in 1981, they became the first group ever to win Grammy Awards in both Pop and Jazz categories in the same year – Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal for “Boy From New York City,” and Best Jazz Performance, Duo or Group for “Until I Met You (Corner Pocket),” both from their fifth studio long player, Mecca for Moderns. In 1982 and 1983 the group won consecutive Grammy Awards in the Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Duo or Group category for, respectively, “Route 66” and “Why Not!” The critical praise and commercial success of the group’s first seven studio albums could hardly have prepared them for the monumental 12 Grammy nominations they received in 1985 for the album Vocalese. Those 12 nominations made Vocalese the single greatest Grammy nominated album in one year, and cemented the group’s status as one of the most important and innovative vocal groups in the history of popular music.
Tierney Sutton Band
Since 1993, the 9-time Grammy-nominated jazz vocalist, Tierney Sutton, has fronted The Tierney Sutton Band which has featured instrumental virtuosos Christian Jacob, Trey Henry, Kevin Axt and Ray Brinker, functioning as true collaborative partners in business as well as music. On stage as well as on recordings, the band has been described as having an “almost unearthly” connection. Known especially for their imaginative and groundbreaking treatments of well-known songs, they received a Grammy nomination for “Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocals”, the first band ever to receive this honor.
Néstor Torres
Standing on the shoulders of flute giants from worlds as diverse as Rampal & Galway in Classical Music; Richard Egues’ Cuban Charanga style; rocker Ian Anderson’s Jethro Tull; Herbie Mann and – most influential of all – Hubert Laws as pioneers of Jazz Flute, Latin Grammy Award winning Nestor Torres’ rhythmic and mellifluous flute sound remains apart in a class all by itself. His 14 recordings as a soloist; 4 Latin Grammy nominations, one Grammy nomination and one Latin Grammy Award; collaborations with diverse artists such as Gloria Estefan, Kenny Loggins, Dave Mathews, Herbie Hancock, Tito Puente, Michael Camilo, Paquito D’ Rivera and Arturo Sandoval; as well as performances with the Cleveland, Singapore, and New World Symphony Orchestras among many others, are testament to the remarkable journey of an Artist who continues to grow and enrich the lives of those who experience his talents
Les DeMerle
Les DeMerle, world-renowned drummer, clinician, bandleader, Founder and Artistic Director of The Amelia Island Jazz Festival toured and recorded with the Harry James Big Band from 1970 to 1982.
Bonnie Eisele
Extraordinary defines the talents of Bonnie Eisele who just illuminates…with her powerful voice…in some ways reminiscent of Keely Smith with a faint touch of Billie Holiday. – EJazzNews.com
LPT Salsa Orchestra
Formed in 2015, the group realized that playing salsa music was a way to share the diversity of the area with new and young audiences, while still giving the seasoned salsa veterans a taste of that old school. LPT are the new ambassadors of Salsa music in the Southeast, using the music to bridge gaps between cultures. Dancing and joy has no limitation and LPT is well-poised to reinforce the freedom, love and inclusion at the heart of Salsa music.
