What's up at Blair Mansion, Silver Springs MD - Monday Jam Sessions, Thursday Jazz Vocal Series, Friday Concert Series, Monk The Play, Murder Mysteries and more...

[WASHINGTON DC JAZZ NETWORK]

Event Schedule Music

"WHAT'S UP AT THE BLAIR MANSION RESTAURANT

Jam Session Every Monday Night
Hosted by Gary Grainger

Brandon Combs, Vocals & Emcee

Musicians and Singers are welcome to sign up and perform. Whether it's
Funk, R&B, Soul or Jazz. You'll have fun. The Mansion host one of the hottest Jam Sessions in the Metropolitan area. All participants are advised to come early!

"MONK" has been held over through July at the Blair Mansion in Washington DC. If you are in the area or know folks who are in the area tell them to come on out and share the "MONK MAGIC" with us. Produced by George V Johnson Jr.



Rome Neal, Lalita, George V Johnson Jr-producer & Ray Zeender-prepriotor

MONK The Play COMMERCIAL

Read the review by Barry Nix

Call (301-588-1688 for RSVP Tickets). Purchase tickets in advance because the word is out that it is a "Hot Ticket" as proclaimed by the Washington Gazette.

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Thursday Night Vocal Jazz Series
At the Blair Mansion

Barbara Walker, Coordinator
The Jazz Vocalist Network of DC

The venerable Blair Mansion in Silver Spring, MD, is hosting a series of talented, exciting Washington area jazz vocalists from July 16, 2009 through September 3, 2009. If you are a fan of vocal jazz or just “jazz-curious” this weekly evening series is a must.

Featuring some of the Washington area’s most talented jazz stylists, the series is sponsored, in part, by the Jazz Vocalist Network of D.C. All eight Thursday evening sessions run from 7 PM to 10 PM with a $10 cover charge. Reservations can be made at 301-588-1688.



July 16
Tacha Coleman Parr
7:00 PM - $10 Cover

Leading off the series on July 16th is Tacha Coleman Parr one of this year’s semi-finalists in the Billie Holiday Vocal Competition. Tacha hails from Kinston, NC, and has been a fixture on Washington’s music scene for several years. Ms. Coleman Parr studied with the late Ronnie Wells and her husband, Ron Elliston, at their Studio for Jazz Studies. Accompanying Tacha will be Ron Elliston (piano), Tommy Cecil (bass) and Paul Wingo (guitar).

The Blair Mansion Live
Friday Night Concert Series
Friday, July 17
The Dan Reynolds Group
8:00 One Show Two sets
$15 in advance $20 at the door

The Dan Reynolds Group: “Everything is cool, funky, romantic, pristine, bright, soulful, windy, and beautiful”, writes Richard Isen on the subject of Dan’s music.

This Amazing Pianist features a stellar supporting cast, including Gary Grainger (Acoustic Alchemy), Marshall Keys, Mark Prince, Matvei Sigalove, Dan Leonard and Roberto Santos.

“Dan has taken his soulful style to the limits and beyond...Smoothviews.com

July 23
Anthony Compton
7:00 PM - $10 Cover

Anthony Compton has always been surrounded by music, but his musical journey truly began when he met Ron Elliston and the late Ronnie Wells, and began studying with them in 2003. In 2004, he won Third Place in the Fish Middleton Jazz Scholarship Emerging Jazz Artists Competition (FMJS) in 2004, and won First Place in the 2008 Cab Calloway Jazz Vocal Competition.

Always looking to develop his craft and expand his horizons, Anthony has performed at Blues Alley (Washington, DC), Chesapeake Pride Festival (Solomon’s Island, MD), the Baltimore Book Festival (Maryland), and the Embassy of Australia (Washington, DC).

July 24
Julia Nixon
8:00 PM - $25 advance - $30 at the door

There has never been a better time than now for the return of former Broadway Dreamgirl and award-winning artist, Julia Nixon, and the song stylings of authentic Rhythm & Blues that have been her signature mark for more than two decades.

An international performer as well as beloved local musical fixture in her adopted hometown of Washington, D.C., Julia has stepped up to yet another level with the release of her long awaited debut solo album, Keepin On Track. The new album consists primarily of original music composed or co-authored by Julia, with a little help from musical colleagues and friends through the years. A few covers are intermingled for texture, including a blockbuster dance version of One Night Only, a ballad she performed as Effie in Dreamgirls on Broadway. Just as One Night Only marked Effie's triumphant return to the recording studio, Julia's updated rendition symbolizes the next stage of her amazing career taking her music to the masses, performing on the world stage.

Whether accompanied solely by piano and bass or with an entire orchestra and choir, Julia’s four-octave voice soars as never before. RSVP asap it's a hot show!


July 30
Kim K. Mills
7:00 PM - $10 Cover

Kim Mills has performed at the Strathmore Arts Center, the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, The Smithsonian Jazz Café, Blues Alley Supper Club and any number of Washington venues. He was the First Place winner of the 2007 Cab Calloway Vocal Competition. In October 2008, Kim was invited to perform with the Alexey Cheremizov group in Russia at St. Petersburg’s prestigious Jazz Philharmonic Hall. Accompanying Kim Mills will be Amy Bormet (piano), Wes “Sugar” Biles (bass) and Jeff Neal (drums).

August 6
Janna Whitney
7:00 PM - $10 Cover

Janna Whitney took up vocal jazz after 15 years of classical piano work. Janna soon began performing professionally with both a local combo and big bands. Janna was a performer in the Smithsonian National Museum of American History’s “American Popular Song” program and she was a semi-finalist in the 2008 Billie Holiday Vocal Competition. Accompanying Janna will be Kevin Mittleman (guitar), Mike Montgomery (bass), and Mike Fore (drums).

August 7
Joe Coleman
Former lead singer for the Platters....
8:00 & 10:00 PM
$25 advance - $30 at the door

August 13
Robert Waters
7:00 PM - $10 Cover

Robert Waters began singing Jazz in 2001 when he joined the Elliston Studio for Jazz Studies workshop. Before moving to Washington, D.C., Robert lived in San Francisco where he participated in a variety of musical theater productions. Mr. Waters has performed at several D.C jazz venues including Twins Jazz Lounge, The University of Maryland’s Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center and at the East Coast Jazz Festival. Accompanying Mr. Waters are Ron Elliston (piano), Tommy Cecil (bass) and Paul Wingo (guitar).

Thursday, August 20
7-10pm - $10 Cover

Janine Gilbert Carter - Originally from Pennsylvania, since 1998 Ms. Gilbert Carter has performed with the Washington Performing Arts Society and the Gospel Mass Choir and more recently at Twins Jazz Lounge and The Islander (both U Street venues), the FMJS East Coast Jazz Festival and Washington’s Blues Alley supper club. Janine was a finalist in both the 2003 FMJS competition and the 2004 Billie Holiday vocal competitions, as well as a quarter finalist in the 2005 American Traditions competition in Savannah, Georgia.

Thursday, August 27
7-10pm - $10 Cover

Kelly Brown, Dorothy Durden and Julie Mack

Kelly Brown, a graduate of the Elliston Music Studio, is a regular on Washington’s jazz circuit having performed with the D.C.’s Jazz Vocalist Network and was a member of the Northminster Gospel Choir. Her numerous performances in the area have included events at Blair Mansion, the East Coast Jazz Festival, Sabang Indonesian Restaurant, Ellington’s On Eighth, Sala Thai, and the West End Café.

Dorothy Durden began her vocal training in her native New York and moved to Washington, D.C. in 1983. A lover of classic jazz and bebop, Dorothy began studying at The Jazz Vocalists Network of Washington, D.C. in 2006. Dorothy has performed at Blair Mansion, Northminster Presbyterian New Year’s Eve Gala and other local events.

Julie Mack’s repertoire extends from singing standards and rueful ballads to lilting bossa nova, all seasoned with intelligence and humor. Fueled by her passion for jazz and the American Songbook, Ms. Mack has a steady gig at The Burger Joint in Bethesda. She has performed at many private parties and fundraisers and is a member of the Jazz Vocalist Network.

Friday, August 28

THE BLACKBYRDS
Two Shows 8:00 pm & 10:00 pm
$25 in advance $30 at the door

One of the hottest bands in the world, R&B Grammy Award winners, The Blackbyrds generate energy and excitement everywhere they perform.

The Blackbyrds are a jazz-funk group with ‘thick R&B streaks running down their backs’. Recruited and assembled by Donald Byrd in 1974, the group's members – including drummer Keith Killgo, keyboardist Kevin Toney, bassist Joe Hall and guitarist Orville Saunders -- were students in the Howard University's music department, where the doctor and jazz legend was an instructor.

The Blackbyrds' released a number of LPs including 1973's The Blackbyrds, 1974's Flying Start, 1975's City Life, 1976's Unfinished Business, 1977's Action and 1980's Better Days. They also scored films like 1975's Cornbread, Earl and Me; and supported artists like Bobbie Humphrey, B.B. King, Mandrill, and Roberta Flack. "Walking in Rhythm" was a Grammy nominated hit, "Rock Creek Park, Washington DC’s unofficial anthem," "Happy Music", "Soft & Easy", "Unfinished Business" and "Do It Fluid" are the band’s best-known hits.

The band’s hits have continued as underground club classics and on popular radio programs such as "The Steve Harvey Morning Show", “The Michael Baisden Show"and "The Tom Joyner Morning Show" which regularly features their hits. Read more...


Thursday, September 3
7-10pm - $10 Cover

Barbara Walker, a long-term lawyer, began her singing career in late 1995--on the very day she first heard and met Ronnie Wells-Elliston at the 'One Step Down'. She then began her vocal studies at The Elliston Music Studio. Since then she has sung in every East Coast Jazz Festival, at private parties and in various clubs in Boston, Albuquerque, Korea, San Francisco and in Washington, D.C. with some of these cities' finest jazz musicians. She made her CD debut, "Making Love" in 2000. Barbara is the founder of the Jazz Vocalist Network.

Friday, September 4
Two Shows 8:00 pm & 10:00 pm
$45 in advance $50 at the door

THE SPINNERS

Friday, September 25
Jaared
One Show 8:00
$10 in advance $15 at the door

Friday, October 2
One Show 8:00
$20 in advance $25 at the door

Tuesday, October 20
Acoustic Alchemy
Special Fundraiser Concert
One Show 8:00
$35 in advance $40 at the door

Thursday, October 29
WPG Trio
Featuring Chuck Brown
One Show 8:00
$20 in advance $25 at the door







For Details See: 'What's Up at the Mansion"
or Call 301-588-1688 For Information

" MURDER ON THE MENU"

The historic Blair Mansion Inn, home of the Mansion Mysteries Dinner Theatre, is the perfect spot for a murder, and it will happen right under your very nose. Who will be the victim ... Who will be the killer? Clues are everywhere and everyone is a suspect. You will be the judge and jury (we leave the executions up to someone else!)

It's an interactive form of theatre that starts with a story outline, and then blends script with improvisation and input from the audience.

It's all in good fun and the laughs usually outnumber the screams.

As the mystery unfolds, you will be treated to a sumptuous buffet with beef, chicken, fish, vegetarian entrees, and assorted salads, vegetables, and breads.

The Blair Mansion Inn and The Mansion Mystery Players have been bringing fun and laughter to groups for over 15 years. Thousands have made this comedic pilgrimage, so why not take a fun journey with us this year. Call us today to start planning your event.

"If you had to pick the perfect spot for an evening of mystery and intrigue, it would probably be the 120 year old Blair Mansion Inn in Silver Spring"

Steven J. Slater - The Montgomery Journal Newspaper

Fri July 17
Murder?
You Can Bank On It!
(Doors Open 6:30 Show 8:30)
Sat July 18
Murder?
You Can Bank On It!
(Doors Open 6:30 Show 8:30)

Fri July 24
Murder?
You Can Bank On It!
(Doors Open 6:30 Show 8:30)
Sat July 25
Murder?
You Can Bank On It!
(Doors Open 6:30 Show 8:30)

Fri July 31
Murder?
You Can Bank On It!
(Doors Open 6:30 Show 8:30)
Sat Aug 1
A Talent to Die For
(Doors Open 6:30 Show 8:30)
August

Fri Aug 7
A Talent to Die For
(Doors Open 6:30 Show 8:30)
Sat Aug 8
A Talent to Die For
(Doors Open 6:30 Show 8:30)

Fri Aug 7
A Talent to Die For
(Doors Open 6:30 Show 8:30)
Sat Aug 8
A Talent to Die For
(Doors Open 6:30 Show 8:30)

Fri Aug14
A Talent to Die For
(Doors Open 6:30 Show 8:30)
Sat Aug 15
A Talent to Die For
(Doors Open 6:30 Show 8:30)

Fri Aug 21
A Talent to Die For
(Doors Open 6:30 Show 8:30)
Sat Aug 22
A Talent to Die For
(Doors Open 6:30 Show 8:30)

Fri Aug 28
A Talent to Die For
(Doors Open 6:30 Show 8:30)
Sat Aug 29
A Talent to Die For
(Doors Open 6:30 Show 8:30)

(Shows, Dates, & Times are subject to change without prior notice.)

For Show Details



Call 301-588-1688 for reservations or information

BLAIR MANSION RESTAURANT AND DINNER THEATRE
7711 Eastern Avenue
Silver Springs, MD 20912