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| Onaje Allan Gumbs Performs At The Lenox Lounge May 26 & 27 Pianist Onaje Allan Gumbs performs at the Lenox Lounge on Friday, May 26 to Saturday, May 27. Sets begin at 8:00, 10:30, and 11:00. The Friday night second set will feature special guests: singer Connie James and actor Obba Babatundé. On Saturday night, German rock singer Inga Rumpf will join the band for the second set. Harlem-born, Queens-raised,Onaje Allan Gumbshas enjoyed a career as first-call sideman, valued arranger and composer, producer, and most importantly, bandleader and recording artist. Many will remember him for his vital contributions to such Woody Shaw classics as Moontrane, and Rosewood, to which he lent his exceptional composing and arranging skills. Still others will recall his work as producer/arranger for vocal dates led by Downing, Rubin, and Marlena Shaw; or perhaps his sideman contributions to dates with an impressive range of artists from NEA Jazz Master Kenny Burrell and Nat Adderley, to the cutting edge with Ronald Shannon Jackson, to the crossover dreams of Jonathan Butler. Onaje's soundtrack writing includes Danny Glover's Showtime film Override, and his song "Dare to Dream" was a theme for a Panasonic awards presentation. Onaje was recently nominated at this year's NAACP Image Awards as Outstanding Jazz Artist. Most recently, Onaje celebrated the completion of his album Remember Their Innocence, a recording that aptly mirrors the extraordinarily broad-based pallet of experiences he has enjoyed and enhanced with his presence. To date, the album has received high praise amongst critics and fans; Jerry D'Souza, from All About Jazz, writes "Onaje Allan Gumbs took his wide experiences as a musician into the studio for his latest recording and came up with a winning combination in Remember Their Innocence." One of Hollywood's busiest actors, Obba Babatundé is highly acclaimed as both a stage and film actor, earning an NAACP Image Award nomination for his portrayal of Harold Nicholas in Introducing Dorothy Dandridge, and a Tony Award nomination for his portrayal C.C. White in the original Broadway production of Dreamgirls. Described by Rolling Stone as "Germany's only world-class Soul, Rock and Gospel singer, " Inga Rumpf has recorded 40 music records, performed with Robert Palmer and Keith Richards, and toured with Lionel Ritchie, Aerosmith and Lynyrd Skynyrd. Most recently, Inga Rumpf celebrated the release of her newest album, Easy (In My Soul). Connie James has spent the last 20 years as a club and studio singer in New York, and has been a creative collaborator with Onaje Allan Gumbs for a quarter of a century. Ms. James has also been nominated for a Pixie Award for Best Song/Soundtrack in a Motion Picture for the song "Three Words", which she co-wrote and recorded with Onaje Allan Gumbs, for the short subject film Whoa, which received the Angel Award at the Sundance Film Festival in 2003 and was also screened at the Cannes Film Festival last year. write your comments about the article :: © 2006 Jazz News :: home page |