James Hall Quintet Starring John Olearchick and Akina-Naomi Kennedy!

FRIDAY, APRIL 11 AT THE LIVE OAK CENTER - James Hall (vibraphone), special guests Akina-Naomi Kennedy (vocals) and John Olearchick (keyboard), Doug Mathews (bass), and Greg Parnell (drums) will be performing live from 7:30-9 pm. Doors open at 7 pm and there is no admission charge.

Guest vocalist Akina-Naomi Kennedy is a bass guitarist and vocalist who is currently studying Music at Rollins College. She is the music director of WPRK, curating new music releases for radio play, ticket giveaways, artist interviews, and in-station live sessions. She recently performed as a vocalist with the Bach Festival Society of Winter Park, a nonprofit famed nationally for its choir and broad repertoire.

Guest pianist John Olearchick has been exploring the world of classical, jazz, and collaborative piano, as well as honing the craft of teaching music to all ages and skill levels. Over the course of this journey, he has earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music, taught hundreds of private music lessons, lectured at the University of Pittsburgh in Greensburg, Valencia College and the University of Central Florida, and performed countless jazz, classical, and musical theatre gigs from Orlando to Los Angeles.

James Hall is a vibraphone player, pianist, and composer based in New Smyrna Beach. In his hometown of Pleasanton, California, he performed with numerous jazz musicians including Matt Finders, Andrew Speight, Anton Schwartz, Michael Marcus, Roger Glenn, and Erik Jekabson. Upon moving to Florida in 2019, he has performed with a wide range of jazz musicians including Antonio Escapa, Jeff Rupert, Scott Dickinson, the Orlando Jazz Orchestra, Tom Dietz, and Bobby Koelble, just to name a few, in the straight-ahead jazz and Latin spheres.

Bassist Doug Mathews has performed extensively in Central Florida with jazz musicians including Terry Myers, Ed Metz, and Chris Cortez. A regular at the Blue Bamboo, he is also a veteran of the Sam Rivers band and participated in multiple albums with the saxophone player during the 1990s.

Jazz drummer and bandleader Greg Parnell is based in Sanford. He is the leader of the Orlando Jazz Orchestra and road manager of the Glenn Miller Orchestra. He has performed with The Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra, The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, The Les Brown Orchestra, The Nelson Riddle Orchestra, The Terry Myers Orchestra, and The American Vintage Orchestra, and is among the best-known big band drummers in the state.

Host or Publisher James Hall