Jennifer Barnes has developed a reputation as an exceptional musician through her work as a live and studio vocalist, composer, arranger and educator. Referring to her debut CD recording, “You Taught My Heart”, legendary jazz bassist Rufus Reid says, “Jennifer integrates rich vocal quality, clarity of pitch and emotion with an additional pivotal skill that sets her apart from other great singers; she sings improvisations that are melodically and rhythmically interesting from the point of view of a jazz instrumentalist.” She sang in a nationally aired Chili’s television commercial, and her voice has been featured on television and radio commercials including Epson, Old El Paso, McDonalds and Kellogg’s. She has opened for the Count Basie Orchestra and performed with her trio at the 28th Annual IAJE International Conference in New York City. Jennifer demonstrates tremendous versatility in her ability to not only lead her own small jazz group, but also as a big band vocalist, most notably as the featured vocalist on the Doug Lawrence Orchestra CD, “Big Band Swing”.
Jennifer Martin began performing the moment she was born. She produced shows for every family gathering. She appeared in every school program from kindergarten through high school. Influenced by the music of Ian and Sylvia, Bob Dylan and John Stewart, she formed a folk duo in college with Morgan Vice. Jennifer moved to NYC to continue her education at Columbia University. It was there that she began her professional musical career at the famous Gerde’s Folk City in Greenwich Village.
Jennifer and Morgan worked many clubs in the city. Jennifer began playing bass. They were recruited by the Bitter End College Coffee House Circuit and performed at colleges and universities throughout the US.
As the college coffee house scene began dying out, Jennifer began to experiment with the new country rock style of music influenced by The Flying Burrito Brothers, The Eagles and Linda Ronstadt. Jennifer moved to Toronto, Canada and established a successful country band, Jennifer Martin and High Gear. They were the opening act at the legendary Horseshoe Tavern for such greats as Kitty Wells, Bill Anderson and Ian Tyson. They traveled extensively in Canada performing in logging camps, Canadian prison and lots and lots of club.
Joel Cross developed a passion for music in the church, singing gospel songs with his seven siblings. After picking up his first guitar at age 12, it was evident that making music was his calling. His dedication to perfecting his craft eventually led him to the University of North Texas where he studied jazz guitar. After graduation, Joel made a name for himself playing gigs throughout the Dallas music scene. Whether original music or cover, his heartfelt approach showcased his ability to make each piece sound new, truly a sound all his own. One afternoon, while playing the Dallas Arboretum, Joel decided to appease the crowd’s unconventional request for a Taylor Swift song. A fan happened to catch his very soulful rendition of “Shake it Off” on video and uploaded it to YouTube. The next morning, over a half a million people had watched the video, and Joel’s face was on every major news source in Dallas.
As an award-winning saxophonist, flutist and vocalist from Dallas, TX, Joyce covers the gamut of musical influence, style and genre from traditional to contemporary jazz and classical to R&B, funk, fusion, blues, pop, and Gospel/Christian. The mixing and blending of musical styles in her upbringing is definitely her forte and an asset to writing music and entertainment. Whether it's upbeat music or sultry smooth jazz or ballads, Joyce provides sensational musical entertainment on saxophone (soprano, alto, and tenor), flute and vocals that caters to the fans or venue.
Her educational background includes a bachelor's degree in instrumental music education where she also studied saxophone and flute, classical and jazz, theater, and radio and TV broadcasting. She also participated in the college choir, stage plays, and musicals. After a brief period with the Acadiana Symphony Orchestra on flute, Joyce moved from Louisiana to Texas where her career shifted to corporate America; however, she returned with sheer determination over seven years ago with her first album, "Sweet Dreams", and has since released several more projects, including the latest jazz album. "Many Colors", “It's Christmas Time" and other singles releases like “Cherish” and "Sax-O-Phunk".
She has graced the stage of many music festivals, concert venues, and corporate shows in the United States, but radio stations all over the world are playing her music. Radio stations have honored her with awards and special recognitions such as the GHP Radio Music Award, Sound Fusion Radio Song of the Week, Ssassy Radio Top 20, etc. along with several special features with radio stations like The Jazz Oasis, Coffee Talk Jazz, Jazzy100 and Amazing Smooth and Jazz Radio.
In addition, David McLorren featured Joyce as the lead soloist in two tracks on his Grammy consideration album, “Life Happens”. Other notable awards and nominations are the Black Women in Jazz Female Saxophonist of the Year, GHP Radio Virtual Music Award for Best Groove Featuring Sax, NAACP Music Award (Garland), Coffee Talk Jazz Radio "Heart & Soul Instrumental" Award, ASCAPLUS Awards Panel Recognition and the Akedemia Award for best funk song (Many Colors). South Florida Gospel Music Awards, Best Female Jazz Flutist and Best Producer/Arranger/Composer by Black Women in Jazz and Fine Arts also nominated her Best Female Artist.
When Joyce is not performing, she is hard at work on her next project, collaborating with other independent artists or co-hosting on GHP Radio, "The Indie Live Spot".
Although Kay’s early foray into showbiz did not result in a childhood career, she grew up singing with a mother who taught her the standards and appreciation for the singers of the 30s and 40s. However, when Kay started singing professionally, it was with a couple of progressive country/blues bands. Despite a songlist that included a lot if Willie, Waylon, and Patsy Cline, Kay always insisted in some Peggy, singing “Fever” as the two-steppers whirled by. She also acted in local plays and musicals (she was Janet in a production of “Rocky Horror.”), and performed (still) as a vocalist at the Cathedral of Light church. But it wasn’t until she began singing with Luana Stoutmeyer’s Center Stage Band that she was finally able to release her inner chanteuse and sing all the styles all the time – from the Stones to Streisand.
Singing since she could speak, LaLa Johnson found her musical calling, first, in the Baptist Church of her childhood. In the process of earning her "stripes" at public and private functions, LaLa quickly realized that she had something special, within, that was waiting to burst out.
Born and raised on Gospel, groomed in R&B, classically-trained, and consummate with regard to Reggae and the Blues, LaLa finds real comfort in the ingenuity that is demanded by Jazz. She credits this to a musical acquaintance, during her early college years, who gave her a cd of Ella Fitzgerald recordings...
"I had heard the name, Ella Fitzgerald, all my life. In hind-sight, I even recall having heard her voice, long before I connected the two. The first time I listened to that cd, with "Misty", "Stormy Weather", duets with Louis Armstrong and how they exchanged witty musical banters with one another, I was captivated. Then, there was "THE" recording of "How High The Moon"; after I heard that, I felt like I had steam coming out of my ears! I remember saying, THAT'S Ella Fitzgerald?! What PLANET is she from?!" My mind was blown. I was sold on her, and on Jazz, ever since..." - Lala Johnson
In February, 2014, LaLa J made her acting debut as the lead in the musical, "Caroline or Change". Directed by Toschia Moffett (Vive Les Arts Theatre),"Caroline or Change" has been lauded as a powereful musical that incorporates a through-sung script with a musical score that combines Motown, folk, classical, spirituals and Jewish klezmer music.
With her satiny, three-octave voice, her sexy sense of humor and her trademark elbow-length gloves and beaded gowns that would fill Julie London with envy, Laura Ainsworth ushers audiences into her own enchanting world, a cocktail that combines the elegant retro style of lounge jazz chanteuses of the ‘40s and '50s with sophisticated modern musical twists. She's released three CDs and a best-of vinyl LP (and is currently recording her fourth) of her musical style that she calls "New Vintage." It’s an intoxicating blend of past and present that has attracted some of the top jazz players in Texas to her side, including longtime partner Brian Piper, one of the most sought-after pianists/arrangers in the Southwest. It’s also earned her critical raves and industry honors, including a profile in Downbeat magazine; performances at Manhattan’s famed Metropolitan Room, L.A.’s Whiskey A-Go-Go, resorts in India and Dubai, and Mike Huckabee’s national TV variety show on TBN; three Global Music Awards Bronze Medals; prominent places on popular compilation albums such as "Goa Chill-Out Zone" and "This Is Vintage Now, Vol. 2;" a Clousine Music Magazine “Best Jazz Album” award; multiple nominations in the Josie Music Awards and a number of nominations and wins in the Artists Music Guild Heritage Awards, including an unprecedented sweep of Album, Video and Female Vocalist of the Year for her third album, "New Vintage." Rave reviews in the Japanese jazz press led to her catalogue also being picked up for distribution across Japan.
Big band and lounge jazz are in Laura's DNA. Her late father, Bill Ainsworth, was a renowned sax and clarinet master, vocalist and arranger who played with Freddy Martin, Tex Beneke, Ernie Felice and other top bandleaders, and at age 17, was possibly the youngest member ever of the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra. As a young girl, Laura watched enraptured as her dad accompanied such idols as Ella Fitzgerald, Tony Bennett and Mel Torme, all of whom formed her musical style. Other major influences include Bea Wain, Keely Smith, Frank Sinatra, Julie London, the Mills Brothers, Lena Horne, Peggy Lee and Dinah Shore.
Jazz Inside magazine raved, "You can keep those pop divas, the only one for me is Laura Ainsworth... a wonderful modern interpreter of the Great American Songbook, as well as thoroughly modern styles." Robert Sutton of JazzCorner.com wrote that she "weaves past and present with stunning power." All About Jazz said, "Gifted with a sultry, swoon-inducing croon, Ainsworth can sing any words and command attention." Arnold Wayne Jones of the Dallas Voice wrote, "When Dallas lounge singer Laura Ainsworth releases an album…you have to sit at home imagining the tinkling of ice cubes in a highball (or, just as legitimately, make a cocktail yourself and create your own ambiance)…Her voice, a satiny ribbon that seems to flow as an uninterrupted river of downbeats, is rich and distinctive, but it’s her sense of humor that catches you note after note." And Kev Rowland of Gonzo Weekly said, “A voice and style that don't belong to this century, let alone this decade…Close your eyes, and drift into a different world.”
Laura has performed in a variety of venues, including jazz clubs, historic theaters, elegant showrooms, major corporate and convention shows, and two state galas at the Arkansas Governor's Mansion. Her albums have received worldwide airplay and she has appeared on various TV and radio programs, her own special on Dallas Comcast Cable, and a number of top lounge music podcasts, including "Lounging with Lombardi" in New York City and Buddies Lounge, where she was the first contemporary artist ever played or interviewed. She's also a favorite on the internationally-known "Cocktail Nation" podcast from Australia. Host Koop Kooper, dean of all things swank, has ranked her albums in his annual top 10 and said her of her second release, the film noir-inspired "Necessary Evil," "My goodness, it is brilliant."
“It took the world years to discover that the DFW Metroplex is home to lots of great jazz. But there’s a fast-rising new sub-genre of jazz – vintage revival (lounge, exotica, bachelor pad music of the ‘40s-‘60s) – and with the release of her third album, 'New Vintage,' and a best-of audiophile vinyl LP titled 'Top Shelf,' DFW vocalist Laura Ainsworth is already being recognized worldwide as a leader of the movement." - Downtown Business News, Dallas
Liz Mikel is a multifaceted artist that has been a staple in the DFW Arts scene for more than 30 years. Ms. Mikel has toured both nationally and abroad, working along side some of the industry’s biggest celebrities, including the late Michael Clark Duncan, Ben Stiller, and the late, great Chadwick Boseman in “Get On Up.” But she is probably best known on the small screen from her recurring role as Corrina Williams on NBC’s Emmy Award winning series, Friday Night Lights. Mikel has received rave reviews in both her Off-Broadway and Broadway debuts and has been lauded and recognized for her artistic achievements by many local and national entities, including receiving the 2018 Award For Excellence in Community Service from The Dallas Historical Society for making significant contributions to Dallas’ quality of life. Mikel is a proud member of the Dee and Hal Brierley Resident Acting Company of the Tony Award winning Dallas Theater Center, and in the Spring of 2019 was honored with the Bill and Linda Custard Award for her distinguished and long-time service to DTC. A dedicated mother and grandmother, Liz thanks her family, both biological and chosen, for their support and love!
Born in Paris, Texas, and later on moving to Dallas Tx, Lola attended St. Anthony Catholic Church where she joined the choir whose pianist had somewhat of a repressed style. Singing the hymns of the church influenced Lola more towards a laid back melancholy vibe.
In 2017 Lola competed in the "Denise Lee Onstage So You Think You Can Cabaret" competition where she won 3rd place with her rendition of Billie Holiday's "Fine and Mellow" which she sang in an upbeat tempo.
She has worked with some of DFW's finest such as jazz vocalist Victor Cager and has been a member of the prestigious Women’s Choir of Dallas under the artistic direction of Melinda Imthurn.
In the stage play production of “ Reveal (a dream tale with music)” a play directed by the accomplished actor-director and writer Akin Babatunde a play that had its debut at the Kalita Humphrey Theater in Dallas, she portrayed one of three singing dolls that came to life.
Lynne Cadena grew up in a small town just outside Pittsburg, PA, the first of a brood of creatives. She moved to Dallas and began subbing at the Melrose Hotel. During the 1990’s she performed regularly for Sunday brunch audiences at the Doubletree Hotel off 75. Soon the popular Steve Fields Steak and Lobster Lounge discovered her and gave her free rein to entertain. She enjoys giving original interpretations to classics and standards from a wide range of time periods, which her loyal audience (including her father) appreciates. Her repertoire includes a wide variety of music, from sultry ballads both classic and pop, to traditional jazz and swing standards, and even bossa novas.
