Ella, Billie, Dinah & All That Jazz | The Philly Pops
 

Ella, Billie, Dinah & All That Jazz

Terell Stafford, Conductor

Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center for Performing Arts

300 South Broad Street
Philadelphia, PA 19102
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Feb 19-21, 2021
See All Dates & Times
Fri, Feb 19, 2021
8PM
Single tickets on sale this summer
8PM
Sat, Feb 20, 2021
3PM
Single tickets on sale this summer
3PM
Sun, Feb 21, 2021
3PM
Single tickets on sale this summer
3PM
Featuring

Carmen Bradford, vocalist

Alita Moses, vocalist

Philly has a rich history with jazz, and this year, the POPS highlights the three finest powerhouse divas to light up stage and song—Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, and Dinah Washington! All three singers possessed unique qualities—Ella’s effortless range and technical perfection, Billie’s soulful sensitivity, and Dinah’s infectious insouciance. But all three delivered memories to a generation of swing!

Terell Stafford, the newly appointed POPS Artistic Director for Jazz, brings together this exciting new program featuring the POPS’ signature brass section. Terell is an internationally recognized trumpeter and his performance is certain to enhance an already packed program.

Experience All That Jazz with vocalists Carmen Bradford and Alita Moses.

Guest Artists
Terell Stafford

Terell Stafford , Artistic Director for Jazz, trumpet

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Terell Stafford, acclaimed trumpet player based in New York, has been hailed as “one of the great players of our time, a fabulous trumpet player” by piano legend McCoy Tyner. Stafford is recognized as an incredibly gifted and versatile player, he combines a deep love of melody with his own brand of spirited and adventurous lyricism. Stafford’s exceptionally expressive and well defined musical talent allows him to dance in and around the rich trumpet tradition of his predecessors while making his own inroads.

Since the mid-1990s, Stafford has performed with groups such as Benny Golson’s Sextet, McCoy Tyner’s Sextet, Kenny Barron Quintet, Frank Wess Quintet, Jimmy Heath Quintet and Big Band, Jon Faddis Jazz Orchestra, Carnegie Hall Jazz Band and Dizzy Gillespie All-Star Alumni Band. Stafford with the HamiltonClayton Jazz Orchestra, performed on Diana Krall’s Grammy-nominated From this Moment On (2006). John Clayton invited Stafford to perform with the Clayton Brothers Quintet and Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra. Stafford is a member of the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra and they were awarded a Grammy in 2009 for Best Large Ensemble, Live at the Village Vanguard.

Stafford can be heard on over 130 albums. His latest recording This Side of Strayhorn has been hailed as “the first must have album of 2011” and “genius.” Stafford is the Director of Jazz Studies and Chair of Instrumental Studies at Temple University, founder and band leader of the Terell Stafford Quintet, and Managing and Artistic Director of the Jazz Orchestra of Philadelphia (JOP). Stafford is renowned in the jazz world as an educator, performer and leader and has received countless award nominations and accolades.

Stafford was born in Miami and raised in Chicago, Illinois and Silver Spring, Maryland. He received a Bachelor of Science in Music Education from the University of Maryland in 1988 and a Masters of Music from Rutgers University in 1993.

Carmen Bradford

Carmen Bradford , vocalist

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Born in Austin, Texas and raised in Altadena, California, Carmen Bradford grew up with music in her home and heart. Following the footsteps of her great family musical legacy, she has carved out a place in music history for herself and plays an integral role in the jazz world. 

Bradford was discovered and hired by William Count Basie and was the featured vocalist in the legendary Count Basie Orchestra for nine years. She has since performed and/or recorded with such talents as Wynton Marsalis, John Clayton, Nancy Wilson, Doc Severinsen, Tony Bennett, James Brown, Byron Stripling, George Benson, Lena Horne, Frank Sinatra, as well as the DIVA Jazz Orchestra, the National Symphony, and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, among others. Bradford performed on two Grammy Award winning albums with the Count Basie Orchestra in the 1980s and later collaborated on a third Grammy Award winning album, Big Boss Band, with guitarist George Benson.

Bradford began another chapter in her illustrious career as a solo artist with the critically acclaimed debut album Finally Yours and With Respect (Evidence Records), which established her as one of jazz music’s most diverse and exciting vocal talents. Her next release, Home With You (Azica Records), is a collection of piano/vocal duets with Shelly Berg.

Currently, Bradford makes guest appearances with the Count Basie Orchestra.

Alita Moses

Alita Moses, vocalist

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Alita Moses is the next big thing hitting the international jazz circuit.  At 23-years-old, she has won the 2014 Shure Montreux Jazz Vocal Competition at the Montreux Jazz Festival, and performed internationally with the likes of Al Jarreau, Patti Austin, Lee Ritenour, Steve Davis, Joel Frahm, and is back again with The Philly POPS.  Alita introduced her talent to Europe for the very first time in May 2016, completing a tour with 29 sold out concerts in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Originally from West Hartford, CT, Alita recently graduated from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, earning her BM in Jazz Vocal Performance. She has performed as a soloist with the Hartford Symphony Orchestra and has shared the stage with some of the hottest players of the New York City jazz scene, such as Joel Frahm and Larry MeKenna. 

While Alita’s career started in jazz, her versatility and inspirations have led her to the neo-soul scene where she has made a mark with her band, Lohai, and has been recruited for performances like singing with rapper Vic Mensa on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Whether on the stage or in the studio, she brings a natural warmth to each performance and astounds audiences with grace, soul and a musical maturity beyond her years.