Performers

Leslie Uggams, Special Guest Host

website: http://www.leslieuggams.com/

Tony and Emmy Award-winning Actress/Singer Leslie Uggams most recently thrilled Broadway audiences performing as Ethel Thayer opposite James Earl Jones in the revival of Ernest Thompson's On Golden Pond. That performance came on the heels of her stunning portrayal of the off-beat society heiress Muzzy Van Hossmere in the Tony-award winning musical Thoroughly Modern Millie. Sequoia Community Initiatives is proud to announce that she will be their Special Celebrity Host for this extraordinary night.

When not performing on Broadway, the legendary Ms. Uggams can be found touring the country playing her acclaimed concerts. She has appeared with The Cincinnati Pops and The Washington Symphony Orchestra and before 300,000 people at The Memorial Day Concert on Washington Mall which was also televised live to millions by PBS.

Yovanne Pierre

website: http://www.yovannepierre.com/

Jazz pianist Yovanne Pierre has a musical family heritage including his great, great grandfather, Linsey Duroseau, who was a world-renowned conductor and composer.  His uncle, Richard Duroseau, is considered to be the father of Compas, the Haitian equivalent of Salsa.  Yovanne has performed at some of the hottest clubs and finest jazz venues in New York, including Sweetwaters and Birdland. 

Yovanne Pierre has performed with the orchestras of such hits as Ain't Misbehavin' and Carousel and has worked with major artists including Melba Moore, Willie Colon, James Cleveland, Ashford & Simpson, Walter Perkins, Maxine Brown, Cissy Houston and Ben Vereen.  In addition, Yovanne's credits include session work for several major record labels like Capital, Warner Bros. and Polygram.   He has also composed music for several off-Broadway productions including Ain't No Buisness if I Do, Sweet Daddy and Amazing Grace.  

Rory Block

website: http://www.roryblock.com

Blues acoustic guitarist and singer Rory Block has been heralded as "a living landmark" Berkeley Express, "a national treasure" Guitar Extra, and "one of the greatest living acoustic blues artists" Blues Revue.

Rory Block has committed her life and her career to preserving the Delta blues tradition and bringing it to life for 21st century audiences around the world. A traditionalist and an innovator at the same time, she wields a fiery and haunting guitar and vocal style that redefines the boundaries of acoustic blues and folk.

Tokyo Mass Choir

website: http://www.soulmatics.com

The Tokyo Mass Choir, founded by Shin Ikesue, is comprised of one hundred fifty students from all over Japan who perfectly sing the gospel art form but speak little or no English. They are the most successful and popular gospel group in the country and sing with near perfect English diction that threatens even the most seasoned American gospel choir.

The passion for gospel embodied by the Tokyo Mass Choir is one of the characteristics that make their performances so unique and powerful. Accomplishments include performing "Heal The World" for Michael Jackson which received them a standing ovation, and a performance on the Japan Academy Awards.

Kipori "Baby Wolf" Woods

website: http://www.babywolf.com

A legend in the making, Kipori Woods is the youngest black blues vocalist and guitarist to surface on the blues scene in years. Schooled under the direction of Ellis Marsalis, this fledgling 'blues man from down south' has won OffBeat Magazine's Best New Blues Artist the past two years running.

Taking his cues from masters like B.B. King, Albert King and New Orleans legend Walter "Wolfman" Washington, Kipori's sound blends blues classics and modern flavors. His fretwork is at times fierce and playful. His songs range from blues ballads to jumping firestorms of sound. His vocals flow strong from a well that belies his age and often take clever, unexpected turns.

Kipori perfected his high-energy performance in numerous New Orleans nightclubs. His soaring set with Davell Crawford at the 1999 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage remains the talk of the town. Kipori has also toured extensively throughout the U. S. and Europe. He has shared the stage with notables such as The Neville Brothers, Wynton, Delfeayo and Jason Marsalis, Kermit Ruffins, Rockin' Dopsie Jr., Walter "Wolfman" Washington and many more.

In 1998, Kipori's self-produced debut CD, "Blues Man From Down South," garnered enthusiastic support from local and national reviewers. The CD sizzled with Kipori's clever urban blues and featured a rich texture that included hints of New Orleans funk, soul swamp groove and jazz. However, 'The Baby Wolf' has matured, giving him a sound of his own and labeling him as one of the Big Easy's premiere blues performers. So come along and take a bluesy ride in Kipori's 'Big Black Cadillac!'.

Kipori is presently on tour with the legendary Dirty Dozen Brass Band.

Richard Hartley

website: http://www.soulmatics.com

Richard Hartley is a New York-based singer, arranger, songwriter, actor and musical director who has spent much of his career helping other major artists sound their best. He's recorded and/or performed with Michael Jackson, Mariah Carey, Tricky, Kelly Price, Candi Staton, Dottie Peoples and many more. Starting as a youth in New York, Richard began singing at the age of four in church and grew up to be one of the premier choir directors in the city. After being selected for a role in Vy Higgensen's, "Mama I Want To Sing", he went on to hold several principal roles in this hit musical, touring in fifteen countries with this production and appearing on the cast recording. He appears in two Mariah Carey videos and has performed on The Grammy Awards show, Late Night With David Letterman, Show Time At The Apollo, Soul Train, The Soul Train Music Awards, Donnie Marie and more. Richard Hartley and The Soul Resurrection can be described as Luther Vandross onstage with Walter Hawkins and The Hawkins Family, infused with the rhythms of Sade and Maxwell as backed by a band reminiscent of Earth, Wind & Fire.

Richard Hartley has electrified audiences in Central Park,RFK Stadium in Washington DC before 30,000 people, Manhattan nightclubs, storefront churches and more,as well as appearing as choir director/vocalist in the ABC movie ,"Double Platinum", starring Diana Ross,CNN,Good Day New York,and the NBC Nightly News.

Recently he recorded a "live CD' in Tokyo during his 50th visit to the country!. Has a current CD on the market entitled "Love is all We Need" on Shanachie entertainment and is set for his 3rd release shortly.

He also is the co-founder and Pastor of Haven International Ministries in Rockaway Beach N.Y. home of the dynamic Haven House Choir!

Haven House Choir

The Haven House Choir is a soul stirring,handclapping,foot stomping gospel unit that serves weekly at Haven International Ministries in Rockaway Beach,N.Y.  Under the musical leadership of their Pastor,Richard Hartley and Minister of Music Miguel Bramwell the HAVEN HOUSE CHOIR is quickly becoming a noticeable musical force to be reckoned with!

The Haven House Choir has performed extensively throughout the northeast corridor appearing in Central Park,at the JVC Jazz Festival in Manhattan and most recently at the Foxwoods Resort Casino for the Bobby Jones Gospel Television program.

The choir has recently completed their "live"recording and are anticipating a 2006 release! Known for their contemporary stylings and presentation the Haven House Choir is set to make their mark on the gospel music industry!