Pippi and Daniel Music at Ruvermont Collegiate -- February 19.
Sunday, February 19, 5 p.m.
Rivermont Collegiate, 1821 Sunset Drive, Bettendorf IA
On February 19, a lauded singer/songwriter and gifted pianist/composer will combine their talents at Bettendorf's Rivermont College when Pippi Ardennia and Daniel Leahy perform as featured guests in Polyrhythms' Third Sunday Jazz Series, their Pippi and Daniel Music jazz project delivering a post-Valentine's flavor accompanied by by Edgar Crockett on trumpet and flugelhorn, John Miller on guitar, Manuel Lopez III on drums, and Zoe Rose and Carol Maloney on vocals.
Praised by Jazz Police for her “big, soulful voice,” Pippa is a Chicago native who has been singing since she was 13 and for more than 35 years. She has performed at many of Chicago's most respected jazz clubs, including Burning Spear, Mr. Kelly, Rosebud on Rush, Green Dolphin, and the Chicago Symphony Center, and since moving to Minnesota, has co-produced and starred in the highly acclaimed Historic Landmark Center concert series PipJazz Sundays. Pippi has also performed for celebrities such as Bill Clinton, Tony Bennett, and Liza Minnelli and alongside Freddie Hubbard, George Freeman, and Billy Branch, with Fleetwood Mac organist Ricky Peterson lauding her “unique style that has subtle hints of Carmen McRae and Billie Holiday.” The artist also released the albums Black Coffee in 2005 and Love So Good in 2013, the latter featuring a wide assortment of jazz and soul covers in addition to the singer/songwriter's original compositions.
Daniel also fell in love with jazz by the time he was 13, at which point he was already playing in local nightclubs with his sister Elizabeth’s band The Castaways. Soon afterward, he started touring the country with such notables as Donnie Sanders, Cheri St. James, Steve Grimm, and Coleen Raye, and also performed for The Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon with the Ohio-based Christian Brothers. Daniel performed two European tours with the Intercontinental Ambassador of Peace and vocalist Joe Carter, and while on the rosters of numerous jazz festivals, the pianist has played with talents including Louie Benson, Clark-Mumbles Terry, Hampton Hawes, and James Morrison. He has also studied piano voicings with world-renowned jazz pianists such as Benny Green and Tamir Hendelman.
Pippi and Daniel Music play Bettendorf's Rivermont College's Becherer Hall on February 19, with the musicians' 5 p.m. engagement preceded by an all-ages 2 p.m. demystifying jazz workshop ($5 for adults, free for kids) presented as part of the Polyrhythms Third Sunday Jazz Matinée & Workshop Series. Admission to the concert is $15-20, and more information and reservations are available by calling (309)373-0790 and visiting Polyrhythms.org.
