Doors open at 7 - Music at 7:30 - $30 advance tickets - $35 at the door
Fully seated, listening room style show
General admission - All ages
The Alluvion Jazz Series proudly presents the exceptional Sean Dobbins performing his deep, passionate project: "The World We Know!" in the form of an all-star septet.
This is a project aimed at creating dialog and discussion to solve cultural and social challenges that plagues our community regardless of race, ethnicity or socio-economic status. The repertoire draws inspiration from John Coltrane's Alabama and We Insist! Freedom Now by Max Roach. This music is aimed at healing the divide in our community and searching for ways that we can all work and live together.
FEATURING
Sean Dobbins - Drums, Leader
Athena Johnson - Vocalist
Dwight Adams - Trumpet
Andrew Bishop - Saxophones
Rick Roe - Piano
Christian Dillingham - Bass
SEAN DOBBINS
Sean Dobbins got his start as sought-after Detroit area jazz sideman at a young age, when he would regularly play with Blue Note artist Louis Smith. As Sean’s Career progressed, he found himself the recipient of many awards and accolades including the “Woody Herman Jazz Award”, an award for outstanding musicianship, as well as the Louis Armstrong Scholarship. Due to Sean’s great talent both as a player and an educator, he has been the focus of countless news articles, jazz radio programs, and documentaries.
Though still young by jazz standards, Dobbins has amassed an impressive list of playing companions. He has performed/toured/recorded with Johnny Basset, Benny Golson, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Frank Morgan, Joey DeFrancesco, George Cables, James “Blood” Ulmer, Marcus Belgrave, Larry Willis, Rodney Whittaker, Claude Black, Johnny O’Neal, Paul Keller, Tad Weed, Kurt Krahnke, Jon Hendricks, David “Fathead” Newman, Donald Walden, Cyrus Chesnut, Barry Harris, David Baker, Randy Johnston, Marion Hayden, Mose Allison, and a host of other great musicians.
Sean’s sound can best be described as hard-driving, solid rhythm with refreshing melodic sensibility. Some of Sean’s influences include Art Blakey, Jeff Hamilton, Jeff “Tain” Watts, Ed Thigpen, Sonny Payne, as well as Detroit area greats Gerald Cleaver and the one and only Elvin Jones.
ATHENA JOHNSON
Athena Johnson, International Vocal recording Artist, is a vibrant force in the Ann Arbor community, deeply rooted in a rich musical heritage.
A classically trained vocalist, she studied at Western Michigan University and Washtenaw Community College, honing her craft. She is a wife and mother of four—three of whom are former Girls Group members—and a proud grandmother of two. With over 20 years of teaching experience in the Washtenaw County school system, Athena is currently in her seventh year as the jazz vocal coach for the MSU Spartan Community School of Music.
She believes passionately in the power of music education to foster creativity, discipline, and teamwork in young people. Athena also actively contributes to her community as a board member of the Riverside Arts Center, where she teaches private lessons, performs, and supports fundraising efforts. Her commitment to music and education makes her an inspiring role model and advocate for the arts.
DWIGHT ADAMS
One blast from his trumpet, and it’s clear as day – Dwight Adams is the real deal. For more than two decades he’s been playing stages worldwide with Motown legend Stevie Wonder, but for even longer than that he’s been igniting audiences in the more intimate settings of Detroit’s greatest clubs.
Dwight is a soul-inspired jazz trumpeter and one of the brightest stars on the Detroit jazz scene. And although he was, by his own account, a late-comer to his instrument – he didn’t pick up the trumpet until he was a junior in high school – hard work, natural talent and an unshakable dedication to being the best musician he could be helped him land his first gig at the age of 16, playing in Teddy Harris’ New Breed BeBop Society Orchestra.
In addition to his countless tours with Stevie Wonder, Dwight has also played and recorded with world-renowned jazz artists including Marcus Belgrave, Rodney Whitaker, James Carter, Shawn Wallace and Donald Walden. He’s also been a member of the Columbus Jazz Orchestra, under the direction of Byron Stripling, since 2003.
In 2015, he joined the Detroit Bop Quintet for a special reenactment session at Detroit’s legendary United Sound Studio. The group came together to recreate the acoustic footprint of four historic tracks. The tunes were recorded at the studio nearly seventy years earlier by Charlie Parker and his quintet for the Savoy label. The resulting tracks by the Detroit Bop Quintet prove if there’s anyone in Detroit that can invoke the spirit of Miles, it’s Dwight Adams.
In addition to being a highly accomplished musician, Dwight is also a respected educator. He has taught in the jazz studies programs at Michigan State University and Ohio State University, and is currently part of the Wayne State University faculty.
ANDREW BISHOP
Andrew Bishop is a versatile saxophonist, clarinetist, flautist, composer, improvisor, scholar, and educator comfortable in an array of musical styles and idioms. He maintains an active national and international career and serves as an Associate Professor and Chair of the University of Michigan Department of Jazz and Contemporary Improvisation in Ann Arbor where he teaches applied saxophone, composition, and improvisation. He is also the director of the Interlochen Arts Academy Summer Jazz Institute, where he also teaches at the Saxophone Institute with the Prism Saxophone Quartet.
Bishop earned five degrees in music, including a DMA in Music Composition from the University of Michigan; two MM degrees in Music Composition and Improvisation from the University of Michigan; and two BM in Theory-Composition and Saxophone Performance from Wichita State University. A dedicated and committed teacher, Bishop was twice the recipient of the Arthur Anderson Professor of the Year Award, the Joyce G. Ferguson Faculty Development Grant for Excellence in Teaching, and the 2021 Harold Haugh Award for excellence in studio teaching. He is a Conn-Selmer and Vandoren artist.
RICK ROE
Rick Roe won first place in the Great American Jazz Piano Competition in 1994, was twice a semifinalist in Thelonius Monk International Jazz Piano Competition, in 1993 and 1999, and has been a featured performer in the Jacksonville (Florida) Jazz, Savannah (Georgia) Onstage International Arts, Montreaux/Detroit Jazz, Birmingham Jazz, Lansing Jazz, Flint Jazz, and Hawaii Jazz (with Frank Morgan) Festivals.
Mr. Roe has served as an educator/clinician at the University of Arizona, North Texas University, Michigan State University, the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, the University of Michigan, and the Montreaux/ Detroit Jazz Festival. He has given performances with Marcus Belgrave, Donald Walden, Rodney Whitaker, Frank Foster, Andrew Speight, Wycliffe Gordon, Gerald Cleaver, Victor Goines, Louis Smith, Randy Gelispie, Vincent York, Wendall Harrison, Dwight Adams, and many others. His recordings include The Changeover (1997), Monk's Modern Music (1995), and Sphere (2005).
CHRISTIAN DILLINGHAM
Versatile. Dynamic. Compelling. Grammy Award-winning bassist Christian Dillingham is “a 21st Century artist to keep an eye on...” (Chicago Jazz). A sought-after collaborator, his nuanced interpretations, dynamic performances, and expressive musicality are praised in the jazz, classical and recording arenas.
A regular presence in Chicago’s rich jazz scene, Dillingham has performed and recorded with dozens of distinguished musicians. Amongst those he has performed with are Sean Jones, Jeff "Tain" Watts, Terreon Gully, Herlin Riley, Bobby Broom, Peter Bernstein, Jazzmeia Horn, and Victor Goines. Venue credits include the Green Mill, the Jazz Showcase, Hungry Brain, Constellation Chicago, Andy’s Jazz Club, Elastic Arts, and Chicago Jazz Festival, among others. Dillingham also leads his own band, The Christian Dillingham Quartet, which features his original compositions.
A prolific recording artist, Dillingham appears on over 20 albums in the Jazz genre alone.
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