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The buttery voice of Sherry Williams is an oasis in any madness our world offers. When you listen to her you realize immediately that she is a consummate artist - the real thing. Williams is what they called in the old days, a storyteller - she paints pictures with words. Yet she bridges the gap between the past and the present. Her masterful interpretation of the lyrics makes an over worn song meaningful, or brings an unknown song to life. Her passion for well-crafted music and her superb vocal ability place her in a category to which few artists have arrived. Though she emerges from the shadows of the great ladies that have gone on before her, her style is unmistakably her own.
Since she began singing as a professional, Sherry has had the good fortune to rarely be out of work. When she was a high school student in San Bernardino (California), she sang and toured with The Young Americans. At ULCA, she joined the acapella choir and worked with the famous Roger Wagner and the UCLA Choir both in Los Angeles and Europe. She has also toured with Debbie Reynolds, Andy Gibb, and the legendary Johnnie Ray, to name a few. In 1976, Sherry left the Eddie Kendricks tour and struck out on her own, touring Indonesia, Singapore, Hong Kong and Bangkok.
Since returning to the United States after her last Asian tour in 1980, Sherry has acted in films and on television. She has worked extensively in and around the Los Angeles and Denver areas in important jazz venues, nightclubs and festivals, and has recorded three solo CDs, two ensemble CDs, a duo CD with John Rodby and a remarkable Christmas CD.
In 1997, she released her first CD, “The Way You Love Me”, to rave reviews. Her second release, “A Taste of Sherry”, was on the 2003 Grammy ballot and one of the songs was used in the soundtrack of the film THE CORE. After that came “You Must Believe In Spring”, again to rave reviews. During 2010-2013, Sherry toured Germany and Italy with pianist Markus Burger and trumpeter Jim Linahon, joining forces with Italian bassist Beppe Pilotto and drummer Peter Paul Hofmann. Their quintet was the last group to perform at the famed “Birdland” jazz club in Hamburg before it closed its doors. Those tours yielded one acclaimed ensemble CD, and two big band CDs, recorded with the Café Nerly Big Band in Erfurt, Germany. Sherry’s duo CD called “Just Us Two” with pianist John Rodby was released in 2019, then her Christmas CD entitled “A Very Sherry Christmas” in 2021. They are all available on itunes and CDbaby.com.
In 2022, Sherry returned to Europe with pianist Markus Burger singing in clubs and concert halls in Italy and Germany, including a very successful return engagement at the recently re-opened Birdland, Hamburg.
Curating the “Jazz at The Merc” series in Temecula California, has been Sherry’s pet project since 2006. A true “listening room”, it is the only performance space in the area that hosts straight ahead jazz every week, and has become a favorite venue amongst world-class jazz musicians from all over the globe. Currently Sherry divides her time between running the jazz series, performing at clubs and festivals around the US and Europe. She sits on the board of the Temecula Theater Foundation which among other endeavors, brings music and theater arts to children in the Temecula area through its Arts Connection program.
Sherry has worked with a multitude of jazz greats... Buddy Collette, Herbie Mann, Plas Johnson, Harry “Sweets” Edison, Ann Patterson, Gerald “Wig” Wiggins, Al Viola, Herman Riley, Dave Pike, Eddie Cano, Lanny Morgan, Ross Tompkins, Earl Palmer, Bill Cunliffe, Andy Simpkins, Roy McCurdy, John and Jennifer Leitham, Ray Pizzi, Jim DeJulio, Paul Smith, Art Hillery, Terry Harrington, John Hammond, Roger Kellaway, Dave Benoit, Doug MacDonald, Llew Matthews, John B. Williams, Tom Ranier, Patrice Rushen, Holly Hoffmann, Ralph Penland, Bob Magnusson, Henry “The Skipper” Franklin, Joe LaBarbera, Jon Mayer, Putter Smith, Markus Burger, Marshall Hawkins, Jan von Klewitz, Hubert Laws, Kornél Fekete Kovach, The Modern Art Orchestra & many more.
some samples to listen to
Samples from "Just Us Two"
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Emmy award winner John Rodby, who is a commercial musician by vocation and a composer of classical music by avocation, has worked extensively in film and television as a composer, keyboardist and arranger. He was the musical director of the Dinah Shore television show for 26 years and musical director of the Shari Lewis TV Show, “Lamb Chops Sing Along, Play Along” for a number of years. He has worked for some of the biggest names in the business as a pianist and arranger including Frank Sinatra, Barbara Streisand, Liza Minnelli, Rita Moreno, James Brown and Peggy Lee to name just a few. With the exception of the marching bands, until last year John was responsible for arranging and recording all of the music that you hear on the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. He was musical director for Al Martino and produces CDs for numerous clients including Robert Clary and our own songstress Sherry Williams.
The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra recorded his acclaimed classical CD containing Hommages I-V and Chamber Symphony in London.
He lives in Woodland Hills with his wife, singer-actress Talya Ferro and continues to compose classical music when nobody's looking.
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Jazz bassist Rob Thorsen maintains a diverse and busy schedule in Southern California as a performer, educator, clinician and composer. He has found his true voice in the upright bass and performs regularly as a leader with artists including the Mike Wofford/Holly Hofmann Quartet, Gilbert Castellanos, Charles McPherson, Steph Johnson and a host of others.
He has released six recordings as a leader, the most recent release, “Bass is the Space - Solos and Duos” featuring an array of jazz talents including Joshua White, Steph Johnson, Gilbert Castellanos and Marshall Hawkins in duo and solo performances. Recently released "So In Love" -a 10-track album with his wife/lead vocalist Steph Johnson featuring songs from Cole Porter, Joni Mitchell, and others.
Jazz education plays an important role in his career. He teaches at Gilbert Castellanos Young Lions Jazz Conservatory, The La Jolla Athenaeums “The World Of Jazz” , as well as teaching privately. In 2010 Thorsen created “Jazz an American Art Form,” a highly successful jazz educational program that features his quartet and is presented to over 8,000 students annually in primarily under-served communities. He is also involved with and performs with the Voices of Our City Choir, a soul-jazz choir created by his wife Steph Johnson for people experiencing homelessness in San Diego.
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Duncan Moore began playing drums at the age of 8, in his hometown of Des Moines, Iowa. After attending the University of Iowa, where he studied percussion with Tom Davis, he relocated to San Diego in 1977. Since then, he has established himself as a busy professional drummer and percussionist in the southern California area. During his 39 years in San Diego he has worked with a number of local and nationally known artists including: Joe Farrell, Mose Allison, Ray Brown, Kenny Burrell, Joe Chambers, Billy Childs, Conti Condoli, Hal Crook, Curtis Fuller, Geoffrey Keezer, Roger Kellaway, Mundell Lowe, Art Pepper, Shorty Rogers, Bob Sheppard, Bobby Shew, Tom Scott, Ernie Watts, Steve Wilson and Mike Wofford.
Besides live performances Duncan maintains a home recording studio, where he records drum tracks for numerous jingles, sound tracks and music libraries. He has also done recording for Sea-World and Disney on Ice shows.
Duncan also performed frequently on "ClubDate" an award-winning show on PBS, with Bobby Shew, Mike Wofford, Holly Hofmann, Peter Sprague and Bob Magnusson.
He has taught at numerous jazz camps, and clinics, and currently teaches drumset at Mira Costa College in Oceanside, CA and at UCSD in La Jolla, CA
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Upcoming Artists for Jazz at The Merc | | |
August 1 -
Michael Wolff with Edwin Livingston, Mike Barsimanto, Ray Obiedo and more...
August 8 -
Matt Gordy Sextet featuring Ron Stout, Jerry Pinter, Ivan Malespin, Adam Hersh and Chris Colangelo.
August 15 -
Alex Hahn Quartet featuring Josh Nelson, Luca Alemanno and Dan Schnelle
August 22 -
Dave Tull Trio featuring Luther Hughes and Tom Zink
August 29 -
Louis Van Taylor with Sabine Pothier, Jeff Littleton and Jaz Sawyer
September 5 -
Joey Sellers
September 12 -
Danny Janklow Quintet with Luca Mendoza, Max Geri, Dan Schnelle and Katherine Ella Wood
September 19 -
Josh Nelson Trio featuring Eric Sittner bass, and Kevin van den Elzen- drums
September 25 -
Chuck Redd Quartet
October 3 -
Benn Clatworthy
October 10 -
Michael Ragonese Trio
October 17 -
Kamau Kenyatta, Rob Thorsen and Duncan Moore
October 24 -
Idyllwild Arts Academy student combo
October 31 -
Tomas JanzonTrio
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Sherry Williams
Curator
Jazz at The Merc
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Old Town Temecula Community Theater
42051 Main Street
Temecula, CA 92590
1-866-OLD-TOWN (866-653-8696)
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