Award-winning jazz harpist Destiny Muhammad is back by popular demand with "Soulful JOY," an inspiring blend of jazz, gospel, soul, and a hint of storytelling. Destiny first introduced this show at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco, and it has since become a beloved tradition that sells out every year. This is your chance to see it in here in Santa Cruz in an intimate setting.
Soulful JOY is just what it sounds like – a joyful and soulful way to come together during the holiday season. We'll be reflecting and re-imagining the holiday spirit with music and sacred movement along with Destiny and her cool, eclectic Sonic Ensemble of Bay Area masters: musicians Leon Joyce, Jr., Tammy Lynne Hall, and Ron Belcher; voices Leberta Lorál, Nicolas Bearde, and Will Hammond, Jr.; and dancer Victor Temple.
WHEN: Sunday, December 22 at 2 PM
WHERE: Samper Recital Hall at Cabrillo College
TICKETS: 831-479-6154 or cabrillo.edu/vapa
Destiny Muhammad (Harpist, Vocals)
Recording and performing artist, bandleader, composer, and producer, Destiny Muhammad's genre "from Celtic to Coltrane" is cool and eclectic with a feel of jazz and storytelling to round out the sonic experience. She has appeared on stage with jazz luminaries Azar Lawrence, BlueNote artist Ambrose Akisemuire, Faye Carol, and Tiffany Austin, to name a few. She has enjoyed sold-out shows at SF JAZZ Center and produces her own annual concert "Storytime: Great Jazz & Captivating Stories." As Yerba Buena Gardens Festival notes: "Whether interpreting jazz standards or her original tunes, Muhammad turns every piece into a soulful adventure."
Leon Joyce, Jr. (Drums, Percussion)
Leon Joyce, Jr.’s drumming and percussion savvy are in international demand. As a bandleader, clinician, and music director, he has established a rich global presence. Leon has worked directly with jazz masters Ramsey Lewis, Regina Carter, Clark Terry, Gary Bartz, Nnenna Freelon, and more. He has performed with San Francisco and Santa Cruz Symphony, and was the featured Teaching Artist for the Stanford Jazz Workshop series. His jazz festival performances have spanned the Bay Area and beyond, from SF Music Day and the Monterey Jazz Fest, to Montreux Jazz Fest in Canada and the Villigen Jazz Fest in Germany.
Tammy Lynn Hall (Piano)
Award-winning pianist/composer/educator Tammy Hall has taught and performed globally, including a 30-city tour with Queen Esther Marrow and the Harlem Gospel Singers. Winner of the San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Award for Best Musical Direction for Pamela Rose's Blues Is A Woman, Tammy has worked with stellar jazz artists such as Terri Lyne Carrington, Tia Fuller, and more. In a recent stint with San Francisco Symphony, she focused on jazz collaboration; her venue and festival appearances include the Kennedy Center, Dizzy's Jazz at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, Sala Filharmonia in Trento, Italy, the Monterey Jazz Festival, the San Jose Jazz Festival, and performances at SF Jazz Center. Tammy's career spans almost four decades, with no end in sight!
Ron Belcher (Bass)
Ron Belcher has traveled the nation and the world bringing his rhythmically buoyant, emotionally uplifting style to the stage for a wide array of jazz artists. He has performed or recorded with international stars such as Branford Marsalis, Regina Carter, John Handy, Pete Escovedo, Donald Bailey, Ledisi, Rodney Franklin, and Ernie Andrews, as well as a virtual "who's who" of the San Francisco jazz scene.
Leberta Lorál (Voice)
Leberta Lorál possesses a clarion voice and a technically impressive and emotionally intense sense of artistry. She has performed concert works ranging from Baroque to contemporary, garnering critical acclaim. Highlights include a performance at the opening night of the SF Exploratorium exhibit GLOW, a debut at the 65th Annual Monterey Jazz Festival, performing Classical Broadway with Tammy Lynn Hall, and featured appearances at the Cinnabar Theater, San Ramon Public Library's Jazz Series, SandBoxSandCity, Monterey County Composers' Forum at Hidden Valley Music, and the 25th African-American Art Song Alliance. In 2019, she won KDFC's Star Spangled Sing-Off. A regional winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, she has been featured as the soloist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Southeast Symphony, and the Los Angeles Master Chorale.
Nicolas Bearde (Voice)
Nicolas Bearde is an award-winning vocalist whose silky baritone sound, wit, and engaging rapport draws the audience in. With six albums on his own label, Right Groove Records, he has earned a unique place in the contemporary male vocal jazz scene. His most recent album I Remember You: The Music of Nat King Cole, featuring special guest and saxophone great Eric Alexander, rose quickly to the Top 20 on the Jazz Week Charts, garnering rave reviews at home and abroad. His theater credits include Jukebox, a staged radio play starring Danny Glover, and Athol Fugard's Master Harold...and the Boys. Nicolas has since expanded into film and television, and has performed with jazz legends such as Nat Adderley, Jr, Vincent Herring, Eric Alexander, Bobby McFerrin.
Will Hammond Jr. (Voice)
The musical career of Emmy-nominated singer/songwriter Will Hammond, Jr. began at the Cathedral School for Boys and the Grace Cathedral Choir of Men and Boys. After high school, he performed with up-and-coming black alternative/hip-hop bands Bass House Funk and Midnight Voices. While at San Francisco State University he wrote Tara Kemp's international hit, "Hold You Tight," which went to #3 on the Billboard Pop and R&B charts and became a certified gold record. He has written for various artists in Los Angeles and performed tracks with other Bay Area talents such as The Coup, Midnight Voices, Ledisi, Martin Luther, Goapele, and Patti Labelle.
Victor Temple (Choreographer, Dancer)
Victor Temple is an internationally known dancer, choreographer, and teacher. He has danced with the Dance Theatre of Harlem, Cirque Du Soleil, American Repertory Ballet, Oakland Ballet, Alabama Ballet, New Jersey Ballet, Hangzhou Song and Dance Group, Shanghai Ballet, and the Central Ballet of China. While living in China, he won a gold medal in the Asian Choreography Competition and was the first westerner to hold a position as a member of the Chinese Dancers' Associations. He choreographed the opening of the China and Hong Kong reunification ceremony. He has been Artistic Director of New World Ballet since 2005 and was named one of the 22 People to Watch in 2022 by the Press Democrat .
