Building upon the musical reputation of the Nightfall Concert Series, a new series of Thursday evening jazz shows called the “Nightfall Jazz Café,” featuring a variety of celebrated jazz artists, will beheld at the indoor venue of The Granfalloon, at 400 East Main Street.
On Thursday, June 27, the series will open with a show featuring contemporary jazz singer and keyboardist Allen Cook. An Atlanta-based artist, Cook is described as having a ‘high originality index”, with his stylistic approach reminiscent of musical greats Al Jarreau, Sting, Stevie Wonder, and Bill Withers.
In additional to regularly performing, Allen Cook writes and records his own music. He was called upon to arrange, compose additional music for, andserve as musical director for the theater production of ‘WINTERGLOW’, performed at the Morton Theater in Athens, GA, in coordination with The Classic Center.
One of his most recent projects was composer and music director for the stage production of ‘LINNENTOWN The Musical’ which made its first appearance April 2024 there. Cook also performs as lead singer in The Weekend Getaway Band and in the 3rd Stream Big Band, including both ‘Ray Charles’ and ‘Stevie Wonder’ tributes at the Red Clay Music Foundry.
Lisa Anita Baker’s House Band will be the consistent band featured at the Nightfall Jazz Café shows, and will accompany the featured artist each week. The band consists of Lisa Anita Baker on electric guitar, Andre Manga on bass, and Yakou N’guessan, percussionist.
Her groundbreaking 2002 album, Song For A New Day, marked a turning point in her career. Collaborating with esteemed musicians like Victor, Joseph, and Regi Wooten, alongside the legendary Oteil Burbridge, the album showcased Lisa’s exceptional talent and innovative approach to jazz guitar.
This limited series is a collaboration between Nightfall producer, Carla Pritchard and Kofi Addae-Mensah, founder of Odessa Green Agency in Atlanta. The
Granfalloon, owned by Pritchard and her husband, Ken, provides an indoor venue for performance that can better highlight these jazz artists in a listening room environment, as opposed to the outdoor setting of Nightfall. There will be a $25 admission charge for the Nightfall Jazz Café.
Upcoming headliners include Andre Manga and Yakou N’guessan.
A native of Yaoundé, Cameroon in Central Africa, Andre Manga combines jazz with traditional African rhythms. Inspired by superstar musician Manu Dibango, Manga became Manu Dibango’s bass player and musical director, as they toured the world. André also joined a group of Cameroonian musicians to perform on Paul Simon’s The Rhythm of the Saints album. Andre has worked for over 17 years as bassist for singer songwriter global sensation Josh Groban.
Yakou N’guessan is an internationally known jazz drummer, composer, and producer from the Ivory Coast. Influenced by the unique tribal languages of his native country, he blends jazz and African beats to form World Music. He was part of a jazz festival organized by the King of Morocco and played with international luminaries such as Quincy Jones and George Benson. He met his wife while they were both working in a band that was touring Morocco. She invited him back to the United States, her home, and they have been living in Atlanta since then.
Tickets are available at granfalloonchattanooga.com or at the door.
Doors open at 6:45pm. The show will begin at 7:30pm and consist of two sets with a brief intermission. The Granfalloon will offer a full bar and a special tapas menu.
