ELIXIR presents vocalist TONI BALLARD with guitarist JASON ENNIS and bassist DAVID WESTPHALEN - Thursday, June 19th

 

 

ELIXIR at The FREIGHT HOUSE

 Vocalist TONI BALLARD

with guitarist JASON ENNIS and bassist DAVID WESTPHALEN

 – THURSDAY, JUNE 19^th  

 

ELIXIR, White River Junction’s premier destination for fine dining and live music, presents an evening of jazz standards on Thursday, June 19, 2008 from 7 to 10pm.  Vocalist TONI BALLARD, a jazz and big band singer in New England for over twenty years, performs with 7-string guitarist JASON ENNIS and bassist DAVID WESTPHALEN.  Call ELIXIR at 802-281-7009 for reservations.  There is no cover charge for the music.

 

Chicago native Toni Ballard has been singing jazz in New England for over two decades and has performed with the Nelson Riddle Orchestra, the White Heat Swing Orchestra, the Boston Big Band, the Silver Bullet Swing Orchestra, the Worcester Jazz Orchestra, and the Ryles Jazz Orchestra, including an appearance in 2002 at the Boston Globe Jazz and Blues Festival.  She has been featured on Boston’s WGBH radio on “Homegrown - Jazz with Eric in the Evening” and Ron Della Chiesa’s “Music America.”  In 1984, Toni was one of ten singers invited to perform in New York City at the “American Song Stylists” concert, headlined by Shirley Horn.  Her 1997 CD I'm Your Pal features guitar icon Larry Coryell, and she is currently working on a CD of big band arrangements by Jerry Seeco.  Creator, producer and host of the award-winning jazz TV show “Studio 3,” which aired on WGMC-TV3 (Worcester, MA) from 1994-2004, Toni has also served as host for several jazz television shows for BET and hosted jazz radio programs on NPR stations WICN and WGBH.

 

Guitarist Jason Ennis is based in Berkshire County, Massachusetts and performs jazz, Brazilian and classical music throughout the Northeast.  A graduate of Middlebury College (Vermont), Jason attended Berklee College of Music in Boston and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.  He has performed with Charles Neville (The Neville Brothers Band), The Sonya Kitchell Band (Velour Music), Todd Reynolds (Bang on a Can, Steve Reich), Joe Morton, Tessa Souter, Nós Daqui, The Ramón Ángel-Rey Trio, Los Mofos, Freddie Bryant, The Anna Borges Group, Fred Haas, and many others.  His love of Brazilian music has led him to make several trips to Brazil, including a six-month stay in Rio de Janeiro in 2006-2007, during which he played with some of the city’s top young players.  Jason is a member of the faculty of the Interplay Jazz Camp.  For more information about Jason, visit his website at www.jasonennis.com.

 

David Westphalen is a well-known bassist, trombonist and bandleader in the Upper Valley.  For many years his band Swing Machine has performed at dances, Dartmouth College functions, weddings and other private events around northern New England.  After graduating with a major in music from Tufts University, he taught high school music in Vermont for two years.  David currently plays bass with a number of Vermont-based musicians, including Fred Haas, Michael Zsoldos, Bob Merrill and Dave Ellis.  He also works with several small combos, including a duo with guitarist Billy Rosen, and occasionally sings jazz standards.  David plays trombone with the Vermont Jazz Center Big Band, based in Brattleboro, as well as the seven-piece, traditional jazz band The Almost Legendary Thundering Muskrats. 

 

Located at The Freight House, 188 S. Main Street, White River Junction, VT (802-281-7009), ELIXIR Restaurant and Lounge presents eclectic fare and small plates and features special martinis, local beers, an international wine list and live music nightly.  Eat, laugh & drink.