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Tag: Nicholas Payton

On “Diavola” Singer Gabrielle Cavassa Gets Close To The Fire

Published 5 May, 2026 By John Chacona
Gabrielle Cavassa
photocredit: Roeg Cohen

Gabrielle Cavassa is not a gloomy person. When we talked yesterday about the record release tour that brings her to Edwin’s on Thursday, she was animated and charming. And she made it clear that the Diavola, from which her compelling new Blue Note debut recording takes its title, is just a character.

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Tommy Lehman’s Perpetual Search Leads To BLU Jazz+ For An Evening Of ‘Uplift.’

Published 15 December, 2022 By John Chacona

When he was a student at the Hartt School of Music, trumpeter Tommy Lehman occasionally joined the legendary late-night jam sessions at Small’s jazz club in Manhattan. One night immersed in a solo with his eyes closed he opened his eyes for a moment and found himself face-to-face with the late trumpet player Roy Hargrove, who was sitting in the second row.

Remembering the solo, Lehman said with a laugh, “It sounded terrible,” adding, “I’ll always try my best though. Even if I’m sounding sad, I’m gonna give it everything I have.”

Back in his native northeast Ohio, Lehman is giving it everything he has these days, seemingly playing with everyone everywhere. His latest venture is a new recording, Uplift, which be available on Dec. 21 on Lehman’s Bandcamp page and which he’ll celebrate with a release show at BLU Jazz+ in Akron.

Read moreTommy Lehman’s Perpetual Search Leads To BLU Jazz+ For An Evening Of ‘Uplift.’
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