Jesse Kramer's Juice Box at Gandy Dancer Courtyard Jazz Series at Gandy Dancer

Comprised of some of the most exciting young musicians in Metro Detroit, Juice Box is hip-hop, post bop and funkified fusion, all wrapped up into one very danceable band. Led by drummer Jesse Kramer, this bass-less quintet skillfully executes a broad range of original compositions and covers, including contemporary r & b, Herbie Hancock, and modern jazz standards. Vocalist Antwaun Stanley is already well known in Michigan’s Gospel scene, having shared the stage with many gospel greats, including Kirk Franklin, Israel Houghton, Karen Clark Sheard, Pastor Marvin L. Winans, and Fred Hammond. His gospel background lends itself perfectly to the fabric of this band, as Stanley is comfortable interpreting jazz melodies, singing Roberta Flack covers or trading fours with trumpeter Ingrid Racine...

read more

Comprised of some of the most exciting young musicians in Metro Detroit, Juice Box is hip-hop, post bop and funkified fusion, all wrapped up into one very danceable band. Led by drummer Jesse Kramer, this bass-less quintet skillfully executes a broad range of original compositions and covers, including contemporary r & b, Herbie Hancock, and modern jazz standards. Vocalist Antwaun Stanley is already well known in Michigan’s Gospel scene, having shared the stage with many gospel greats, including Kirk Franklin, Israel Houghton, Karen Clark Sheard, Pastor Marvin L. Winans, and Fred Hammond. His gospel background lends itself perfectly to the fabric of this band, as Stanley is comfortable interpreting jazz melodies, singing Roberta Flack covers or trading fours with trumpeter Ingrid Racine. The band is anchored by pianists Mike Jellick and Michael Malis, who expertly incorporate synthesizers and sophisticated harmonic vocabulary, while exploring space and texture. After the debut performance of Juice Box, the band was included in WEMU host Michael G Nastos’s 2011 “Best Of” list-- a sure sign of good things to come.

show less