Calvin Johnson: A love letter to Erykah Badu

Details:

1st Performance:
Doors Open at 6PM
Show Starts at 7PM

2nd Performance:
Doors Open at 8:30PM
Show Starts at 9:30PM

Tickets: $25
($20 Minimum Spend Per Guest)

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About the band:

Calvin Johnson (saxophone)

featuring: Jillian Grace

Errold Lanier (drums)

Andrew McGowan (piano)

Yuma Takagi (bass)

Calvin Johnson is a saxophonist, composer and bandleader born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana. He could not escape being a musician as he is a 3rd generation NOLA musician. Johnson was able to nurture and expand his love and interest in the music business at the famed performing arts high school the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA). While having always maintained a full-time music career Johnson received his B.S. in Business from the University of New Orleans. Calvin stayed involved with the community through a number of organizations such as the Preservation Hall Foundation, where he served as a clinician and led youth music workshops throughout the New Orleans Metro Area. He was an avid supporter of music in the City of New Orleans and the youth within his city through a partnership with the Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation and the New Orleans Public School System where he served as a musician mentor to aspiring music students. Johnson also had the pleasure of giving back to the community and the continuum of jazz by serving as a faculty member of the prestigious Louis Armstrong Summer Jazz Camp.

On stage Johnson heads the band Native Son. Native Son’s self-entitled sophomore release was received to rave reviews and voted as one of the top releases of 2015 by Offbeat Magazine Readers Poll as well as achieving 8th highest grossing album sold at the 2015 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage festival. In the winter of 2022, Calvin released his third studio album, Notes Of A Native Son, to rave reviews. The project is Johnson’s most recent, and also his first that features his composition and arranging skills. Calvin has toured and/or recorded with the likes of: Harry Connick Jr., Aaron Neville, Jason Derulo, Blind Boys of Alabama, Irma Thomas, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Mannie Fresh, Mystikal, Irvin Mayfield, the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra, and the Dirty Dozen Brass Band.

Erica Abi Wright (born February 26, 1971) known professionally as Erykah Badu, is an American singer-songwriter, record producer and actress. Influenced by R&B, 1970s soul, and 1980s hip hop, Badu became associated with the neo soul subgenre in the 1990s and 2000s along with artists such as D’Angelo and Maxwell. She has been called the “Queen of Neo Soul”. Badu’s career began after she opened a show for D’Angelo in 1994 in Fort Worth; record label executive Kedar Massenburg was highly impressed with her performance and signed her to Kedar Entertainment. Her first album, Baduizm, was released in February 1997. It spawned four singles: “On & On”, “Appletree”, “Next Lifetime” and “Otherside of the Game”. The album was certified triple Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[6] Her first live album, Live, was released in November 1997 and was certified double Platinum by the RIAA.

Her second studio album, Mama’s Gun, was released in 2000. It spawned three singles: “Bag Lady”, which became her first top 10 single on the Billboard Hot 100 peaking at #6, “Didn’t Cha Know?” and “Cleva”. The album was certified Platinum by the RIAA.[6] Badu’s third album, Worldwide Underground, was released in 2003. It generated three singles: “Love of My Life (An Ode to Hip-Hop)”, “Danger” and “Back in the Day (Puff)” with ‘Love’ becoming her second song to reach the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #9. The album was certified Gold by the RIAA.[6] Badu’s fourth album, New Amerykah Part One, was released in 2008. It spawned two singles: “Honey” and “Soldier”. New Amerykah Part Two was released in 2010 and fared well both critically and commercially. It contained the album’s lead single “Window Seat”, which led to controversy.

Badu’s voice has been compared to jazz singer Billie Holiday. Early in her career, Badu was recognizable for her eccentric style, which often included wearing very large and colorful headwraps. She was a core member of the Soulquarians. As an actress, she has played a number of supporting roles in movies including Blues Brothers 2000, The Cider House Rules and House of D. She also has appeared in the documentaries Before the Music Dies and The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975.