At a time when Jazz music could truly use a boost in listenership, singer Tony Hightower is on a mission to be the bridge to help a younger generation of appreciators crossover. With his sophomore album LEGACY entering the marketplace, all-around singer/entertainer Hightower – a protégé of the late Freddy Cole - is leveraging his R&B and Hip-Hop roots to entice more young people to dig jazz.

​Tony Hightower is soldiering in his career in the wake of having just lost his mother and grandmother to colon cancer. Their departures have impacted upon him to not only be more mindful with his own health but to encourage others as well. 

WEBSITE:  thetonyhightower.com
FACEBOOK: Tony Hightower
INSTAGRAM: @thetonyhightower
TWITTER: @tony_hightower
YOUTUBE: Tony Hightower

(Listen to Legacy recording) 
 Can't Hide Love
The Doll
Gee Baby
Rendezvous
All to the Good
Plain Jane
Need You
The Gift 
Love & Happiness
Here's To Life

The 2022 Jazz In The Alley concert series started with a bang on June 11th with The Senators featuring Tony Tatum. 
​And the party isn't over yet.......

​Held in historic Norcross, Georgia, (Betty Mauldin Park), Jazz In the Alley has an upward attendance of 1,000.  did we mention that it's FREE? 
That's RIGHT! Thanks to generous sponsors like the City of Norcross, Peachtree Awnings, Miktu Naturals, Krush By Jai, Elite Behavioral Medicine, and When We Speak TV, so bring your entire family.

REMAINING JAZZ IN THE ALLEY DATES
*July 16th- Dexter Tolson and Chaz Shepherd
     *August 13th - Michael Cruse and Cleveland P. Jones 
     *September 17th- FunkyardX

MikTu Naturals is a sponsor of Jazz In The Alley, a free jazz concert series held in Norcross, Georgia.  MikTu Naturals’ goal is provide meaningful self care & make you feel and look your best from the bottom up!

Excerpt from miktunaturals.com

The 7th annual Black Music Honors is hosted by Letoya Luckett and Deray Davis, honoring Dru Hill, Tevin Campbell, Mary Mary, Karyn White, Keri Hilson, and The Whispers.

For more information about Black Music Honors, visit www.blackmusichonors.com or connect on social media @blackmusichonors on Facebook and Instagram or @blackmusichonor on Twitter. 

Performing on 
     *June 11th - The Senators featuring Tony Tatum
     *July 16th- Dexter Tolson and Chaz Shepherd
     *August 13th - Michael Cruse and Cleveland P. Jones 
     *September 17th- FunkyardX

​Held in historic Norcross, Georgia, (Betty Mauldin Park), Jazz In the Alley has an upward attendance of 1,000.  did we mention that it's FREE?  That's RIGHT! Thanks to generous sponsors like the City of Norcross, Peachtree Awnings, MikTu Naturals, Krush By Jai, Elite Behavioral Medicine, and When We Speak TV, so bring your entire family.

All concerts begin at 7:30PM.

For more information and updates, follow Jazz In The Alley and When We Speak TV on all social media platforms.

​When We Speak TV cordially invites you to the City of Norcross, Georgia, for the 2022 Jazz In The Alley concert series.

Held in historic Norcross, Georgia, (Betty Mauldin Park), Jazz In the Alley has an upward attendance of 1,000. 
Did we mention that it's FREE? 
That's RIGHT!
Thanks to generous sponsors:  City of Norcross, Peachtree Awnings, MikTu Naturals, Krush by Jai, When We Speak TV, and Elite Behavioral Medicine.

For more information and updates, follow Jazz In The Alley and When We Speak TV on all social media platforms.

Go to naacpimageawards.net for a full list of nominees.

Voting is open to the public and closes on February 5, 2022.  Winners will be announced during the 2 hour live special hosted by Anthony Anderson on Saturday, Feb. 26th at 8PM ET on BET.

​BET and the NAACP place the health and safety of attendees, staff, vendors, and partners first. Due to the ever-changing developments with COVID-19 and variants, the powerful night in Black excellence will continue to move forward without an in-person audience in a not-to-be-missed event.
 
Netflix leads nominations across motion picture and television + streaming categories. Insecure received the most nominations in the television + streaming categories. H.E.R. received the most nominations in the music recording categories. RCA Records received the most nominations across record labels. Amistad leads nominations across literary categories.

​Recognized as the nation's preeminent multicultural awards show from an African-American perspective, the “53rd NAACP Image Awards” celebrates the outstanding achievements and performances of people of color across more than 80 competitive categories spanning film, television + streaming, music, literature, and podcasts. The “53rd NAACP Image Awards” will also include four new podcast categories:  Outstanding News and Information Podcast; Outstanding Lifestyle / Self-Help Podcast; Outstanding Society and Culture Podcast; and Outstanding Arts and Entertainment Podcast. The “53rd NAACP Image Awards” are presented by Wells Fargo and sponsored by AT&T, Google, T-Mobile, Bank of America, General Mills, FedEx, and Airbnb.

​Internationally, the show will air on BET Africa at 20:00 CAT on February 27, followed by BET France on March 2 at 8:45 pm CEST. The show will also be available to watch on My5 and Sky On-Demand in the UK beginning March 1.

KEYWORDS
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ABOUT NELSON RAMOS
​(from sonjazzy.com)​
I was born in Guayama, Puerto Rico, on the Caribbean side of the Island. I come from a family of distinguished musicians, to include my Grandfather who was a master luthier. My musical journey started by observing my uncle’s orchestra, and playing and studying percussion instruments since the age of 5, to include drums, congas, bongos and timbales. My first live performance was at the age 7 with My Uncle's Salsa Orchestra at the Fiestas Patronales de Guayama, Puerto Rico. In 1974 my Father moved us to Atlanta, GA where I continued to play drums and percussion instruments. In June 1979, I graduated High School in Atlanta from Sylvan Hills High School. In 1980 I joined the military and traveled to Europe, and returned back to Puerto Rico in 1983, where I started to study and play guitar and piano with local salsa bands. I left Puerto Rico in July 1985 and moved back to Atlanta, GA and started to study and learn jazz guitar and piano with musical instruction and mentors such as Bill Brannon, Felix Febles, Jazz Organist Joshua Seabrook, percussionist Skip Burney, and drummer Steve Ellington. I started to play regular jazz gigs with local jazz groups, attending jam sessions, studying, performing and collaborating with jazz musicians and groups in the Atlanta area. In July 1991, I organized, recorded South Side Trio, and performed in the 1992 Atlanta Jazz Festival at Grant Park. The Southside Trio was an organ, guitar and drum jazz trio, selected among many local groups to perform in the 1992 Atlanta Jazz Festival. We had the privilege and honor of performing on the same stage where Horace Silver, Carter Jefferson, and Freddie Hubbard performed.

In 1995, I went back in the service and studied piano at the U.S. School of Music at Little Creek Naval Installation in Virginia Beach, VA. I continued the John Mehegan Piano Jazz studies program (1) Jazz Improvisation Tonal and Rhythmic Principles, (2) Jazz Rhythm and the Improvised Line, (3) Swing and Early Progressive Piano Styles, (4) Contemporary Jazz Piano Styles. I was later stationed in Kobe Barracks, Panama, where I performed for local dignitaries, and performed for the Southern Command’s activities for General Wesley Clark. In addition, I performed for Panama’s premier female jazz vocalist Ms. Barbara Wilson. I played with members of Panamanian National Band, and performed weekly at Las Bovedas Restaurant in the French Quarters of Panama City, Ciudad Panama. In 1997 I moved to San Antonio, Texas where I played with: Luis Shati Orchestra, El Combo Rican Orchestra, Orchestra Tropicana, and Orchestra Esencia Latina, backing the best salsa singers such as El Cano Estremera, Luisito Carrion, Albita, Paquito Guzman, and many others. In June 2001 I moved back to Puerto Rico where I performed with my Uncle’s Orchestra, “Orquesta La Grande”. In June 2004, I moved to New Orleans, LA where I played with Blues singer Jimmy Hicks, Ashe Son, Freddie Omar, and many other local jazz and Latin Jazz groups. Performed weekly at Tippitinas’s, Harrah's Casino New Orleans, and Café Brazil in the French Quarter. Performed in the 2006 French Quarter Festival with Asheson, at the 2007 New Orleans Jazz Festival with Ashe Son Cuban Group, and Freddie Omar’s Salsa Band.

From June 2006 to June 2008, I moved to Baltimore, MD were I performed with local bands in Baltimore, and D.C., and performed piano at the Barrack Obama Mambo Inauguration "Mambo" party with Ted David and his Orquesta “La Leyenda” out of Washington, D.C. I recently performed at the 2015 French Quarter Festival with Fredy Omar Con Su Banda. I am currently living and working in Roswell, GA where I lead and direct Son Jazzy Orchestra and perform with other Jazz and Latin groups in the City of Atlanta, Georgia and Southeast United States. Son Jazzy has performed at several venues in the Atlanta Metro area to include Our Place Cafe & Bakery, Churchill Grounds, Loca Luna Restaurant, the Sweet Auburn Festivals, Johnny's Bistro and Pizza, and the Atlanta International Jazz Festival May 2012, New Orleans French Quarter Festival 2015, New Orleans Cervantes International Guitar Festival 2016, City of San Juan, Puerto Rico Adoquin Jazz nights, May 2016. I am also a United States Army Gulf and Iraq War Veteran. I served for over 25 years, and served in leadership positions for over 20 years. 

ABOUT PEACHTREE AWNINGS
Peachtree Awnings installs high quality awnings for both residential and commercial customers throughout the Atlanta region. They offer a variety of colors, shapes, and sizes to fit your home or business. Their friendly design staff is ready to help. Call today for a free estimate or go to peachtreeawnings.com

ABOUT SHAMEIA CRAWFORD
Classically trained singer, & creator, Shameia Crawford, has traveled the world sharing stages with some of the best in the music industry. She gives consistency in her delivery with all that she does. Bringing a uniqueness & connectivity that can be felt & heard.  Shameia Crawford may also look familiar to you because of her creative Tik Tok videos like, Anybody Else Addicted To Amazon?.  For more go to instagram.com/shameiamusic

We've had a great 2021 Jazz In The Alley concert series.  Although the rain almost stopped one of the shows, thanks to Anonymous Da Band's willingness to continue and the faithful JITA fans we weathered the rain and the concert continued.

​Held in historic downtown Norcross, Georgia, (Betty Mauldin Park), Jazz In the Alley has an upward attendance of 1,000 and IT'S FREE,  thanks to generous sponsors like the City of Norcross, Peachtree Awnings, Elite Behavioral Medicine, and When We Speak TV so bring your entire family.

September 25, 2021
Concert begins at 7:30PM.

For more information and updates, follow Jazz In The Alley and When We Speak TV on all social media platforms.