Hot Jazz comes to the Franke Center in Marshall on Friday, March 3, for an evening of live music with Detroit’s award winning R.J. Spangler Quartet. Held in The Franke’s intimate Downstage Club, this show promises to be a great evening of Jazz music, featuring a diverse selection of tunes from 1920’s jazz standards up to the latest music from today’s Jazz world. Doors open at 7:00 PM, with the main show starting at 8:00 PM.  Refreshments and snacks will be available. Tickets for the show are $16 in advance, $18 at the door, with students half price.    

Led by W.C. Handy award nominee R.J. Spangler, the Quartet will be joined by Trombonist and vocalist T-Bone Paxon and celebrated pianist Michael Zaporski for an evening of Jazz which promises to include everything from 1920’s Jazz standards up to the latest R&B and Reggae tunes. The Quartet’s influences include Johnny Mercer, Hoagy Carmichael, Duke Ellington & the Harlem Jive of Fats Waller, as well as the proto jump/swing of Louis Jordan. Elements of these Jazz greats are prominently featured in their performances. In March 2016, RJ and his band members were nominated for Five Detroit Music Awards, including Outstanding Jazz Recording, Outstanding Jazz Instrumentalist, and Outstanding Jazz Artist/Group, and his Planet D9 Project won the Detroit Music Award for Outstanding Traditional Jazz Group.

The Franke Center for the Arts is an intimate, historic, 270 seat theater in downtown Marshall, Michigan, and is quickly becoming known as one of the premier small concert venues in the Midwest.  This show spotlights the Downstage Club, an intimate 100 seat performance space in the Lower Level featuring convenient bar service and a nightclub atmosphere with flexible seating. Tickets for the show are $16 in advance, $18 at the door, and can be purchased on line at www.frankecenterforthearts,org , or by calling the box office at 269-781-0001. Make your plans now to be at The Franke for a fantastic night of Jazz on March 3!