The Velvet Note Celebrates One Year!

It’s hard to imagine that it’s been an entire year since we opened our doors here at The Velvet Note.  Over the past twelve months, we have been pleased and honored to bring fresh, high-quality entertainment to our guests, and we look forward to doing so for many years to come.  Recently, the stars aligned to celebrate The Velvet Note’s anniversary and reflect on their experience in performing with us:

Joe Gransden, Trumpeter, Vocalist and Big Band Leader:
“I love performing at The Velvet Note. The sound and the ambiance areperfect!  It’s an amazing atmosphere in which to create music.  The Velvet Note is, by far, one of my favorite jazz clubs in the country.”

Justin Varnes, Drummer and Georgia State University Faculty: “The Velvet Note’s tagline is all you need to focus on—it’s a living room for the listener.
It’s like having a jazz group in the comfort and intimacy of your home.  For the artists, it’s the intimate, relaxed environment of a house concert.  And—oh,yeah—the acoustics are PERFECT.  It’s how jazz is supposed to be experienced.”

Monica Spears, Vocalist: “My performance at The Velvet Note was the most
incredible performance I’ve ever had anywhere in my career.”

Kenyon Carter, Jazz Saxophonist and International Recording Artist: “Congrats on bringing great music to an engaged, enthusiastic and (typically) sold out audience for the past year.”

Laura Coyle, Jazz Vocalist and Commercial Artist: “I love
the sound, of course.  I love that it is
an audience that is there specifically to hear music, whether they’re a
follower of mine or others.  It’s a very
receptive audience, so that we can have a moment together.  It’s a good space for connecting with an
audience and it’s a great audience.”

Yonrico Scott, Grammy Award Winning Drummer: “The Velvet Note is filled with class and
reminds me of some of the greatest clubs in New York City, Tokyo, and San
Francisco.  I love the Velvet Note—it’s a
tribute to Atlanta!”

Kate McGarry, Grammy Award Nominee: “Congratulations to the proud mama and her
one-year-old baby!  Thank you Tamara for
your dedication and clarity of purpose.
You’ve made the Velvet Note a place where the very best in artists can flourish.  Rock on!”

Chad Lawson, Steinway Artist: “A room so quiet pins are afraid to drop,…an audience so mesmerized that their food goes cold,…and a stage so inviting that one can’t help but to shatter expectations…”

Caroline
Aiken, Winner, Atlanta Magazine’s Best Acoustic Artist: “[This is
the] coolest little place on earth and under the stars! The Velvet Note
features an educated audience, thanks to the venue owner’s love of the live,
intimate experience.”

Kevin Bales, Composer, Teacher, GSU Lecturer:  “Tamara
is exactly the kind of jazz impresario that Atlanta needs.  She has a vision and she’s making it happen.”

Mace Hibbard, Grammy Award Winning Saxophonist: “The
Velvet Note is a beautiful, intimate music room with great acoustics that is a
perfect environment for bringing creative music to the audience.  Happy Birthday to the Velvet Note and here’s
to many more to come!”

Karla Harris, Vocalist: I love the intimacy of the room.  There’s nothing sweeter when you’re performing
than that circle of energy when you’re putting out the music, the audience is
listening and participating in creating the music.  It’s like lovemaking- you want that mutual energy
and it happens at The Velvet Note.  Not
to mention, the salmon is hell-good!

Wade Baker, Jazz Performer and Composer: “I’ve traveled all over this country and I’m
proud to say that I’ve found my home for playing jazz at The Velvet Note.”

Toni Byrd, Singer and Hollywood Actress: “The Velvet Note is my favorite place to perform.  Its classy, diverse and
intimate atmosphere not only leaves an outstanding impression on the guests,
but as a performer, I love how The Velvet Note focuses on the music and the
artist.”

Will Hollifield, Multi-Instrumentalist, Teacher and Composer: The
Velvet Note is making its mark as a premier venue, advancing the art of jazz by
booking a wide variety of artists.  Their
commitment to perfection has created a venue that presents phenomenal sound in
an intimate setting which is difficult to match anywhere else.

Tyrone Jackson, Jazz Piano Faculty, Kennesaw State University: “Unlike
other places in Atlanta, people come out to The Velvet Note to listen.  Everything from the top of the organization
on down is set up to help you to listen to the artists.”

Jerome Olds, Legendary Singer-Songwriter: I love Tamara because she understands us “
creatives”.  She gets it, and it makes me
feel good

Sam Skelton, Director of Jazz Studies, Kennesaw State University and Voting Member
of The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences: “The
Velvet Note is my kind of room!!  The
“living room” setting that Tamara has created removes the invisible barrier
between the musicians and the listeners, allowing total interaction.  Believe it or not, a setting this intimate
impacts the music in a very cool way!
The acoustics are perfect and the furnishings are hip and comfy.  Tamara did it right!!”

Johnny Knapp, Legendary Pianist and accompanist to Billie Holiday and Barbra Streisand: “Happy 1st Anniversary, T!  “In today’s society, it is wonderful that someone has the vision to start a nightclub where professionals and aspiring artists can develop their craft and newcomers can experience great music and begin a music-filled joyful life.”

Gary
Motley, Director of Jazz Studies, Emory University: “ I like the intimacy of the room.  It’s a very warm place to both perform and to
listen in as a guest.  The Velvet Note
reminds me of a couple of jazz clubs in Europe that I’ve frequented.”

Dr.Gordon Vernick, Coordinator of Jazz Studies, Georgia State University: “As a performer, there are many things I must
consider when I play in a new room, none the least of which is a good
piano.   The Velvet Note is a fantastic listening room
and an even better room in which to perform.
Every seat gives an unobstructed view the bandstand and you can hear
everything very clearly    It’s a
pleasure to play in such a well-run room and Tamara is a wonderful host—it’s
one of my favorite places to play!”

We thank each of you for being part of our first year, and we look forward to many more!