Jazz At The Cherry
Proudly presents
The Michael O’Neill/Tammy Hall Quartet

San Francisco Bay Area jazz artists Michael O’Neill and Tammy Lynne Hall have put together a truly heavyweight group of musicians for this very special Jazz At The Cherry performance.  A gifted saxophonist, Michael O’Neill will be leading the way along with much sought-after pianist and vocalist Tammy Lynne Hall.  Rounding out the quartet are two of the Monterey Peninsula’s favorite artists, the sensational drummer Leon Joyce Jr. and talented bassist Steve Uccello.  This stellar group of artists has performed at numerous venues in the SF Bay Area, and while this will be a JATC first for O’Neill and Hall, both Joyce and Uccello have had several Cherry appearances in the past. This is bound to be one of the hottest ever straight-ahead jazz shows to come to our stage, and you surely won’t want to miss it!

Sunday, June 22nd at 2:00pm. Doors open at 1:30pm for wine and light fare included in the ticket price. Tickets are $45, available on Eventbrite.com.

Michael O’Neill

Saxophonist Michael O’Neill is a mainstay in the San Francisco Bay Area jazz scene where he now leads several jazz groups.  A San Diego native, Michael began studying clarinet at age eight. He took up the saxophone at thirteen and studied composition and arranging in college. Following graduate school in Texas, he returned to the SF Bay Area and studied with the great Joe Henderson.  It didn’t take long for O’Neill to make a name for himself.  He signed on to several steady, high-profile gigs including a thirteen-year engagement at the Ritz Carlton in Half Moon Bay, a seven-year stint at Cetrella on the coast, and a six-year steady gig at the Sofitel on the San Francisco Peninsula. He has played and/or recorded with Idris Muhammad, Joe Locke, Geoffrey Keezer, Michael Wolff, Rodney Jones, Kenny Washington, Jackie Ryan, Tony Lindsay, Akira Tana, Michael Bluestein, Nicolas Bearde, Smith Dobson, and many others.  O’Neill’s first three jazz albums featured the world-renowned SF Bay Area vocalist Kenny Washington. Their partnership spans over 20 years, and the two have performed together in many notable venues including the San Jose Jazz Festival, the Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival, and the Monterey Jazz Festival.  O’Neill performs frequently at Yoshi’s and many other major venues in the SF Bay Area.

Tammy Lynne Hall

Tammy Lynne Hall began playing the piano at age four in Dallas, Texas where she was raised by two grandmothers, a grandfather and numerous aunts and uncles.  Her earliest memories of the piano were of climbing onto the piano bench and picking out the notes to tunes she heard either on the radio, record player or something the choir sang at church.  She attended the prestigious Mills College in Oakland, CA from 1979 to 1981.  In pursuit of developing her own voice and the experiences of a ‘Jazz’ life, Tammy left Mills College and began working with local bands in the SF Bay Area.  A visit to Brussels turned into a two-year stay.  During this time Tammy along with saxophonist, Dr. Josylyn Segal, formed the quintet Touche Differente (Different Touch), playing in numerous venues and festivals, including the Brussels Jazz Club, the North Sea Jazz Festival, Antwerp, France, Holland and Ibiza as well as performing and recording with saxophonist Noah Howard.  A truly versatile pianist, Tammy Hall’s own compositions, arrangements and improvisational style are always crowd pleasers. Tammy’s impressive accompanist skills made her a top choice for many well-known singers. She is equally gifted in Classical, Gospel, Latin, R & B and Jazz. Her major influences include Tania Maria, Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone, Mary Lou Williams, Joe Sample and Thelonious Monk. Tammy brings virtuosity to the piano that is never ostentatious, and her approach to the music is always genuine and fresh.

Leon Joyce Jr.

Well-known on the local jazz scene, drummer Leon Joyce Jr. is a native of Meriden, Connecticut where he received his musical training through private instruction under John Oblon and Jimmy Rozelle. While still in high school, he toured Connecticut and Massachusetts with the Greater Hartford Community College Theater Group, performing the Broadway musical Hair.  As a drummer, Leon has worked for a wide variety of top artists, including Ramsey Lewis, Nancy Wilson, Smokey Robinson, Teena Marie, Monty Alexander, Clark Terry, Conte Condoli, Ellis Marsalis, Larry Coryell, Gary Bartz, Billy Harper, and Pete Fountain.  Leon performs regularly with his own groups as a trio, quartet or quintet format.  He has also appeared with the Jamie Davis Quintet, Nicolas Bearde, Rhonda Benin, Destiny Muhammad and Tiffany Austin. Leon has also performed at many of the top International Jazz Festivals, including Montreux and Lugano Jazz Festivals in Switzerland and the Villingen Swing/Jazz Festival in Germany. Nationally, he has appeared in the Monterey Jazz and Blues, Playboy Jazz and JVC Jazz Festivals in California, New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival in Louisiana, JVC Jazz Festival in Colorado, Chicago Jazz, the South Shore Jazz and the Heritage Festivals in Illinois. He has also appeared in the Dijon, Lyon and Paris Blues Festivals in France, the Luzern Blues Festival in Switzerland, the Zacatecas and Oaxaca Blues Festival in Mexico and the Rhythm & Blues cruise.

Steve Uccello

As a freelance bassist, Steve plays gigs around the Monterey and San Francisco Bay areas. Steve is the bassist in The Latin Jazz Collective with John Nava as well as Monterey’s beloved group, Along Came Betty.  He has played gigs with The Roger Eddy Band and legendary guitarist, Bruce Forman.  Steve was also a featured soloist with the Monterey Bay Jazz Orchestra in 2009 at the 52nd annual Monterey Jazz Festival as well as with The Andy Weis Monterey Jazz Allstars at the 60th Monterey Jazz Festival in 2017. Steve has played in the Dottie Dodgion trio as well.  He can be regularly found playing musical theater engagements at The Western Stage and The Pacific Repertory Theatre.  Additionally, he is also the steady bassist at Santa Cruz’s First Congregational Church’s Jazz/Gospel service.  Steve studied music formally at Cabrillo College under jazz trumpeter/arranger Ray Brown and Latin percussionist Mike Strunk.  He completed extensive coursework in performance, theory, and musicianship, and was the principal bassist in the Cabrillo orchestra for two years. Steve completed his B.A. at CSU Monterey Bay, where he studied with world-renowned bassists Stan Poplin and Ray Drummond and legendary saxophonist Paul Contos.