ABOUT THE PERFORMERS

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  Henry Darragh

  Henry Darragh is a talented multi-instrumentalist and composer currently working in Houston Texas while doing graduate studies at Moores School of Music. In addition to being a first-rate trombonist, Darragh can also play jazz piano, sing, compose, arrange, lead, educate, and inspire. To hear his debut CD Tell Her For Me one might think of him as an up and coming jazz songwriter who swings and croons vocals, but that would only be the latest chapter in his story.

  Born and raised in Pasadena Texas, Darragh was surrounded by music from a young age, and felt he might eventually become a classical trombonist. But jazz was always lurking in the background. Fortunately he had instructors as early as 7th grade who were into jazz, and turned him onto classic recordings, and although he loved it then, jazz remained a kind of secret language until college. According to Darragh, “my family always had a piano in the house, which I used to teach myself bad habits.”

  This love of music was a feeling which continued through undergraduate studies at San Jacinto College where he took Theory I with percussionist Ray Dillard, and later private lessons “not so much to learn percussion as to just hang out with Ray,” a talented musician well versed in many genres including jazz, who now teaches at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto (Canada). Later at the University of Houston Darragh played with the U of H jazz ensemble, providing opportunities to play piano with guest clinicians such as Lou Soloff, Randy Brecker, and David Sanchez, as well as with Houston-based artists such as Joel Fulgham, David Craig, Erin Wright, Kelly Dean and others.

  Darragh was then accepted into Stuart Ostrow’s Musical Theater Lab at the U of H, where he worked with the Tony Award Winner Stuart Ostrow (Madame Butterfly, 1776, Pippin), and cites this experience working with both directors and writers as something that has really pushed him as a songwriter. He is continuing with graduate studies at Moores School of Music in Houston.

  Darragh has worked professionally with artists such as Los Skarnales, TJ Funk, the Steve Lippia Big Band, Adela Dalto, DJ Sun’s Solar Grooves, and Joe B’s Rebel Crew, and is now appearing as a solo artist on piano and vocals either by himself, as a duet or with a small group, while staying very busy as a session artist, and on-call jazz performer.

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  Thomas Helton

  Thomas Helton is a composer and bassist who writes and performs music in both solo and ensemble settings. As a composer Mr. Helton was awarded a Houston Arts Alliance Individual Artist Fellowship Grant in 2007 for the commission and premiere of a new work for fifteen-piece ensemble, the Torture Chamber Ensemble. He was awarded an artist residency for the commission and premiere of Pride from DiverseWorks ArtSpace in Houston in October 2004, a work for ten-piece ensemble and video projection created in collaboration with video artist Maria del Carmen Montoya. Other new music commissions include 5 works for the Michele Brangwen Dance Ensemble. Desesperados (2005), a suite of tangos, is featured on Houston Public Radio’s CD The Best of the Front Row. Black Rain (2005), a work for saxophone, guitar, string bass, percussion and dancers, was chosen to be performed as part of FotoFest’s 2006 Biennial dedicated to the themes of The Earth and Artists Responding to Violence. As a bassist, Thomas Helton performs with his own ensemble, The Core Trio, as well as with many celebrated jazz and free improv artists including Tim Hagans, Milt Jackson, Daniel Carter, Monty Alexander, Frank Gratowski and Ernie Watts, William Parker, Weasel Walter and Steve Swell. He recently performed the music of Tim Hagans as a guest artist with Sweden’s Norrbotten Big Band. He was also featured at the 2009 ISB Bass Convention curated by Mark Dresser. Thomas has released three CD’s: Doublebass; Experimentations in Minimalism; and Saga. All three have received positive reviews in the press in both in the U.S. and Europe.

  In the spring of 2010 he spent 3 month a the TAKT Artist residency in Berlin, Germany. While there he performed at many of the cities avant-garde venues with local musicians, Simon Rose, Matthias Mueller, Klaus Kuervers, Chris Heenan and bassist Clayton Thomas. Upon returning to the USA, Thomas completed a very successful west coast tour. Among some of the performances were NORCAL Noisefest, USC Bakersfield, UNT and a special performance with bassist Damon Smith at Tex Gallery in Denton,TX.

  He recently released a new solo, DVD collaboration with videographer Jonathan Jindra. The film was featured at the International Society of Improvised Music Conference during a recent  east coast. He plans to continue a US tour in 2012 and a potential tour of Europe is in the works.

  In 2013 Thomas took over the non-profit group, The Houston Composers Alliance. THe organization presents original work by modern composers. 2013 also saw the release of his group, The Core Trio. The recording was a live improvisation with New York piano great, Robert Boston.

FOOD & DRINK SPECIALS

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  Happy Hour Monday-Friday | 4-6PM

  We’ve been named one of Houstonia’s Best Neighborhood bars in Downtown Houston! Relax and unwind with terrific prices on select beverages and tasty treats.

  – $6 glass of house red, white or sparkling wine
  – $6 MKT Cocktail of the Day
  – $5 Select Local Draught Beer
  – $4 Select Bottle & Can Beer
  – $5 Apps – Just Hummus

  Check out our Happy Hour Menu