Recording artist Nicole Henry has a Set For The Season concert at Aaron Davis Hall this Friday, December 8, 2023. The Miami-based jazz chanteuse will perform holiday music at City College Center for the Art’s last event of the season. The Miami Herald has described Henry as “the vocal love child of Whitney Houston and Sarah Vaughn.” The Philadelphia native has released four Top Ten jazz albums and is a Soul Train Traditional Jazz Performance Award winner. Henry recently shared the video for her silky interpretation of Sade’s “Is It A Crime?” The band for Friday’s show comprises Pianist David Cook, bass player Richie Goods, guitarist Tom Jango, and drummer Jerome Jennings. The 7 PM concert tickets are available at the City College’s official website. 

Kaytranada ends the year with new music with Rochelle Jordan and Channel Tres. “Lover/Friend” with Jordan is a slice of smoky R&B with a bounce. “Stuntin” features Channel Tres’ spoken words and Kaytranada’s fingers programming a twirl-worthy beat that’s especially rugged on the bottom. The double single is ideal for increasing the appetite for his 2024 full-length album. The producer had a good year with his Aminé assisted KAYTRAMINE project and subsequent tour. “Lover/Friend” and “Stuntin” are the perfect gifts for Kaytranada’s fans. 

Sammy Davis Jr. recorded “Baretta’s Theme (Keep Your Eye On The Sparrow)” in 1975. Baretta was a detective series that ran on CBS from 1975 to 1978. Davis was going through a transition in his career, having recently signed a contract with 20th Century Records. It was a new era in music, and Davis was dealing with ageism in the music industry and trying to find his place.  Jim Gilstrap sang on the initial recording, but the studio told songwriter Morgan Ames they couldn’t have a Black singer sing the theme to a white show. Davis’s version debuted during the show’s second season, which was a success. 

Davis’s “Baretta’s Theme” became a hit in the Netherlands, Sweden, and Belgium, inspiring Davis to record more television themes. Morgan Ames and Dave Grusin wrote the song, which was one of the most expressive TV show songs of the ’70s.  Davis’s Broadway background did not inhibit his ability to sing funk, soul, and disco, all three genres heavily embedded in the tune. The Baretta theme and Davis’s covers of other television show songs were included on The Song And Dance Man album, which was released in 1976 to foreign markets but not in the United States. Deadline revealed that Hulu will no longer pick up the Davis limited series from Lee Daniels starring Elijah Kelley, which is currently being shopped to other media companies. 

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