Twenty-three years ago Van Hunt saw his first song “Hopeless” get recorded by Dionne Farris and be released into the world. Farris’s interpretation matched and helped define the bohemian romance that took place in the film Love Jones. “Hopeless” is one of the reasons for the soundtrack’s appeal that is just as strong as the movie’s cult following. Van Hunt decided to record his version and he adds a different phrasing of the lyrics and fresh layers of instrumentation like new guitar sounds.  The video for Van Hunt’s recording of “Hopeless” combines footage of him having fun at home and recent photos.  

Dionne Farris’s “Hopeless” was penned by Van Hunt and one was of the gems to grace the Love Jones soundtrack. Farris’s gentle but fervid delivery of Hunt’s poetic lyrics made the feelings of an unrepentant dreamer a moment of beautiful vindication for aspiring romantics. The video features her, Van Hunt and Randy Jackson before his American Idol days playing the bass. Farris first became known for her contribution to Arrested Development’s hit single “Tennessee” in 1992. Her 1994 solo album Wild Seed – Wild Flower was helmed by the single “I Know” which earned her a Grammy nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and won her the Billboard Music Video Awards Best Pop/Rock New Artist Clip of the Year. But it is her song with Van Hunt that endures and continues to introduce her voice to new generations. Farris’s fourth album Dionne Get Your Gunn was released in 2013. She is also the mother of rapper Yung Baby Tate. 

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Grammy-nominated jazz trumpeter Russell Gunn and his Quartet featuring Grammy-winning vocalist Dionne Farris, return to the Music Hall’s Jazz Cafe in Detroit for two shows Friday, November 27th at 8PM & 10PM.  Dionne Farris  sang on three songs with the hip hop group Arrested Development. In 1995, she had a solo hit single called “I Know”, which hit number four on the Billboard Hot 100 and was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance in 1996. Then in 1997, she had another hit, “Hopeless” (written by Van Hunt) from the Love Jones soundtrack.Trumpeter, Russell Gunn’s virtuoso reach and command of all musical styles from Funk to the avant-garde is evidence that a serious new talent is on the scene. Gunn’s eclectic musical approach also brought him together with artists like Cee-Lo , Maxwell, D’Angelo, Ne-Yo, Branford Marsalis, and Jazz at Lincoln Center, while continuing to perform with his own groups and push the boundaries of how music is heard. With a singular style that incorporates the influences of masters like Miles Davis, Lee Morgan, and the underrated Booker Little, Gunn has continued to gain recognition for his own music through touring and well-received albums, including the Grammy-nominated Ethnomusicology, Vol. 1 and Ethnomusicology Vol. 2. http://www.groidmusic.com/

Tickets are  available at the Music Hall Box Office 313 887-8501  or www.ticketmaster.com

Dionne Farris & The Russell Gunn Quartet

This Friday & Saturday, April 26th-27th, 2013 (8 & 10 PM)
Season End Savings From Jazz Cafe– Tickets $20

Jazz Cafe is cutting ticket prices as a “Thank You to Detroit ” for a great Jazz Cafe Season, is offering $20 Tickets for the Grammy winning Dionne Farris ( ” I Know”) hybrid project with innovative and renegade trumpeter, Russell Gunn this Friday and Saturday.

2 Shows each night, Friday April 26 and Saturday April 27th 8PM & 10 PM