AADL Talks To: Paul Vornhagen, Jazz Saxophonist, Flutist, and Vocalist

Wed, 04/02/2025 - 1:06pm

Paul is an award-winning jazz saxophonist, flutist, and vocalist who got his start in Ann Arbor in 1972 as an accompanist at the University of Michigan Dance Department. Over the past four decades, Paul has played in numerous configurations and venues worldwide. He talks with us about the jazz scene in Ann Arbor in the early years, some of his favorite local venues -- past and present, reminisces about some of the many musicians he's played with, and the many changes he's witnessed in Ann Arbor over the years.

Listen to a historical recording by Paul Vornhagen and Friends captured live at the former Del Rio restaurant

AADL Talks To: Andy Sacks, Photographer and Documentarian

Wed, 09/25/2024 - 9:29pm

Andrew Sacks is an award-winning photographer and documentarian in the Ann Arbor area. He came to the University of Michigan in the late 1960s to study art and immediately joined the Michigan Daily newspaper, covering a variety of assignments, from sit-ins and student demonstrations to regional and national political campaigns. During this period, he also played jazz piano with various Ann Arbor musicians. Andy recalls the people and some of the many memorable events that shaped his life and work over the years. Andy’s vast photo negative collection is available at the Bentley Historical Library.

AADL Talks To: Marcel Shobey and Ruth Natalie Kellogg about the Legacy of Musicians Armando and Norman Shobey, aka the Shobey Brothers

Wed, 06/26/2024 - 4:14pm

In this episode, AADL Talks To Marcel Shobey, joined by his mother, Ruth Natalie Kellogg. Marcel shares memories of growing up on Ashley Street on the Old West Side and he and his mother discuss some of the changes they've seen in Ann Arbor over the years. They also take a deep dive into the music career of the Shobey Brothers -- Marcel's father, Armando Shobey, and uncle, Norman Shobey. The Shobeys were hand percussionists discovered in the Bronx as children. They toured with Bobby Orton's Teen Aces and then went on to play in a variety of music ensembles of some renown both nationally and in several European countries for many years before settling in Ann Arbor at the invitation of musician Rick Burgess. Here they formed -- or joined -- a variety of music ensembles that played throughout the Midwest region. Their story is further documented in photos and flyers in the Marcel Shobey Collection.