Toledo-based vocalist and educator Ellie Martin makes her BOP STOP debut as she celebrates the release of her new album Verdant. Tickets for this performance are $15 in advance and $20 at the door. This event will also be livestreamed on BOP STOP's Facebook page at showtime. Accessing the stream is free but donations are encouraged and directly support the band. To donate, select "Donation: Livestream Attendee" (which is a $10 blanket ticket price) as your Ticket Option above and follow the steps below:

• Select "1" as your quantity and click "Add to Cart." If you wish to donate more than $10 to the band, you can increase your quantity.
• You may enter your name if you wish and click "Submit"
• Click on the "Edit Cart" button that pops up.
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Featuring:

• Ellie Martin, vocals
• Ariel Kasler, guitar
• Kurt Krahnke, bass
• Olman Piedra, drums

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Vocalist-composer Ellie Martin channels her diverse musical influences of jazz, pop, Latin, and singer-songwriter styles into a broad collection of all original material on her debut album, Verdant. The album is set for independent release on May 12th 2023, and features bassist Kurt Krahnke, drummer Dr. Olman Piedra, and Israeli guitarist Ariel Kasler. Verdant is a musical journey into Martin’s life as a woman, a mother, and a cancer survivor. Having faced cancer at the age of 25, she realized the importance of living life to the fullest, and pursuing her dreams of making music. Martin embodies Verdant through her powerful vocals, vast palette of musical styles, and her sensitivity. Jazzz Dog president Shaunna Machosky proclaims, “Ellie sounds fantastic! She is part of the band, and I believe every word that she sings.” It is her performance that defines each song, bringing each story to life through her exquisite vocals, and her emotional connection to each piece is palpable.

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Ellie Martin was born in 1985 in Florida and grew up singing. She completed her bachelor’s degree in Classical Voice Performance from McGill University, before switching to jazz voice for her master’s degree at the University of Toledo. In 2016, she earned her PhD in Jazz Studies from the University of Pittsburgh, where she studied with Dr. Nathan Davis, and Professor Geri Allen. Martin is a composer, a mother of two, and a regular performing artist in and around Detroit. Career highlights include performing at the Pittsburgh Jazz Festival, the Sunset Jazz Festival, and the Michigan Jazz Festival. She was the featured vocalist with the National Arab Orchestra in San Antonio Texas, and performed alongside jazz luminaries Geri Allen, Terri Lynne Carrington, Esperanza Spalding, the New York Voices, Jon Hendricks, and Afro Blue. Her background in Jazz Studies and performance make her a unique and distinctive educator and performer. https://elliemartinmusic.com/home

Kurt Krahnke studied at the Berklee College of Music and New England Conservatory of Music. While in Boston, he toured with Ron Levy and played with other noted blues and jazz artists. Upon returning to Detroit, he toured with the early Sun Messengers and Leon Thomas. Since then, Kurt has been a stalwart on the Detroit area music scene for over 40 years, working with many jazz luminaries. Among the highlights of his performances are those with Sheila Jordan, Ray Bryant, James Moody, Larry Coryell, Joe Henderson, Steve Turre, and Clark Terry, in addition to the many great artists with which southeast Michigan and Northern Ohio have been blessed. He continues to mentor bassists in the region. https://www.allaboutjazz.com/musicians/kurt-krahnke/

Ariel Kasler is a pianist and guitarist with a Master’s in Jazz Performance from Bowling Green State University, and a Bachelor’s from Berklee College of Music. He has released two albums Above the Sound (2015), and Make it Bloom (2022) that feature original jazz compositions and arrangements influenced by Middle Eastern, Jewish, and Israeli music. He has performed at the Detroit Jazz Festival, the Glenn Gould Studio in Toronto, the Grand Theatre in London, ON, the Clore Center for Music and Dance in Israel, and the Victorian College of Arts in Australia. In addition to performing as a solo guitarist and pianist, he works with the BGSU Jazz Faculty ensemble, the Peter Hysen Octet, the London Jazz Orchestra, Hollywood: Tribute to Michael Buble, Hughes & Mac and the Barry Usher Ensemble, and has directed cruise ship show-bands, accompanying artists such as Ian Finkel, Nathan Foley and Jim Curry. https://arielkaslerquintet.bandcamp.com/album/make-it-bloom

Olman E Piedra is associate professor of percussion and drum set at The University of Toledo. He has performed with a variety of ensembles, including the Sphinx Orchestra, EXIGENCE vocal ensemble, the National Symphony Orchestra of Costa Rica, the American Wind Symphony Orchestra, the Toledo Jazz Orchestra, Italian pop artist Patrizio Buanne, NOMO, Roland Vazquez' Latin Jazz Combo (Percussive Arts Society International Convention), vocalist Lauren Kinhan (from The New York Voices), Ken Thomson and Slow/fast, David Bixler’s I-75 ensemble, and the University of Toledo organ trio with the National Arab Orchestra Takht ensemble. Olman E Piedra received his DMA from Bowling Green State University. He also received two Master's in Music degrees, in Percussion Performance and in Improvisation from the University of Michigan, and a BM from Baylor University. Dr. Piedra is an educational artist/clinician for Amedia cymbals, Meinl percussion, Remo drumheads, Black Swamp Percussion, and Innovative Percussion. https://olmanpiedra.com/home