About Us
Photo: Asanto Nobel
ABOUT Jorei Jazz & Company
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JoRei Jazz & Company was founded by Johnny Johnson and Katherine Joyce-Reilly in 2018 after a prior Jazz Series partnership dissolved. Not wanting to abandon their commitment to continuing the Legacy of Jazz music for future generations, K.J. Reilly and Johnny Johnson decided to regroup under the JoRei Jazz umbrella, as JazzByJorei on Social Media
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After a short hiatus it was not long before K.J. discovered a cozy cafe in the Lower East Side; Black Cat Cafe, where they began hosting a bi-weekly Jazz Jam and Open Mic for the Jazz community and enthusiasts. The Black Cat Jam only lasted only a few months, but it served as a kind of Pilot for the Jazz Series. Two years later, the co-creators were asked if they wanted to do a Jazz Jam at Sour Mouse, which had not yet opened. Excited for the opportunity, Johnny and K.J. moved the event to the brand-new, super fun Billiards venue, just blocks away from Black Cat Cafe. Jorei Jazz has been hosting the Free weekly Jazz Jam series for over 5 years! When asked K.J. confessed "this residency has been an amazing and rewarding ride!
Opened in October 2020, Sour Mouse, NYC quickly became one of New York's hottest clubs in the Lower East Side! No doubt the venue's success prompted the owners to open another game hall, "Sugar Mouse", nestled in the popular East Village. Sugar Mouse is a beautiful game room with next level design, & emmersice digital projections surrounding the club. The Jorei Jazz duo could not pass up the opportunity to launch a sencond Jam session at Sugar Mouse, Tuesday Nights!
MISSION
JoRei Jazz & Company's Mission is to Sponsor Jazz Music Events throughout
New York City, which began at Black Cat Cafe on the Lower East Side.
Apparently, K..J. received a call from club owner, Aaron Ho, who asked if she and Johnny Johnson were interested in hosting a Jazz Jam at his soon-to-be opened game hall on Delancey. They jumped at the opportunity, and remain a staple at the venue to this day!
Jorei Jazz with Jazz
Icon, Bertha Hope
Jorei Jazz with Jazz
Pianist Danny Mixen
Jorei Jazz & Co. is a non-profit group dedicated to fostering an
enhanced Jazz community of singers & musicians of any age.
The Villager Article - April 2022
<Click Image or Scroll to Media page to Read article by Bob Krasner. Photos by Bob Krasner
We're a Non Profit Group Needing Donations to Keep This Project Going. ................................................
VenmO .. ...
Click the image or Scan QR Code....................
THANK YOU! We'd Truly Really Apprecicate Your Support .............................................................................
Let’s Work Together
Jorei Jazz & Company
16 Madison Sq. West - 12th floor
New York, NY 10011
E-Mail: Jwjazzforum@gmail.com
Tel: 718 930-5837
Media & Reviews
The Villager Newspaper Article
Jazz by Jorei bring jazz jam sessions to Sour Mouse in the Lower East Side
By Bob Krasner
Posted on April 13, 2022
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Photos: Bob Krasner
Photo by: Bob Krasner - -Johnny Johnson and K.J. Reilly are the sponsors
and producers of the Live Music Event.
Smooth sounds on LES
The jazz jam session. If you know what that means, you’re probably picturing a late-night back room where you don’t even think about getting on stage without a good amount of talent and even more guts, because every player there is ready to play you off the stage and they don’t really care if you never come back.
Then again, there’s the Sour Mouse, where the “Jazz by Jorei” Sunday afternoon sessions organized by Katherine Joyce-Reilly and Johnny Johnson are basically an alternative universe to that scene. Newcomers are encouraged no matter where their musical level is and if you sign up, you get to strut your stuff. It might only be one song, but it’s in front of a swinging house band with an appreciative audience.
“We’re trying to create a supportive, positive environment,” says Joyce-Reilly, who has sung with Stevie Wonder and Martha Wash, among others. “We hear from the musicians and singers that they love coming here – that they don’t get that support at other open mics.”
Article Continues....
Johnson, who spent some time singing with The Fabulous Aftabs – a group that opened for the O’Jays and the Delfonics at the Apollo – concurs. “You’ve got to lift people up! I learned that from my father and my uncle. Sometimes you’ve just got to say, you’re not there yet, but you can get there.”
The free sessions start around 3 p.m. on Sunday with a featured performer who is backed by the house band led by pianist Steve Niles with Motoki Mihara on bass and Rich Rodriquez on drums. Singers drop in and sign up to sing one or two tunes with the combo and sometimes end up getting their own featured slot. One of those lucky ones with an upcoming gig is Deborah Auer, who has nothing but praise for the setup. “The house band has a really nice groove, the singers and musicians are happy to see each other and the staff at Sour Mouse are welcoming and supportive,” she says, adding, “It’s been a great place to come back to singing since the pandemic!”
Complete The Villager Article below:
https://www.amny.com/entertainment/jazz-by-jorei-sour-mouse-lower-east-side/
Photo by: Bob Krasner -Mike Young ( far right ) ended his set by calling for ” all hands on deck,” which resulted in a rousing finale by (L-R) Lauren Reilly, Calvin Rey, Claire Delisser, Sax-E-One and Young blowing with Steve Niles on keyboard . The art is a collab by Android Oi and Josie Woods
Sax-E-One serenades the singer with a sax solo
Johnson and Joyce-Reilly are both veteran singers (jazz and R and B, respectively) who met ten years ago and decided to team up to produce a jazz session at Perks, a well-known club in Harlem. After moving around a bit they settled downtown into the Sour Mouse at the invitation of co-owner Aaron Ho, who loves having them there. “They have a passion for sharing music with others,” he notes. “We’re grateful to be working with people who, like us, want to give something back to the community.”
REVIEWS Jorei Jazz' Sunday Jam @ Sour Mouse
LINK: Yelp Review / Sour Mouse https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/sour-mouse-new-york?select=9nnTQ2DE-_LlFmyO35bkcg
By K.J. Reilly
Let’s Work Together
Jorei Jazz & Company
16 Madison Sq. West - 12th floor
New York, NY 10011
E-Mail: JoreiJazz@gmail.com
Tel: 718 930-5837