FRI & SAT JUNE 2 & 3 |The Brianna Thomas Band

"She brings new meaning to, if it plays in Peoria, it will play anywhere." President Bill Clinton

Vocalist, composer, arranger Brianna Thomas is one of the most evocative and accomplished vocalists of her generation. Blessed with a sublime and soulfully syncopated soprano voice that scats, swoons, and croons at the speed of swing, Thomas has worked with a plethora of jazz stars, from Clark Terry, Dianne Reeves, and Russell Malone to Houston Person, the Count Basie Orchestra, Wynton Marsalis, and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, and is featured on Marsalis’ soundtrack to the motion picture, Bolden. She has also performed on a nationwide tour with Michael Mwenso and the Shakes and at several premiere venues, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Detroit Symphony Hall, The Kennedy Center, the Montreux Jazz Festival, and The Apollo Theater. 

Thomas grew up in the Midwest, surrounded by music at an early age. Her mother, a non-musician, had an eclectic record collection that included Bessie Smith, Dinah Washington and James Brown, and her father, drummer/vocalist Charlie “CJ” Thomas, took her to clubs when she was an infant, and she sang in his groups when she was six. Brianna’s latest CD, “Everybody Knows” received 4 ½ stars in Billboard magazine.