Marcus Click

It was during his 13 years serving honorably in the U.S. Navy that Marcus Click grew to love jazz, listening and learning from the likes of the late Grover Washington, Jr., David Sanborn and Kirk Whalum. Working diligently as a musician (replacing earlier aspirations of a pro football career), he received encouragement from famed percussionist Sheila E., fellow sax ophonists Nelson Rangell and Najee, and his sax mentors: Joe Yorio and Mel Holder. Click’s 2005 album Movin’ featured 11 self-penned tunes, topped the charts in its first week, and received praise from smooth jazz stations, critics and listeners. In 2019, he won the AMG’s Instrumentalist of the Year Award. This led Click to drop several successful singles, including “Sound the Alarm” and “Together We Stand.” His diverse, exotic and percussively progressive album Brand New Day (2023) is a spiritually minded collection with contributions from Mel Holder, Roger Ryan, William Green, Ben Parris (Grammy winner for Emerging Artist), Madoca Kawahara, Jonathan Fritzen, Bob Baldwin and Alissia Benveniste. The compilation serves as a brief summary of Click’s journey – just follow the song titles, which carry a message. The title track debuted in the top spot for the most spins (first week in rotation) for Billboard Smooth Jazz radio stations. This event is part of the Lincolnville Museum’s Juneteenth celebration. More at marcusclick.com.

Mahoganee

Renowned vocalist, songwriter, visual artist and poet Mahoganee describes herself as a music cultural preservationist. In her work as a Gullah/Geechee lowcountry creative, Mahoganee’s unique style of indigenous soul music is a blend of southern soul, funk, jazz, blues, hip-hop with African, Native Indian and Caribbean influences – or as she calls it: Funky Organik Soul. This music that ignites the senses and lyrics that spark the soul is created by Mahoganee and her husband, music producer André Amigér. With more than 30 years of experience in her field and national credits to her name, Mahoganee’s sultry vocals, commanding stage presence, and four-octave range have earned her a loyal following by an ever-growing fan base. The“Sea Island Songbird” has performed at festivals and events including the Annual Black Family Reunion for the National Council of Negro Women in Washington, DC, and the Black Heritage Festival in Savannah, GA. She has been a member of the recording academy (Grammys) for several years and a GrammyU mentor. Mahoganee is also a volun teer for District Advocate, the biggest grassroots advocacy program serving as a voice for music makers in shaping policies impact ing the music community. This advocacy helped lead to the passage of the CASE Act, providing billions in COVID relief for music makers and businesses in 2020. Her current release, and fourth studio album, is 2021’s selfreleased Textures of a Southern Soul. More at mahoganee.com