Denise King & The DK Collective | Sat & Sun Feb 15 & 16 | Showtimes Vary

** Saturday Showtimes 7:00PM & 9:30PM **

** Sunday Showtimes 6:00PM & 8:30PM **

Native Philadelphia Denise King was thirteen when she was introduced to Jazz by her uncle, Herbert Tatum, who had an extensive collection of Jazz LPs. This love was further cultivated by family, when a cousin Cynthia, shared her passion for the stylings and energy of Nina Simone. Her "studies" involved hours of listening to the Jazz greats, both vocalists and instrumentalists. Denise borrowed phrasing styles from Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald, Nat "King" Cole and Frank Sinatra. She gained an appreciation for lyrics from Lil Jimmy Scott, Nancy Wilson, Carmen McCrae and Nina Simone. Listening as intensely to Jazz as she did R&B or music of her era, she had no idea that her listening sessions were preparing her for a career in music.

Denise was "discovered" by a friend who heard her singing outside of her home in Philadelphia and introduced her to the world of Jazz performance. After overcoming her terrible stage fright, Denise went on to share the stage with many legends including Bootsie Barnes, Christian McBride, Dexter Wansel, Duane Eubanks, Lonnie Plaxico, Sid Simmons, Billy Paul, and many, many more.