MetroStage Cabaret Series Presents

Love Notes and Blue Notes:

A Jazz Cabaret of Friends, Two Souls, One Spirit

Featuring Aaron Myers and Yvette Spears

Monday Oct 6 at 7pm

The Lyceum

Tickets $30

Jazz vocalists Yvette Spears and Aaron Myers have shared a musical friendship for nearly 15 years, each bringing their own voice and vision to Washington, DC’s vibrant jazz scene.

This is more than a concert. It’s jazz between friends—two spirits weaving stories through song, lifting music higher with beauty, intensity, and joy. Expect love songs, blues, ballads, and moments that honor the timeless spirit of cabaret.

Audiences may remember their spirited chemistry in Yvette’s acclaimed cabaret, “My Creole Love Call”. Now, the two reunite for a special evening at the Lyceum in Old Town Alexandria—celebrating their artistry, their southern roots, and the soul of jazz.

Bios

Yvette Spears is a performing artist who has collaborated with many renowned Jazz artists. She was introduced to performance at an early age, growing up in NOLA as a Jazz artist, in musical theatre in the Washington DC area and as an ‘on-air’ talent for BET on JAZZ. At MetroStage she has been seen in ‘All Night Strut’, and the world premieres of ‘Ladies Swing the Blues’ where she played Sarah Vaughn, and ‘Blackberry Daze’ (where she was recognized by DCMetroTheaterArts as best performer in a musical as Pearl Brown). Today Yvette’s vocal concepts in performance are expressed in what she calls ‘Voices from the Jazz Boutique’-as she ventures into compelling areas of Jazz, while honoring the music’s point of origin. Her voice is noted for its wide range and distinctive sound that transports you to a magical time and place with her innovative approach to Jazz. Yvette’s vocal artistry is as varied as the New Orleans culture that serves as her inspiration, with her dynamic octave range creating a musical palate that uniquely spans from an airy falsetto to an emotive contralto.

Yvette most recently performed for the Festival of Spirituals and the DC Jazz Festival, and with Mr. Myers at Mr. Henry’s this past July.“As an artist who continues to stroke her canvas, her goals and aspirations are one in the same, to channel her vision into descriptive strokes that define her inspiration. Yvette searches her soul, her spirituality and her emotions to give life to the songs she sings.” from Echo d’Haiti from an article “La Belle Creole” by Jean-Michel Mathurian.

Aaron Myers II, is originally from Goodlow, Texas where Myers found his passion for performing at an early age while playing music in the church, eventually choosing the piano as his instrument of choice. His soulful baritone voice, second-to-none stage presence, and captivating personality make him one of the most exciting acts in jazz. He is an accomplished musician, author, entertainer and activist and a Resident Artist at Mr. Henry’s Restaurant on Capitol Hill.

His credits include 4 albums: “Leo Rising”, “The Lion’s Den”. “The Pride Album”, and the holiday album “Snowing in Vegas” and 2 books exploring topics such as race, sexuality and social justice. He is on the Board of Governors and a voting member of the Recording Academy.  From 2018 to 2022 he hosted “Jazz Stories” on WPFW89.3FM, dedicated to featuring DMV based artists and their new projects. For the last 13 years, Myers has served as Minister of Music for Covenant Baptist UCC.

Mr. Myers is a stout advocate for Mental Health and LGBTQI Rights. He is the Vice Chair of the LGBTQIA Committee of the NAACPA as part of his advocacy. He is the Founding Chair of the Capitol Hill Jazz Foundation, serving on the Board of Directors. He sits as a member of the Board of Directors for CTE Vision Foundation and Covenant Full Potential Development Center. During the ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic, he led the DMV Music Stakeholders cohort as they shared resources, offered relief, and advocated for community needs to help strengthen and preserve Washington’s music ecosystem.  In 2023, Myers was named Executive Director of the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, the state arts agency for the District of Columbia, supporting over 1000 organizations and individual artists annually.  

Awarded best Jazz Artist by the International Music and Entertainment Awards in 2016, named a Jazz Hero by the Jazz Journalist Association in 2021, awarded the Wammie Award(presented by The Musicianship) for Advocacy 2019 & 2020 and also awarded Best Jazz Artist & Best Jazz Song by the Wammies in 2022.