Pennsylvania – Mitch's Muse

Pictured: (l-r) James Poyser, Kirk Captain Kirk Douglas, Frank Knuckles Walker, Tariq Black Thought Trotter, Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson, Damon Tuba Gooding Jr. Bryson, James Kamal Gray, Mark Kelley -- (Photo by: Mark Seliger/NBC) — Pictured: (l-r) James Poyser, Kirk Captain Kirk Douglas, Frank Knuckles Walker, Tariq Black Thought Trotter, Ahmir “?uestlove” Thompson, Damon Tuba Gooding Jr. Bryson, James Kamal Gray, Mark Kelley — (Photo by: Mark Seliger/NBC)

In an unprecedented show of support for the Philadelphia Music Alliance, Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon will be making a special guest appearance at the 2015 Walk of Fame Gala next week to personally induct his house band, The Roots, into the Class of 2015 with a permanent position among its hometown music legends along the famed Avenue of the Arts.

Special arrangements have been made to enable Fallon to arrive at the Gala on Monday, Oct. 26, direct from a Tonight Show taping at his New York studios earlier that evening. He is scheduled to hit the stage just in time to formally induct The Roots — one of the best known and most respected hip-hop acts in the business — and present the band with their ceremonial plaque.

With Questlove serving as the show’s musical director, The Roots has been the official house band on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon since its launch last year. The four-time Grammy-winning ensemble served in the same capacity for Fallon the previous five years on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.

The Roots’ induction extends a unique Tonight Show connection with the Philadelphia Walk of Fame that began in 1989, when Ed McMahon, Johnny Carson’s longtime sidekick, was inducted. In 2010, fellow Philadelphia native Kevin Eubanks, Jay Leno’s Tonight Show music director for 18 years, also was immortalized with a bronze plaque on the Walk of Fame.

Named one of the greatest live bands around by Rolling Stone magazine, The Roots will be honored by Fallon with fellow Class of 2015 members Ray Benson of Asleep at the Wheel, Billie Holiday, Cinderella, The Trammps, Andrea McArdle, and WOGL air personality Harvey Holiday at the new Fillmore Philadelphia, frequently hailed as “the most beautiful club in America.”

With 16 Grammy Awards and a Tony Award nomination among the new honorees, spanning the musical gamut from Jazz, Country, Disco, Hip Hop/Neo Soul, Rock, Broadway and radio, the long-awaited return of the evening Gala considerably amplifies the vital significance of the Philadelphia Music Alliance and Walk of Fame as its 30^th anniversary approaches in 2016.

Two of Philadelphia’s most revered jazz artists unite for an intimate, exploratory duo session on Alone Together, due out August 19. Violinist Diane Monroe and vibraphonist Tony Miceli have a decade relationship that is evident throughout their debut collaboration. The album’s thirteen tracks encompass the wide range of the pair’s mutual interests, from jazz to classical, standards to spirituals, originals to classics, and even an unexpected TV theme song.

“I’ve always been fascinated by how two instruments can play together and make a complete picture,” says Miceli in a news release. “A duo is very personal. It’s about as personal as you can get. It’s just the two of you, and every note one plays is going to effect the other.”

“It’s all about blending,” Monroe adds, “finding a sound that works individually as well as collectively.”

Both Monroe and Miceli have long histories of forging rich collaborations in Philadelphia and beyond. Monroe has bridged the jazz and classical traditions for most of her career. She studied at Oberlin Conservatory, Philadelphia Musical Academy, Michigan State University, and the Curtis Institute of Music. She toured for more than a decade with the Max Roach Double Quartet and the Uptown String Quartet and performed extensively as a member of the String Trio of New York, all ensembles which fused classical virtuosity with jazz improvisation. Over the course of her career she’s played with such renowned artists as Percy Heath, Steve Wilson, Dave Grusin, Joe Lovano, Reggie Workman, Wycliffe Gordon, and Uri Caine, and is currently a member of saxophonist/composer Bobby Zankel’s Warriors of the Wonderful Sound big band.

Miceli has been a force on the Philly jazz scene since 1980 while touring the world and mentoring young players as an educator. In 1990 he co-founded the group Monkadelphia, dedicated to playing the music of Thelonious Monk. He is also a member of the PhilOrch Jazz Ensemble, a quartet featuring members of the Philadelphia Orchestra. He has worked with countless jazz luminaries as both a leader and a sideman, including David Liebman, Jimmy Bruno, Ken Peplowski, John Blake, John Swana, Joe Magnarelli, Steve Slagle, Larry McKenna, and many others.

During 2009, the two developed a sound together, and by 2010 began a series of live webcasts from Miceli’s basement. These virtual concerts not only placed the pressure of a live situation on the duo’s shoulders, but allowed them to gradually accrue a loyal fan base. “I always felt like we had an audience with the webcasts,” Monroe recalls. “I have a very active imagination, so as soon as I get on stage I get scared, no matter where it is. I play differently, hence that’s where the growth comes in.”

“Over that year, I learned so much about music,” Miceli continues. “We really stuck together through thick and thin and finally felt like we could cover all the bases of the music.”

The diverse material the duo selected for Alone Together reflects the breadth of their experiences. “We wanted to find interesting, different kinds of tunes that would cross over a little bit,” explains Miceli.