Venae & The Vybbe look toward Mother’s Day concert, summer dates
By Michael Andrews
Mountain Life Editor
An Ellijay band’s mix of smooth, often danceable jazz, neo-soul and world music is kind of a heart to heart thing, said two of its members.
“Even though we’re the only two females in the band, we started it to nourish the female heart. We wanted to focus on love songs and songs that really touch your heart — kind of from our heart to your heart,” said Venae & The Vybbe member Claudia Bradford.
The group is fronted by singer Venae Sears-Ellis, former lead vocalist of Kharisma Jazzmatic Funk, a 10-piece ensemble that still includes her husband, keyboardist and singer Terry Ellis.
Ellis and Bradford formed Venae and the Vybbe during the COVID-19 pandemic, when live music options were slim to none. They started out with a larger band that included guitar and bass. Although the larger lineup still plays out occasionally, the group has recently been performing as a quartet, which features Ellis singing and Bradford playing flute and congas.
The quartet is not so much downsizing, but “rightsizing” for the soothing, jazzy styles of music at hand, Ellis noted. The group’s name reflects the positive vibe its music carries, she added.
“I love neo-soul and music that has great lyrics and is from the heart — heart and soul music. We have a good variety of music and, with the quartet, we’re really wanting to do (more) smooth jazz and jazz standards,” said Ellis.
Bradford said she and the Vybbe’s other members enjoy adding different instrumentation and other tweaks to such songs as “Smooth Operator” by Sade, “Caramel” by Suzanne Vega, “Smooth” by Santana and “True Colors” by Cyndi Lauper.
“We bring our own style and flavor, and I think we take it beyond covers. We try to make every song our own. We add a little more funk to them. We call them chick songs, but guys love them, too,” said Ellis.
“We’re doing music that nobody else is doing up here. It’s very intimate and very lyrical,” added Bradford. “(With) women, they might be getting over heartbreak or just broke up or just got divorced. These are songs (that speak) to that.”
Ellis and Bradford are joined by drummer Robert Willis, also previously of Kharisma, and keyboardist Mike Ewbank, who’s been behind the keys with several local and Atlanta groups.
“Robert is one of the best drummers I’ve ever worked with. He’s really a phenom. Mike is like this one man band who can play anything beautifully. Claudia is really good on percussion, and she’s a classically trained flutist. I love that jazz flute sound,” said Elllis about The Vybbe’s current membership.
The foursome often incorporates Latin music rhythms into its set, adding another layer to the already varied mix, noted Ellis, who teaches several different styles of dance.
“I love a good Latin groove. We do some salsa rhythms and bossa novas (like) ‘One Note Samba,’ by Sergio Mendes, which is a nice bossa nova,” she added.
Venae & The Vybbe have performed at several venues in and around Gilmer County, including Bin 322 in Blue Ridge and Ellijay’s George Link Jr. Gilmer Arts Playhouse, where they will return this Saturday for the playhouse’s first Mother’s Day Jazz Brunch.
The event will “honor all motherhood — past, present, and future moms, fur moms, adoptive moms, foster moms, male moms, mothers we miss, mothers we want to be, all people with the heart of motherhood, according to Gilmer Arts.
The special event will be held Saturday, May 7, from 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Ticket price includes the concert, a charcuterie brunch and drinks, Ellis confirmed. Each ticket also includes one complimentary yoga class and one tai chi class, she added. Ticketholders can arrange to take each of those classes at a later date.
“We’ll be playing three sets, and we’ll have some nice giveaways including two tickets to the upcoming (Blue Ridge Mountains) Wine and Jazz Festival. We’re also going to have a dance floor,” Ellis said. “If it’s successful, hopefully it will become a yearly tradition.”
A children’s art class will be held at the nearby Gilmer Arts Gallery, 207 Dalton Street, the same time as the Mother’s Day brunch. Ticketholders can drop their kids off for the class and enjoy the event at the nearby playhouse, located at 135 Dalton Street, confirmed Ellis.
With live music having picked back up in a big way since Venae & The Vybbe first formed, the group is looking forward to its first full summer concert schedule.
“We’re (already) booked for a couple of wineries and the wine and jazz festival. We also play a lot of classic dance party music, so we can do that if the venue (calls for it),” Bradford said.