Live & Local: Bailey Hinkley Grogan & Micah Miller bring their tribute to Pops and the First Lady of Song to Dazzle

Micah Miller: Probably one of my first forays into improvised music was playing transcriptions of Louis with the Hot Fives & Hot Sevens in high school. I've always had a really deep appreciation for that style of music and that kind of traditional improvised sound. I was given the opportunity to host a residency at Nocturne, and this was my first idea. I've always had a love for swing music and for the Great American Songbook, and I think the opportunity to get to play this music with some of my best friends was definitely something I wanted to jump on.

Bailey Hinkley Grogan: Everyone wants to be the next Ella. And she's not only just a phenomenal vocalist in terms of her technique, her tone, her timbre, but the way she phrases things, there's so much emotion. And then when she improvises, she really is acting as a horn player, almost. The lines she makes are so clear and have so much dexterity to them. It's something truly to aspire to be like for sure!

Bailey and Micah plan to revisit several of the early singles along with the duo’s two albums, Ella and Louis (1956) and Ella and Louis Again (1957). They stopped by KUVO this week with excerpts from these works and shared their passion for Ella & Louis’ artistry as well as the stories behind these famous recordings. 

Check out our deep-dive below!