Dan Wilson
April 16, 2025

Join us at Happy Days Lodge to enjoy an evening with Dan Wilson, a distinguished jazz guitarist, celebrated for his soulful tone and masterful blending of jazz and blues. Performing with him that evening is Jessica Yafanaro, a vocalist and multi-instrumentalist based out of Cleveland, Ohio.

About Dan Wilson

Growing up in Akron, Ohio, Dan Wilson spent the majority of his youth within the church community, where his musical path began.

Traces of his major guitar influences – including Wes Montgomery, Charlie Christian, Joe Pass, and George Benson to name a few – can be discerned through his playing, but his musical identity has been shaped by everything from gospel and blues to traditional jazz, hip-hop and horn players like Sonny Rollins and Joe Henderson.

After graduating from Hiram College, Wilson made his recording debut with pianist Joe McBride and performed to worldwide acclaim with Joey DeFrancesco and Christian McBride’s Tip City, eventually recording his debut as a leader To Whom It May Concern.

Wilson has had the honor of sharing the stage with jazz greats including Eric Marienthal, Russell Malone, Les McCann, René Marie, Jeff Hamilton, David Sanborn and Dave Stryker. He also teaches jazz guitar and music theory through private lessons.

Wilson’s career took him on an exploratory journey into foundations laid down by the guitar/organ tradition, eventually leading to an invitation to perform with jazz great Joey DeFrancesco’s trio quartet, with which Wilson went on to earn a GRAMMY® Award nomination with for DeFrancesco’s Project Freedom album (Mack Avenue Records, 2017).

This collaboration allowed the guitarist to insert his own dialect into the musical prowess and respect that DeFrancesco had earned throughout his journey.

Wilson had been playing with DeFrancesco for a few years when he met bassist, composer, arranger, Christian McBride. From there, Wilson went on to tour with McBride’s trio Tip City, eventually leading McBride to serve as producer on “Vessels of Wood and Earth” and release the album on his newly formed imprint Brother Mister Productions through Mack Avenue Music Group.

About Jessica Yafanaro

Jessica Yafanaro is a vocalist and multi-instrumentalist based out of Cleveland, Ohio. She studied classical voice at the Cleveland Music School Settlement and Baldwin-Wallace University, and studied Jazz performance at Cuyahoga Community College. She has been playing, singing, and recording music for over ten years with various groups and artists, along with writing original music.

Jessica was introduced to music at an early age. Her parents signed her up for piano lessons after her instructor revealed to them that she had perfect pitch. This was the driving factor for her to pursue music as a profession. She soon began to learn as many instruments as she could get her hands on, and became the music director at her childhood church for almost four years. This opportunity gave her the experience of performing on a professional level, and thus propelled her to study in a more academic setting. Studying at the Settlement for four years, she continued on the path of classical voice at Baldwin-Wallace for one year, until deciding that she wanted to study a more contemporary style. Soon after, she discovered the prestigious jazz program at Tri-C. It was there she began to cultivate her craft and perform on a professional level.

Jessica currently sings with Collin Miller and the Brother Nature, along with various freelance opportunities. She is most recently featured on “In Search of the Land,” a collaborative album sponsored by Twelve Literary Arts, a literary arts and education nonprofit, featuring more than sixty Cleveland vocalists, poets, and musicians, directed and produced by Daniel Gray-Kontar and Terrell Wallace, also known as Tall Black Guy.

Doors open at 7:00PM | Music begins at 7:30PM

TICKETS

Conservancy Members: $20 | General Admission: $25