An Evening of Jazz with Digna Ojito and the James Hall Trio

Two Rollins College students, Digna Ojito and James G. Hall, will bring a repertoire of jazz classics, hallmarks of the Latin genre, and original compositions to the Timucua Art Foundation's White House on Saturday, May 23rd. Following their previous performance at the Live Oak Center in New Smyrna Beach in January, they bring several new pieces to their repertoire in Orlando, including James Hall's "Guadeloupe" - previously recorded as an instrumental on his album Out of the Galleon at the White House last year - and covers of lesser-known 20th-century jazz songs such as "Mad about the Boy" and "You Came a Long Way from St. Louis". The rhythm section will include bassist Charlie Silva, a longtime Orlando-based musician who was also on James Hall's debut trio album Hall Aboard!, and drummer Jamesly Jean-Mary, whose resume includes previous concerts at Timucua and the Flying Horse Big Band.

James Hall is a pianist, vibraphone player, and composer based in New Smyrna Beach. In his hometown of Pleasanton, California, he performed with numerous jazz musicians including Matt Finders, Andrew Speight, Anton Schwartz, Michael Marcus, Roger Glenn, and Erik Jekabson. Upon moving to Florida in 2019, he has performed with a wide range of jazz musicians including Antonio Escapa, Jeff Rupert, Scott Dickinson, the Orlando Jazz Orchestra, Tom Dietz, and Bobby Koelble, just to name a few, in the straight-ahead jazz and Latin spheres.

Digna Ojito is a mezzo-soprano jazz and Latin jazz vocalist whose sound blends classical refinement with the warmth of Latin tradition. Classically trained and currently a vocal performance student at Rollins College, she has performed with the Bach Festival Society of Winter Park, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Sir John Rutter, and on an international tour of Italy's historic basilicas. Digna was raised on boleros, salsa, and Latin jazz through her Mexican and Cuban heritage.