Dinner & Concert to support: RESCUE REPURPOSE REDEEM, a Social Enterprise Program of Sweetwater Mission in Austell, GA.

This RRR program teaches and applies business strategies to address homelessness, support veterans and improve the economic empowerment of underserved communities across Georgia. They strive to enhance the personal success of individuals who have experienced chronic homelessness, are living with disabilities, and others with significant barriers, by providing job training, employment opportunities and a place to be successful. By providing employment options to individuals generally under-represented in the work force and using primarily donated materials to design and create unique products, Rescue Repurpose Redeem does the following: RESCUES materials no longer wanted or needed. REPURPOSES these materials into distinctive quality handmade products sold locally and online. REDEEMS and enhances the value and efforts of those employed by the social enterprise. All revenue from sales is put back into the operating costs of the social enterprise, including but not limited to payroll, general overhead, and other expenses necessary to sustain a functional and healthy business. Sweetwater Mission is a non-profit charitable organization providing basic needs such as food, clothing, family services, and education opportunities, as well as its ongoing work in the Cobb and Douglas County communities to prevent hunger and homelessness. Sweetwater Mission’s support of RRR is a vital part of the RRR’s success. Sweetwater Mission’s fiscal sponsorship of Rescue Repurpose Redeem allows the non-profit social enterprise to fundraise for its programs using traditional grants and crowdfunding. Additionally, it allows RRR to be a fully operational business that can sell the handcrafted products to the public. Volunteers, Funders and Development Work are vital to RRR’s growth and success as they are with any charitable non-profit. The social enterprise is made up of its participants and supporters. We can’t do it without Sweetwater Mission. We can’t do it without you!

Bio for the Kayla Taylor Jazz and the 120 East Band

Kayla Taylor Jazz with her guitarist/business partner, Steve Moore will perform the first and Kayla will be joined by the 120 East Band after intermission. A metro-Atlanta native, Ms. Taylor grew up singing standards in the school chorus and gospel tunes in the choir. Everything else she sang in the shower . . . . . as loud as possible! No one is certain how the singing career came about. Kayla just always sang. Period. A five-year veteran of the Georgia All-State Chorus, Kayla also appeared in productions of “Vanities”; “Guys & Dolls”; “The Pirates of Penzance” and “South Pacific”. She studied classical piano for over 9 years but will be the FIRST to tell you that she is not the player that a nine-year student should be. She has plans to study piano again and this time . . .. pay attention!

Kayla has studied voice with many different instructors, including Virginia Wheeler, Linwood Harrison, Jan Smith and Dee Knapp. “You learn something different from each instructor – and it all works together. I LOVE LEARNING,” Kayla says. “There is always something new to learn about the voice. Always a better way or a different approach to take.” Kayla Taylor and Steve Moore have been in bands together for 22 years. In addition to jazz and standards, Kayla has performed country, gospel, R&B, classic and original rock ‘n’ roll. “I love the jazz and standards from the 1940’s and 1950’s. I always have. So, when Steven and I decided to start a jazz combo and perform this music – I was elated.” So was her husband, Scott. “Scott told me for years that he would love to hear me sing the jazz and standards. Whenever we were grocery shopping or doing housework, I would just break out into song and it was always a standard of some sort. He was right – this is the music I was born to sing.” In 2010, Kayla broadened her musical horizon once again when she and Steve Whitworth teamed up and created Retrograde. Focusing on the folk-rock hits from the late 60s - 70s, Retrograde performs tunes from such icons as Carole King, Joni, Mitchell, James Taylor, Fleetwood Mac, Phoebe Snow, Janis Ian . . . just to name a few. An original New Yorker, Moore is now settled in Atlanta. He began playing guitar at 14, after studying and playing trumpet since the age of eight. Upon discovering a Wes Montgomery record at the public library Steve became seduced by what has become a lifelong passion for unlocking the seemingly unlimited layers of mystery veiled in the music of jazz. His early influences of guitarists Carlos Santana and Dicky Betts of the Allman Brothers may be responsible for the bluesy feel and heart imbedded in his jazz lines. He harbors a specific love for the jazz style that Blue Note records made famous in the late 1950's and early 1960's. His current sole influence comes not from guitar players, but rather sax players --- specifically Sonny Stitt and Sonny Rollins. “Studying jazz lines played by sax players instead of other guitar players forces me to uncover melodies normally hidden to guitar players because the unnatural way they lay on the guitar fingerboard.” It's all about the music!

120 East is a 10-member Classic Rock-n-Roll band with a horn section (trumpet, sax, trombone), playing songs from Chicago, Blood, Sweat & Tears, Santana, Billy Joel, Boz Skaggs, Toto, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Blues Brothers and more. They will rock the house with your favorite songs, and love interacting with crowds!

The guitar and percussion sections provide a solid rock core; add the horns and harmonies and they deliver a knockout show!! They have performed at events or locations for IBM; Fox Theater, Milner; Smith, Gambrell & Russell (law firm); Children's Healthcare of Atlanta fundraiser; Indian Hills Country Club; Battle of the bands winner Wild Wing Cafe - Marietta, GA. They guarantee that the variety of music is always fun and the best for the gathering!