Annual Online Peace Gala

TNT Groove International artist, Frederick “Fred” Johnson was born in Morristown New Jersey and has been making music for as long as he can remember. He has spent the last 50 years sharing the great tradition of vocal jazz interpretation and improvisation with audiences throughout the world. He has performed and recorded with as well as opened for some of the greatest of America’s Jazz and R&B Icons, Joe Williams, Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, Chick Corea, Cedar Walton, Ramsey Lewis, Joe Zawinul, Aretha Franklin, George Benson, Richard Elliot, Patti LaBelle, just to name a few. He is rooted in the ancient vocal practices of melodic narrative and has been nurtured by masters of the West African oral traditions. He has likewise spent a lifetime studying and performing this great American treasure, Jazz! He cherishes the joy of makin’ music and states it with a smile on his face during every performance, thrilling audiences of all kinds around the world! Fred believes that Music heals and  touches the world, one heart at a time. “What greater gift than to be a part of creating these experiences for humanity.”

Diane Monroe

Diane Monroe, a native Philadelphian, is a violinist whose versatility and expressive artistry consistently bring both jazz and classical audiences to their feet. Her visibility as a jazz artist began with her long-standing membership as first violinist of the Uptown String Quartet and the Max Roach Double Quartet. These critically acclaimed groups have appeared on The Cosby Show, CBS News Sunday Morning, and Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood, and have recorded on the Soul Note, Philips/Polygram, and Mesa/ Bluemoon labels.

Monroe is more, however, than simply a fine performer. Her original compositions and arrangements are highlighted on the TV shows, recordings, and in performances with the two ensembles in major concert halls and festivals throughout the world. In 2018, Ms. Monroe won both a Pew Fellowship, and a Pew Project grant from The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage. The Pew Project grant funded her 2019 project, Violin Woman, African Dreams.

Concurrently, Vibes, and her orchestration of Fred Rogers’ You Are Special, will appear on the Sony Classical Records sound track recording for the film “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”. Recently, Ms. Monroe has performed in ensembles led by Odean Pope (Sounds of the Circle Project funded by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage), Bobby Zankel’s Warriors of the Wonderful Sound, Dave Allen’s residency ensemble at the Kimmel Center, and with Tony Miceli, vibraphonist, (their duo CD, “Alone Together”). Monroe’s jazz quartet with Miceli has performed at the Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Festival at the Kennedy Center, D.C. Other collaborations include performances with Dancer/Choreographers, Germaine Ingram and Leah Stein/Leah Stein Dance Company, scoring Monroe’s original improvisations for violin with movement.