News

Alumni Happenings

Oct. 19 – Nov. 1, 2022

1999 Workshop alum Maurice “Mobetta” Brown is one of the Chicago-raised trumpeters
featured in a performance of “Chicago Loves Pops: A Celebration of Louis Armstrong” on
October 20 at the Logan Center for the Arts in the windy city. It’s part of a year-long celebration
of the iconic Armstrong and marks the 100th anniversary of his arrival in Chicago (from his New
Orleans birthplace). And an October 28 release of a collection of Louis Armstrong recordings,
Louis Wishes You A Cool Yule, includes a previously unreleased Armstrong recording of the
classic holiday poem, “A Visit From St. Nicholas,” set to newly-recorded music by Sullivan
Fortner (2002 piano). It’s the first new Armstrong track to be released in more than 20 years.

Performances

Project Trio, with Daniel Berkey (2012 saxophone), performs on October 19 at the McIntyre
Music Building Recital Hall at Central Washington University in Ellensburg PA.

Keyon Harrold (1997 trumpet) performs at the Blue Note in NYC on October 19.

2008 saxophone alum Grace Kelly concludes her “Good to See You Again” tour with gigs on
October 19 at Keystone Korner in Baltimore, October 21 at The Tin Pan in Richmond VA, and
October 22 at Middle C Jazz in Charlotte NC.

Pianist Jeremy Siskind (2003) performs with bassist Jesse Breheny at the underground club
Little Branch (LB) in NYC on October 19. Siskind then gives a solo piano performance at the
Amsterdam Café in Paso Robles CA on October 28, followed by a trio performance at Libretto
jazz club in Paso Robles on October 29.

Trumpeter Maurice Brown (1999) (see lead item above) is in the lineup for the Brooklyn
Information & Culture (BRIC)’s 8th annual JazzFest in Fort Greene NY, October 20-22.

The inaugural “New Standards Jazz Crawl” at the Carr Performance Studio in Detroit offers a
free performance by drummer Savannah Harris and saxophonist Nicole Glover, featuring bassist
Rashaan Carter and 2012 piano alum Jeremy Corren on October 20.

Saxophonist Braxton Cook (2009) performs with the band Kiefer at the Teragram Ballroom in
LA on October 20. Then he’s performing at the Jazz Music Awards on October 22 at the Cobb
Energy Performing Arts Center in Atlanta.

Robert Glasper (1997 piano) continues his “Robtober” residency at the Blue Note in NYC,
October 20-23 and October 25-31.

Benny Benack III (2008 trumpet) performs in a quartet at The Django in NYC on October 23.

2007 alum Owen Broder plays saxophone in a series of quintet tributes to the late saxophonist
Johnny Hodges: October 25 at Blues Alley in DC, October 26 at Chelsea Table & Stage in NYC,
October 27 at PAUSA Art House in Buffalo NY, October 28 at the Deer Head Inn in Delaware
Water Gap PA, and October 29 at BLUJazz in Akron OH.

Pianist Gerald Clayton (2002) holds a “Gerald Clayton & Friends” jam session on October 25 at
Sam First in LA, and on November 1 he’s in performance with saxophonist Ben Wendel at the
Village Vanguard in NYC.

Pianist Micah Thomas (2013) and his quartet perform at Lincoln Theatre in Columbus OH on
October 27.

Sammy Rae & The Friends, with Max Zooi (2009) on saxophone, continues a nationwide bus
tour with shows on October 27 at The Sylvee in Madison WI, October 28 at First Avenue in
Minneapolis, October 29 at The Bourbon Theatre in Lincoln NE, and October 31 at The Granada
in Lawrence KS.

The Suwanee Hulaween lineup at Spirit of the Suwanee Music Park in Live Oak FL, October 27-
30, includes 2011 drums alum Mike Mitchell (aka Blaque Dynamite).

Saxophonist Tia Fuller (1996) performs with bassist Mimi Jones and drummer Matt Wilson on
the Ferring Jazz Bistro stage at Jazz St. Louis, October 28.

2007 saxophone alum Chad Lefkowitz-Brown has a multi-night quartet gig at Birdland NYC,
October 28-30.

Morgan Guerin (2014 saxophone) performs in a trio at The Jazz Gallery in NYC on October 29.

Vocalist Cecile McLorin Salvant and pianist Sullivan Fortner (2022) perform together at
Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley in Seattle on November 1.

Trinity Church’s “Jazz at One Series” at St. Paul’s Chapel (NYC) presents 2012 alum Coleman
Hughes on trombone, November 1, and it’s streamed at www.trinitywallstreet.org.

Recordings 

The band CARM releases CARM II on October 21, with 2013 alum Cole Davis on bass. Listen to
“More and More” featuring vocalist Edie Brickell.

On October 28, Blue Note Records releases a Deluxe Edition 10th Anniversary 3-LP set of Black
Radio, the acclaimed album by 1997 piano alum Robert Glasper. The track “Therapy pt. 2,” a
posthumous collaboration with the late rapper and hip-hop artist Mac Miller, has already been
released and can be heard here.

Grace Kelly (2008 saxophone) has just released “A Night in Tunisia” from her forthcoming
album, All That I Need. You can hear it here.

Saxophonist Owen Broder (2007) is featured on baritone sax on “unspoken gold,” a track from
vocalist Sirintip’s newly-released sophomore album, carbon. Listen here.

Soul/R&B vocalist Nigel Hall, of the band Lettuce, has released a live version of “Wake Me,” a
song from his 2021 Spiritual album; it was recorded live at The Camel in Richmond VA and
features Corey Fonville (2006) on drums. Listen here.

Vocalist Madison Beer has premiered the music video for “Dangerous,” a song co-produced by
2012 piano alum James Francies, from her upcoming sophomore studio album. Watch the
video here.

Eddie Barbash (2005) is a guest saxophonist on the band Mr. Chair’s newly-released
sophomore album, Better Days.

Magnetic Magazine’s Top 15 Indie Electronic Tracks for October 2022 include “Cryin’ Heart,”
featuring Braxton Cook (2009) on saxophone, from Cloudchord’s new album Sundrop. Listen to
the track here.

Gasoline Lollipops, with 1996 piano alum Scott Coulter, just released Nightmares. Here they are
in a Live@Lunch performance on KRFC RadioVision.

Jazzwise magazine has named drummer Terri Lyne Carrington’s New Standards Vol. 1, with
special guests Ambrose Akinmusire (2000 trumpet) and Elena Pinderhughes (2011 saxophone),
among “the best new jazz albums” for November 2022. You can check out Pinderhughes
playing flute on the track “Wind Flower.”

Recognitions, Awards & Other Items of Note

Speaking of Akinmusire (see Recordings, above), he will receive the Jazz Innovator Award in the
inaugural Jazz Music Awards: Celebrating the Spirit of Jazz event on October 22 at the Cobb
Energy Performing Arts Centre in Atlanta. Congratulations, Ambrose!