Concert Reviews

The Thomas Schinabeck Quintet at An die Musik

[Photo credit: Efrain Ribeiro] When the Thomas Schinabeck Quintet mounted the stage at An die Musik on January 26, 2025, they took the audience on a thrilling journey into new musical terrain. Schinabeck, an award-winning alto saxophonist, flutist, and composer, hails from Cleveland, Ohio, and I could hear the traces of his Midwestern twang when he spoke from the stage. | Read more>> Read More
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Rhonda Robinson’s Story: From Engineering to Jazz

On October 20, as part of Baltimore Office of Promotion & the Arts’s Free Fall Baltimore series, vocalist/flautist Rhonda Robinson presented her new show, “Jazz Crept Into My Life.” The cabaret atmosphere of Eubie Blake Cultural Center’s fourth floor was ideal for a program that included storytelling as well as song, and the space was filled to near capacity. | Read more>> Read More
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BJA’s “Jazz for Kids” – Bringing Jazz to the Next Generation

Members of “Jazz for Kids,” a program of the Baltimore Jazz Alliance, appeared at Bay-Brook Elementary/Middle School in South Baltimore (Brooklyn) on February 28th. Rhonda Robinson (vocals, flute), Bob Jacobson (sax), Phil Ravita (bass), Greg Small (piano), and Russell Haward (drums) gave two separate short performances, each time for a group of second and third graders. | Read more>> Read More
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New Sun Ra Album, Lights On a Satellite: Live at the Left Bank

Sun Ra, the legendary composer, bandleader, and cosmic pioneer of improvisational might, continues to captivate audiences decades after his passing, thanks to the ongoing excavation of his vast archival material. Lights on a Satellite: Live at the Left Bank (2024), released by Resonance Records, is a newly unearthed gem from one of his most electrifying performances, captured at Baltimore’s Left Bank Jazz Society on July 23, 1978 [see related article]. | Read more>> Read More
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Resonance Records Releases New Recording of Sun Ra at Famous Ballroom, 1978

Sun Ra (born Herman Poole Blount, 1914-1993) was an American jazz composer, bandleader, piano and synthesizer player, and poet known for his experimental music, “cosmic” philosophy, prolific output, and theatrical performances. For much of his career, Sun Ra led The Arkestra, an ensemble with an ever-changing name and flexible line-up.[i] | Read more>> Read More