[Pictured above, L to R: Michael Hairston, Phil Thomas, John Lamkin II, Michael Graham, Bob Butta]
On Thursday, Sept. 4th, the 80th birthday of one of Baltimore’s beloved jazz elders, trumpeter Dr. John Lamkin II was celebrated at Terra Cafe. The outdoor patio at the rear of the café was opened for the occasion to accommodate the large gathering. | Read more>> Read More
What a night! The jazz faculty of the Peabody Institute performed at Keystone Korner on May 7th, 2025 and demonstrated that they are among the best of the best.
The night was a celebration of the growth of the jazz department from seven students to 70 students and to its becoming a world-class place for jazz education since Sean Jones’s arrival seven years ago. | Read more>> Read More
Pianist Aaron Hill threw himself a great birthday party concert at Terra Café on April 28th. 2025. A sizeable crowd of boisterously appreciative listeners enjoyed Terra’s Jamaican-style soul food, while Hill played a double keyboard, with Anthony “Blue” Jenkins on a deep-throated electric bass and a very spirited Devron “Ace” Dennis on drums. | Read more>> Read More
Guitarist Charlie Ballentine’s group at the Hemingway Room on April 18, 2025 tugged at the audience’s heartstrings in a way that few artists with a jazz background achieve. The band’s sound was hard-driving, layered, and virtuosic, combining jazz improv and melody with a direct and song-based sensibility. | Read more>> Read More
[Photo: Left to Right: Lafayette Gilchrist (piano); Brandon Woody (Trumpet): Leo Maxey (trumpet): Christian Hizon (trombone); Gregory Thompkins (tenor sax); Shaquim Muldrow (tenor sax).]
On Sunday, May 18, as part of its year-long 50th Anniversary celebration, Reservoir Hill’s Beth Am Synagogue gifted Baltimore City with a blazing concert by Lafayette Gilchrist and the New Volcanoes, along with guest Eze Jackson, a rapper, journalist, and educator. | Read more>> Read More