In memoriam: Yawn Jones, talented multi-instrumentalist and dedicated teacher
Yawn Jones, of blessed memory, passed away on Feb. 22, 2021, at age 48. The memoriam below is written by his student and musical collaborator Mitch Mirkin, a member of the BJA editorial committee.
I first met Yawn Jones in 2015 at The Music Workshop in Baltimore. | Read more>>
BJA member Sue Carlin – loyal fan and friend of local artists
Would you travel hours by train or bus for a musician friend’s gig? Sue Carlin would, in a heartbeat.
Prior to the pandemic, the Inner Harbor resident was a familiar face at local jazz venues, and often traveled to other cities—like Philadelphia or New York—to show her love for Baltimore-based performers. | Read more>>
Brandon Woody, Rising Trumpet Star
I first encountered trumpeter Brandon Woody, now aged
20, last August, when he led an open-mic jam session at the Motor House on
North Avenue with his group, Upendo (Swahili for “love”). I then caught one of
his monthly gigs at An die Musik on North Charles. | Read more>>
Big Band of the Week – The Shades of Blue Orchestra
One of the busier big bands in Baltimore is The Shades of Blue Orchestra, founded in 1976. The smooth, polished, swinging sounds of this ensemble can be heard via a wide array of audio tracks on its website. There are about two dozen longer clips on the band’s Jukebox webpage, each 90 seconds, and each presenting a flowing montage of snippets from the whole tune. | Read more>>
Big Band of the Week – Reisterstown Jazz Ensemble
The Reisterstown Jazz Ensemble bills itself as a “band for all occasions”: weddings, stage concerts, dances, jazz festivals, rock concerts — even funerals. You name it.
Band director, trumpeter, and vocalist Scott Cater, who founded the band in 1992 along with lead trumpeter Scott Bowers, his former bandmate at Franklin High School, says he never wanted the band to get pigeonholed into one style of music. | Read more>>