The Green Room

Join Black Bettie in his first live show performance since early 2020. Listen as he walks through the nostalgic stories of his songs, which range from the joys of childhood to the hardships of growing up. He'll be bringing a visual and intimate element to the performance and songs.

Crosstown Arts presents the Alex Nollan Jazz Quintet, featuring international award-winning jazz pianist and composer Alex Nollan and distinguished musicians Don Aliquo (saxophone), Neal Bowen (bass), Renardo Ward (drums), and Johnny Yancey (trumpet).  Alex has performed throughout the South, including Austin, Lubbock, Knoxville, Pensacola, and Gulf Shores.  Tennessee-based, the quintet has performed together many times. The Alex Nollan Jazz Quintet works closely with jazz great Donald Brown, who produced the group's latest album, Stand.

An extraordinary artist, Lily Afshar has grounded her career on a strong foundation of excellent formal education, upon which she has built an exceptional record of innovative achievements. With a bachelor's degree from The Boston Conservatory, she earned her Master of Music at The New England Conservatory and went on to study at Florida State University, where she became the first woman in the world to be awarded the degree of Doctor of Music in guitar performance. She pursued greater proficiency with summer studies at the Banff Centre for Fine Arts and the Aspen Music Festival, advanced training at Gargnano, Italy, the Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena, and master classes with Andrés Segovia at the University of Southern California.

Join us for a very special evening to celebrate the release of Mark Edgar Stuart's brand new album, "Until We Meet Again," from Madjack Records. Mark will be playing a full band show with Memphis' finest, including Reba Russell, Will Sexton, Art Edmaiston, Landon Moore, and Shawn Zorn, plus a few surprises. There will also be a very special guest opener, critically acclaimed, singer-songwriter and former Memphian Kelley Mickwee from Austin, TX.

The University of Memphis Rudi E. Scheidt School of Music treats the audience to a special performance by Southern Comfort Jazz Orchestra with featured guest Charlton Johnson. This 17-piece jazz ensemble will thrill music lovers with the sounds of legendary Harlem Renaissance artists such as Duke Ellington and Billie Holiday, along with modern composers such as Jim McNeely and Bob Brookmeyer.

Crosstown Arts presents Doll’s Playlist, a show where the audience picks the music! Doll McCoy has curated a playlist of songs you can find on Apple Music & Spotify that are compiled of her favorite B-side music, requests from you, and original music! Follow the playlist, send your request, and she’ll perform it at the show! This show features a special opening performance by Nashville saxophonist/singer/producer Michael Holt.

Grammy-nominated guitarist, composer and arranger Tom Guarna began his musical studies at age fifteen, rapidly demonstrating a natural ability to play and compose. After studying classical guitar and composition at the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music in 1986, he played local gigs in New York and fine-tuned his education with John Abercrombie. He earned a Bachelor Degree from The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music and a Master’s Degree at The Juilliard School.

Crosstown Arts Spring 2022 resident artists Richard Jamal Echols and Brandon Blvd will present artist talks in the Green Room at Crosstown Arts.

PXLS is a Memphis-based video game music cover band with their own unique take on video game music. Come see a live band playing your favorite 8-bit and 16-bit era songs and relive the soundtrack to your childhood. If video games don't interest you, fear not! With a repertoire that spans several genres like rock, jazz, reggae, and latin there is sure to be something for everyone. Costumes welcome (and encouraged)!

Black Cream is a conglomerate of Memphis' musical prodigies. Lead guitarist and good soul TO Crivens flies high with his attention to detail during his solos. The band is anchored by bassist Dr. Derek Brassel, the coolest cat in every room and the unofficially certified groove doctor. His bass lines are spellbinding. Chris Barnes rounds out the Black Cream team on vocals and percussion. Chris Barnes has the charismatic presence of a Baptist preacher and the vocal abilities of your favorite soul crooner.