Events

The Memphis Jazz Orchestra was founded in October, 1992 at Joyce Cobb's night club on historic Beale Street. Since 1997 The MJO has been in residence at Alfred’s on Beale Street. The M.J.O. has distinguished itself in a series of concerts featuring such national jazz artists as guitarist Herb Ellis, trumpeter Marvin Stamm and pianist James Williams. A powerful and disciplined ensemble with virtuosic soloists and a command of many styles makes a concert by the Memphis Jazz Orchestra a truly memorable event.

Rachel Maxann is a performer who loves to bend genres with her style. In the last decade she has moved from Cincinnati, New Orleans, Los Angeles and travelled around the world performing. Each new space has allowed her to grow while experimenting with different styles of the culture. Rachel has been happy to create roots in Memphis and to share her love of Vintage Indie-Rock and Post-Modern Folklore music.

Max Gomez apprenticed in the rarefied musical micro-climate of northern New Mexico, where troubadours like Michael Martin Murphey and Ray Wylie Hubbard helped foster a Western folk sound both cosmic and cowboy. Gomez has assumed stewardship of that lineage by producing the Red River Folk Festival, a boutique event held annually in late September in the musical mountain village of Red River, NM. Judging by the company he keeps, Gomez is positioned to emerge as a prominent voice of Americana’s next generation.

Although a native of Taos, it’s fair to say Max Gomez has some Memphis in him. The critically acclaimed singer-songwriter has collaborated with local legends like Keith Sykes and Mark Edgar Stuart, so we wouldn’t be surprised if some friends stop by and sit in.

Roseanna Vitro began singing at an early age, drawing inspiration from gospel, rock, rhythm and blues, musical theatre, and classical music. Vitro has performed with Oscar Peterson, Bill Evans, Tommy Flanagan, Keter Betts, Kenny Werner and Fred Hersch. She sang with Lionel Hampton and toured with him and has appeared at The Blue Note, Iridium, Birdland, and Dizzy’s Jazz Club at Lincoln Center. She appeared with Steve Allen at The Town Hall at The Apollo Theater and recorded an album of Allen’s songs. In 2005 she performed and recorded with the Kenny Werner Trio at the John F. Kennedy Center in Washington D.C.

She has also worked with Kenny Barron, Christian McBride, Elvin Jones, Gary Bartz, Kevin Mahogany, and David “Fathead” Newman, all of whom have appeared on her recordings.

Crosstown Arts presents Ambient Chaos: Out of Space Series, featuring Pas Musique, Robert Traxler, Sci-Fi Industries, and Colour Sound Oblivion.

Nominated for both Female Vocalist of the Year and Entertainer of the Year for three years in a row by the Tennessee Music Awards Amber Rae Dunn and her band “Amber Rae Dunn and the Mulberries” have an infectious way of captivating their audiences and making them feel like part of the show. She’s held title as Memphis Songwriters Associations Vice President for two years and co-hosts a songwriter showcase in Memphis each week called “Meet Me in Memphis” at South Main Sounds.

Indie Memphis & Crosstown Arts are excited to announce our next Shoot & Splice: Music Supervising!

Sunken Cages is the moniker of drummer/electronic music producer Ravish Momin, who started out as an acoustic drummer and percussionist a couple of decades ago. He has worked as a sideman with a wide array of musicians, from pop-star Shakira to legendary avant-saxophonist Kalaparusha Maurice McIntyre (of the AACM). In addition, he has also leads his own groups on international stages.

Performing on 6-string, 12-string, slide guitar or Acoustic Hawaiian Lap Slide, Gerhard captivates his audiences with virtuosity, generosity and sly humor.  Known for his gorgeous tone and compositional depth, Gerhard can move a listener with a single note. Scott Alalrik of the Boston Globe said it best when he wrote ‘Gerhard does not write instrumentals. He writes songs only a guitar can sing.

Crosstown Arts presents The Adam Larson Trio featuring Bob Deboo and John Kizilarmut. This performance and workshop is made possible with the support of Jazz Road, a national initiative of South Arts, which is funded by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation with additional support from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. 

Gospel-raised in tiny Bolivar, Tennessee, singer/songwriter Kyndle Wylde has a voice that has demanded attention since she started singing in her crib. Kyndle is the lead singer of the Memphis Ukulele Band and a graduate of the University of Memphis. Her voice and harmonies have quickly made her an in-demand singer both onstage and in-studio in the soul city.

A guitarist and composer/songwriter known for a wide-ranging body of musical work that moves effortlessly across genres, Wilson has released twelve solo albums, including his Grammy-nominated debut. The three most recent — “Frogtown,” “Songs and Photographs,” and “The Plan of Paris” — reveal his growing dedication to the art of songcraft as a powerful mode of musical communication.

In addition to his solo work, Anthony Wilson has toured and recorded with a diverse group of legendary artists, including Diana Krall, Charles Lloyd, Ron Carter, Bobby Hutcherson, Paul McCartney, Willie Nelson, Barbra Streisand, Melody Gardot, Aaron Neville, and many more.

It’s time the world can open its ears to the dynamic R&B sounds of J. Buck aka “Buck Nasty”. Born Joshua Buck, this Memphis native is on his way to adding his contribution to Memphis’s music legacy. J.Buck distinguished himself as a solo artist and songwriter early in his career with unique stage presence and profound lyrics. In 2015, Buck released his debut EP The JBuck Experience, which the Murfreesboro Pulse cited as “a step towards the direction of this generation’s version of Marvin Gaye” At first glance, you may confuse him for the ghost of David Ruffin or Prince with his slick style and electrifying performances. With various influences from Rock, Blues, and Hip-hop, this soul brother amplifies the black male experience through love, addiction, and free thought.

Luke Winslow King and Roberto Luti have toured extensively in North America and Europe, appearing on notable stages such as Austin City Limits, New Orleans JazzFest, Azkena Rock Festival (Spain), Tønder Festival Paradiso (Netherlands), Glastonbury (UK), Byron Bay Blues Fest (AUS), and countless more.

Recorded in Memphis, Tennessee, Winslow-King’s seventh full-length album “If These Walls Could Talk” is to be released May 2022 on Ghost River Records, featuring Roberto Luti, Rev. Charles Hodges (Al Green), Fat Possum recording artists The Sensational Barnes Brothers, and was produced by Dominc John Davis (Jack White).