Tag: The Green Room

Join Hermon Mehari, an award-winning jazz trumpeter based in Paris, France, and Kansas City-based vibraphonist and pianist Peter Schlamb for a special performance in The Green Room at Crosstown Arts.

Tickets: $15
Student tickets: $5 (limited availability, available at the door with student ID)

Hermon Mehari’s sophomore album as a leader, “A Change For the Dreamlike,” takes on a more personal tone. Written and recorded in a barn in the French countryside during le confinement, it shows only hints at the aesthetic set by his debut album. The songs play like personal journal entries, versions and visions of wishes, fantasies, and memories. Together they create a kind of modern mixtape of dreams, in every sense of the word, in which the trumpet is a vulnerable presence. The project features a number of incredible musicians: Tony Tixier, Peter Schlamb, Ryan J. Lee, Kae Dilla, DeAndre Manning, Hugo LX, Karl McComas-Reichl, Jeff Hill, and Zach Morrow.

Mehari was also the winner of the 2008 National Trumpet Competition and placed 2nd in the International Trumpet Guild competition in Sydney, Australia. As a founding member of Diverse, whose eponymous debut album on Seattle-based Origin Records reached the Top 40 on the Jazzweek Radio Charts, he has performed professionally with noted saxophonists Jaleel Shaw, Logan Richardson, Bobby Watson, Ben Van Gelder, and Tivon Pennicott. He has also performed with Aaron Parks, Joe Sanders, Hubert Laws, Randy Brecker, Tony Tixier, Dave Pietro, Clay Jenkins, and many other great musicians.

Peter Schlamb is a vibraphonist and pianist based in Kansas City, MO. He recently released a second album ,“Electric Tinks,” and maintains a busy schedule performing locally, nationally, and internationally. Peter spent several years in New York, where he attended and graduated from New School University. During his time in New York, he recorded and performed with artists including Logan Richardson, David Binney, Mike Moreno, and Ben van Gelder. Peter currently leads the group Electric Tinks and is a member of Logan Richardson’s Blues People, as well as frequently performing with several other ensembles around the world.

Crosstown Arts presents the Adam Larson Quintet in The Green Room.

Tickets: $10

Doors 7 pm | Show 7:30 pm

Originally from Normal, IL, Adam Larson is an American saxophonist, composer, and author. An endorsed artist for P. Mauriat saxophones, Boston Sax Shop “Heritage” necks and Vandoren reeds, mouthpieces, and ligatures, Adam began playing saxophone at the age of 11.

Described by critic Howard Reich of The Chicago-Tribune as “a player for whom the word ‘prodigious’ was coined”, by Peter Hum of the Ottawa Citizen as “a saxophonist who brings Donny McCaslin and Mark Turner to mind”, and by Nate Chinen of The New York Times as “the sort of jazz musician who gets flagged early on as a promising talent and then hustles to meet every requirement for success”, Larson has garnered numerous awards that distinguish him as one of the most promising artists of his generation. As a student, Larson was a member of virtually every national program dedicated to showcasing excellence in young jazz talent including The Grammy Band, Next Generation Jazz Orchestra, Betty Carter Jazz Ahead, YoungArts Jazz Fellows, Telluride Student All-Stars, and Jazz Band of America, among others. Upon graduating from University High School in 2008, Adam moved to New York City to pursue his BM and MM in Jazz Performance on full scholarship from The Manhattan School, where he graduated with honors as a Master’s student as the recipient of the William H. Borden Award for Outstanding performance in Jazz in 2014.

Larson has released five albums: one for Ropeadope Records, two under the Inner Circle Music label and two produced independently. Larson’s most recent recording, “Second City,” received a four-star rating from Downbeat Magazine, was listed as one of the best releases of 2017 in both Downbeat and Jazziz Magazine, and was prominently featured in several publications. Larson’s fifth record “Listen With Your Eyes,” was released on Ropeadope Records on September 6th, 2019. Larson keeps an active schedule with his own groups and as a sideman, having performed at several venues across the U.S., including The Jazz Standard, Birdland, The 55 Bar, The Jazz Gallery, The Blue Note, The Village Vanguard, Smalls, Jazz at The Bistro, The Jazz Estate, The Jazz Showcase, and several others.

Larson continues to perform in NYC with some of the greatest musicians in the genre.

As a guest artist, Larson has been invited to present masterclasses on music business, improvisation, and composition at more than fifty universities across the globe.

Adam has recorded five albums and maintains an active touring schedule year-round playing his original music.

Crosstown Arts with Madjack Records presents a special record release show with Jed Zimmerman, Mark Edgar Stuart, and other special guests.

Tickets $10

Doors at 7 pm | Show at 7:30 pm

“Jed Zimmerman’s music travels through many currents. He speaks to bikers, cowboys ,and cosmopolitans. His songwriting and deep reflective voice carry a conversational thread that always offers a rich, colorful story…” – WILL SEXTON

Originally from Memphis, Jed began playing music and found his mentor, Keith Sykes. For a number of years, Zimmerman and Kelley Mickwee played music and toured together. Sykes was instrumental in recording their music, and the two released three records while they were the duo Jed and Kelley. Eventually he landed in Texas where he got to personally hear and meet the likes of Guy Clark, Joe Ely, Rodney Crowell, and John Prine, all of which are major influences on his songwriting to this day. Jed then spent a good period of time living in Taos and Red River, New Mexico, where his songwriting was heavily influenced from the people and landscape of the southwest.

Jed will celebrate the release of his new album “Below The Blooms” with an intimate acoustic set in his former hometown of Memphis.

Crosstown Arts presents Rachel Maxann in the Green Room at Crosstown Arts.

Tickets: $10

Doors 7pm | Show 7:30pm

Rachel Maxann is a performer who loves to bend genres with her style. In the last decade, she has moved from Cincinnati, New Orleans, and Los Angeles, and she’s travelled around the world to perform. Each new place has helped her to grow as she experimented with different musical styles specific to regional cultures. Rachel was happy to lay down her roots in Memphis, and she is now joined by a group of acclaimed musicians who share her love of vintage indie rock and post-modern folklore music. You can follow Rachel at www.rachelmaxann.com.

Crosstown Arts presents Memphis-based soul group Black Cream in The Green Room.

Doors at 7 pm | Show at 7:30 pm
Tickets: $10 advance | $15 day of show

Black Cream is a conglomerate of some 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. On drums and vocals, Courtney Barnes displays jaw-dropping skill and vocal finesse, often harmonizing with his brother, Chris Barnes, who 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.