SpiralPhonics isn’t burdened by the long-cast shadows of guitar/sax/drum trios that have contributed to the lineage of creative music. In fact, with each twist and turn, these guys challenge your own lens of expectation.
The Crosstown Strictly Jazz Series, presented by Strictly Jazz Entertainment in collaboration with Crosstown Arts, is designed to salute classic jazz music as contemporary musicians perform the work of the legends.
Morgan James is a Juilliard trained singer, actress, songwriter and recording artist in New York City. She independently released her studio albums of original soul music, entitled Memphis Magnetic, and A Very Magnetic Christmas recorded to analog tape in Memphis, Tennessee.
To celebrate Women’s History Month, the jazz department at the Stax Music Academy will present a tribute to the pioneers and powerhouses that have blazed trails for women worldwide in jazz. The concert will feature SMA’s jazz vocal ensemble, Kind Of Blue, named after the iconic 1959 Miles Davis album. The vocalists will be accompanied by a band of instrumentalists from the SMA Jazz Department. This tribute includes nods to the music of Ella Fitzgerald, Nancy Wilson, Nina Simone, and even contemporary artists like Esperanza Spalding and Jamila Woods.
While James Otis Sexton is widely known as a versatile drummer, having performed, toured, or recorded with several world renowned and Grammy-winning artists, he is least known as a composer. For this reason, “The Otis Mission” was created, and it will solely perform James’ original musical compositions.
Jazz guitarist Peter Bernstein has been a part of the jazz scene in New York and abroad since 1989. During that time he has participated in numerous recordings and performances with musicians from all generations.
