Carl Grubbs & Lafayette Gilchrist   Photo credit: Edwin Remsberg

The Maryland Traditions Project of Carl Grubbs and Lafayette Gilchrist celebrates the work of these Marylanders who have made outstanding contributions to the art form of jazz. The Recording/Performance will feature the works of the following artists:

- Eubie Blake. Pianist, Composer
- Chick Webb, Drummer, Composer
- Billie Holiday, Vocalist
- Albert Dailey, Pianist
- Carl Grubbs, Saxophonist

Tickets: $10

This event is made possible in part by Mayor Sheila Dixon & The Baltimore Office of Promotion & the Arts, The Maryland State Arts Council, Maryland Traditions, The National Endowment for the Arts and The Puffin Foundation.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:

Carl Grubbs – 2009 Recipient of the Baker Artist Award
Carl performs on alto, soprano and tenor saxophones. He is also a composer, educator and recording artist. A native of Philadelphia, he received early extensive training from John Coltrane. Through his family he was close to many of the history-making jazz musicians of the 1950’s and 1960’s. With his brother Earl, he formed The Visitors, a quintet that recorded four albums on the Muse record label in the early 1970’s. Carl Grubbs is a former of the Julius Hemphill Sextet. This group toured the US and Europe performing two productions: Hemphill’s Long Tongues: A Saxophone Opera and Bill T. Jones/Arne Zane Production: Last Supper at Uncle Tom’s Cabin: The Promised Land. Mr. Grubbs was a guest soloist at the Philadelphia performance of Reggie Workman’s project, African Brass,A Tribute to John Coltrane. The Carl Grubbs Quintet performs in major cities in the US. They have also performed in Bogota and Medellin, Columbia, South America, and most recently completed a successful eight-city tour of Brazil. Carl Grubbs is the co-founder and Artistic Director of Contemporary Arts Inc., a nonprofit arts organization. The organization’s programs Summer Activity Extraordinaire (SAX):Music and Dance Camp and Summer Arts Academy, provides music and dance education to youth ages 4 – 17 in the Baltimore metropolitan area. Carl Grubbs is a member of the MSAC Artist in Education program. He has twice been the recipient of the MSAC/Maryland Traditions award as a jazz master, working with an apprentice to pass on the traditions of improvised jazz music.

Lafayette Gilchrist, Pianist/Keyboardist
Lafayette Gilchrist didn’t begin playing piano until he was 17 years old. His formative years were spent as an amateur boxer. The art of boxing is apparent upon closer examination of his music. Compositions like “Volcano Red” and “In Depth” have unerring rhythm like a young Sugar Ray Robinson shuffling back and forth on his feet, ducking and weaving, steadily jabbing, always searching for an opening and following with a flurry of precise blows. Gilchrist swarms the piano, constantly reinventing melodies by pushing and pulling them in new direction. When he hits upon an idea, he digs in deep and plays it hard and with soul and conviction. In March 2007 pianist Lafayette Gilchrist opened the Banlieues Bleues Festival in Paris, France with a set of solo piano. Lafayette continues to tour the world in the piano seat of the David Murray Quartet. In June 2007 Carl Grubbs and Lafayette Gilchrist were awarded a 2008 Traditions Apprenticeship Award Grant from the Maryland State Arts Council/Maryland Traditions, which allowed for Jazz master Carl Grubbs and Lafayette Gilchrist to work together transmitting and exploring advanced emergent structures and forms of jazz improvisation. The 2009 Traditions Project Grant enabled them to study and transmit the music of Marylanders who have contributed to the art form of jazz.

Eric Allen
Professional recording Artist. Drummer. Keyboardist, Guitarist, Voice, Instructor - Extensive travel throughout the world performing music. Performed in some of the most noted Jazz Clubs in the world. Extensive and diversified experience traveling the world as a jazz musician. As such, I have had the opportunity to play with some of the most skilled artists in the business, Lionel Hampton, Illinois Jacquet, Jon Hendricks and Wallace Roney. I have played in cities such as New York, London, Rome, Milan, Tokyo, Zurich and Paris. Drum Instructor.

Career Highlights - European US tours performing with Illinois Jacquet Big Band at the BERLIN JAZZ FESTIVAL. European and US tours performing with Jon Hendricks and Friends. CD recordings with Wallace Roney including “SETHS AIR”, “MYSTERIOSO”, “PROTOTYPE” and his latest recording “JAZZ”. Drum instructor, New Sewell Music Conservatory, Boy’s and Girl’s Club of Greater Washington, D.C.

Education - Duke Ellington HS for the Performing Arts, Washington, DC Berklee College of Music, Boston, MA

Michael Formanek, Bassist, composer, educator, recording artist, producer
Michael Formanek’s singular approach to the acoustic bass has led to an impressive range of musical associations. During his thirty plus year career, he has played and/or recorded with many noted musicians such as: Elvis Costello, Tim Berne, Uri Caine, Freddie Hubbard, Stan Getz, Marty Ehrlich, Chet Baker, Tony Williams, Gerry Mulligan, Joe Henderson, Gary Thomas and many others. Composition also plays a significant role in Formanek’s overall musical profile, and four albums of his original music, Wide Open Spaces, Extended Animation, Low Profile and Nature of the Beast have been released to critical acclaim on the Enja label.