Sat Jun 21
.... lots of fresh post-bop compositions and twists on familiar pop-rock melodies . . . -- Digstation
"...It's poetry in slow motion, words translated into sound..." -- All About Jazz.com
"...there is something here, a beauty, that is captivating." -- Joe Locke
Alan Blackman, piano
Max Murray, bass
Frank Russo, drums
After meeting on an Uptown Vocal Jazz Quartet gig, rhythm section mates Alan Blackman, Max Murray and Frank Russo immediately knew that they possessed a rare chemistry. It wasn’t long before they teamed up with sax titan Donny McCaslin and recorded their first CD, Turning Point. With an atypical freedom this trio can move between the interpretations of Brahms, The Beatles and Peter Gabriel then into unique original compositions, penned mostly by pianist Blackman. Not limited to the traditional Broadway standards repertoire, Blackman Murray Russo endeavors to open up the popular songs of every era in Western Music to the explorations and freedom of the improvising model of jazz.
Chamber Music America recognized their music in awarding them the New Jazz Works Grant in 2011. They produced the multimedia work entitled The Coastal Suite, a programmatic long-form composition with improvised interludes which tells a musical story of a 24 hour tidal cycle. It is presented with projected images of renowned Shetland Island artist Ruth Brownlee. A live performance in Brooklyn was recently captured and aired on NPR’s JazzSet with Dee Dee Bridgewater. A studio recording, enhanced with promotional video, is also out now on CdBaby and iTunes. 2018 brought the release of Chapter Three which features guitarist Gilad Hekselman as guest artist and 9 original compositions by Blackman. They are currently performing in support of their latest recording released in December of 2022 entitled Sacred Spaces. Most recently Alan received a prestigious MAP fund grant and Puffin Foundation award for his forthcoming multimedia concert presentation entitled Once Upon A Prairie.
The future is bright for this innovative group with various bookings in Charleston, Seattle, New York, Washington D.C and a trip to JazzAhead in Germany to facilitate concerts in Europe.
Showtime: 7 pm ET/6 pm CT/5 pm MT/4 pm PT/12 am GMT
In-person seats: $20 / $10 full-time students with valid ID
In -person attendees receive a link to the recording to view for one week. Advance ticket sales end 1 hr prior to show. Remaining tickets may be purchased at the door.
Streaming Cost is $15
The link will be revealed to live stream participants 15 minutes before the show
and will remain active thru June 28
Donations welcome