Wed Dec 13
Charlie Ballantine & Amanda Gardier Quintet feat. Brandon Woody
7PM / $10 - $20 | $1 Fees In-person Attendance
Charlie Ballantine & Amanda Gardier Series_Dec
Charlie Ballantine and Amanda Gardier’s monthly series showcasing original modern jazz compositions and featuring different members of Baltimore’s rich jazz community on the second Wednesday of each month.
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
Attendees receive a link to the recording to view for one week.
Advance sales end 1 hr before showtime; remaining tickets may be purchased at the door.
Streaming Cost is $15
The link will be revealed 15 minutes before the show
and will remain active for one week
Donations welcome
Charlie Ballantine - Guitar
Amanda Gardier - Alto Saxophone
Brandon Woody - Trumpet
Gabe Rupe - Bass
Koleby Royston - Drums
Named as one of the top 200 living guitarists by All About Jazz Magazine, Charlie Ballantine is acclaimed as one of the finest and most versatile young guitarists on the scene today. JAZZ TIMES MAGAZINE hails his playing as “teeming with intricate grooves and maniacal precision his guitar work is both beautiful and complex” and VINTAGE GUITAR MAGAZINE described his style by stating “Jazz, rock, and folk music peacefully coexist in Charlie Ballantine’s world”.
Equipped with an impressive body of original compositions on albums like “Vonnegut” and “Cold Coffee”, Ballantine also displays a great reverence for the jazz tradition through the inclusion of standards like ‘My One and Only Love’, ‘East of the Sun’ and an entire double album dedicated to the music of Thelonious Monk released September 2021. “In the vein of fellow guitarists like John Scofield, Bill Frisell and Julian Lage, Ballantine reconciles his educational background in jazz with the stylistic background of his instrument. He approaches the gratifying tonal and harmonic language of rock/roots with the groove, ambition and improvisational focus of a jazz musician” - (JAZZIZ MAGAZINE)
After graduating from the Jacobs School of Music under the direction of David Baker, Ballantine relocated to Indianapolis and quickly developed a name for himself with a string of high energy performances at clubs like the Jazz Kitchen and Chatterbox Jazz Club. After releasing two solo albums Ballantine was able to attain global recognition with his award winning third album “Life is Brief: The Music of Bob Dylan” which ALL ABOUT JAZZ named in their top ten jazz albums of the year. “From the opening bars of "The Times They Are a-Changin'" it is clear that something special is happening” - (ALL ABOUT JAZZ)
Saxophonist, composer, and educator Amanda Gardier has been described as “a uniquely talented jazz composer and soloist” (Nuvo). With a diverse set of influences stemming from Miguel Zenon, The Bad Plus, Bjork, and more, Gardier is an alto saxophonist who juxtaposes the calmness of lush harmonies and cyclical melodies with the intensity of complex rhythms and fiery improvisation.
Her first release with Green Mind Records, Empathy, was “a debut with a lot of something for everyone” (All About Jazz). With her second release, Flyover Country, Gardier “claims a space among rising saxophonists” (Downbeat) through the display of bold compositions and flexible improvisation.
In addition to her work as a bandleader, Amanda is a member of the US Navy Band Commodores jazz ensemble, where she is regularly featured as a soloist and woodwind doubler. As a side musician, Amanda has performed with Ingrid Jensen, Dave Stryker, Leni Stern, Wayne Wallace, Wes "Warmdaddy" Anderson, Jamie Baum, Sal Lozano, the Glenn Miller Orchestra, the Buselli-Wallarab Jazz Orchestra, and the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. She has also been a featured performer on five releases by the Charlie Ballantine Group— Vonnegut (2020), Life is Brief: The Music of Bob Dylan (2018), Where is My Mind? (2017), Providence (2016), and Green (2015).
Amanda has served as the instructor of jazz saxophone at Ball State University, jazz saxophone faculty at the Indiana University Summer Saxophone Academy, band director and after-school jazz program director at Zionsville West Middle School, and teaching assistant at Birch Creek Music Performance Center. Amanda holds a bachelor’s degree in music education and a master’s degree in jazz studies from Indiana University.
7PM / $10 - $20 | $1 Fees In-person Attendance