Jazz at the Johns Hopkins Club, plus more weekend fare
A sampling of Saturday music in Baltimore
Above: Baltimore-based alto sax master Russell Kirk is appearing Saturday as part of the new series sponsored by Hopkins and the Peabody.
RUSSELL KIRK – Baltimore jazz fans have a new venue with Jazz at the Johns Hopkins Club, a new series that continues tomorrow (Saturday) with a performance by New York-honed, Baltimore-based alto saxophonist Russell Kirk and his band, The Path.
Kirk, a Peabody Institute grad, has played with musicians including Sam Rivers, Dennis Chambers and George Clinton’s Parliament Funkadelic. His band includes Grammy winner Terri Lyne Carrington (drums), Sonya Kitchell (vocals), Aruan Ortiz (piano), Ed Howard (bass) and Howard Rogers (guitar). The first set is at 8:30 p.m., the second starts at 10 p.m. (The kicks off the release of the group’s new CD, “Russell Kirk and The Path.”)
As for The Hopkins Club series (with performances at the school’s Homewood campus) it’s the result of a collaboration between Johns Hopkins University president Ron Daniels and Gary Thomas, Director and Chair of Jazz Studies at the Peabody Institute. There are two other stellar performers booked for the series: The John Scofield Trio (Apr. 21) and Roy Haynes Fountain of Youth Band (May 26.) (The Jim Snidero Quartet performed on Feb. 25) The tickets aren’t cheap – $35 for adults, $18 for students – but the performers top-of-the line
ELLEN CHERRY – Another great Baltimore musician, with a very different vibe, cherry is appearing at An die Musik, Baltimore’s longtime home for jazz, opera, classical and world music. She’s also debuting a new album, “Please Don’t Sell the Piano,” produced by Baltimore’s Caleb Stine. The singer-songwriter will be appearing with longtime accompanist Michael Prout and offering up a “crankie” shadow puppet performance by artist Katherine Fahey to go with one of the songs, “Pickett’s Charge.” You don’t see that every day in Baltimore. The set begins at 8 p.m., tickets are $15.
Quick Tips
LAFAYETTE GILCHRIST, Baltimore’s grand master of jazz piano, is the opening performer at the Jazz Lunch CD release event at 2640 Space . . . Baltimore’s good-time band THE ALL MIGHTY SENATORS will be appearing with Hangdog at the 8 x 10 . . . and MARKY RAMONE’S BLITZKRIEG will be at the Talking Head, doing what the drummer’s band does well – work its way through The Ramones songbook.