Jarrett Gilgore Quintet

"Jarrett Gilgore Quintet features Philadelphia's own Najwa Parkins on vocals."

Tickets: $7

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Jarrett Gilgore- alto saxophone

Jarrett was born in Philadelphia and grew up in the suburb of Doylestown. He started playing saxophone when he was nine and started playing professionally at 16. He has since toured the east coast and played at festivals including the Undead Jazz Festival (nyc), West Oak Lane Jazz Festival (phila), and Litchfield Jazz Festival (ct). Jarrett currently lives in Baltimore and studies at the Peabody Conservatory with Gary Thomas and Michael Formanek. He is an active member of the Baltimore improvised music ("jazz") scene -- a member of Out of Your Head Collective, Ben Frock's Love Unit, Jazz Lunch, Chris Pumphrey's Sextet, and Talkshow.

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Najwa Parkins- vocals

Najwa Parkins is a Philadelphia based jazz vocalist and trombonist. She is a graduate of the Temple University Boyer College of Music and Dance, where she majored in Jazz Studies and Vocal Performance. She has had the opportunity to perform with great musicians including Bob Dorough (legendary jazz composer and arranger, the musical director and the familiar voice of the School House Rock series, and a collaborator of Miles Davis), Bill Goodwin, Bobby Avey (2011 Thelonious Monk Competition winner), and Phil Woods.

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Jon Birkholz- organ

Jon began learning music shortly after he learned to talk. Jon’s formal studies have been in the realm of Jazz and Classical music; he received a Bachelor’s in Jazz Performance from Peabody Conservatory in 2007. He has performed and/or recorded with Michael Formanek, Gary Thomas, Sam Rivers, and Rufus Reid. He is a founding member of Baltimore progressive hip-hop band Soul Cannon, and he assists in curating the Out Of Your Head collective, which presents brand new music every Tuesday at the Windup Space in Baltimore. You can also hear his band Jazz Lunch play every Sunday afternoon at Bolton Deli.

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Kevin Ripley- drums

Kevin Ripley is a drummer/composer originally from northeast Philadelphia, now residing in Doylestown, PA. He is currently working with a wide variety of musicians in the Philadelphia and surrounding areas. He is diversified in many styles of music including hip hop, funk, straight ahead and avant garde jazz. He plays weekly at in Doylestown and Lambertville, NJ. You can also catch him in clubs and restaurants around Philly and the tri state area.

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Brian Brunsman - bass
Bassist, composer, and improviser Brian Brunsman has been performing actively in the Baltimore area since 2008. As a leader, Brian writes and arranges for Friday Night Book Club, an improvising chamber orchestra, and Memetics, a trio with which he recently recorded his first album, soon to be released by Baltimore indie label Strong Records. As a sideman, Brian is a member of Jazz Lunch, the Out of Your Head improvised music collective, and numerous other groups. Brian holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Towson University where he studied under Jeff Reed, Dave Ballou, Jim McFalls, and Tim Murphy.While attending Towson University, he had the opportunity to perform with artists such as John Hollenbeck, Ellery Eskelin, Drew Gress, Gerald Cleaver, and Craig Taborn. Brian currently is currently in graduate school at the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University, where he studies under Michael Formanek.