Blessed with a name perfect for her chosen path—it was the singer’s jazz-loving, piano-playing grandmother who picked it—Jazzmeia Horn was born in Dallas in 1991; grew up in a tightly knit, church-going family filled with musical talent; and began singing as a toddler. She attended Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts—an institution famous for launching the careers of such musical greats as Roy Hargrove, Norah Jones, and Erykah Badu—and later the New School in New York City. Horn’s education included steering herself to the mentors who would guide her passion for jazz—artists like Bobby McFerrin, Abbey Lin­coln, and Betty Carter. Winner of the 2013 Sarah Vaughan Interna­tional Jazz Competition and the 2015 The­lonious Monk Institute Inter­national Jazz Competition, Horn soon signed with Concord Records, releasing her debut album, the Grammy-nominated A Social Call, to great critical acclaim.

In the four years since Horn bowed with that album, she has been busy on the road, honing her vocal skills to a finely tuned level, writing songs of personal relevance and social message, and perfecting a fearless approach to improvisation and performance. The convergence of this drive and development has resulted in Horn’s second Grammy nomination, for Love and Liberation—an album filled with songs of daring musicality, emotional power, and messages of immediate relevancy.

Jazzmeia chose the title because, “‘Love and liber­ation’ is a concept and mantra that I use consistently in my everyday life. For me, the two go hand in hand and they both describe where I am in my life and career right now. An act of love is an act of liberation, and choosing to liberate—oneself or another—is an act of love.”

Keith Brown—pianist, composer, arranger, and educator—was born and raised in Tennes­see and began playing piano and bass at an early age. His father, Donald, is a world-renowned jazz pianist/composer who has performed with many greats, and his mother, Dorothy, is a pianist who also plays various woodwind instruments.

Brown first learned to play songs of artists like Stevie Wonder by ear and then started classical piano lessons at age eight. He began to study jazz seriously after high school, and it was at this time that he began to be influenced by great Memphis pianists such as Phineas New­born Jr., James Williams, and Mulgrew Miller. By age 18, Brown was playing piano and bass around Knoxville in a variety of jazz, R&B, funk, and country bands. Later, he would go on to earn his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville.

Brown has performed and recorded with some remarkable musicians, both as a leader and a sideman. He has shared the stage with great artists such as Jazzmeia Horn, Camille Thurman, Dezron Douglas, Sherman Irby, Steve Stagle, Kenneth Whalum III, David Weiss, and Bobby Watson, to name a few. “I always try to write and perform in a way that is intellectual but that has a strong sense of melody or groove that can touch those who are open enough to listen.”

Currently Brown resides in New York City, where he continues to make a name for himself as a pianist and composer, both nationally and internationally.

Eric Wheeler is a Washington, DC native and has been playing string bass for 20 years. Encouraged by his mother, he began studying classical music at the age of nine at the DC Youth Orchestra Program. At age 13, Wheeler was accepted into the Duke Ellington School for the Arts, where he studied jazz music with Carolyn Kellock, a master educator whose students have included renowned bassists such as Ameen Saleem, Ben Williams, and Corcoran Holt. During his four years at Ellington, Whee­ler also enjoyed the opportunity to travel internationally with his school band, trips that greatly influenced his decision to pursue a career in music.

In the fall of 1998, Wheeler was accepted into the prestigious National Sym­phony Youth Fellowship Program, where he studied with the NSO’s Jeff Weisner. In the fall of 2000, Wheeler was accepted into the jazz studies program at Howard University. During those years, he worked professionally in the DC area as a jazz and classical musician, playing at venues such as Bohemian Caverns, Blues Alley, and the Kennedy Center. Wheeler received both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Howard University.

In 2013, Wheeler moved to New York City in hopes of furthering his musical career. Since then, he has toured the world, recording and performing with notable jazz and pop artists including Seal, Jennifer Holiday, Dee Dee Bridge­water, Delfeayo Marsalis, and Pharaoh Sanders. Wheeler can be heard on Theo Cro­ker’s Grammy-nominated Star People Nation. Today, he resides on Long Island, New York, and works as a full time musician.

Anwar Marshall is a native of Philadelphia and was introduced to music early on by his mother and father, both accomplished musicians and music educators. As a boy, he received a drum set as a Christmas gift, moving on to study percussion in the Phila­delphia public school system with Carl Mottola. Marshall attended the High School for Creative and Performing Arts and received his bachelor’s degree from the Uni­versity of the Arts, where he studied with Erik Johnson and Joe Nero. He was also mentored by Byron Land­ham, Mike Boone, Sid Sim­mons, and many other Philadelphia area musicians.

Marshall has enjoyed collaborating with musicians including Orrin Evans, the Captain Black Big Band, Ed Cherry, Tim Warfield, Dave Douglas, Christian McBride, Pat Metheny, Robert Glasper, Adam Blackstone, Somi, and John Swana. He is also co-leader of a 10-piece ensemble, the Fresh Cut Orchestra, with trumpeter Josh Lawrence and bassist Jason Fraticelli.

CREDITS

For Cal Performances at Home
Tiffani Snow, Producer
Jeremy Little, Technical Director
Jeremy Robins, Executive Video Producer
Ras Dia, Operations Coordinator

For Ibis Productions, Inc.
Jeremy Robins, Director
Hugo Faraco, Camera Operator
Nara Garber, Camera Operator
Kharon Benson, Camera Operator
Francis Adjei, Camera Operator
Emily Buffman, Site Producer
Colin Gee, Editor

For Future Tense Media
Jesse Yang, Creative Director

For Cal Performances
EXECUTIVE OFFICE
Jeremy Geffen, Executive and Artistic Director
Kelly Brown, Executive Assistant to the Director

ADMINISTRATION
Andy Kraus, Director of Strategy and Administration
Calvin Eng, Chief Financial Officer
Rafael Soto, Finance Specialist
Marilyn Stanley, Finance Specialist
Gawain Lavers, Applications Programmer
Ingrid Williams, IT Support Analyst
Sean Nittner, Systems Administrator

ARTISTIC PLANNING
Katy Tucker, Director of Artistic Planning
Robin Pomerance, Artistic Administrator

DEVELOPMENT
Taun Miller Wright, Chief Development Officer
Elizabeth Meyer, Director of Institutional Giving
Jennifer Sime, Associate Director of Development, Individual Giving
Jamie McClave, Individual Giving and Special Events Officer
Jocelyn Aptowitz, Major Gifts Associate

EDUCATION AND COMMUNITY PROGRAMS
Rica Anderson, Interim Director, Artistic Literacy

ARTISTIC PLANNING
Judy Hatch, Human Resources Director
Shan Whitney, Human Resources Generalist

MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS
Jenny Reik, Director of Marketing and Communications
Ron Foster-Smith, Associate Director of Marketing
Mark Van Oss, Communications Editor
Louisa Spier, Public Relations Manager
Cheryl Games, Web and Digital Marketing Manager
Jeanette Peach, Public Relations Senior Associate
Elise Chen, Email Production Associate
Lynn Zummo, New Technology Coordinator
Terri Washington, Social Media and Digital Content Specialist

OPERATIONS
Jeremy Little, Production Manager
Alan Herro, Production Admin Manager
Kevin Riggall, Head Carpenter
Matt Norman, Head Electrician
Tom Craft, Audio/Video Department Head
Jo Parks, Video Engineer
Tiffani Snow, Event Manager
Ginarose Perino, Rental Business Manager
Rob Bean, Event Operations Manager

STAGE CREW
Charles Clear, Senior Scene Technician
David Ambrose, Senior Scene Technician
Jacob Heule, Senior Scene Technician
Jorg Peter “Winter” Sichelschmidt, Senior Scene Technician
Joseph Swails, Senior Scene Technician
Mark Mensch, Senior Scene Technician
Mathison Ott, Senior Scene Technician
Mike Bragg, Senior Scene Technician
Ricky Artis, Senior Scene Technician
Robert Haycock, Senior Scene Technician

STUDENT MUSICAL ACTIVITIES
Mark Sumner, Director, UC Choral Ensembles
Bill Ganz, Associate Director, UC Choral Ensembles
Matthew Sadowski, Director of Bands/Interim Department Manager
Ted Moore, Director, UC Jazz Ensembles
Brittney Nguyen, SMA Coordinator

TICKET OFFICE
Liz Baqir, Ticket Services Manager
Gordon Young, Assistant Ticket Office Manager
Sherice Jones, Assistant Ticket Office Manager
Jeffrey Mason, Patron Services Associate

Opening fanfare used by permission from Jordi Savall from his 2015 recording of Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo on Alia Vox.

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