Vocalist Alison Crockett To Be Featured In Concert Celebrating Women In Jazz

On Sunday, March 21, An die Musik, Cafe Mezzanotte and Jazz Beyond Borders will present a live-streamed concert featuring jazz vocalist Alison Crockett. The concert pays special tribute to women in jazz during Women’s History Month and can be seen from any location or time zone beginning at 3:00pm EST on Sunday through the following week.

Based in the Washington, D.C. area, Crockett is a vibrant vocalist who has performed and recorded in a wide range of genres including neo-soul, acid jazz, R&B, gospel, funk and electronica. Extensive training and varied experience fuel her strong and highly nuanced delivery and helped her reach an undisputed level of artistic excellence.

Her March 21 program will feature songs that hold a deep emotional connection for the artist. Carefully selected for their powerful and vivid imagery, they include George Gershwin’s 1932 classic “I Got Rhythm,” jazz standard “The Old Country,” written by Nat Adderly and Curtis Lewis and released in 1960, and Chick Corea’s jazz-fusion song “You’re Everything.” She’ll also share her own original composition, “Soul Dancer,” an ode to the unbound spirit.

Following breakthrough success as a featured vocalist working with DJ King Britt and British jazz-rap group Us3, Alison Crockett continued to evolve musically, recording diverse projects: the jazz EP “That’s Where You Go” in 1999, critically acclaimed R&B album “On Becoming A Woman” in 2004, dance/electronic album “The Return of Diva Blue” in 2006, jazz album “Bare” in 2007, 2012 political multi-genre patchwork album “Mommy, What’s A Depression” in 2012 and Brazilian-inspired EP “Obrigada,” recorded in São Paulo, Brazil and released in 2018.

After earning a master’s degree from Manhattan School of Music, Crockett toured the country with acid jazz project Sylk 130 and subsequently toured with Us3 in the U.S., Europe and Japan. In the nation’s capital, she has graced the stages of prestigious regional venues such as Blues Alley, The Kennedy Center and Bethesda Blues and Jazz. A dedicated music educator and popular vocal coach, she previously taught at Temple University and is currently on faculty of George Washington University.

Pianist Todd Simon is a highly sought-after multi-instrumentalist in the mid-Atlantic. After serving in the U.S. Naval Academy Band, where he played piano/keyboard, saxophone and percussion, Simon supported a myriad of musicians on stages and in recording studios. Chris Potter, Roy Hargrove, Nicholas Payton, Gary Bartz, Tim Warfield, Antonio Hart, Ralph Peterson, Gary Thomas, Paul Bollenback, Tarus Mateen, Mike Pope, Dontae Winslow, Mark Gross, Freddie Hendrix, Warren Wolf, Daryl Davis, Vanessa Collier and Michael Joseph Harris are among them.

Bassist Obasi Akoto has enjoyed an extensive career as bandleader, composer and sideman, having worked with notable musicians such as Wynton Marsalis, Kathleen Battle, Abbey Lincoln, Regina Carter, James Carter, Warren Wolf, Stefon Harris, Terreon Gully, Jimmy Greene, Mulgrew Miller, Kenny Barron, Geoff Keezer, Miguel Zenon, Joanne Brackeen, Steve Turre, Jacky Terrasson, Joe Lovano, Eddie Henderson, Benny Green, Slide Hampton, Lester Bowie, Antoine Roney, Eric Lewis and Winard Harper. He leads the jazz-classical hybrid group Oceanic Jazz Orchestra.

This event livestreams on March 21 from 3:00pm–4:30pm from Baltimore. Tickets for the livestream are $15 and can be purchased from www.andiemusiklive.com. Additional donations are welcome. A link to the show is emailed 15 minutes prior to the first airing of the show and remains active for one week.

Limited in-person seating admission is also available for $25 and must be reserved in advance. The location is 409 North Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21201. For additional information, email henry@andiemusik.com.

Jazz Beyond Borders brings world music and jazz to concert halls, classrooms, festivals and airwaves. The organization has hosted a variety of Women in Jazz Events in Maryland since 2015. To learn about future concerts and festivals, join the mailing list from www.jazzbeyondborders.com.