Mark Meadows, piano
Eric Kennedy, drums
Blake Meister, bass
Mark Meadows is a modern jazz pianist and composer who utilizes his versatile musical background in order to communicate to every walk of life. His sound is youthful, yet ageless, complex, yet effortless. Mark and his colleagues (Eric Kennedy, drums and Blake Meister, bass) will perform many of our jazz favorites from the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s.
Program
Autumn Leaves by Joseph Kosma
The Girl From Ipanema by Antonio Carlos Jobim
Stella by Starlight by Victor Young
Summertime by George Gershwin
The Days of Wine and Roses by Henry Mancini
Misty by Erroll Garner
"A" Train by Billy Strayhorn
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Jazz pianist Mark Meadows was born on March 27, 1989 in Washington, D.C. Three years later, his dad, a part time journeyman gospel and jazz vocalist, bought him a little Casio keyboard and invited Mark to “have at it”.
By the time Mark was four, he had attended more than ten jazz concerts and performances, including one sitting directly adjacent to the high end of the piano featuring Shirley Horn at the “One Step Down” in D.C. Mark also experienced his dad’s jazz and gospel vocal performances at the ripe age of 4.
At the age of five Mark’s family moved to Dallas TX where he studied classical piano under the stern but loving eye of Dr. Rosalie LeVant, a renowned Russian born and highly regarded classical pianist. Years later, Julie Bonk, a respected Dallas jazz pianist and teacher of Grammy Award-winning artist Norah Jones, took the 13-year-old under her wing after hearing him play Debussy’s “Clair De Lune.”
Throughout Mark’s high school years, he performed with the BTW Jazz Combo 1 and BTW MIDI Ensemble. After perfecting his skills at Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, Mark began to display his gifts and talents to the public. Some of Mark’s accolades include his being featured on “Good Morning Texas” on WFAA Channel 8 (2008) and awarded “Best Pop Rock Solo in North America” by Downbeat Magazine (2008). He has performed at the Kennedy Center with the Peabody Jazz Lab Band (2008) and released his first album “A Child is Born” (2008), which was named “2nd Best Pop Rock Composition in North America” by Downbeat Magazine.
Mark taught piano on Saturdays and was the resident pianist at North East Bible Church before graduating in the top 5% of his class from Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, in Dallas, TX.
Mark recently graduated from The Johns Hopkins University and The Hopkins Peabody Conservatory. He received degrees in psychology from Johns Hopkins University and in jazz piano from The Peabody Conservatory. He recently received the Graduate Assistantship from The Peabody Conservatory, where he will work towards a Graduate Performance Degree in jazz piano. Mark is also the Music Director of Faith Christian Fellowship Church, Baltimore, MD. Mark Meadows continues to push himself to new heights, hoping one day to become a successful musician, reaching the world through his spirit, his mind, and his music.
For further information see markgmeadows.com.
In this performance Shawn Simon substituted for Blake Meister.
Blake Meister received his Bachelor of Music in jazz studies from the Peabody Conservatory of Music, where he received both the Richard FrankoGoldman and Alice and Leary Taylor awards for performance, and his Master of Music in orchestral double bass at Catholic University’s Benjamin T. Rome School of Music, under a full-tuition scholarship. His upcoming debut album of original compositions, to be released in early 2012, features Gary Thomas, Paul Bollenback, Marc Copland and Ralph Peterson. He has performed professionally with various international artists, and was a semi-finalist in the 2011 Bucharest International jazz competition. He is a bassist for the American Studio Orchestra, and has also held positions of section bass in the York Symphony Orchestra and principal bass in the Prince George Philharmonic. He has performed at major venues in the United States, Japan and Singapore, including the Kennedy Center’s Terrace Theatre and Millennium Stage, Shriver Hall and the Shaw Auditorium.
Also a dedicated educator, Meister serves on the faculty of the PeabodyConservatory of Music, teaching both major and minor lessons, as well as Jazz Improvisation I. He also serves as co-coordinator and faculty for the jazz department of the Peabody Preparatory, teaching piano, double bass, theory and an ensemble. He has been a recipient of the Peabody Faculty Development grant, in addition to multiple Career Development grants while as a student.
A native of Philadelphia, Meister began playing electric bass at the age of twelve, and later took up the double bass and piano while in college. Additionally, he is an active composer and arranger and speaks French.
Eric Kennedy, a Baltimore native, is a drummer, vocalist, percussionist, educator and composer. Eric's introduction to all styles of music and early music training was initiated by his musical relatives, who also cultivated his love of jazz. Before the age of five, Eric began his development as a percussionist and singer performing with a family/neighborhood band and singing in the Timothy Baptist church choir.
Eric attended the Baltimore City Gifted and Talented Exploratory (G.A.T.E.) Program at Harford Heights Elementary School, where he began formal study of music and art. As a student of the GATE Program, he also co-composed, arranged and performed music for an award winning student short film. Eric continued his arts education at the Baltimore School for the Arts studying classical percussion and voice with Baltimore Symphony Orchestra percussionist John Locke, Donna Di Stefano and the late Dr. Nathan Carter. He later transferred to the Music Careers Programs at Frederick Douglass Sr. High School directed by Ms. Jewel Churn and received extra-curricular instruction from legendary Baltimore drummers Johnny Polite and "Peanut" Saunderlin. After high school, Eric moved to Philadelphia to work with the world music ensemble Our Time Is Now and continue his personal study in ethnomusicology. In Philadelphia, Eric came under the tutelage of Sun Ra and received private instruction from legendary drummer Edgar Bateman.
In 1990, Eric and Our Time Is Now moved to Holland to perform and travel across Europe and record their debut recording, The Pursuit of Happyness. Two years later, he found himself in French Guiana, playing with the Victor Sabas Trio and studying the rhythms of South America, Central America and the Caribbean. During this period, Eric discovered a passion for composition and began writing in myriad styles which reflected his diverse experiences. His current catalog of compositions boasts approximately 500 compositions and sketches of multifarious cultural influences and rhythm styles.
Upon his return to Baltimore, Eric's career began to blossom. As a freelance drummer he played with Mack Rucks, Moments Notice, the Eubie Blake Sextet and Big Band, Craig Alston, Ruby Glover, Gary Richardson, the Al Maniscalco Quartet, the Steve Carrington Quartet and the Kelly Shepherd Quartet, and co-founded the jazz ensemble Dreamworld. He studied voice with Odell Wilson and Timmy Shepherd, drums with Leroy Williams, fundamental technique with Jamal Wilson, brushes with renowned master Clayton Cameron and attended the jazz workshops of legendary teacher/musician Barry Harris. In the years to follow, Eric played, toured and/or recorded with, among others, Curtis Fuller, Phil Woods, Curtis Lundy, Joe Bonner, Larry Willis, Eddie Gale, Carl Grubbs (2009 Baker Artist Award Winner), John Hicks, Gary Bartz, TK Blue, Richard Wyands, Virgil Jones, Eddie Henderson, Bunky Green, Ronnie Mathews, Yusef Salim, Nnena Freelon, Xavier Davis, Orrin Evans, Charles Davis, Reggie Workman, Keter Betts, Valery Ponomarev, Gary Thomas, Shodekeh, Herman Burney and Cecil McBee. As a vocalist, Eric was runner up in the 2004 Billie Holiday Vocal Competition and showcased at Artscape 2010.
Eric broadened as an entertainer as well. He trained with Quest for Arts, a Maryland based not-for-profit organization whose educational work focuses on the use of visual theatre to enhance literacy. As Quest's inclusive membership represents a diverse ethnic, cultural, and artistic panorama, Eric accompanied a Deaf dance ensemble led by renowned Deaf choreographer Yola Roznek. He also composed and accompanied the multimedia ensemble piece, I Carry the Flag, performed at Gallaudet University, Towson University and the Baltimore Creative Alliance for a primarily Deaf audience. Eric's theater credits include a 25th anniversary tour with the cast of the Broadway musical revue Ain't Misbehavin' in 2003, a tribute to Billie Holiday "Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill" in 2006, Anunsi the Spider with the Sankofa Dance Ensemble, The Women of Brewster's Place and Nnenna Freelon and the Evidence Dance Company's " The Blueprint of a Lady" at the historic Apollo Theater in Harlem in 2007. His film credits include a composition featured in the independent film "The Big Muddy".