Steve Carrington Quintet

Join us for an extra special Jazz in the Loft show featuring Steve Carrington (tenor & soprano saxophone), Bruce Harris (trumpet), Alex Collins (piano), John Lee (bass) and Karl Latham (drums).

The 2022 Jazz & Blues in the Loft series are dedicated to Lee Boswell-May, longtime curator of Jazz in the Loft. Lee will always be affectionately remembered for helping to “keep the music alive” in South Orange.

STEVEN CARRINGTON
Born in East Baltimore, Maryland, Steve Carrington began playing the saxophone at age seven. After attending the Baltimore School for the Arts and Frederick Douglass High School (whose alumni include Cab Calloway), Carrington was awarded a scholarship to the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Mass. His early influences were John Coltrane, Charlie Parker, Grover Washington Jr., Hank Mobley, Dexter Gordon, and Freddie Hubbard. Carrington has played with Cyrus Chestnut’s African Reflections band, Charles Mingus Epitaph, Roy Hargrove, Milt Hinton, Frank Wess, Jimmy Heath, Elvin Jones, Joey DeFrancesco, Jeff “Tain” Watts, Wynton Marsalis, Chick Corea, and the Dizzy Gillespie All-Stars among many others. Recently, he has been performing with Kool and the Gang. Carrington’s recordings include his debut album “A Caring Tone “ (2014) and “Mind Traveler” (2019).

BRUCE HARRIS
“One of the five young Jazz players you should know,” Wynton Marsalis (Ebony Magazine).

Born and raised in the Bronx, NY, trumpeter Bruce Harris has earned a reputation as one of the most important and emerging voices in jazz today. Inspired by acclaimed director Spike Lee’s “Mo Better Blues,” Harris became enamored with the trumpet and at the age of 13 his musical journey started. Heavily influenced by Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Clifford Brown and Dizzy Gillespie, Harris performed in the “Essentially Ellington” jazz band competition as a high school junior, earning the opportunity to play alongside famed trumpeter and jazz historian, Wynton Marsalis. Harris went on to earn a Bachelors Degree and Masters Degree in Jazz Performance at the Conservatory of Music at Purchase College. Harris has made appearances on CBS’s The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and NBC’s The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. In addition, he has appeared alongside a long list of legendary performers, including Wynton Marsalis & the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Dave Brubeck, Billy Taylor, The Count Basie Orchestra, Michael Feinstein, Barry Harris, Roy Hargrove, and Tony Bennett. Harris’s career spans the globe, having completed multiple international tours as a performer and educator across Europe and Asia.
Harris’s highly anticipated debut recording as a bandleader entitled “Beginnings” was released in August 2017, on the Positone Label.

ALEX COLLINS
Alex Collins is a New York City based pianist, composer, arranger and vibraphonist. Alex made his debut at the Tanglewood Jazz Festival with the Brandon Wright Quartet in 2010. Alex is a graduate of the Manhattan School of Music (M.M. Jazz Composition) and earned his undergraduate degree from the Eastman School of Music (B.M. Jazz Studies and Contemporary Media (Piano). He received the Wynton Kelly Jazz Foundation Award for Jazz Achievement (2003) and participated in the prestigious Betty Carter’s Jazz Ahead program (2006). Aside from leading his own trio, Alex has performed in the bands of Ronnie Burrage, Micelle Coltrane, Big Funk, Gerry Gibbs, Karl Latham, John Lee, Lonnie Plaxico, Lenny White, and the Dizzy Gillespie All-Stars.

JOHN LEE
From 1984 thru 1993, John Lee was Dizzy Gillespie’s bassist. Performing and recording in the trumpet master’s various bands including the Dizzy Gillespie Quintet, Dizzy Gillespie Big Band, and Dizzy’s Grammy Award winning United Nation Orchestra. After Dizzy’s passing, his family asked John to create an ongoing tribute to the great man and his music—and the concept for the Dizzy Gillespie All-Stars was born. John is the bassist and director of the Dizzy Gillespie All-Stars, Dizzy Gillespie All-Star Big Band, and the Dizzy Gillespie Afro-Latin Experience. John has also worked in the bands of Gary Bartz, Larry Coryell, Jon Faddis, Aretha Franklin, Roberta Gambarini, Roy Hargrove, Jimmy Heath, Gregory Hines, Miriam Makeba, James Moody, Claudio Roditi, Sonny Rollins, and McCoy Tyner. John is also a Grammy Award winning record producer and audio engineer. He has produced over 100 recordings.

KARL LATHAM
Karl Latham was born into a musical family in Trenton, New Jersey. He attended Rutgers University and the Berklee College of Music. He has performed with Claudio Roditi, Slide Hampton, Clark Terry, John Lee, Don Braden, Vic Juris, Edgar Winter, Johnny Winter, The Shirelles, and Mark Egan among others. As a sideman, Karl has appeared on countless recordings. To date Karl has released three CD’s as a leader: “DancingSpirits” (1999) , “Resonance” (2007), and his latest release “Living Standards”. As a co-leader Don Braden/Karl Latham “Big Fun(K) Live” (2012) and Karl Latham/Ryan Carniaux/Mark Egan “Constellations” (2014).

Jazz & Blues in the Loft

Get your groove on at the Jazz & Blues in the Loft concert series. Hear world-class artists from the region in the cabaret-style setting of the SOPAC Loft.

Beverages & concessions available for purchase (cash & credit card accepted).

Jazz in the Loft is curated and hosted by John Lee.
Blues in the Loft is curated and hosted by Mike Griot.

Covid-19 Precautions & Policies

Questions? Contact the SOPAC Box Office at
(973) 313-2787 or boxoffice@SOPACnow.org

If you or a member of your party needs assistance, please notify SOPAC at the time your tickets are purchased. The SOPAC Box Office can be reached at (973) 313-2787.