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An Evening of Jazz, Community & ConnectionJazz Forward Dayton invites you to a special Popup Jazz Jam featuring drummer Cedric Easton from New York! While visiting Dayton, Cedric will connect with local high school and college students through educational workshops, sharing his knowledge, experience, and passion for jazz. Before returning to New York, he’ll join us for an exciting evening of live music, spontaneous collaboration, and community connection.
Cedric is going to bring along some top-level talent in jazz today, including pianist Kenny Banks Jr., and trumpeter Anthony Hervey!
This is an open jazz jam, and musicians of all ages and experience levels are welcome. Students are especially encouraged to bring their instruments, sit in with the musicians, and experience the energy of playing jazz in a live setting. Whether you’re ready to take the stage or simply want to enjoy the music, there’s a place for you.
There will be a performance by Cedric's band to start, and then we will open it up for the jam.
In the spirit of making jazz accessible to everyone, this event will be offered on a Pay What You Want basis. Your contribution supports Jazz Forward Dayton’s mission to create meaningful opportunities for musicians to learn, perform, and connect while inspiring the next generation of jazz artists.
Your generosity helps Jazz Forward Dayton bring accomplished artists to our community, create educational opportunities for young musicians, and keep the tradition of live jazz thriving in Dayton.
About the artists:
Cedric Easton
Expression through music was engrained in Cedric Easton’s culture early on. His mother played the organ and his father was the pastor of their local pentecostal church. During his formative years, his love for music thrived. Around age 15, Cedric purchased a recording of Art Blakey and The Jazz Messengers. This was a pivotal moment that altered the focus of his musical interests. His curiousity for authenticity and depth, via musical expression, began to emerge. Over the next decade, he explored, studied and participated in gospel, jazz and west African musical traditions. Over the course of Cedric’s journey, he has had the opportunity to perform alongside the likes of: Hannibal Lokumbe, Thiossane West African Dance Co., Dorinda Clark-Cole, Marvin Sapp, Pharez Whitted, Wes Anderson, Aaron Diehl, Christian Howes and more. “Overall my intention is to communicate effectively,” he says of his philosophy as a drummer. “In the moment, it is my sincere hope to feel and be felt”.
Kenny Banks Jr.
Pianist Kenny Banks Jr., a resident of Atlanta, GA has earned a reputation as one of the most dynamic jazz artists in the Southeast. Kenny was a finalist in the 2019 American Pianists Awards jazz competition and performed to great acclaim in solo and trio formats.
Kenny has traveled abroad performing and recording around the world with a wide variety of artists in the jazz, gospel, Afro-Cuban and hip-hop scenes. These artists include Kurt Elling, Keyon Harrold, Jazzmeia Horn, Theo Croker, Jeff Tain Watts, Russell Malone, Gerald Albright, Charlie Hunter, Jennifer Holliday, David Sanchez, Kim Burrell, Dottie Peoples, Phiife from “A Tribe Called Quest”, Eight Ball & MJG and Queen Latifah.
Kenny is noted for his blended technique in mixing jazz and gospel styles. Downbeat Magazine describes his playing as “gospel and blues-infused” and calls his arrangements “thrilling, modern and surprising.” Jazziz Magazine notes his “deeply embodied gospel and soul roots” with “supple phrasing and effortless command of late 20th century harmony.”
Kenny Banks Jr expresses himself compositionally from a broad range of music. KJO’s Live at Lucille’s states, “His music is at once sophisticated, spirited, spontaneous and brilliantly executed.” “Embrace the sound” says Kenny. “This way of thinking aids me in my approach, helping me to view situations from a state of optimism, on and off the bandstand.”
Anthony Hervey
American trumpeter Anthony Hervey, recently named by Grammy.com as one of the "10 Emerging Artists to Know," has captivated audiences worldwide both as a sought-after sideman and a visionary bandleader. At 18, he was admitted to The Juilliard School, earning his B.M. in 2019 and his M.M. in 2020. Hervey has toured, performed, and recorded with luminaries such as Wynton Marsalis, Christian McBride, Jon Batiste, and Michael Bublé, and is on faculty at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where he teaches Jazz Trumpet in the Roots, Jazz, and American Music program.
Renowned for his virtuosic trumpet playing and vocal-like expressiveness, Hervey is quickly gaining recognition as a compelling new voice in Jazz. As the leader of the Anthony Hervey Quintet, he crafts original compositions that blend the complexities of Jazz with a wide range of influences, from Ragtime to R&B. His debut album, Words From My Horn, showcases his talents as both a trumpeter and composer, offering a rich fusion of soulful and cerebral pieces that uplift and inspire with warmth and optimism rooted in the blues. In the words of DownBeat magazine, “Hervey’s words from his horn take us higher.”
In addition to leading his own band and touring, Hervey is one of the most sought-after musicians on the New York Jazz scene. He performs regularly with The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, The Christian McBride Big Band, The Mingus Big Band, The Ted Nash Big Band, and the Ulysses Owens Jr. Generation Y Quintet. His performances have graced iconic NYC venues such as Jazz at Lincoln Center, The Blue Note, and Birdland, as well as renowned international stages including Marians Jazz Room in Bern, Switzerland, The Cotton Club in Tokyo, XJAZZ Berlin, The Marciac Jazz Festival in France, and The Monterey and Newport Jazz Festivals in the United States.
Grounded in the Jazz tradition yet informed by influences spanning ragtime, blues, R&B, and beyond, Hervey has developed a distinctive musical voice that balances technical virtuosity with emotional depth. Whether performing as a bandleader, composer, educator, or collaborator, he continues to shape a body of work that honors jazz's rich legacy while pushing it in fresh and compelling directions.
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Event venue
The Brightside Music & Event Venue, 905 E 3rd St, Dayton, OH 45402-2248, United States
Tickets
Concerts, fests, parties, meetups — all the happenings, one place.
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