Friday, September 28 at 8:00pm
Brooks-Rogers Recital Hall, Bernhard Music Center
54 Chapin Hall Dr, Williamstown, MA 01267
Avery Sharpe is Sterling Brown ‘22 Distinguished Visiting Artist in Residence in Music, Artist Associate in Jazz Bass, Jazz Coach, Faculty Advisor to Gospel Choir at Williams College.
In addition to this concert, Mr. Sharpe also hosts workshops for both the Africana Studies and music department at Williams.
A respected composer, his music celebrates the life and work of African American abolitionist and woman’s rights activist Sojourner Truth. Born into slavery, Truth escaped with her infant daughter to freedom in 1826. After going to court to recover her son, she became the first black woman to win such a case against a white man. During the Civil War, Truth helped recruit black troops for the Union Army. After the war, she tried, but sadly failed, to secure land grants from the federal government for former slaves.
Avery Sharpe: Sojourner Truth-Ain’t I A Woman Project
Avery Sharpe, bass
Jeri Brown, vocals
Onaje Allan Gumbs, piano
Yoron Israel, drums
Craig Handy, tenor saxophone
Duane Eubanks-trumpet
Here is what the critics say about Avery Sharpe:
“Even in these times of extraordinary bass players, Sharpe stand out” — Leonard Feather, Los Angeles Times
Avery Sharpe is one of the outstanding bassists or our time. He is perhaps best known for his 20-year association with the McCoy Tyner Trio. He started his musical life at eight on piano and switched to accordion and electric bass in high school. At the University of Massachusetts the great Reggie Workman, a member of John Coltrane’s Quartet, persuaded him to transition to acoustic bass, and he was soon playing with Archie Shepp and Art Blakey.
Avery has appeared on more than 20 recordings with McCoy Tyner. Sharpe has performed and recorded with many Jazz Legends from Dizzy Gillespie to Wynton Marsalis. He has eleven releases on his own record label, JKNM Records, his most recent, Sojourner Truth—Ain’t I A Woman Project is distributed by Allegro Media Group
Sponsored by the W. Ford Schumann ’50 Performing Arts Endowment.