A rare appearance by Baltimore native Nico Sarbanes with renowned Jazz bassist Ben Wolfe

Wynton Marsalis said, “Ben Wolfe swings with authority.” Including his recent Posi-­Tone Records release, “The Whisperer,” bassist-­?composer Ben Wolfe has released eight CDs comprised solely of his original music. Chamber Music America awarded him the 2004 New Works: Creation and Presentation Program Grant, funded through the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. As a result of this award, Wolfe was able to compose his extended composition Contradiction: Music for Sextet.

Born in Baltimore and raised in Portland, Wolfe has gained a large following from his performances with Wynton Marsalis, Harry Connick Jr., and Diana Krall. Early in his career, he formed a duo with Harry Connick Jr. and went on to record over a dozen albums and soundtracks.He then joined the Wynton Marsalis Septet and remained until it disbanded. Wolfe also became an integral part of Diana Krall’s touring band and played on many of her recordings, including the Grammy Award winning CD, “When I Look In Your Eyes.” As a member of The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra (JLCO), Wolfe performed with Joe Henderson, Doc Cheatham, Jon Hendricks, Harry “Sweets” Edison, and Billy Higgins, among others. He has also recorded with Branford Marsalis, Orrin Evans, James Moody, Eric Reed and Benny Green. Ben is currently on the teaching faculty at The Julliard School: Jazz Division. www.benwolfe.com

Nico Sarbanes is a jazz vocalist, trumpeter and composer from Baltimore. At 23, he is already emerging as one of the city's most talented young performers, combining a virtuosic technique on the trumpet with an impressive command of the vocal repertoire of the Great American Songbook. As a composer, he draws on his jazz and classical influences, as well as the klezmer music of his Jewish heritage, to create exciting new works.

Nico received his Bachelor of Music degree from the esteemed Schulich School of Music at McGill University in Montreal. Quickly establishing himself as an artist to watch on the Montreal jazz scene, Nico led two successful performances at the Festival International de Montreal, including opening for Grammy Award-winning vocalist Dianne Reeves at the Theatre Maisonneuve.

In 2015, he led a successful series of performances at the Downbeat-recognized venue An Die Musik, where he shared the stage with Baltimore jazz titans Antonio Hart, Warren Wolf, Winard Harper, and Tim Green. An album featuring live recordings from those performances, "Nico Sarbanes: Live in Baltimore" was released in 2017.

Nico is also passionate about music education. He is pursuing his teaching certification at Towson University, and looks forward to passing on his love of music to future generations.

$20 advance /$23 door /$10 full time students with ID