The story
Some nights bring together a great lineup; this one brings together a lifetime of music, friendship and family for a celebration that could only happen around Kevin Sharpe. The Springfield musician’s path has taken him from gospel harmonies to jazz improvisation, from studying with Yusef Lateef to leading choirs and teaching the next generation. For this celebration, family and longtime collaborators gather around the music that has connected them.
The Kevin Sharpe Group brings a choir-and-band sound rooted in gospel but open to jazz, funk and Latin rhythms. The K. Sharpe Project explores his instrumental jazz side, while The Soulful Jazz Trio brings him together with Ron Smith and Jo Sallins, whose shared repertoire ranges from jazz to instrumental pop. It’s a chance to hear the different sides of a musician equally at home leading voices and driving a band.
Family is part of the sound as well as the occasion. Kevin’s brother Avery Sharpe brings the bass artistry honed through his long partnership with McCoy Tyner; Avery’s daughter Maya Sharpe brings her own voice as a musician, composer and stage performer. Kevin and Avery have already joined gospel singers and a jazz ensemble in their tribute to Sister Rosetta Tharpe. Here, that shared history meets another generation’s musical imagination.
Robert Angel rounds out the featured bill, with Heshima Moja, Charles Langford, Haneef Nelson and Luther Johnson also taking part. These connections reach beyond a shared stage: Kevin, Avery, Jo, Charles and Haneef all appear on Moja’s album The Awakening. Come for the gospel lift, the jazz interplay and the pleasure of hearing family and musical friendships come to life.