2009 Recipient of the Maryland Sawyers Baker Award
Baltimore Magazine voted “2009 Best Musician – Jazz”
Rosa Pryor Scholarship Fund 2009 Award

Carl Grubbs performs on alto, soprano and tenor saxophones. He is also a composer, educator and recording artist.  A native of Philadelphia, he received early extensive training from John Coltrane. 

Through his family he was close to many of the history-making jazz musicians of the 1950’s and 1960’s.  With his brother Earl, he formed The Visitors, a quintet that recorded four albums on the Muse record label in the early 1970’s.  Carl Grubbs is a former member of the Julius Hemphill Sextet.  This group toured the US and Europe performing two productions: Hemphill’s Long Tongues: A Saxophone Opera and Bill T. Jones/Arne Zane Production: Last Supper at Uncle Tom’s Cabin: The Promised Land.

Mr. Grubbs was a guest soloist at the Philadelphia performance of Reggie Workman’s project, African Brass,A Tribute to John Coltrane.  The Carl Grubbs Quintet performs in major cities in the US.  They have performed in Bogota and Medellin, Columbia, South America, and most recently completed a successful eight-city tour of Brazil.  

Carl Grubbs is the co-founder and Artistic Director of Contemporary Arts Inc., a nonprofit arts organization.  The organization’s programs Summer Activity Extraordinaire (SAX):Music and Dance Camp and Summer Arts Academy, provides music and dance education to youth ages 4 – 17 in the Baltimore metropolitan area.  

Carl Grubbs is a member of the MSAC Artist in Education program.  He has twice been the recipient of the MSAC/Maryland Traditions award as a jazz master, working with an apprentice to pass on the traditions of improvised jazz music. 

Eric Allen

Professional recording artist, percussionist Eric Allen is also a keyboardist, guitarist, vocalist and music instructor. Eric currently performs with the Carl Grubbs Ensemble and has performed with vibraphonist Lionel Hampton, reedman Illinois Jacquet, vocalist Jon Hendricks and trumpeter Wallace Roney, amongst others, in some of the most noted jazz clubs in New York, London, Rome, Milan, Tokyo, Zurich and Paris.

This Duke Ellington HS for the Performing Arts / Berklee College of Music educated artist is a drum instructor at the New Sewell Music Conservatory, Boy’s and Girl’s Club of Greater Washington, D.C., Columbia, MD’s Jazz Arts Academy and Contemporary Arts Inc.’s annual SAX:Music & Dance Camp Program at Loyola College in Maryland.

2806 Bruce Place, SE
Washington, 20020

Sunday, June 26, 2011 from 4:00 PM to 7:30 PM (ET)

Be Mo Jazz

The Be Mo Jazz project, organized by CA-FAM III, Inc.,  is an effort to honor the history, celebrate the presence and ensure the future of jazz music and culture. Baltimore is a perfect city to create such a project because of its rich history of celebrating indigenous music traditions. And the Mid-Atlantic region [PA, DE, MD, DC, VA, NC] is overflowing with musical talent to be both showcased and developed.