Russell Kirk

This is the recording of their live-streamed performance from our stage on Jan 30, 2021.

Russell Kirk - Alto
Alex Norris - Trumpet
Kevin Clark - Guitar
Jeff Reed - Bass
Eric Kennedy - Drums

Saxophonist/Composer Russell Kirk is a distinguished musician, an innovative force in the industry who offers a fresh approach that is both evocative and richly balanced. His expressive musical style punctuates his nuanced compositions, and nowhere is it more evident than in his latest release “To Journal Square”.

A native of Baltimore, Russell received his undergraduate degree from The Johns Hopkins University, Peabody Institute. He then travelled with the USO, performing across several continents entertaining troops stationed far from home.

While on tour with the USO he applied for and received a scholarship from the Eubie Blake Foundation, allowing him to halt touring to pursue graduate studies at New York University. While earning his master’s degree, Russell was an adjunct faculty member at Steinhardt School of Culture, where he headed a music outreach program for inner city youths in Harlem and the East Village, interned at Saturday Night Live and played with various ensembles and artists such as John Scofield, Chris Potter, and Lenny Pickett. Being in New York in the heart of jazz central provided him the opportunity to listen to and meet some of the most progressive musical geniuses who would later influence the direction of the music he was composing.

After graduating from NYU he toured Japan with his long-time mentor Gary Thomas. Russell has performed and recorded with a widely diverse and celebrated list of musicians and orchestras, among them – The Baltimore Symphony, George Clinton’s Parliament Funkadelic, The Soulful Symphony, The Cab Calloway Orchestra, The Eubie Blake Legacy Band, The Temptations, The Four Tops, The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, Winslow Dynasty, and Rumba Club. He has played with the best in the business – Paquito D’Rivera, Sam Rivers, Terri Lyne Carrington, Dennis Chambers, Michael Formanek, Mike Clark, Sonya Kitchell, Wayne Krantz, Kenny Werner, Gary Thomas, Ed Howard, Kevin Mahogany, Cuba Gooding Sr., Jill Scott, and Vusi Mahlasela.

He and his band opened for Herbie Hancock at The Clifford Brown Jazz Festival and have played other festivals. Russell is a Buffet Crampon USA Performing Artist and holds annual master classes throughout the U.S. under their banner. He is a 5-time recipient of the Maryland State Arts Council’s Individual Artist Award and has been featured in numerous published articles including an extensive artist profile in Saxophone Journal Magazine. His compositions have led to a residency at the John F. Kennedy Center and a position at the Carnegie Hall Creative Composition Workshop.

Baltimore Magazine selected him “Best Arranger” and featured him in the “Best of Baltimore” issue for his arrangement of Gary Thomas’ “Who’s In Control?”, performed by The Peabody Jazz Orchestra.

Russell Kirk’s musical expressions stand out as distinctly modern in color and style yet they retain the endearing, romantic sentiments of the American songbook. In his playing, as in his composition, he is sincere and provocative – a perfect confluence of old and new influences.

Russell Kirk is currently a recording artist on Greg Osby’s Inner Circle Music Label.

Streaming cost is $10
Donations are welcomed.