Brinae Ali
Brinae Ali, born and raised in Flint, Michigan is an interdisciplinary artist who believes in using the power of the arts to transform the conditions of the human spirit.
Baltimore Jazz Collective
Who We Are
The Baltimore Jazz Collective is a Peabody Conservatory-based ensemble of faculty artists and Baltimore-area musicians that features each member’s musical voice, compositions, and arrangements. Though there is no single band leader, trumpeter and Richard and Elizabeth Case Chair of Jazz Studies Sean Jones formed the Collective in 2019. He drew inspiration from his time in the SFJAZZ Collective, where every member is responsible for contributing compositions. Many of the Baltimore Jazz Collective’s performances have been hosted at Baltimore’s newest jazz club, Keystone Korner, operated by National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master Todd Barkan. In addition, with generous support from Johns Hopkins University, the Collective has written and recorded new music and arrangements.
Members of the Collective
Alex Brown
GRAMMY award-winning pianist and composer Alex Brown is at the forefront of a new generation of artists. The New York Times says he plays “with a crystalline touch and a worldly approach.”
Kris Funn
Kristopher Funn was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland. He began playing the trumpet at age four and took up the double bass at age 14 upon entering high school. Through the instruction of his father, Charles Funn, Funn performed his first professional bass gig the same year he began learning the instrument.
Sean Jones
The young jazz veteran trumpeter Sean Jones believes passionately in championing the creative arc of artists who are committed to their life journey. “I think the progression of the art form comes with people being allowed to be themselves in their rawest form with no compromise,” he has noted.
Eric Kennedy
A Baltimore native, Eric Kennedy is a drummer, vocalist, percussionist, educator, and composer. He started performing at the age of three with a family band and was encouraged by the musicians in his East Baltimore neighborhood.
Todd Marcus
Bass clarinetist, composer, and bandleader Todd Marcus is one of the few jazz artists worldwide to focus their work primarily on the bass clarinet.