The Baltimore Kissa Society is proud to present a listening party of jazz music focusing on the seductive power of the saxophone. Guest presenter Beth Fredrick puts a personal spin on why saxophonists are so sexy, while sharing erotic vinyl recordings of artists such as John Coltrane, Gato Barbieri, and the Brecker Brothers. Dutch Courage has kindly agreed to open early for us vinyl enthusiasts. Drinks and snacks will be available for purchase. Kissa Society sessions are always free and open to everyone, regardless of their jazz knowledge. This session is rated PG-13 :)

The Baltimore Kissa Society was proud to present a listening party of jazz music to nourish your soul, held inside Mickalene Thomas’ installation A Moment’s Pleasure at the Baltimore Museum of Art. Presenters Alexander Jarman and Vaunita Goodman offered a playlist of tracks by important soul jazz artists, including some that transitioned from their jazz roots to become soul, funk, or R&B artists outright after the 1960s. Vinyl recordings of artists such as Jimmy Smith, Charles Earland, George Benson, The Crusaders, and George Benson were all featured.

Listening Party 36 featured the music of bagpiper and jazz musician Rufus Harley. Guest presenter Josh Kohn shared some of Harley’s greatest tracks and discussed how he went about incorporating such a unique instrument into the jazz idiom. Special thanks to the Enoch Pratt’s Best and Next department, which features some great vinyl treasures!

Listening Party 33 will be presented by special guest DJ Mills. He will share the incredible and unique sound that Larry and Alphonso Mizell were able to cultivate from some of Blue Note’s best jazz musicians in the 1970s. Think of jazz meets funk music!

The Music
The Mizells discovered music alongside their friends Donny Hathaway and Donald Byrd and by the 1960s were associated with Berry Gordy's Motown Records, writing hits for The Jackson 5 and Martha & The Vandellas. Eventually looking for a new sound, the Mizells once again linked up with their friend Donald Byrd in the early 1970s to combine their penchant for funk with new evolutions in jazz, and became a mainstay at Blue Note Records for the next decade. Their work at Blue Note continues to be used for sampling by the hip-hop community today.

Special thanks to Normal’s Books and Records for hosting us! Complimentary beer and coffee will be provided and all are welcome, regardless of your jazz expertise.

Listening Party 32 featured some great tuba players such as Bob Stewart, Arthur Blythe, Don Butterfield, and many more. Sometimes known as “the other bass,” the tuba was an important component for band leaders like Charles Mingus who created orchestral pieces. We listened to some tuba players who were happy to support the rest of the band as well as some musicians who put the tuba front and center in their jazz lineups. We are grateful to have had Soundscape as our host for this event.

LIstening Party 31 will features vinyl recordings of Dollar Brand, also known as Abdullah Ibrahim (b. 1934). Guest presenter Don Palmer will tell us about Ibrahim’s escape from persecution in South Africa and his rise as a jazz musician living in Europe combining American and African music.

After Palmer’s playlist, we’ll offer open turntables to anyone bringing their own vinyl. Complimentary beverages will be provided and we encourage everyone to peruse the amazing selection of literature and vinyl at Normal’s Books and Records, our host for the evening. The event is free and all are welcome no matter their prior jazz experience.

Jazz is one of the most unique genres of music and has often been categorized as “serious” or even conceptual. But jazz has always borrowed freely from other genres of music and the best jazz vocalists have been able to not only borrow, but marry their music with pop. Listening Party 30 welcomed guest presenter Andria Hanner, who presented vinyl recordings of iconic singers including Lena Horne, Dinah Washington, Sarah Vaughan, Barbara Streisand, and many more.

There’s something about the jazz organ that can seem to warm you up in the middle of winter. Listening Party 29 highlighted a few of the talented women to have played this incredible instrument, with vinyl recordings of tracks by Trudy Pitts (1932-2010), Shirley Scott (1934-2002), Rhoda Scott (b.1938), and Barbara Dennerlein (b. 1964).

This was also our first listening session at Dear Globe, a great coffee shop located just a few doors down from the Eubie Blake Jazz Center. The venue is BYOB, and they also have some tasty coffee and treats available for sale.

Listening Party 28 will feature vinyl recordings of Latin jazz artists, and the line-up will be completely decided by the public. Are a Latin jazz lover? Do you have some Latin jazz records lying around the house that you'd like to share with others? Then help us plan our November Kissa session by joining our planning group. Email us at baltimorekissasociety@gmail.com and we'll send you some upcoming meeting times. We'll get together periodically leading up to the event and play tracks for each other, eventually deciding on an overall playlist.

Just want to come listen to the Kissa? That's great too. As always, we'll have about an hour's worth of tracks for the listening party with open turntables afterwards for anyone bringing their own vinyl. 

All are welcome, regardless of jazz or vinyl knowledge. Complimentary refreshments will be offered.

Listening Party 27 will feature vinyl recordings of percussion legend Joe Chambers, including his work on albums such as Andrew Hill's Compulsion, Archie Shepp's Fire Music, Bobby Hutcherson's Dialogue, and many more. Guest presenter Steve Estes will provide us with some context about Chambers' life and career, and then we'll hear about an hour of tracks before offering open turntables to the audience. This will be a great listening experience inside of a great record store!

All are invited, regardless of jazz knowledge. Complimentary refreshments will be offered.

Listening Party 26 will feature vinyl recordings of Japanese jazz artists such as Terumasa Hino, Maki Asakawa, Takehiro Honda, and more. The Kissa welcomes the Baltimore Japan Art Festival, and the audience will have a chance to learn about this awesome group and their upcoming festival. As always, we'll have about an hour's worth of tracks for the listening party with open turntables afterwards for anyone bringing their own vinyl. 

All are welcome, regardless of your jazz or vinyl knowledge. Complimentary refreshments will be offered.

The Baltimore Museum of Art partnered with the Baltimore Kissa Society to host a listening party inspired by Jack Whitten’s passion for jazz. We gathered at the BMA and listened to vinyl recordings of jazz artists that fueled Whitten’s creative imagination including Ornette Coleman, John Coltrane, and The Sun Ra Arkestra. We also listened to some amazing new jazz artists that are pushing ahead, just as Whitten did with his artistic practice. This was a nice two year anniversary. 

Listening Party 24 will feature vinyl recordings of pianist, songwriter, and producer Allen Toussaint. Guest presenter Scott Hinman will discuss the life and style of Toussaint's music before playing an hour's worth of tracks. Afterwards, we'll offer open turntables to anyone bringing their own vinyl. 

Everyone is welcome, regardless of your jazz or vinyl knowledge. Complimentary refreshments and red beans & rice will be offered.

Listening Party 23 will feature some great vinyl recordings from jazz drummer Tony Williams (1945-1997).  You'll hear an hour's worth of tracks selected by guest presenter Ajay Malghan and then it's open turntables for anyone bringing their own albums.  We will have some tasty refreshments, a great sound system, and plenty of good vibes.  All are welcome!

Listening Party 22 will feature some great vinyl recordings from jazz cornetist, composer, and conductor Butch Morris (1947-2013).  You'll hear tracks selected by guest presenters Don Palmer and Beth Frederick, who were friends of the late artist. After a half hour of social time, we'll listen to an hour of music, and then it's open turntables for anyone bringing their own albums.  We will have some tasty refreshments, a great sound system, and plenty of good vibes.  All are welcome!

Listening Party 21 will feature some great vinyl recordings from artists who helped to contribute to the Steely Dan studio sound.  You'll hear tracks by jazz legends such as Wayne Shorter and Joe Sample, as well as the tunes they recorded with Steely Dan. After a half hour of social time, we'll listen to an hour of music, and then it's open turntables for anyone bringing their own albums.  We will have some tasty refreshments, a great sound system, and plenty of good vibes at one of the coolest record stores in town.  All are welcome!

Listening Party 20 will feature some great vinyl recordings from artists who helped to contribute to the Ragtime sound.  You'll hear tracks by Baltimore's own Eubie Blake, as well as Jelly Roll Morton, Scott Joplin, Jo Ann Castle, and more. After a half hour of social time, we'll listen to an hour of music, and then it's open turntables for anyone bringing their own albums.  We will have some tasty refreshments, a good sound system, and plenty of good vibes at the Eubie Blake Cultural Center.  All are welcome!

More about the Eubie Blake Cultural Center.

Donate to the Eubie Blake Cultural Center.

Listening Party 19 will feature some great vinyl recordings from artists who helped to contribute to an "Afrofuturist" sound.  You'll hear tracks by Minnie Riperton, Flora Purim, Abbey Lincoln, and many more.  Come hear some great jazz music as well as a few pop and funk tracks with our host Vaunita Goodman.  We will have some tasty refreshments, a good sound system, and plenty of good vibes at the Cardinal gallery space.  All are welcome!

Listening Party 16 featured vinyl recordings of music by Keith Jarrett, who has had equal impact in both the classical and jazz worlds. Our host for the evening was Wendel Patrick who picked the tracks on our playlist below. 

Listening Party 15 featured some great vinyl recordings dealing with the themes of protest and/or freedom. We heard tracks from a large span of time, from the 1930s to today! Our host for the evening, Andre Mazelin, kept the masses refreshed with tasty drinks from the bar at The Room, and Alexander Jarman spun the tunes on some amazing equipment we had just for this occasion, all from Soundscape.   

Our playlist for the evening is below.

Wanna hear this playlist? Well, you can by visiting our YouTube page.

Listening Party 14 will feature vinyl recordings from throughout the diverse career of Gil Scott-Heron. Our playlist will be chosen by special guest presenter Scott Hinman and our venue for the evening is the amazing record shop Normal's Books and Records.  

After a half hour of social time, we'll hear about an hour of Gil Scott-Heron tracks, and then it's open turntables for the rest of the night for anyone who brings their own jazz records to share.   

As always, Listening Parties are FREE and open to everyone, no jazz expertise required. 

Listening Party 13 featured vinyl recordings of two amazing jazz harpists, Dorothy Ashby and Alice Coltrane. Our playlist was chosen by special guest presenter Ada Pinkston. Our venue for the evening was an amazing newer addition to the Mt. Vernon neighborhood, The Room.  For much of the evening the place was packed, and the combination of  delicious food and tasty beer with the luscious sounds of the jazz harp made for a great night.

If you want to keep listening to some great tunes, check out the playlist below or just head straight to our YouTube page to listen to a recreation of the listening party.

Listening Party 11 featured vinyl recordings of Joanne Brackeen's compositions.  Women's History Month was the perfect time to highlight an underrated jazz pianist such as Ms. Brackeen, who is still alive and working in NYC.  

Our venue for the evening was an exciting new addition to the Mt. Vernon neighborhood, Diskobar.  This intimate subterranean lounge has a full bar and you can even order food to your table from Kumari restaurant, which is located just upstairs.  

You can find the evening's playlist and photos from the event below.