The Ubiquity of Jazz

NOBLE JOLLEY, JR.

Noble Jolley, Jr. is a Jazz Pianist, Composer, Arranger, and Producer. He received a scholarship to study at the prestigious Peabody Conservatory at Johns Hopkins University, where he majored in Jazz Studies/Performance. Noble’s achievements at Peabody were rewarded with a Study Abroad invitation to study jazz and classical piano at the esteemed Paris Conservatory in his junior year. Noble graduated with honors in 2009. He was selected as an Artist-In-Residence at the Strathmore Arts Center in 2010–2011

Noble has toured and/or opened up for renowned artists such as Ron Carter, James Moody, McCoy Tyner, John Legend, Ayọ and Fred Hammond to name a few. The Jazz Times called him “fiercely talented,” and the Jazz Setlist said, “Noble Jolley, Jr’s. jazz styling’s seamlessly meshed the past and the future… .” Noble was selected as the “Best Pianist” awarded by the Washington City Paper’s “Jazzies Award for D.C.’s Best Jazz in 2013.” In 2016, Noble wrote a 64-piece orchestral arrangement for the David Foster composition “The Prayer” that was performed at the prestigious Carnegie Hall with Grammy Award winners Yolanda Adams and Donnie McClurkin. Noble has produced for Grammy Award winner Mya, as well as artists Chante Moore, Kenny Lattimore, Kiana Ledé, Too Short, Rayven Justice, and Elijah Blake among others.

BLAKE MEISTER

“…wit, soul, and an organic-sounding complexity that only a master can pull off.” -Giovanni Russonello

A provocative young musician and composer, Blake Meister has worked with a range of virtuoso performers, including: Gary Thomas, Larry Willis, Katharine McPhee, Louis Hayes, Jack DeJohnette, Ahn Sook Sun, Ralph Peterson, Ingrid Jensen, Warren Wolf, Jeremy Pelt, Sean Jones, Jeff “Tain” Watts, Dennis Chambers, Marc Copland, Victor Lewis, and many others.

Touring and recording with Larry Willis, in his Heavy Blue band, Blake developed in the modern jazz tradition. He appears on Willis’ final outing, I Fall in Love Too Easily, on HighNote records. Blake honed his style and musical dialect working regularly with Gary Thomas, including Thomas’ large ensemble, Pariah’s Pariahs. He appears on Thomas’ album At Risk, on Inner Circle Music, for which he also wrote the liner notes.

Also on Inner Circle, Blake released his debut as a leader, Septagon, to critical acclaim. Septagonwas named Album of the Year by both CapitalBop and the Washington City Paper.

Blake received several Governor’s Citations from Maryland, garnering three Individual Artist Awards from the Maryland State Arts Council – for composition in 2018 and 2012, and for performance in 2015. He was a finalist in the Bass Europe and the International Society of Bassist competitions.

Sharing music through education, Blake was on the faculty of the Peabody Conservatory of Music — the nation’s oldest conservatory — for a decade. Before that, he began as faculty and program director for the Peabody Preparatory division, where he founded the jazz department. He has taught at several other colleges and programs.

Born and raised in the great city of Philadelphia, Blake was exposed early to a wide range of music. Starting out playing electric bass, he entered college with virtually no experience on the double bass. He went on to earn a master’s degree in orchestral performance from Catholic University’s Benjamin T. Rome School of Music, under a full-tuition scholarship.

INTEGRITI REEVES

Integriti Reeves is a dynamic vocal powerhouse whose “Modern Vintage” style bodies the past, present, and future of the genre. Her voice elicits comparisons to the dulcet purity of Ella Fitzgerald and the smoky effortlessness of Nat King Cole. Her experimental outlook is inspired by contemporary artists such as Feist and The Bird and The Bee, whilst her signature retro look pays homage to icons of the 1950s. Her debut solo EP Stairway To The Stars was released in March of 2014, and it features an eclectic mix of jazz standards, Brazilian rhythms, and pop influences. She has since performed with many renowned contemporary jazz and pop artists including Herbie Hancock, Ernie Andrews, Geri Allan, Eperanza Spaulding, Stevie Wonder, Bobby Mcferrin, Terri Lyne Carrington, Liz Wright, Patrice Rushen, Hugh Masekela, and Smokey Robinson. She has also performed as a featured soloist with the National Symphony Orchestra. Ms. Reeves’s musical experience is also grounded in academic excellence. She is a graduate of DC’s Duke Ellington School of the Arts and Baltimore’s Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University. After receiving the Max Corzilius Scholarship, she studied under the tutelage of renowned vocalist Jay Clayton at Peabody, and took private lessons from Howard University Jazz Professor Connaitre Miller. In 2013 Ms. Reeves served as an Artist-In-Residence at the prestigious Music Center at Strathmore. In early 2014 she participated in the highly selective Betty Carter’s Jazz Ahead program, a residency for young composers and performers held at the Kennedy Center. In May of that same year, Ms. Reeves received the degree of Master of Music from Howard University.