TICKETS are $12 General/$6 Student. One-Set  concert - End time is around 9:00.

Alvin Cobb, Jr. Trio

Alvin Cobb, Jr. – Drums

Katie Ernst – Bass & Vocals

Julius Tucker – Piano

Links:

Websites:

alvincobbjr.com

katieernst.com

juliustucker.com

Album: https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/alvincobbjr/youll-need-this-later

Music Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KIgMaVaDUM

The Alvin Cobb, Jr. Trio, led by drummer and composer Alvin Cobb, Jr., accompanied by bassist/vocalist Katie Ernst and pianist Julius Tucker, formed during the pandemic in order to independently produce livestream concerts that would help raise funds for various grassroots organizations on the South and West sides of Chicago. Since their start in late 2020, the trio has been featured on NPR, held a residency at Chicago’s Andy’s Jazz Club, toured live film scores, and was nominated in 2022 for the Best Jazz Ensemble in the Chicago Reader. Heavily inspired by straight-ahead jazz trio playing, their music also incorporates cinematic textures, folk melodies, free improvisation, and modern Black music elements from Hip-Hop and R&B. Alvin’s debut album, You’ll Need This Later, featuring this trio performing 13 of his new original compositions, was released in May 2024.

A native of metro-Atlanta, Alvin Cobb, Jr., is a drummer, composer-songwriter, producer, and award-winning photographer currently based in Chicago. Howard Reich of the Chicago Tribune once wrote, “Here was a drummer who can make his instrument sing, the lyricism of his work sustaining listener interest…Cobb has emerged as a distinctly charismatic player.” Graduating from Florida State University (B.A.) and Northwestern University (M.M.) with degrees in Music Performance, Alvin studied drums under Leon Anderson, Jr., and Willie Jones III respectively. Alvin has worked with countless artists, including Chance the Rapper, Nola Adé, Marcus Printup, Dee Alexander, and Patricia Barber. He is the leader of the Alvin Cobb, Jr. Trio. Since forming in late 2020, the trio has appeared on NPR, held a residency at Chicago’s Andy’s Jazz Club, toured live film scores, and was nominated in 2022 for the Best Jazz Ensemble in the Chicago Reader. Alvin’s critically acclaimed debut album, You’ll Need This Later, featuring this trio performing his new original compositions, was released in May 2024. The album draws from over 15 years of personal notes and voice memos addressed to his younger self. For this project, he gathered 13 of those diary entries and wrote songs for each one. The album covers numerous topics including love, hope, and a 2014 car accident that could have easily ended his music career. His other notable projects include a duo collaboration with Indian dance artist, Ashwaty Chennat, and composing new scores to the silent film works of Black film pioneer, Oscar Micheaux.

Katie Ernst is described by the Chicago Tribune as "a versatile young bassist who plays in far-flung bands and sings with uncommon delicacy and authenticity." She is co-leader of the jazz trio Twin Talk, folk-jazz duo Wayfaring, indie rock band Edith Judith, and has received critical acclaim for her Dorothy Parker poetry song cycle Little Words, which premiered at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. Recent recognitions include a composing residency at the Ragdale Foundation, performances at the Hyde Park and Chicago Jazz Festivals; performing with the EuroRadio Jazz Orchestra in Latvia; and being named a Luminarts Jazz Fellow. Ernst regularly performs with Alvin Cobb Jr. Trio, Gustavo Cortiñas’ Kind Regards, Mike Conrad Trio, and Ted Sirota’s Hungry Brain Fellowship Trio. She is currently touring with Iron & Wine and Shadowlands. She is also a teaching artist for the Jazz Institute of Chicago’s Jazz Masters Residency Program and serves on faculty at Birch Creek Music Academy. Ernst joined the board of directors for the Jazz Institute of Chicago in 2023. Katie Ernst holds a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies & Contemporary Media and a Bachelor of Musical Arts from the Eastman School of Music, where she studied bass with Jeff Campbell and James VanDemark.

Julius Tucker is a pianist, composer, bandleader and producer. His musical voice encompasses a multitude of genres, from jazz to house music. Regularly performing with the likes of Alvin Cobb, Jr., Marques Carroll, and Lenard Simpson, he has become known for his complex sensitivities and agile fluidity on his instrument. At the age of 7, Tucker began studying classical piano at the Moody School of Music in Chicago.  He gravitated to jazz piano while in middle school at Whitney Young Magnet H.S. He continued his studies concurrently at the Merit School of Music where he gained invaluable insight into developing his own voice and style on the piano. Tucker went on to study at Northwestern University and received degrees in both Jazz Piano and Civil Engineering.  During his senior year, he was awarded a prestigious Luminarts Fellowship in jazz improvisation. Steadily rising in the Chicagoland area, Tucker has had the opportunity to play at noted venues; including The Green Mill, Andy’s Jazz Club, Constellation, and the Jazz Showcase. He has also been featured at the Chicago and Hyde Park Jazz Festivals. Traveling abroad, he has performed at the JazzIt jazz festival in Italy.

Concerts and events made possible, in part, with support from the Wells Fargo Philanthropic Services Private Trust Foundations, which include grants from the Stanley A. and Flora P. Clark Memorial Community Trust Foundation (2020-2021; 2022-2023 seasons), the John, Anna, and Martha Jane Fields Memorial Trust Foundation (2021-2022; 2022-2023 seasons), and the Florence V. Carroll Charitable Trust (2021-2022; 2022-2023 season). Special concert event support provided by the Arts Midwest Grow, Invest, Gather (GIG) Fund grant (2022-2023 season). Activities are made possible in part by the Arts Organization Support (AOS), Indiana Arts Commission, a state agency, and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency (2023-2024 season).

Concerts and events made possible, in part, with support from The Esther and George Jaruga Charitable Foundation (2020-2023 seasons). The Student and Home Grown Series concerts made possible, in part, with support from the ArtsEverywhere Grant from the Community Foundation of St. Joseph County, and the Arts Project Support Grant and the Arts Recovery Grant through the Indiana Arts Commission.