KARL LATHAM & FRIENDS COMING TO SPARTA
The Sparta Summer Concert Series is thrilled to present a wonderful night of jazz as Karl Latham & Friends come to town on Friday July 23rd.
Karl Latham and Friends featuring renowned musicians, guitarist Mitch Stein, bassist Calvin X Jones and a very special guest will be performing iconic pop standards with a rock/jazz twist. Selections from Latham’s release “Living Standards” will take you on an adventurous jam band/jazz journey, exploring smash pop, rock and soul hits that have become modern standards, overlapping generations of listeners.
Former Sparta resident Karl Latham is known for his work with many acclaimed artists including Grammy winners, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Members and the groups he co-leads with Don Braden/Karl Latham; Laurence Hobgood and James Robbins; Alex Collins and Ryan Berg and his regular appearances with John Lee (Director of the Dizzy Gillespie Alumni Groups). Karl has subbed on the Broadway productions of “Hamilton”, “Beautiful” and “Ain’t Too Proud”.
Guitarist Mitch Stein has performed with Tania Maria, David Sanborn, The Brecker Brothers, Bill Evans, Randy Brecker, Steve Kimock, Jim Weider, Stone Alliance, and Adam Holzman. Calvin X Jones has performed with numerous artists including Patti Austin, Don Braden, Tom Brown, Alex Bugnon, Donald Byrd, Steve Coleman, Craig Harris, Jon Hendricks, Andrew Hill, Eartha Kitt, Dave Koz, Les McCann, Greg Osby, Max Roach, Pharoah Sanders and James "Blood" Ulmer. Mr. Jones has performed on Broadway with “Bring 'N Da Noise, Bring 'N Da Funk (including the first national tour), "Aint Nothin' But The Blues", "All Shook Up" and "The Janice Joplin Show”.
Karl is on the Percussive Arts Society Education Committee and is an adjunct professor at Drew University, the County College of Morris and Passaic County Community College. Karl is an endorsee/clinician for Yamaha Drums, Paiste Cymbals, Evans Drumheads, and Innovative Percussion. For information on this show and Latham’s other projects visit: www.karllatham.com.
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Opening the evening concert is Adam Najemian , a guitarist and singer who specializes in blues music. Playing since he was 9 years old, Adam now performs as a solo musician, both acoustically and with a full electric band. He plays throughout the greater NYC area, including the legendary Stanhope House, Jockey Hollow, Salt Gastropub, music festivals and several other venues in Vermont, North Carolina, Philadelphia (The Twisted Tail), New York City (Shrine; Terra Blues) and Memphis. Adam has opened for and played with several big names in music and blues, including Grammy nominated artist Danielle Nicole, Brandon “Taz” Niederauer, Tab Benoit, Samantha Fish, Pat Dinizio of The Smithereens, Eric Steckel, Shemekia Copeland, Matt Schofield and Billy Hector. He has been featured on local radio stations HomeGrownRadioNJ.org and WNTI.org, including interviews and live performances.