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September Friday Jazz
September 20, 2019 @ 6:00 pm - 10:00 pm
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September Friday Jazz
Mark your calendar for live jazz at the High, hosted by Jamal Ahmad from Jazz 91.9 WCLK, Atlanta’s jazz station! On the third Friday of every month, you’ll enjoy music, drinks, and art. Each month will feature a different style of jazz, from straight ahead to free jazz, bebop to swing, and more.
September features the music of Nelson Ramos.
About Nelson Ramos
Nelson Ramos began his musical journey in Puerto Rico playing and studying percussion (drums, congas, bongos, and timbales) at the age of 5. His first live performance was at age 7 with his uncle’s salsa orchestra in Guayama, Puerto Rico. In 1974, his family moved to Atlanta, where Nelson started to play regular gigs with local jazz groups, attending jam sessions, studying, performing, and collaborating with jazz musicians in the metropolitan area. In 1991, he organized and recorded with South Side Trio, an organ, guitar, and drum jazz trio. The ensemble was selected to perform at the 1992 Atlanta Jazz Festival, where they had the honor of performing on the same stage as Horace Silver, Carter Jefferson, and Freddie Hubbard.
While in the military, Nelson studied piano at the U.S. School of Music at Little Creek Naval Installation in Virginia Beach, VA. In Panama, he performed for local dignitaries and played behind Panama’s premier female jazz vocalist, Ms. Barbara Wilson, and with members of the Panamanian National Band. He later performed with numerous salsa, Latin jazz, and blues musicians across the United States. In 2004, he moved to New Orleans, where he played with blues musician Jimmy Hicks and performed at the 2006 French Quarter Festival and 2007 New Orleans Jazz Festival with the Cuban group AsheSon and with Fredy Omar and his salsa band.
Nelson has also performed with bands in Baltimore and D.C. and had the privilege of playing piano for the Barack Obama Mambo Inauguration Party with Ted David and his Orquesta La Leyenda. Nelson currently lives and works in Roswell, GA, where he leads and directs Son Jazzy Orchestra and performs with other jazz and Latin groups throughout Atlanta and the Southeast.
Prepay for guaranteed parking, take MARTA to the Arts Center Station (N5), or take a Lyft.
This event is part of the Smithsonian Year of Music. For more information, please visit music.si.edu
Interested in having your band perform at the High for a future Friday Jazz event? Visit high.org/FridayJazzSubmission to get in touch.
