The Roe Bickley Kramer Trio
Falling colors
NEW DATE! Friday, DECEMBER 3rd @ 8:00 PM
Rescheduled from Friday, November 12th @ 8:00 PM
This concert is generously sponsored by Ron & Mimi Bogdasarian.
Pianist Rick Roe, bassist Rob Bickley, and drummer Jesse Kramer will take audiences on a musical fall color tour, through classic songs associated with the season by composers Vernon Duke, Vince Guaraldi, Thelonious Monk and more, as well as original music inspired by Autumn and composed by Rick Roe.
COVID-19 Safety Policy for Indoor Concerts
- Moving forward, all patrons and artists who wish to attend or present performances indoors at KCH must provide a valid, complete COVID-19 vaccination card OR proof of a negative COVID-19 test performed within the previous 72 hours prior to entry. Such proof must be presented at concert check-in, may be displayed on a smartphone OR presented as a physical copy, and must also be accompanied by a matching, valid ID for verification.**
- Additionally, according to current CDC recommendations, masks are required for audiences inside the House and can only be removed when seated with a beverage (when available). When performing, artists may wear a mask, or not, at their own discretion.
**Proof of vaccination exceptions will be made for children under 12 and people with a medical condition or closely held religious beliefs that prevent vaccination. These guests must provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken within the previous 72 hours prior to entry.
Rick Roe won first place in the Great American Jazz Piano Competition in 1994, was twice a semifinalist in Thelonius Monk International Jazz Piano Competition, in 1993 and 1999, and has been a featured performer in the Jacksonville (Florida) Jazz, Savannah (Georgia) Onstage International Arts, Montreaux/Detroit Jazz, Birmingham Jazz, Lansing Jazz, Flint Jazz, and Hawaii Jazz (with Frank Morgan) Festivals.
Mr. Roe has served as an educator/clinician at the University of Arizona, North Texas University, Michigan State University, the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, the University of Michigan, and the Montreaux/ Detroit Jazz Festival. He has given performances with Marcus Belgrave, Donald Walden, Rodney Whitaker, Frank Foster, Andrew Speight, Wycliffe Gordon, Gerald Cleaver, Victor Goines, Louis Smith, Randy Gelispie, Vincent York, Wendall Harrison, Dwight Adams, and many others. His recordings include “The Changeover” (1997), “Monk’s Modern Music” (1995), and “Sphere” (2005).
Ann Arbor native Rob Bickley received a B.M. from Michigan State University and M.M. from The Juilliard School. While living in New York, Rob served as a teaching artist for Jazz @ Lincoln Center. Rob has performed at such venues as The Blue Note, Dizzy’s Club Coca Cola, Small Jazz Club and Alice Tully Hall. Since returning to Ann Arbor, Rob can be seen performing with musicians Sean Dobbins, Rick Roe, Jesse Kramer, and Mike Malis. Rob has served on faculty for the Ann Arbor Public Schools summer music programs and is a regular clinician at schools across the district. Rob maintains an active private studio offering private lessons and small group classes.
Based in Ann Arbor, Jesse Kramer is one of the most in demand drummers in Metro Detroit. Kramer began learning drum set at the age of five, and grew up studying and working with local jazz masters such as Sean Dobbins, Paul Keller, Vincent York, and Claude Black. Kramer graduated from the University of Michigan School of Music in 2011, where he studied with Ellen Rowe, Andrew Bishop, Michael Gould, Marion Hayden, and Geri Allen. While attending U of M, Kramer was awarded a DownBeat Magazine Student Music Award, and represented the University at the 2011 International Association of Schools of Jazz meeting in Sao Paulo, Brazil, directed by Dave Liebman.
Kramer has performed with countless local and national artists, and is himself a respected band leader. He has recorded with artists such as Paul Keller, Demetrius Nabors, Miles Brown, and Vincent Chandler. Kramer performed and recorded in Bangkok with vocalist Natasha Patamapongs and her acclaimed group Mellow Motif for ThaiPBS “BossaNona All-Star Brazilian Concert” in 2011, and for the live DVD recording “Ao Vivo!” released in 2015.
Kramer co-leads the Roe Bickley Kramer trio, along with pianist Rick Roe and bassist Rob Bickley. The trio has released two albums: “Heliosphere” in 2018 and “Dark Virtue” in 2019. Kramer released his first solo record, “Acacia”, in 2014. Released in June of 2019, Kramer’s latest project “Antinous as Osiris” was inspired by two of the most important 20th century literary figures, Marguerite Yourcenar and Langston Hughes. Kramer translates Yourcenar’s exquisite language from her historical novel “Memoirs of Hadrian” and Hughes’ cadence from “Montage of a Dream Deferred” into timeless melodies with lush harmonies and sophisticated rhythmic structures.
