Pittsburgh-based pianist Dr. Alton Merrell returns for an evening of spirit-filled jazz for the soul. He leads a trio featuring some of Northeast Ohio's favorite rhythm section experts.

Featuring:

• Alton Merrell, piano and keyboards
• Jordan McBride, bass
• Zaire Darden, drums

Tickets for this show are $20 in advance, $25 at the door.

This event will also be livestreamed on BOP STOP's Youtube Channel at showtime. Accessing the stream is free but donations are encouraged and directly support the band.

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Dr. Alton Merrell is an internationally acclaimed pianist, Hammond B-3 organist, composer, and educator. He has performed and taught throughout the United States, Europe, Asia and parts of the Caribbean.

Merrell’s artistry blends lyrical melodies, rich harmonies, and fluid technique, spanning jazz, gospel, classical, pop, and rhythm and blues. Whether performing his own compositions or commissioned to celebrate the music of legendary artists, Merrell’s rich musical interpretations take listeners on spirit-filled excursions that deeply touch the soul.
Merrell is a sought-after pianist who has performed with legendary jazz artists, including Antonio Hart, Tia Fuller, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Curtis Fuller, Benny Golson, Slide Hampton, Jimmy Heath, Roger Humphries, Sean Jones, Hubert Laws and Delfeayo Marsalis. He also shared the stage with Christian McBride, Jimmy Owens, Rufus Reid, Jim Snidero, Sachal Vasandani, Kim Nazarian, Kenny Washington, and Jeff “Tain” Watts, and regularly collaborates with Pittsburgh’s leading jazz artists.

Merrell is a current member of the Pittsburgh Jazz Orchestra and has performed multiple times with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Jazz Orchestra, Cleveland State Jazz Heritage Orchestra, Pittsburgh Concert Chorale, YSU All-Star Alumni Jazz Ensemble and Warren Philharmonic Orchestra.

Merrell is a composer of illustrious works in gospel jazz and has performed with nationally known Gospel/Christian artists, some of whom include Kim Burrell, David and Nicole Binion, Morris Chapman, Maurette Brown Clark, Darwin Hobbs, Israel Houghton and Donnie McClurkin. He also shared the stage with Doe Jones, Martha Munizzi, Dorothy Norwood, LaShunn Pace, Alvin Slaughter, Parkes Stewart, and the late Rev. Timothy Wright. He also has been featured several times on the nationally televised Bobby Jones Gospel Show and has served as orchestrator and music director of several productions and oratorios that incorporated several musical genres including Gospel, Broadway, Latin Brazilian, Neo-Classical, Caribbean, World Music, among others.

Merrell leads his own jazz group, “The Alton Merrell Trio” and has a reputation of sharing “spirit-filled jazz for the soul.” His latest acclaimed release, “Withholding Nothing” was released on the Grammy award-winning MCGJazz label, distributed worldwide.
Merrell is the author of five instructional books with companion online courses, including 30 Modern Bebop Licks: 30 Exercises to Help You Master Bebop Improvisation, Music Theory for the Improvising Musician, and The Complete Piano Technique Course: Book 1, 2 and 3.
Merrell earned his PhD in Jazz Studies from the University of Pittsburgh focusing on jazz piano performance and pedagogy. His dissertation, The Life and Music of McCoy Tyner: An Examination of the Sociocultural Influences on McCoy Tyner and His Music, explored the cultural and social contexts that shaped Tyner’s work. From Youngstown State University, Alton earned a Bachelor of Music in Music Education and Classical Piano Performance, graduating Cum Laude, and a Master of Music in Jazz Piano Performance.

Alton Merrell is currently the Lead Instructor at the Minstrel School of Music, an Adjunct Professor of Jazz Piano at Duquesne University, and an Adjunct Professor of Music at the Community College of Allegheny County. He previously served as Director of Jazz and Commercial Music at both West Virginia University and Youngstown State University and has also taught at the University of Pittsburgh.

Through his work in higher education and his online platform, the Minstrel School of Music, Merrell has taught and mentored students from around the world and continues to train musicians globally.

Whether performing or teaching, Merrell incorporates diverse musical styles in his repertoire to inspire and uplift audiences worldwide with music that communicates love, hope, and healing.

www.altonmerrell.com

Jordan McBride:

Jordan McBride picked up the bass at age 12 and began to develop a sound influenced by the Philadelphia Jazz scene. As a teen, Jordan studied with Jazz greats such as bassists Andy McCloud and Mike Boone, often trailing musicians into Jazz clubs around Philadelphia. Jordan studied classical music earning a position in the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra, and studied Jazz band performance and bass at Philadelphia’s prestigious Settlement Music School. There, he joined a group of young jazz performers and began performing in and around Philadelphia. The group quickly gained a reputation that landed the young musicians gigs for Philadelphia Mayor, John Street, Philadelphia Eagle owner, Jeffrey Lurie, and a New York City performance for Freddie Hubbard’s memorial tribute, opening for Jazz legend McCoy Tyner. Jordan McBride holds an Artist Degree from Oberlin Conservatory of Music where he worked with Peter Dominquez and Gerald Cannon. Before entering college, Jordan had the opportunity to work with Jazz legend Jimmy Heath. Jordan McBride has shared the stage with Orrin Evans, Nathan Paul, Andrew Finn McGill, Kathy Kosins, among many others, and is a founding member of the Theron Brown trio. Jordan McBride is based in Akron, OH.

www.jordanmcbridebass.com

Zaire Darden:

Zaire Darden is a highly regarded professional jazz drummer based in Northeast Ohio, active in the music scene since at least 2014. Known for his intuitive playing style, he has collaborated frequently with artists such as Theron Brown and Chris Coles. Darden is recognized as a significant performer in the Akron jazz community.