Jazz @ the Gantt: Anthony Wonsey Quintet with Wallace Roney, Jr.

Wrap up the week by enjoying a live performance from world class musicians with a twice-monthly jazz series, kicking off on Friday, September 23 and Saturday, September 24. The inaugural Jazz @ the Gantt  performance will showcase the Anthony Wonsey Quintet, featuring trumpeter, Wallace Roney, Jr. Wonsey is a renowned jazz pianist and Roney, Jr. hails from a long line of jazz greats, including his father, Grammy winner, Wallace Roney.

Jazz @ the Gantt is produced by Ocie Davis. This series will present modern jazz musicians from New York City, where the history of jazz music runs deep. Season 1, entitled To Be Young Gifted and Black, will feature current and rising Black American musicians who are the torch bearers of this great American art form.

Entertaining and insightful, this series will showcase invaluable contributions Black people continue to make to the cultural fabric of America and worldwide. Shake off the stress of the week and come to the Gantt to unwind and enjoy live music in an exclusive and elegant setting.

Performance Times

• Friday, September 23
  6 pm & 8:30 pm
• Saturday, September 24
  7 pm & 9:30 pm

Anthony Wonsey (Harlem, New York City) is an innovative jazz pianist and his dynamic compositions and imaginative arrangements have established him as an in-demand musician internationally.

Wonsey received a full scholarship to the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston. While a student, he played locally with Roy Hargrove and Antonio Hart and toured with Kenny Garrett. He relocated to NYC and played with John Coltrane's legendary drummer, Elvin Jones and his group The Jazz Machine. "Anthony Wonsey's touch on the piano is second to none," stated Nicholas Payton, Grammy Award-winning recording artist.

As an established hard bop/post-bop force, Wonsey toured and recorded with Wallace Roney, Nicholas Payton, and Chico Freeman. Legends have noted his stylings as a pianist as full of "soulfulness and musical virtuosity." Over the years Wonsey has also played with Jeremy Pelt, Charles Tolliver, Louis Hayes, Carmen Lundy, and many more.

Wallace Roney. Jr. hails from a long line of jazz greats, including his late father, Grammy winner, trumpeter Wallace Roney and late mother, pianist and Guggenheim fellow, Geri Allen. He has garnered praise with his beautiful tone and melodic phrasing and is amongst a wave of young black musicians keeping the tradition of jazz alive.

Roney Jr. has shared the bandstand and garnered the approval of many legends including Chick Corea, Jimmy Heath, Charles Tolliver, Lenny White, and the late great Ornette Coleman. A graduate of the esteemed Oberlin Conservatory of Music, he continues to play in numerous venues across the U.S and internationally.