Horowitz Center Playbills and Programs

Once Upon a Prairie

Saturday, April 11, 2026

7:30 p.m.

Monteabaro Recital Hall

FEATURING

Alan Blackman, Piano
Max Murray, Bass
Frank Russo, Drums
Jonathan Epley, Guitar
Chris Burbank, Trumpet

PROGRAM

About the program 

How does a jazz pianist from Baltimore come to produce a multimedia piece about the American prairie? That’s a question I often get when describing this work. The long and short of it is that I married into it. One side of my wife’s family was homesteaders in North Dakota. She has vivid childhood memories of spending summers on the farm riding horses bareback, the perpetual wind in her hair, basking in the endless sky and the never-ending horizon. She introduced me to this mysterious landscape over 25 years ago and I’ve been fascinated by its uniqueness and history ever since. After seeing that pristine habitat be overrun with hulking metal and fire, the hallmarks of the oil and gas industry, I knew I needed to dive into the history of this place to try and determine its past, present and future.

After procuring funding from the MAP Fund, MSAC, IACA and others, I was determined to find a photographer with an eye for capturing the heart of the matter and discovered the brilliant Glen McClure. We then embarked on trips to North Dakota, Montana, Kansas and Oklahoma in an effort to document the current state of affairs. The good, the bad and the ugly, as it were. My hope is that this piece will open eyes to the importance of preserving America’s grasslands, not just for their beauty but for the vital healing aspects they bring to our fragile climate.

Assembling this video of historical information, Glen’s artful photography, my drone footage and composing this new music has truly been a labor of love. Sit back and soak in this amazing sliver of planet Earth and let it inspire us all to do what we can to preserve it for our children’s children.

- Alan

ARTIST BIOS

Bassist Max Murray is honored to have studied with or participated in master classes with some of the finest bassists on the planet, including Paul Johnson, John Clayton, Rufus Reid, Glen Moore, Buster Williams, and Lynn Seaton. In addition to the many wonderful regional musicians, he collaborates with, Max is honored to have shared the stage with a diverse list of major artists, including Henry Mancini, Don Menza, Mose Allison, Jimmy Witherspoon, Lee Greenwood, Neil Sedaka, Louie Bellson, Gene Bertoncini, Dave Samuels, and Poncho Sanchez.

Frank Russo is an in-demand drummer and educator. He has performed with Mundell Lowe, Dr Lonnie Smith, Hal Crook, Craig Handy, Keter Betts, Ethel Ennis, Dave Ballou, John D'earth, Denis DiBlasio. Highlights of his performances include the Detroit Jazz Festival, Ottawa Jazz Festival, Stan Getz Jazz Festival, East Coast Jazz Festival, The Kennedy Center and many others. Frank is a Summit Records Recording Artist whose recordings have gained national recognition and praise from Downbeat, Jazztimes and Modern Drummer along with others.

Christopher Burbank, a native of Bedford, NH, earned a Bachelor of Music Education degree from the University of New Hampshire, a Masters of Music degree in Jazz Studies at the Juilliard School, and a Doctorate of Musical Arts in Jazz Performance at the Frost School of Music, University of Miami. Burbank has had the privilege of studying with Brian Lynch, Eddie Henderson, Terence Blanchard, and Clark Terry. In 2014, he was selected as a semifinalist for the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Trumpet Competition in Los Angeles, CA.

Jonathan Epley is a current member of the Jazz Ambassadors and is quickly making a name for himself as rising star in modern guitar playing and composition. His military band connections have made him a frequent collaborator with other ensemble members Frank Russo, Max Murray and Alan Blackman. Additionally, his work in the Baltimore/D.C. area jazz scene has put him on stage with Sean Jones many times.

Alan Blackman is a Baltimore-based pianist and award-winning composer. He and his various groups have performed at Blues Alley, the Kennedy Center, and many festivals and venues from San Francisco to New York. Recent performances have been with Donny McCaslin, Gilad Hekselman, Vardan Ovsepian, Ferenc Nemeth, Mike Pope, Tom Guarna, Joe Locke, Warren Wolf, Tim Green, Michael Formanek among others.  Additionally, he has received grants from Chamber Music America, the MAP Fund, Puffin Foundation, and the Maryland State Arts Council. Original arrangements and performances of his music have been featured on NBC’s This is Us, NPR’s Talk of the Nation, and Grey’s Anatomy as well as Stephen King’s film, 1408.

Alan released his first CD of original music, Shadowdance, in January 2000 with the Blackman/Barke Quartet. His next CD, Turning Point featuring Donny McCaslin was released in 2010 on Top Floor Records. A recording of his 2 Piano Improvised Series, Alone Together with various other pianists was released in 2011. The Coastal Suite was a long-form suite recorded in 2015. His 2018 release features guitarist Gilad Hekselman and is entitled Chapter 3. December of 2022 saw the release of his latest endeavor entitled Sacred Spaces which features 8 new original compositions.

His current practice is long-form music compositions that incorporate multimedia components and deal with social elements such as climate change. This includes his latest project Once Upon A Prairie.

HCC CONCERT SERIES
Hsien-Ann Meng, Director, HCC Concert Series
Bill Gillett, Chair, Performing Arts

HOROWITZ CENTER STAFF 
Janelle Broderick - Director
Jessica Chaney - Content Coordinator
A. Lorraine Robinson - Production Manager
John Elder - Technical Director
Darius McKeiver - Business Associate
Linwood Milan – Technical Coordinator
Eric Moore - Production Electrician
Mark Smedley - Associate Technical Director
Julie Via - Audience Services Manager
Bill Watson – Gallery Manager and Curator

SPECIAL THANKS

This performance is made possible through generous support from the Galbraith-Winer Family Trust Fund and the Maryland State Arts Council.