Keith LaMar -spoken word & poetry
Gil Defay -trumpet
Caroline Davis -alto saxophone
Salim Washington -tenor saxophone
Albert Marquès -piano
Manel Fortià -double bass
Zack O’Farrill -drums
Cleveland-born poet, writer, and activist Keith LaMar, 52, has spent the last year hard at work writing and performing new material for his first album, FREEDOM FIRST…from his cell at the Ohio State Penitentiary, where he has spent over 28 years in solitary confinement on death row for a crime he didn’t commit.
A collaboration with Brooklyn-based, Catalan pianist and composer Albert Marquès, FREEDOM FIRST is the first album in history by an artist on death row. LaMar is scheduled to be executed by the State of Ohio on November 16, 2023.
SPONSORSHIP
The Jazz Gallery is a not-for-profit arts organization presenting emerging artists who challenge convention, take creative risks, and lead their field as performers, composers and thinkers. We provide a platform for artists to discover their unique voice and a home for established musicians to continue to experiment and grow. At The Jazz Gallery, artists and audiences come together from around the world to explore new creative ideas, collaborate and celebrate jazz as a dynamic art form that reflects our ever-changing world.
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