Drummer Sheldon Alexander’s turning point in music arrived when he came across the 1973 breakthrough jazz-funk fusion album Head Hunters by Herbie Hancock. The young musician was living in Arizona at the time and felt instantly captivated by the narrative richness Hancock achieved, thinking of it as “storytelling music.” He would go on to immerse himself in African American rooted genres as an undergrad at the California Jazz Conservatory, studying with jazz luminaries like Gerald Cleaver. After his graduation last year, Sheldon is set to release a live octet album bringing together his diverse influences from gospel to hip hop.
Thu, 6pm, Free
Mama Kin, San Jose
