Round Midnight

Watering can in hand, Henry Wong casually mentions that he hopes to soon bring iconic composer Carla Bley to An die Musik Live!, the small, idiosyncratic concert hall he operates in Mount Vernon. He’s in the process of tending to the array of plants arranged inside the front window, where flyers for upcoming shows face out onto Charles Street. Dressed in a blue Polo shirt and khakis, the 61-year-old owner circulates among the pots, tilting the can at regular intervals. “She would be a great fit for us,” he says.

Such a prestigious booking may seem far-fetched for a small venue like this, considering Bley is a National Endowment for the Arts jazz master accustomed to fancier digs like the Kennedy Center or Lincoln Center. Yet Wong could make it happen. He has, over the past 15 years, attracted an unlikely, but impressive, array of musicians to an unadorned and unpretentious former townhome that holds about 75 people.

The list includes guitarist Bill Frisell, pianist Simone Dinnerstein, percussionist Kahil El’Zabar, saxophonists Gary Bartz and David Murray, and many artists associated with ECM, a record label revered for its genre-blurring releases. The likes of Pulitzer-winning composer Julia Wolfe, New Yorker critic Alex Ross, and BSO maestra Marin Alsop have also appeared at An die Musik to discuss their work.

An die Musik has, since 2004, hosted a staggering 4,000-plus events, many of them jazz and contemporary classical concerts. It won Best Jazz Venue in this year’s All About Jazz reader’s poll and was cited as a “Great Jazz Venue” by Downbeat magazine from 2016-2018.

At first glance, it wouldn’t appear to be an exceptional spot for music. It’s up a steep flight of steps, making the load-in of instruments and equipment a challenge. The no-frills performance space, painted crab fat yellow, measures 25 by 42 feet, and the stage occupies a third of the space and sits just a foot off the floor; performers walk from the green room through an audience seated in tattered old armchairs to get to it. For world-class musicians, it’s hardly ideal.

“You don’t expect anything but music—good music presented with the respect it deserves.”

When asked what makes An die Musik such a celebrated venue, Wong sets aside the watering can and ticks off a list of things it doesn’t offer: no food, no signature drink, no TV, no trendy theme nights, and no DJ or pre-recorded music playing between sets. It isn’t alluring, or sexy. “We are a wholesome place,” says Wong, using a term usually reserved for children’s programming and church picnics. “Here, you don’t expect anything but music—good music presented with the respect it deserves.”

It’s why it appeals to ECM artists, who, according to Pitchfork, have produced “some of the deepest, most transporting music” of the past half-century. “An die Musik is unique in its intimate feel, warm acoustics, and serious listening atmosphere,” says ECM representative Tina Pelikan, “which makes it perfect for much of the music released by ECM.”

The name, according to Wong, says it all: An die Musik translates from the German as “to the music.” It’s the title of a favorite Schubert composition, a piece the BBC once described as “a prayer of thanksgiving to the divine art of music.”

“That’s what we offer,” says Wong, “a total commitment to music and its performance. It’s more about education than entertainment.”

That sort of mission might come across as single-minded, especially at a time when concert venues face increasingly fierce competition for people’s leisure time, but Wong weds it to a desire to nurture culture and build community. Though his unflagging adherence to that mission can make him come across as stubborn or insular, he’s actually quite personable and social. He’d just as soon share a delicious meal with you as a string quartet.

In fact, it’s time for lunch.

At Brown Rice inside the nearby Mt. Vernon Marketplace, Wong orders the bibimbap with multigrain rice (“it’s healthier”), an egg (“for protein”), and kimchi (“it tastes good”). Though Wong might espouse the nutritional benefits of Korean rice bowls, he’s actually more interested in the social aspects of sharing a meal, the bonding experience it can facilitate.

Wong shares food, like music, with the people in his orbit. He has been known to pass out packages of homemade biscotti to friends at Christmastime, or gift salmon filets after returning from trips to the Pacific Northwest. He organizes an annual banquet dinner at Ellicott City’s Asian Court for Chinese New Year. He invites friends and An die Musik staff and selects the 10-course menu himself. Baltimore staffers have occasionally attended the annual event, which Wong views as more than a New Year’s celebration—it’s also a celebration of friendship. “Food, a glass of wine, and music tap into our shared humanity,” he says, “so it’s really about sharing and doing for others. That sort of thing comes from my upbringing.”

Wong was born and raised in Hong Kong, where his father ran a shipping company and his mother, who enjoyed opera, worked as an accountant. An only child, he devoted himself to schoolwork, playing tennis, and rooting for Liverpool’s soccer team. He’s been a fan for nearly 50 years, and An die Musik patrons will occasionally spot him in a bright red Liverpool Football Club jersey with “young warriors” stitched over the right breast.

Wong recalls seamen friends dropping in to see his dad, who’d open beers and trade stories with them for hours. At mealtime, a dinner invitation was inevitably extended, and the visit might stretch into the evening. Although Wong usually remained in his room doing homework, he heard the laughter and animated conversation and registered how his parents’ hospitality generated warmth and goodwill.

“Henry has never been about just making a buck . . . It’s about sharing art.”

At 16 years old, he came to the United States to attend a boarding school at St. John’s Abbey—“famous for its bread,” notes Wong—in Collegeville, Minnesota. “When I [arrived in] America, I was by myself and was the only Chinese student at my school. The way I learned to survive was by sharing everything. When you share, people like you. People open up to you.”

After graduating, he embarked on a science track: studying biology and chemistry at Penn State and Towson University, interning at Shock Trauma’s ICU, and eventually doing medical research at Johns Hopkins. Classical music offered something of a respite, as well as a connection to his mother back in Hong Kong, and Wong became increasingly fond of listening to opera and Bach while compiling data and writing reports. In his scant free time, he pored over issues of Gramophone magazine and music encyclopedias to determine what were the best recordings, which he sought out on record-buying jaunts to shops like Tower Records in D.C.

After one such trip, Wong was having a drink with a friend who floated the idea of them opening a place of their own. And in 1990, they did exactly that, with a sprawling 8,000-square-foot store specializing in classical and jazz in Towson’s Investment Building. The shop was called An die Musik. “It turned out that my gravitation towards music was stronger than the pull of medical research,” says Wong.

As a result, Hopkins lost a researcher, and Baltimore gained a cultural caretaker.

An die Musik, the music store, was innovative. It specialized in hard-to-find titles, pioneered the use of listening stations and eco-friendly CD packaging, and brought in luminaries like Yo-Yo Ma and the BSO’s David Zinman for in-store appearances.

But as CD sales declined, the store downsized and relocated to Mt. Vernon, and Wong shifted his focus to live music in the early 2000s.

George “Doc” Manning has known Wong for nearly three decades and worked at both the record store and the concert hall. “Henry has never been about just making a buck,” says Manning. “He has a higher purpose that isn’t about being commercial; it’s about sharing art.”

Manning—who also hosts Morgan State radio’s long-running jazz show, In the Tradition—lauds his friend’s goal of “reaching everybody by realizing the music is about all of us, all communities,” he says. “Henry pushes the idea that you can’t leave anyone out, because everyone benefits from experiencing these different types of music. It raises the level of consciousness.”

A glance at the concert schedule illustrates just how expansive, and inclusive, An die Musik can be. September’s shows include Croatian guitarist Ana Vidovic, Cuban pianist Cèsar Orozco, and blues/soul singer Billy Price. The schedule also features students and local performers—Peabody pupils host jazz jams, and Dunbar Jazz Band alumni have a regular gig—because, “local people should see local faces onstage,” says Wong, “and the more you engage young musicians, the more the music is alive; young people contribute something you haven’t heard before.”

Wong doesn’t see the music stopping any time soon. He and his wife, Lora, don’t have children or any pressing family commitments and live modestly in Parkville. As a result, Wong says, “I am able to pursue my personal dream, though I don’t actually consider myself successful. I consider myself a survivor, and a caretaker of music that is historically important. Do I insist it is the right formula? No, but it is my vision. I’m always looking for people who share this dream, and I hope to one day pass the torch to someone else. If that happens, the legacy will be all about An die Musik, not about Henry Wong.”

“I’m always looking for people who share this dream. I hope to one day pass the torch.”

Wong, between bites from his rice bowl, spots vocalist Billy Price in the Mt. Vernon Marketplace crowd and calls to him. Price, a recent Pittsburgh-to-Baltimore transplant, played An die Musik for the first time in June and tells Wong he’s excited to return this month. “Your place reminds me of playing in France,” he says. “The French listen to the music intently, and they treat it as a serious art form. Your place brings that same vibe to Baltimore.”

Wong thanks Price and quickly deflects the praise, saying, “It is an honor for us to present a true legend; you’re an amazing performer.”

And before the singer departs, Wong invites Price to join him sometime for dim sum.

Nico Sarbanes

Nico Sarbanes: Live in Baltimore (self-released)

When we think of Baltimore jazz, we think of a bygone era, filled with small nightclubs, three-piece suits, and plenty of cigarette smoke. But local jazz is alive and well, thanks to a number of surviving legends, as well as the next generation of stars, like the Dunbar Alumni Jazz Band and Nico Sarbanes. Professionally trained, Sarbanes is one of the city’s most talented (and under-the-radar) performers, playing a mean trumpet and confidently crooning in a style associated with the Great American Songbook. At 23 years old, the Baltimore native has just released his debut album, a set of live recordings from the acclaimed Mount Vernon music venue, An die Musik, that features some of his hometown heroes, including saxophonists Antonio Hart and Tim Green, vibraphonist Warren Wolf, and drummer Winard Harper. Across five accomplished jazz jams and standards—like a feel-good Baltimore original dedicated to a local Union Square barber, or an up-tempo, twinkling rendition of Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn’s smoky “Ishafan”—Sarbanes connects and celebrates our city’s vibrant jazz community, and honors its rich history.

Bond St. District

A Church On Vulcan (Friends Records)

In the summer of 2014, a young black rapper from West Baltimore met a young white percussionist from Montgomery County. In an unlikely twist of fate, the two instantly clicked, and by fall had released their first EP as the hip-hop duo Bond St. District, one of the city’s most animated, vivacious acts. MC DDm spits fire with his sharp, confident lyrics—at times clever and humorous, at others candid and poignant. Like a pastor pushing the gospel, DDm engages crowds with bona fide swagger, and his bodacious presence is only amplified by his right-hand man, producer Paul Hutson, who mixes in his masterful, multi-layered beats. Together, these distinct halves make a seamless whole, founded in a mutual respect for each other’s talent, and at live shows, their genuine chemistry is clear as soon as they hit the stage. But the strength of their bond is never more apparent than now, on their first full-length album, out exactly two years after their debut. From the rattling, energetic knocks of “Show Me Your Hands” to the lush, dreamy melodies of “How Come” and the sunny funk of “Yesterdays,” their infectious songs—and synergy—make you a forever fan.

See our full interview with DDm and Paul Hutson from Bond St. District.

Visual Art

Under $500
Looking for that last big gift for someone special (or yourself) this holiday season? Stop by the sixth annual Under $500 art sale at Maryland Art Place. View works by dozens of local artists, grab a festive drink, and get the chance to purchase a collector’s piece for less than $500. If you’re in the giving mood, bring along a new toy or book because MAP will be collecting for Philanthropi’s toy drive during the sale. Opening reception 7 p.m. Dec. 14; on view during gallery hours Dec. 14-18. Maryland Art Place, 218 West Saratoga St.

School 33 Openings
Three new exhibitions at School 33 promise new explorations of the human experience. Your silence will not protect you brings together the work of five artists inspired by “black womyn’s experiences in America past, present, and future.” Two single-artist exhibitions, Nature As A Metaphor For Economic, Emotional And Existential Horror and Labor of Suggestion offer individual takes on humanity’s separation from the natural world and the line between reach and grasp. On view through Feb. 2, 2019. School 33 Art Center, 1427 Light St.

Music

Winter Formal Benefit for House of Ruth
Get all dolled up and give back at this formal benefit for House of Ruth, which provides services for women and their children who have been victims of domestic violence in Baltimore and Prince George’s County. This night of Christmas Eve Eve Merrymaking will feature a raffle, a prize for the best-dressed partier, and music from Eze Jackson, Blacksage, Humanmania, Spooled Up, Sickle Cell, and DJ Pancakes. 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. Dec 23, The Windup Space, 12 West North Ave.

Baltimore Plays: Soul Christmas
Join some of Baltimore’s beloved independent artists for five decades-worth of Christmas songs at latest event in the Creative Alliance’s Baltimore Plays series. Marc Avon Evans & Soul Centered, Kevin Jackson, Jamaal “Black Root” Collier, Karin Dominique Evans, Kyana Graham and Chuck the Madd Ox are all on this bill for this evening of soulful holiday hits. 8 p.m. Dec. 21, Creative Alliance, 3134 Eastern Ave.

Nico Sarbanes & Ben Wolfe Holiday Concert
Don’t miss your opportunity to catch this dynamic duo swinging in the holidays at the intimate An die Musik. Baltimore native Nico Sarbanes and celebrated jazz bassist Ben Wolfe will come together for one night of bass and trumpet virtuosity. Can’t make a 7:30 start? No worries, Sarbanes and Wolf are performing a second set at 9:00 p.m. Sets at 7:30 and 9 p.m. Dec. 22, An die Musik, 409 North Charles St.

Theater

Heathers The Musical: In Concert
Need a break from all the holiday cheer? Try adding a little chaos to the mix (it is what killed the dinosaurs, darling) with this live performance of the musical version of 1980s cult classic Heathers. Grab your tickets early to get dibs on the seated section and your very own Heathers cup (and slushie!). 8-11 p.m. Dec 20-22. Ottobar, 2549 North Howard St.

The Rocky Horror Show
The Christmas season always starts early, so who says Halloween can’t run a little late? Put on your best gold short shorts or maid’s outfit and sing along to a live performance of this weird and wonderful musical. Every ticket comes with all the props you’ll need for the iconic interactive Rocky Horror experience. Shows at 8 and 11:30 p.m. Dec. 14-15, Show at 5:30 p.m. Dec. 16. Baltimore Theatre Project, 45 West Preston St.

Go Oscar WILDE! Pride Night
Everyman Theatre is celebrating its first-ever Pride Night with a happy hour reception featuring cocktail specials and snacks, a conversation with director Joseph W. Ritsch about the fascinating life and work of Oscar Wilde, and, of course, a performance of the company’s colorful new production of The Importance of Being Earnest. Happy Hour Reception 6-7:30 p.m., show at 8:00 p.m. Dec. 14. Everyman Theatre, 315 West Fayette St.

Film

Blocked in Baltimore Screening
Root Branch Film Academy’s first-ever Friday Film Factory class is ready for their close up. Join this group of beginner filmmakers for the screening of their first documentary, Blocked in Baltimore, which chronicles local artists and why they feel their careers get limited to the city alone. 8 p.m. Dec. 21, The Startup Nest, 1401 Severn St.

It’s a Wonderful Life Annual Benefit Screening
Spend part of your weekend with this Frank Capra Christmas classic at The Senator. Gather as many friends and family members as you’d like for these morning showtimes—admission is free! Just be sure to bring along some non-perishable food items for the GEDCO Cares Food Pantry. Doors at 9 a.m., show at 10 a.m. Dec. 22 and 23. The Senator Theatre, 5904 York Rd.

News

Current Space’s Ruin Garden and Expansion Approved by CHAP
The artist-run gallery and studio space has been working for three years to try to convert the collapsing 417 North Howard Street into a ruin garden and studio space. With unanimous approval from Commission for Historical and Architectural Preservation (CHAP) behind them, Current Space can begin the process of demolition and move forward with the long-awaited project. More money still needs to be raised to fund the expansion, but once completed it will add an additional 5,000 square feet of outdoor performance space (including an outdoor bar) and double the available space for the space’s studio program.

Visual Art

Young Blood
Art has the power to reflect the culture in which it was made, often expressing ideas that cannot be articulated as effectively through words alone. In the case of the exhibit Young Blood at Maryland Art Place, we see—through painting, sculpture, installation, photography, and animation—what inspires and stimulates the minds of our local creative youth culture. Each year, MAP celebrates recent Baltimore-area masters of fine art grads with an exhibit of their work.

This year’s Young Blood showcases pieces by graduates of Maryland Institute College of Art; University of Maryland, College Park; University of Maryland, Baltimore County; and Towson University, including Caroline Hatfield, Mollye Bendell, Mitchell Noah, Madeline Stratton, Ryan Lytle, and Sara Kaltwasser. Through Aug. 25, with an opening reception from 6-9 p.m. July 11 and an artist talk at 1 p.m. Aug. 18 at MAP, 218 W. Saratoga St.

Sondheim Artscape Prize exhibition
From sculpture to photography to painting, fiber art, and video installation, work by this year’s Janet & Walter Sondheim Artscape Prize finalists is visually spellbinding, and the artists don’t shy away from exploring such issues as spirituality, race, gender, and immigration. Baltimore-area visual artist finalists Erick Antonio Benitez, Nakeya Brown, Sutton Demlong, Nate Larson, Eunice Park, and Stephen Towns are each exhibiting selected works at the Baltimore Museum of Art through August 5. The winner will be announced during a ceremony at 7 p.m. July 14 and awarded a $25,000 fellowship. Exhibit runs through Aug. 5, awards ceremony at 7 p.m. July 14 at the BMA, 10 Art Museum Drive.

Summer ’18
The current show at C. Grimaldis Gallery in Mount Vernon revisits the exhibitions shown over the past year while giving a little preview of what’s to come. This survey exhibition features pieces by British sculptor Anthony Caro, abstract expressionist Grace Hartigan, and Korean light artist Chul Hyun Ahn. It also debuts work by 2018 Guggenheim Fellow Rania Matar, Colin Van Winkle, and 2017 Rome Prize recipient Beverly McIver. Through Aug. 18 at C. Grimaldis Gallery, 523 N. Charles St.

Intimate Women
Intimate Women, currently on view at Full Circle Gallery, explores the relationship between women’s minds and bodies through photography-based collage and sculpture by women artists. Their inner worlds are revealed through stories of culture, gender roles, and sexuality. As curator JiaJia Chen puts it in a statement about the show, “Every work in the exhibition is an adjective, presenting personal but universal subject matter from different perspectives.” Artists include Asha Holmes, Jianan Liu, Layla Choi, Michelle Cuevas, and Rachel Hartman. Through Aug. 4 at Full Circle Gallery, 33 E. 21st St.

Music

Jack Novotny Sextet
The Jack Novotny Sextet will bring their original music, composed in the spirit of the great jazz masters, to An die Musik. They’ve studied the nuances, style, and flavor of works by icons such as John Coltrane, McCoy Tyner, Wayne Shorter, Charles Mingus, and Ornette Coleman, and expand upon and integrate those ideas into their own pieces, rather than duplicate the originals or even replicate improvs.

“Performing new material that has never been heard is exhilarating for our group,” says Jack Novotny, saxist in the group. The sextet also includes bassist Juini Booth, pianist Benito Gonzalez, trumpeter Marlon Jordan, tenor saxophonist Edwin Bayard, and Baltimore drummer Nasar Abadey as a guest, filling in for regular drummer Mark Lomax II. Novotny will play tenor/soprano saxophone and flute. 8:30 and 10 p.m. July 12 at An die Musik, 409 N. Charles St,.

Literary Arts

John Lingan
Rockville-based John Lingan, who has written for the Oxford American, New York Times Magazine, and others, brings us his debut book, Homeplace: A Southern Town, a Country Legend, and the Last Days of a Mountaintop Honky-Tonk. Lignan spent four years researching the early-American town of Winchester, VA, in the Blue Ridge Mountains. He first went there to seek out Jim McCoy, a honky-tonk owner and the DJ who first gave Patsy Cline airtime. What he uncovered though was a story about a town facing an identity crisis. He’ll launch his book tour this month with a reading and signing at Bird in Hand. 7 p.m. July 17 at Bird in Hand, 11 E. 33rd St.

Miscellanea

Cirque du Soleil Crystal
Cirque du Soleil’s show Crystal explores the artistic limits of ice through jaw-dropping acrobatics on the ice and in the air—synchronized skating and adrenaline-pounding extreme skating will be performed alongside traditional circus arts like trapeze. This dreamlike world is brought to life with visual projections and an original score. July 5-8 at Royal Farms Arena, 201 W. Baltimore St.

Artscape
Our beloved Artscape returns this month, taking over 16 blocks of Baltimore and boasting three outdoor stages, 11 indoor venues, over 200 concerts, an artist market with more than 150 vendors and craftspeople, plus large-scale projects showcasing visual and performing arts, visual art exhibitions, film, street theater, and youth-focused entertainment. Performances include theater, dance, comedy, and more. And all of the above is free. It’s a great way to celebrate the city and all the arts in one fell swoop. 11 a.m.-9 p.m. July 20 and 21, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. July 22 at Mount Royal Avenue & Cathedral Street, Charles Street, Bolton Hill, and Station North Arts & Entertainment District neighborhoods.

Ratscape
After a two-year hiatus, the wonderfully bizarre Ratscape will return this year in conjunction with Artscape. A lineup of more than 40 local bands spanning rock, rap, punk, experimental, hardcore, and more will perform free shows at the Ynot Lot, an outdoors venue in Station North, throughout the weekend: JPEGMAFIA, Jeff Carey, and Bound by the Grave on Friday; Butch Dawson, Joe Bidan, and Homosuperior on Saturday; Wume, Sneaks, and HexGirlfriends Sunday. The grassroots festival is produced by Baltimore Music Preservation, aka Joshua Christy Schuelpner, Mike Franklin, and Caroline Devereaux. 2 to 10 p.m. July 20-22 at the Ynot Lot,1904 N. Charles St.

Black & White Party
Jan. 27. The Assembly Room, 316-318 Guilford Ave. 8 p.m. $150. 410-396-5430. The Pratt Contemporaries’ annual Black and White Party always falls in the dead of winter, but this year, enjoy a brief reprieve from the cold weather with a night in Old Havana. With a fresh Cuban theme and a nod to the 1950s paradise heralded by Ernest Hemingway, this library benefit will feature live music, local eats, and a hefty dose of handmade cocktails (daiquiri, anyone?). Tickets go fast, as this do-good party has become a can’t-miss event of the year.

Cyrus Chestnut Meets Warren Wolf
Jan. 12-13. An Die Musik, 409 N. Charles St., 8 p.m., 9:30 p.m. $10-27. 410-385-2638. Baltimore sons Cyrus Chestnut and Warren Wolf have not let the light fade on the city’s rich jazz scene. The pianist and vibraphonist, respectively, have brought their homegrown talents into the national spotlight, with the former being dubbed “the best jazz pianist of his generation” by Time magazine, and the latter touring and recording with the likes of New York City’s Wynton Marsalis. The two musicians will team up and return home, bringing their swinging sound to the intimate, 90-seat venue of An die Musik. At one or all four shows in Mt. Vernon, fall under the spell of Chestnut’s blues-tinged keys and Wolf’s swift, skilled vibes. 

Lexington Market Catacombs
Jan. 13. Lexington Market, 400 W. Lexington St. 10:30 a.m. Free. 410-332-9992. They say Baltimore is a city built on tunnels, both heavily used and long-abandoned. The latter gets a little less mysterious this January with Baltimore Heritage’s guided tour of Lexington Market. Swing through the centuries-old marketplace and stop by its famous vendors, such as crab cake king Faidley’s Seafood and sweet-treat titan Berger Cookies, before journeying beneath the bustle for one of the city’s best-kept secrets. With the help of local historians, prepare to be awed by the city’s age-old catacombs, rumored to even have housed Prohibition-era distilleries.

Martin Luther King Day Celebration
Jan. 15. Reginald F. Lewis Museum, 830 E. Pratt St. 12 p.m. $5. 443-263-1800. Celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s 89th birthday with live performances, community talks, and arts and crafts at the African-American history and culture museum, including a step salute and freedom-square quilting party.

LaxCon 
Jan. 19-21. Baltimore Convention Center, 1 W. Pratt St. Fri. 7 a.m.-7 p.m., Sat. 7 a.m.-5 p.m., Sun. 9 a.m.-12 p.m. $10-200. It’s no secret that Maryland’s favorite sport is lacrosse, with grown-ups still rocking their high-school pinnies and local universities coming out on top in the NCAAs. For the fourth consecutive year, whether you’re an active athlete or retired benchsitter, join your fellow laxers for this all-lax-everything event, where you can grab some gear, network with players, or hone your skills at one of the weekend’s many workshops.

Baltimore Restaurant Week
Jan. 12-21. Locations & times vary. $20-35. 410-244-1030. As Baltimore’s food scene continues to boom, it’s hard to keep up with the ever-growing array of dining options around town. This month, make it your resolution to sample your way through the city, with more than 100 old favorites (Gertrude’s) and trendy newbies (Gunther & Co., pictured) offering discounted brunch, lunch, and dinner for 10 days.

Polar Bear Plunge
Jan. 25-27. Sandy Point State Park, 1100 E. College Pkwy., Annapolis. Thu. 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m., Fri. 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Sat. 11 a.m.-3 p.m. $75. 410-242-1515. At the end of each January, thousands of shivering souls brave the Chesapeake Bay’s frigid waters to benefit the Special Olympics of Maryland. Muster the courage to dip your toes in the icy waves, and warm your heart thinking about the 7,549 local athletes that your chilly dunk will benefit. 

Shen Yun
Jan. 26-28. Hippodrome Theatre at the France-Merrick Performing Arts Center, 12 N. Eutaw St. Fri. 7:30 p.m., Sat. 2 & 7:30 p.m., Sun. 1 p.m. $91-194. 410-837-7400. For one weekend, the hallowed Hippodrome stage will transform into Ancient China, also known as the Land of the Divine, as Shen Yun brings some 5,000 years of Chinese culture to life in modern-day Baltimore. Be sure to see this world-famous performance troupe, whose ancient dances, bright costumes, and mesmerizing movements have grown into a global phenomenon.

Orioles FanFest
Jan. 27. Baltimore Convention Center, 1 W. Pratt St. Times & prices vary. 410-649-7008. mlb.com. Baseball has always been America’s great uniter—even in crazy and turbulent times—and this year proves no different. Thousands of fans will crowd the convention center for the annual Orioles FanFest. Bring the kids to chat with players, snag coveted signatures, and play games for prizes. It might be a few months until we’re back in Camden Yards, but this beloved event should hold you over until the spring. 

This past December, there was a buzz in the air at An die Musik Live!—the tiny, 90-seat jazz haven perched on the second floor of a Mount Vernon townhouse. Onstage, a murderers’ row of locally reared jazz talent was assembling for a concert that would be part holiday show and part homecoming. In the midst of it all, exchanging warm greetings and playful ribbings, was vibraphonist Warren Wolf. Though raised in West Baltimore and a current resident of Reisterstown, Wolf doesn’t play his hometown all that often. As one of today’s most in-demand jazz musicians, you’re much more likely to find him gigging around the globe than tuning up in Timonium, or some such place. But he’s happy to be here tonight. 

“You know, it’s good to leave home, and it’s good to come back,” Wolf says later. “You have to reconnect with your people regularly. There’s something about those DMV musicians, those players from D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. There’s a fire to how we play, and we like to play with each other, because we share that.”

Tonight, Wolf has formed a quartet with three fellow Baltimoreans-turned-jazz-hotshots—drummer Quincy Phillips, bassist Kris Funn, and pianist Alex Brown. As the set begins, Wolf, wearing a close-trimmed Afro, thin goatee, and dark blazer over an open-collar white shirt, demonstrates the skills that led the voters in DownBeat Magazine’s 2016 Critics Poll to name him one of the five best vibraphonists in the world. 

As his two mallets begin their rapid up-and-down motion, the felt ball at the end of each stick multiplies into a blur. Aided by the whirring motors beneath the instrument’s wooden, xylophone-like keys, every note he strikes boasts the sustained vibrato that gives the vibraphone its signature chime. Out of that blizzard of notes emerges a strong melodic pattern that, once established, is endlessly restated in new variations. It’s that combination of physical dexterity and lucid musicality that has launched Wolf out of Baltimore’s local orbit and into the national galaxy of jazz stars. 

“[Bassist/composer] Curtis Lundy turned me onto Warren 11 years ago,” says Bobby Watson, the legendary alto saxophonist. “Curtis said, ‘You have to hire this guy—he’s a beast.’ He’s another child prodigy. He’s such a nice person, but he’s always playing his butt off. . . . I always told him, ‘I’m glad I got you now, because you’ll be hard to get in the future.’”

In September, Wolf will unveil his new duo with fellow vibraphonist Joe Locke. And then in November, the same week he turns 38, Wolf will introduce his new quintet during shows in New York and Switzerland. Meanwhile, Wolf will continue to teach at Philadelphia’s Temple University.

“I hear people saying, ‘Oh, Warren’s big-time; he’s playing with all those famous people and making big money,’ but I don’t let that stuff affect me,” Wolf says. “I don’t mind going down to HomeSlyce Pizza here in Baltimore and playing for $60 and some free pizza at the Wednesday night jam session that Todd Marcus runs. I like the freedom of a situation like that, because a lot of the time when you’re touring, you don’t get to play as freely as you’d like. You have to stick to what you’re selling, so you have to play the latest record.”

“But who I am—
and who my father trained me to be—is a complete
musician.”

Wolf’s latest record, last year’s Convergence, is his third album with the high-profile jazz label Mack Avenue Records and the best proof yet of how high he has climbed in the jazz world. It features the young vibraphonist leading an all-star quartet comprised of pianist Brad Mehldau, guitarist John Scofield, drummer Jeff “Tain” Watts, and five-time Grammy Award-winning bassist Christian McBride. 

“I sat down with my manager, Andre Guess, and Denny Stilwell, the president of Mack Avenue,” Wolf recalls, “and we agreed that as great as the first two records were, we wanted to do something that would put my name in a different context, that would raise the bar. So we decided to get some of the best players available. . . . It was time to show that Warren can hang with the best.”

Wolf acquitted himself just fine, writing six strong compositions that pushed his guests to work hard. He also showcased his talent for reinterpretation, arranging old standards by Stevie Wonder and even Frédéric Chopin.

“Sometimes you have to change it up,” Wolf says. “A lot of guys just want to play their own songs and don’t pay attention to what the audience wants. So much jazz is all this swing and a lot of drums over and over again. Okay, but let’s include something else, too. 

“For this album, that ‘something else’ was Motown and classical music,” he continues. “When I was a child, I toured with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and we played John Corigliano’s Pied Piper Fantasy. Now I’m hearing all those styles inside me, and I want them all to come out in my music. A lot of people put me in this box called ‘a jazz musician’ because I play so fluently through changes. But who I am—and who my father trained me to be—is a complete musician.”

Wolf grew up in Edmondson Village in West Baltimore, running through the alleys where he and his friends would nail crates to the telephone poles and play basketball. From the very beginning, his musical diet was varied. He consumed ’80s R&B via his sisters, hip-hop with his friends, and just about everything else from his father, Warren Wolf Sr. The elder Wolf was a social studies teacher in Baltimore—working at Northern High School, Booker T. Washington Middle School, and Paul Laurence Dunbar Middle School, among others. But he was also a percussionist who led a group called Wolf Pac that played at local clubs such as the Sportsmen’s Jazz Lounge in Howard Park. He had always dreamed of becoming a full-time musician, and he wanted to make sure his son had that chance. 

“When 5:30 hit, that’s when practicing started,” Wolf recalls. “From 5:30 to 6:30 it was piano. From 6:30 to 7:30 it was drums. From 7:30 to 8:30 it was vibraphone. It was like that five days a week from the time I was 5 until I was 17. It was hard, because what kid wants to be stuck in the basement practicing when he could be outside playing? But when I played a solo with the Rock Glen Middle School Band, people clapped and later came up to say, ‘Warren, you sound really good.’ I got off on that, so I kept practicing.”

One effective technique involved playing along to his father’s cassettes of classical concertos. “Those violinists can play really fast, but I was determined to keep up, wrong notes or not,” Wolf says. “That built up my speed.” 

Though Wolf considers himself equally proficient on vibraphone, drums, and piano—and still plays all of them onstage and in the studio—he got the most attention for his vibes work, if only because there’s a lot less competition on that instrument. 

“It’s important for me to . . . let the world know that
a strong music
culture comes
from Baltimore.”

“Honestly, I think of myself as a vibraphonist-slash-drummer,” he told DownBeat in 2013. “But . . . the vibes have given me the most recognition, so I lean in that direction. . . . It’s an instrument you don’t see every time. At almost every show I play, at least one person comes up and says, ‘Wow, I’ve never seen a xylophone out front before.’ I say, ‘Thanks, but it’s not a xylophone.’”

All of his practice paid off when Wolf was accepted into the Baltimore School for the Arts and then the Berklee College of Music in Boston, pushing him out of the comfortable nest of Baltimore and into a give-and-take with some of the best college-age jazz musicians in the world—and with some of the world’s best working jazz musicians on the faculty. The education happened not just in the
classroom but also at Wally’s Cafe, a Boston jazz venue where Wolf got to test himself against the best players of his generation. It’s an irreplaceable experience, and Wolf believes too many Baltimore musicians make a mistake in never leaving town to be challenged and heard in the wider jazz world.

“You just have to do it,” he says. “My sister said, ‘I’ve got to figure out how to get out of Baltimore and make some bigger connections.’ I told her, ‘There’s no secret; you just raise a little money and go do it.’”

Wolf graduated from Berklee in 2001 and stayed in Boston, teaching at Berklee, playing in a band led by Rachael Price—now the lead singer for the famed Americana quartet Lake Street Dive—and waiting for the phone to ring. It required some patience, but eventually the job offers started coming in from jazz luminaries, including—most crucially—Christian McBride.

The McBride connection—along with playing on a album by saxophonist Tia Fuller—got Wolf his record deal with Mack Avenue, which in turn gave him a visibility that led to guest appearances with established artists and an invitation to join one of the most unusual ensembles in jazz: the SFJazz Collective. SFJazz, San Francisco’s nonprofit jazz institution, sponsors a resident octet that each year records a two-CD, 16-track album devoted to one composer. 

Each of the eight members contributes a new arrangement of a piece by that composer as well as an original composition in the composer’s style. Then, they play that music at the SFJazz Center and on national and international tours. Wolf has already participated in the albums devoted to Joe Henderson, Michael Jackson, and Miles Davis. Most unusually, the SFJazz Collective is provided with the rarest commodity in modern jazz: subsidized rehearsal time. 

“That’s so important,” says Wolf. “Most of the time in jazz, someone brings in a lead sheet; you play the melody, then each person solos, you play the melody again and you’re done. Next song. It’s totally not like that with the SFJazz Collective; there’s time to create music that’s through-composed. It keeps the music fresh.”

Wolf left Boston in 2004 to return to the Baltimore area. After you get to a certain level in jazz, he points out, you’re traveling all over the world anyway, so it really doesn’t matter where you live, as long as you’re close to an airport. Wolf, his second wife, and their two children now live in Reisterstown, not only because Maryland is cheaper than Boston or New York, but also because he feels more comfortable being close to family and the community of musicians he grew up with. Those ties have seemed especially important since his mother, Celeste, died two years ago.

“My mom was the backbone of the family,” he says. “She treated everyone as they would want to be treated. When she retired as a supervisor for Baltimore Gas and Electric, she needed something to do, so she taught herself piano. My dad was always there for me, but he was all about the music. My mom taught me how to love, because she was a very loving person.” 

For any artist from Baltimore, two big challenges are knowing when to leave, and knowing when to come back. Wolf feels he did both at just the right times, and that he now enjoys an international career because he never lost the special flavor of his Baltimore roots.

“It’s always important to know where home is, and for me that’s Baltimore,” Wolf reflects. “It’s important for me to bring the Baltimore music style to the world, to let the world know that a strong music culture comes from Baltimore. And it’s important for me to play a few local shows per year to always give my fans a world class show that the city doesn’t receive too much.”

Five things to eat, drink, see, hear, and do with your Charm City weekend.

 EAT

April 16: Easter Brunch at La Cuchara

La Cuchara, 3600 Clipper Mill Road. 11 a.m.-7 p.m. $32. 

Move over boring chocolate bunnies and tired Easter ham—this Sunday, spend the holiday basking in the Basque Country cuisine of Spain at La Cuchara in Woodberry. The 2017 Best Restaurant will feature a special prix fixe brunch including the likes of charred octopus with saffron aioli, crispy oyster bocadillo, butternut squash tortilla espanol, and serrano ham. We would gladly trade in our Easter baskets for one bite of chef Ben Lefenfeld’s tribute to this pintxos holy land. And don’t worry—if you’re not into Spanish cuisine, there are hoards of other options.

 DRINK

April 15: My Lady’s Manor Steeplechase Race

Ladew Gardens, 3535 Jarrettsville Pike, Monkton. 10 a.m. $40-400. 

This weekend, horseracing season kicks off in Baltimore, and there’s no better way to celebrate than to don your sundresses and sunglasses and tailgate with warm-weather cocktails. Nicknamed “the preppy cocktail,” and with good reason, the Southside is a refreshing sour sip that marks the start of spring in the Land of Pleasant Living. On Saturday, tip back some cold ones, listen to live bluegrass, and admire the luscious scenery of Ladew Gardens during the first steeplechase of the year. 

 SEE

April 14: Paisley FunkShun: A Prince CelebraShun

American Visionary Art Museum, 800 Key Hwy. 7-11 p.m. $17-20. 

We can’t believe it’s been a year since we lost the one-and-only Purple One. In true Prince fashion, honor his musical legacy this Friday with a “celebrashun” as eclectic as the sensational singer. At the American Visionary Art Museum, enjoy a dance party of epic proportions with four hours of Prince’s hits and other Prince-inspired pop, rock, and funk. Expect hits like “Raspberry Beret,” “When Doves Cry,” and “Kiss,” with purple, velvet, and lace attire highly encouraged.

 HEAR

April 14: Nico Sarbanes

An die Musik, 409 N. Charles St. 8-11 p.m. $10-20.  

Jazz has deep roots in Baltimore, with the city formerly home to legends like Billie Holliday and Cab Calloway. Luckily, local artists are still leading the charge, like young Baltimore native Nico Sarbanes. This weekend, hear the music of his debut album, “Live in Baltimore,” featuring jazz standards and original compositions and featuring fellow noted musicians as Russell Kirk on sax, Deante Childers on piano, Ethan Philion on bass, and Kelton Norris on drums. Fresh off a performance at the Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival, the group is sure to fill this Mount Vernon brownstone with a soulful sound well beyond Sarbanes years.

 DO

April 15: March for the Animals

Oriole Park at Camden Yards, 333 W. Camden St. 10 a.m.-2 p.m.  

This Saturday, join the Maryland SPCA in their annual walk-a-thon to support the city’s homeless animals. As the local nonprofit’s largest fundraiser of the year, the big event helps the group aid about 15,000 homeless (yet adorable) pets, many of which are put up for adoption at their location on Falls Road. Grab your furry friends and partake in for an afternoon that will make a local difference. 

African-American achievements, culture, and heritage are worth celebrating year-round, but this month, take a moment to honor the black community of Baltimore and beyond at one of these special events. In light of recent social unrest here and around the country, use them as a reminder of the leaps and bounds America has made, but also how far we have left to go.

FEB. 5 // AQUARIUM’S BLACK HISTORY MONTH CELEBRATION
National Aquarium, 501 E. Pratt St. 5-8 p.m. Free-$19.95. 410-576-3800. Join the National Aquarium in celebrating African-American heritage with an evening of music, performance, and family fun.

FEB. 6 // MORGAN STATE CHOIR CONCERT
Reginald F. Lewis Museum, 830 E. Pratt St. 3 p.m. $25-30. 443-263-1800. The renowned Morgan State Choir performs traditional African-American spirituals and gospel music in its “Rejoicing in the Spirit” concert.

FEB. 6 // BOOKLOVER’S BREAKFAST
Marriot Waterfront, 700 Aliceanna St. 8:30 a.m. Free. 410-396-5430. The Enoch Pratt Free Library’s 28th bibliophile breakfast features Edward Lewis, co-founder of Essence magazine and author of The Man From Essence: Creating a Magazine for Black Women.

FEB. 8-29 // BLACK HISTORY MONTH AT THE B&O
B&O Railroad Museum, 901 W. Pratt St. Mon.-Sat. 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Sun. 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Free-$18. 410-752-2490. This new exhibit celebrates African-American contributions to the American railroad industry.

FEB. 11-14 // THE MEETING
Baltimore Theatre Project, 45 W. Preston St. Thurs.-Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. 3 p.m. $22. 410-752-8558. Jeff Stetson’s compelling play depicts the supposed meeting of two civil-rights icons, Malcolm X and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

FEB. 25 // SWIMMING IN DARK WATERS
Weinberg Center for the Arts, 20 W. Patrick St., Frederick. 7:30 p.m. $22.50-32.50. 301-600-2828. Performers such as Rhiannon Giddens, Leyla McCalla, and Bhi Bhiman explore the rich history of protest songs in the South.

FEB. 27 // ETHNIC HERITAGE ENSEMBLE
An die Musik Live, 409 N. Charles St. 8 & 9:30 p.m. $20-23. 410-385-2638. This acclaimed jazz trio hits the stage with drums, kalimba, reeds, and trumpets for their 12th annual Black History Month celebration.

FEB. 27-MAR. 5 // BLACK HISTORY MONTH STUDENT COMPETITION & ART EXHIBITION
Creative Alliance, 3134 Eastern Ave. Tues.-Sat. 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Free. 410-276-1651. Now in its sixth year, the Amalie Rothschild Gallery features accomplished artworks by East Baltimore public school students that depict the history of African-Americans in Baltimore City.