Saturday, September 26, 7 pm

Merrick Hall

Goucher College is celebrating one of America's musical icons, Louis Armstrong. One of the single most influential musicians in American music, Armstrong left an imprint on American culture that still resonates today.

Renowned trumpeter and vocalist Jumaane Smith brings his band to our stage to celebrate the life and music of Louis Armstrong.

Jazz trumpeter, vocalist, and composer Jumaane Smith has performed on 5 GRAMMY Award- winning records (selling more than 60 million copies), 2 Emmy Award-nominated TV performances, the GRAMMY Awards with Stevie Wonder, in Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story (trumpet solo actor), at The White House, on the Today Show, Tonight Show, Oprah, Good Morning America, and American Idol.

Jumaane has toured to such world-class venues as Jazz At Lincoln Center, The Blue Note, Tanglewood, Birdland Jazz Club, Jazz Alley, Ronnie Scott’s, Vail Jazz Festival, Java Jazz Festival, North Star Festival, Southbank Centre, Marian’s Jazz Room, SF Jazz, Rochester International Jazz Festival, Catalina Island Jazz Festival, and many more.

Jumaane Smith’s critically-acclaimed debut album, “I Only Have Eyes For You,” featured special guests Michael Bublé, Jackie Evancho, and Naturally 7. His sophomore album, “When You’re Smiling,” was released to much praise in January 2020. His highly-anticipated third album, “Come on Home,” featuring Smith’s highly lauded soul-jazz and blues originals and backed by his stellar organ band, was released in August 2024 to wide critical acclaim, including a 4 Star review from DownBeat Magazine.

As a composer, Smith has scored music for films such as “Handsome Harry” (starring Steve Buscemi and Jamey Sheridan) and the documentary “Being in the World,” as well as for his own recordings and the interactive sheet music company Tomplay.

Smith has worked with musical legends such as Quincy Jones, Herbie Hancock, Christian McBride, Aretha Franklin, Barbra Streisand, Alicia Keys, Jon Batiste, Kamasi Washington, Theo Croker, Etienne Charles, and Michael Bublé (as featured trumpet/vocals soloist).. As a full scholarship recipient at the Juilliard School of Music’s Jazz Studies program (2001-2005), Wynton Marsalis was Smith’s primary trumpet teacher.

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Thursday October 8, 7 pm

Merrick Hall

FABIOLA MENDEZ is a Puerto Rican cuatrista, singer, educator, and Emmy-nominated composer. Her artistic vision and original music focus on the exploration of her culture, her ancestry, and her identities.

Native to Caguas, PR, Fabiola began playing the cuatro, Puerto Rico’s national instrument, at the age of six. She got her early music trainings at the Antonio Paoli School of Music in Caguas and her Bachelor’s in Music from Berklee College of Music, where in 2018 she made history as the first graduate to play the Puerto Rican cuatro as principal instrument.

Fabiola’s mission has always been to share and celebrate the cuatro, folk music, and collective story-telling. In doing so, she’s had the honor of performing at venues such as the NPR Tiny Desk, Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC, Celebrity Series of Boston, New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, Fred Rogers Productions, Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña, among many others. She has also collaborated with many local and international artists, including the Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra, Totó La Momposina, Pedro Capó, Andy Montañez, Danny Rivera, Chicago Philharmonic, and the Boston Landmarks Orchestra.

Her list of recordings include: Herencia Criolla (2009), Al Otro Lado Del Charco (2019), Afrorriqueña (2021), and Flora Campesina (2024). In 2022, she produced her firstdocumentary “Negrura”, showcasing Afro-Latinx stories in topics around colorism and discrimination within our own communities.

In recent years, she’s had the honor of receiving recognitions such as the Quincy Jones Award, ambassador for the Puerto Rican Day Parade in NYC, the Brother Thomas Fellowship, the Whippoorwill Arts Fellowship, and the ASCAP Foundation Lucille and Jack Yellen Award 2022. She was also nominated for a Children’s and Family Emmy in the category of Outstanding Interactive Media and won the “Latin Artist of the Year 2023” by the Boston Music Awards. Her music is featured on the film Beautiful, FL (Disney+), on the tv shows Alma’s Way, Work It Out Wombats (PBS Kids), and Mecha Builders (HBO Max), as well as indie films, jingles, and TV commercials.

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