Kenny Banks Jr., piano: Jazz at All Saints' November 13

… deeply embodied gospel and soul roots – Downbeat Magazine Each Jazz at All Saints' concert includes Q&A with the artist, followed by a reception. Atlanta resident Kenny Banks Jr., has earned a reputation as one of the most dynamic jazz artists in the Southeast. Noted for his distinctive technique of blending jazz and gospel styles, Banks’s repertoire also includes flavors of Afro-Cuban and hip-hop sounds gathered from performing and recording around the world with a variety of artists. A brilliant solo artist, Banks is also a regular on tour with vocalist Kurt Elling and vibraphonist Stefon Harris. He began playing the piano at age seven, and in his training with his father, Kenny Banks Sr., also a pianist, he learned the fundamentals of music theory, jazz, and composition. Under the guidance of his mother, a church music director, he found the church to be his first musical outlet. In his career Kenny has performed and toured with such jazz luminaries as Theo Croker, Darren English, Jennifer Holiday, Jazzmeia Horn, and Kenny Lattimore. He performs regularly in New York at jazz clubs and with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, and his artistry has enhanced numerous film and television productions originating in Atlanta.