The Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County (AHCMC) invites you to join us for Jazz at the Kramer! A music series in partnership with Paul Carr’s Jazz Academy of Music presenting a free evening of jazz at the Betty Mae Kramer Gallery & Music Room on the second Wednesday of every month.
Admission is FREE but advanced registration is required due to limited capacity. Kindly be aware that reservations are limited to 2 tickets per person. For group reservations, feel free to contact us directly at publicart@creativemoco.com.
** Please Note: Outside food and beverages are not permitted in the gallery with the exception of water.
Second Wednesdays: Jazz at the Kramer featuring Vocalist Sharón Clark and Pianist Chris Grasso
 |
 |
 |
Second Wednesdays: Jazz at the Kramer featuring Bhagwan Khalsa on Bass + Eric Byrd on Piano and Chris Latona on Piano + Andrew Latona on Guitar.
Jazz at the Kramer
Event Listing
Wednesday, June 10 2026
6:30 pm at the Betty Mae Kramer Gallery and Music Room
Join us at the Betty Mae Kramer Gallery & Music Room on the second Wednesday of each month for an evening of jazz! This month’s artists feature pianist Janelle Gill, contrabassist Michael Bowie, and vocalist Heidi Martin.
June Musicians
Michael Bowie
Michael Bowie is an internationally recognized musician, performing on both the electric and contrabass. With roots in the Washington D.C. jazz and gospel community, he was a recipient of the National Endowment of the Arts Award in Jazz Studies and trained with Betty Carter and Keter Betts.
Soon after, Michael signed with Verve Records as an original member of “The Harper Brothers”. He went on to perform, record and tour with Abdulla Ibrahim, Michel Pettruciani, including the Grammy Award winning “Look What I Got” with Betty Carter. Michael has expanded his musical interests and performance to include a wide variety of musical forms from jazz to symphony to rock.
As musical director he has worked with many artists worldwide including Patti Labelle, James Ingram, Jeff Majors, Abbey Lincoln, Angie Stone, and Isaac Hayes. He has shared his talents in the recording studio and on the stage with Sarah Vaughn, Joe Williams, Abbey Lincoln, Manhattan Transfer, Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra, Della Reece, Michel Camilo and Ricky Skag.
Follow Michael on Instagram!
Janelle Gill
There’s an ethereal journey that pianist Janelle Gill brings listeners on that transcends the boundaries of jazz. Through her work of self-exploration as it exists in music, she has tapped into a vein of fluidity that heals with sound. Born and raised in Washington, D.C. Janelle is a graduate of Duke Ellington School of the Arts and attended Howard University. Her unique musical expression brought her to work closely with musicians such as Delfeyo Marsalis, Oliver Lake, and David Murray.
The Blackbyrds, Maurice Hines’ in his Tappin’ Through Life as well as local artists including Marshall Keys, Nasar Abadey, and Kris Funn. She has performed at venues and festivals such as the Kennedy Center, the Library of Congress, DC Jazz Festival, North Sea Jazz Festival, Montreux Jazz Festival, and Baku Jazz Festival. As a student of life, Janelle continues to welcome new experiences and recently expanded her titles to musical director for the production of Toni Morrison’s Desdemona, which debuted at the Source Theater. She remains a musical educator to everyone of all walks of life.
Follow Janelle on Instagram!
Heidi Martin
Heidi Martin is an award-winning vocalist, composer, and lyricist whose work bridges jazz, poetry, and social history. Martin’s work is known for its emotional depth and genre-defying approach, often blending narrative lyricism with contemporary jazz forms.
Her latest album, ATTUNEMENT (released May 26, 2026), is a nontraditional tribute to vocalist, poet, and civil rights activist Abbey Lincoln. The project grew out of Martin’s 2024 Berger-Carter Berger Fellowship from the Rutgers Dana Library Jazz Studies Department, where she conducted in-depth research on the Abbey Lincoln Estate, focusing on Lincoln’s personal journals. Immersed in this material, Martin developed a series of poems that evolved into eight original compositions, reflecting both Lincoln’s philosophy and Martin’s own artistic voice.
Her earlier album HIDE garnered critical attention, with four compositions featured in Revolution ’67, a documentary on the Newark rebellion by Emmy-nominated filmmakers Jerome and Marylou Bongiorno.
She has performed nationally and internationally at major festivals including Winter JazzFest, DC Jazz Festival, and Pori Jazz Festival in Finland. As a featured vocalist and collaborator, Martin has shared the stage with artists such as Nicholas Payton, Tim Warfield, Orrin Evans, and Raymond Angry, and has appeared on recordings with Russell Gunn, Dana Murray, and Reginald Cyntje.
Across her body of work, Martin brings a distinctive voice that is both deeply personal and socially resonant.