"... swings with excitement... Kemp is richly expansive ... Northington bends the strings with authority... whole team is romantic over Hulett's snazzy drum work... anything but the expected piano trio."
-George W. Harris, LA Jazz Weekly
"[Dark Continent] never a dark moment throughout"
-Nathan Gosnell, Jazz World Jazz
"anything but the expected piano trio."
-Midwest Records
WALTER KEMP 3
Dark Room | Vinyl EP
Dark Continent | BluJazz
MUSIC
WALTER KEMP 3
BLACK WHOLE
When do we hear silence, and what should a sound, sound like? Who mandates freedoms within the form, and when does recapitulation create something new? These, and other questions are the impetus for the Black Whole.Following its debut, sold-out festival appearance, this intensely dynamic ensemble was awarded a grant from the Foundation for Contemporary Arts. The Black Whole features pianist & bandleader Walter Kemp 3, violinist Scott Tixier, bassist Rishon Odel, Brent Birckhead on woodwinds, and Allan Mednard on drums.
Through an eclectic assemblage of touring collaborators and kinfolk, “The Black Whole” seamlessly reconnects jazz to its freer ancestral roots, while consciously and simultaneously working to uproot it through diverse sonic exchanges, instrumental interplay, and contemporary juxtapositions. Viscount-endorsed pianist and composer Walter Kemp 3 set out to explore this concept, pushing the boundaries of sound, and bringing with it a sense of cosmic freewheeling. Kemp, on piano, Rhodes, and Viscount organ, GRAMMY award-winning improvisational violinist Scott Tixier, maverick woodwind master Brent Birckhead on alto sax, clarinet and flute, bass prodigy Rishon Odel and Allan Mednard, an NYC fixture on the percussion scene, add tonal richness to the group’s deconstructivist musical approach. What began as a Point9Mile Collaborative Artist Residency has emerged as an attention-grabbing ensemble that's way ahead of its time.
Viscount-endorsed artist, Walter Kemp 3 owes much to his father, a classical and gospel composer, who sparked Kemp's early interest in piano. Seeing and hearing his father's compositions performed at Carnegie Hall, opened Kemp's eyes to a world of music. He soon began studying classical piano. After a brief interest in drums, he gravitated toward jazz, continuing to play gospel organ. Kemp, lead composer/pianist for (most recently) the Black Whole, Kemp + the Reyvolation, and the Walter Kemp 3oh! has won widespread critical acclaim for his classic and compelling compositions which experiment with traditional chord progressions with inventive finesse. As the winner of numerous awards with his international touring and recording projects, he has collaborated with various musical greats like Juini Booth and Rey Scott, of Sun-Ra’s Arkestra, Bobby Militello, (Dave Brubeck), and Sabu Adeyola (Ahmad Jamal). As a highly-sought professional in the progressive music scene, Walter is the youngest musician, in more than three decades, to serve as Artistic Director for the CMC Jazz Festival. He teaches jazz studies at Villa Maria College.
SHOWS
BIO
Walter Kemp 3 w/Saranaide
"Elements of She"
Kenan Center, Taylor Theatre
November 5, 2022 7:00pm
Tickets & Info: https://kenancenter.ticketleap.com/music-at-the-taylor-saranaide/
Walter Kemp 3 Solo Piano
St. Bonaventure University
Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts
November 8, 2022 4:00pm 3261 West State Road
St. Bonaventure, NY 14778
Tickets & Info: Brotha's Speak
Walter Kemp 3 w/ Blacks'Myths
.9mile presents CMC International Jazz Fest
(w/ Luke Stewart & Warren 'Trae' Crudup)
October 9, 2022 5:00pm 9th Ward, Babeville, NY
Tickets & Info: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/blacks-myth-featuring-walter-kemp-3-tickets-421612603647
Walter Kemp 3 Organ Quartet
Borderland Festival
(w/ John Troy, D Ray Jackson, Andy Paladino)
September 19, 2022 Knox Farm State Park, Aurora NY
Tickets & Info: https://borderlandfestival.com/tickets
Black Whole (Kemp, Tixier, Birckhead, Odel, Mednard)
The Rex Jazz & Blues Club
(during TD Toronto International Jazz Festival)
Black Whole (Kemp, Tixier, Birckhead, Odel, Mednard)
BopSTOP @ The Music Settlement
(during Tri-C Jazz Fest)
June 23, 2022 7:00pm 2920 Detroit Ave., Cleveland, OH
Tickets & Info: https://www.themusicsettlement.org/events/2022/06/23/black-whole-bop-stop
Black Whole (Kemp, Tixier, Birckhead, Odel, Mednard)
West Falls Center for the Arts
June 22, 2022 7:00pm 1863 Davis Road, West Falls, NY
Tickets & Info: https://www.westfallsartcenter.org/
Black Whole (Kemp, Tixier, Birckhead, Odel, Mednard)
presented by Point9mile Collaborative
"Juneteenth at Night Festival"
June 18, 2022 7:00pm PAUSA Art House, Buffalo, NY
Tickets & Info: https://www.showclix.com/event/black-whole-june-17Nb0oktM
Black Whole (Kemp, Tixier, Birckhead, Odel, Mednard)
PAUSA Art House
June 17, 2022 7:00pm 18 Wadsworth St., Buffalo, NY
Black Whole (Kemp, Tixier, Birckhead, Odel, Mednard)
Zürcher Gallery, New York NY
June 15, 2022 8:00pm Zürcher Gallery, 33 Bleecker Street, NYC
Tickets & Info: https://www.galeriezurcher.com/concerts-1
Black Whole (Kemp, Tixier, Birckhead, Odel, Mednard)
RVA Tobacco, Richmond, Virginia
June 14, 2022 5:30pm Hallwalls Contemporary Art Center
Tickets & Info: http://www.rvatobaccolounge.com/
Walter Kemp 3 (with Edreys Wajed & Jacob Jay)
716 Music Expo Workshop Presenter
April 23, 2022 3:00pm Asbury Art Center
Tickets & Info: https://buffalomusicclub.com/artist-workshops-716-music-expo-2022/
Walter Kemp 3 (with Dave Phillips Quartet)
Nietzsche's
Black Whole (Kemp, Tixier, Birckhead, Odel, Mednard)
CMC International Jazz Fest "Inside Sound"
October 10, 2021 5:00pm Hallwalls Contemporary Art Center
Tickets & Info: https://www.cmcjazzfest.com/club-pass-shows
Walter Kemp 3oh!
UB Dental School
February 21, 2020 5:30pm *UB Dental site for info
Walter Kemp Quartet
Explore and More Children's Museum
January 20, 2020 11:00am *visit Museum site for info
Kemp and the Reyvolation
Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center
November 22, 2019 8:00pm SOLD OUT
Reyvolation: An Homage to Rey Scott
CMC Jazz Fest
October 12, 2019 6:00pm SOLD OUT