Conversations About Jazz & Other Distractions

Conversations About Jazz Features 

Drummer Gayelynn McKinney on March 25 

HHM Digital invites you to join us for Conversations About Jazz & Other Distractions with host Carl Anthony on Thursday, March 25 at 7:30 pm (EST). His special guest will be acclaimed drummer Gayelynn McKinney. They will discuss the role of drummers and the messages they convey, McKinney’s career and sample some of her music. This free virtual program will stream on Hammonds House Museum’s Facebook and YouTube channels. Please consider making a donation via our website or during the show to support our programming. For more information about this and upcoming virtual events visit hammondshouse.org.

Gayelynn McKinney is one of the most accomplished drummers to come out of Detroit. Her father was the legendary Jazz pianist and composer, Harold McKinney, who once played with Billie Holliday. Her mother was a noted singer. McKinney began playing drums at the age of two in her dad’s basement, started taking lessons at age eight and had a drum set by age nine. In 10th Grade, she played drums in the Jazz band and saxophone in the Concert band. After graduating college, she and bassist, Marion Hayden, formed Straight Ahead Jazz Band – originally an all-female group – which continues to perform across the U.S. and internationally.

Here are a few highlights of McKinney’s career so far: Opening for Nina Simone in Switzerland (1990), Straight Ahead Jazz Band signs with Atlanta Records and begins decades of touring (1991), Performs at the Detroit Jazz Festival with Aretha Franklin (2004), Tours with Martha Reeves (2008), Performs with Freda Payne at Bird’s Basement in Australia (2019). For more information: gayelynnmckinney.com.

Hammonds House Museum is generously supported by the Fulton County Board of Commissioners, Fulton County Arts and Culture, the City of Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs, The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, The National Performance Network, AT&T and WarnerMedia.

Hammonds House Museum’s mission is to celebrate and share the cultural diversity and important legacy of artists of African descent. The museum is the former residence of the late Dr. Otis Thrash Hammonds, a prominent Atlanta physician and a passionate arts patron. A 501(c)3 organization which opened in 1988, Hammonds House Museum boasts a permanent collection of more than 450 works including art by Romare Bearden, Robert S. Duncanson, Benny Andrews, Elizabeth Catlett, Jacob Lawrence, Hale Woodruff, Amalia Amaki, Radcliffe Bailey and Kojo Griffin. In addition to featuring art from their collection, the museum offers new exhibitions, artist talks, workshops, concerts, poetry readings, arts education programs, and other cultural events throughout the year.

Located in a beautiful Victorian home in Atlanta’s historic West End, Hammonds House Museum is a cultural treasure and a unique venue. During the COVID-19 pandemic, they continue to observe CDC guidelines, but look forward to welcoming in-person visitors soon!  For more information about upcoming virtual events, and to see how you can support their mission and programming, visit their website: hammondshouse.org.

MEDIA: For artwork to go with this release here’s our Dropbox: http://bit.ly/HammondsHouseMuseum.  For more information, contact Karen Hatchett at Hatchett PR, karen@hatchettpr.com. 

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