Cameron Graves Blends Comes to the Hammer Theatre in San Jose

Presented by Hammer Theatre Center and San José State University, the Black Cab Jazz series continues with progressive pianist Cameron Graves, who is taking the modern jazz scene by storm. For this special series curated by San Jose Jazz, Graves will perform live on stage 7:00pm, Wednesday, April 6 at Hammer Theatre's intimate Hammer 4 which offers cabaret seating at 4-top tables and a rare chance to see today's hottest artists up close (this performance is also available to view from home via livestream).

Rooted in both jazz and heavy metal, Graves has been a central figure in the Los Angeles jazz scene since the early 2000s. He has performed and recorded on albums for prominent figures in the industry that include Dr. Dre, Thundercat, Kamasi Washington, and Miles Mosley. Graves was also a key member of actress/musician Jada Pinkett Smith's nu-metal band Wicked Wisdom, which eventually led him into the world of film and television. He can be seen in the film The Human Contract, directed by Pinkett Smith, as well as the television series Hawthorne.

Cameron Graves will perform 7:00pm, Wednesday, April 6, 2022at the Hammer4, 101 Paseo De San Antonio, San Jose. For tickets ($25-$35 in-person; $15 livestream) or more information, the public may visit hammertheatre.com or call (408) 924-8501. The final performance in the Black Cab Jazz series will be Miguel Zénon Duo (April 28).

Vaccination requirements are subject to change according to local city, state, and county mandates. Please visit Hammer Theatre's COVID FAQ page for the most up-to-date information concerning COVID protocols: https://hammertheatre.com/faq/.

Pianist Cameron Graves is a member of the West Coast Get Down, a genre-blurring Los Angeles collective. His debut record on Mack Avenue Records, Planetary Prince, which also serves as Graves's pseudonym, marked a seismic shift in the jazz landscape, blending elements of jazz, classical rock, and hip-hop. The core of the band on Planetary Prince is made up of fellow West Coast Get Down members, whose musical and personal relationships with Graves date back to his high school days. Graves released Seven, his sophomore album on Mack Avenue Records, in February 2020, blending jazz, fusion, rock, and metal. The release was warmly received by media around the world, solidifying Graves's reputation as an exciting voice in jazz. Through his soundtrack work, Graves connected with legendary bassist and fellow label mate Stanley Clarke. Since then, Graves has toured internationally with the Stanley Clarke Band and has performed on Clarke's latest release, The Message. His father, Carl Graves, scored a Top 20 R&B hit in 1974 with Baby, Hang Up the Phone and was a member of Oingo Boingo, a new wave band formed by famed American composer, singer, and songwriter Danny Elfman.

Black Cab Jazz is a collaboration between San Jose Jazz, San José State University, and the Hammer Theatre, bringing audiences an intimate cabaret experience featuring some of the best names in modern jazz.

Founded in 1986, San Jose Jazz is a public benefit organization celebrating jazz as a dynamic, evolving art form and is producer of the annual San Jose Jazz Summer Fest and Winter Fest. San Jose Jazz innovates trend-setting initiatives to foster artistic ingenuity and preserve the jazz tradition as a forward-thinking movement. Through diverse music and educational programming, San Jose Jazz offers singular content and events by investing in the SF Bay Area ecosystem of exceptional talent for local and national audiences to enjoy.

Owned by the City of San Jose and operated by San Jose State University, the Hammer Theatre Center is a state-of-the-art performance venue located in the heart of downtown San Jose at 101 Paseo De San Antonio, between 2nd and 3rd Streets. The theatre has presented an array of offerings including outstanding professional productions, community-based works, SJSU shows, and concerts, as well as dance, music, talks, film screenings-even live aerial performances with dancers suspended outside, scaling the sides of the iconic blue building. From jazz performances to mariachi extravaganzas, National Geographic Live! speaker series to National Theatre Live film screenings, Cinequest film festival presentations, ballet and modern dance shows, kid-friendly performances, live art and more, the Hammer's mission is to serve the community through artistic and educational programming that express the unique characteristics and diverse cultures of Silicon Valley.

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