Recipient Information
Location
Birmingham, Alabama
Project Title
Calvin Sexton and the Birmingham Youth Jazz Ensemble: Legacy of Birmingham Jazz
Year of Award
2025
Grant or Fellowship
Jazz Road Creative Residencies Grant
Grant Amount
$40,000
A four-week residency in Birmingham, Alabama, hosted by the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame, will feature the premiere of four original jazz compositions inspired by the city’s cultural legacy, with collaborations involving BYJE alumni and students, culminating in a public concert and audio/video recordings.
About the Artist
Calvin Sexton is an industry-renowned trombonist, composer, and music director based in New York City. Hailing from Birmingham, Alabama, the jazz, funk and soul multi-hyphenate is the man to call for your performing arts conference, arts event, city festival, and so forth.
Sexton is best known as the leader of the Inner City All Stars, who he developed from 1996 up to the 2020s; now, he’s stepping out on his own, writing prodigiously for various small ensemble formats, with a formidable résumé and performance chops for days.
His foundation was laid at the University of North Texas, where he studied music performance as part of their sterling jazz program. From his love of the spirited, energetic marching music of HBCUs, an idea was hatched — as he soaked up the canons of funk, salsa, reggae, and jazz in all its forms. But first, he had to cut his teeth.
Sexton left his studies behind and moved out west to California, where he played as a sideman with many groups, including on cruise ships. During this period, he performed with greats as diverse as Erykah Badu, Lady Bo (Bo Diddley’s Lead Guitarist) Gladys Knight, Luckey Peterson, and Bowling for Soup.
In 2003, he returned to North Texas and completed his degree. From there, Sexton recruited some of UNT’s best musicians, and the Inner City All Stars were born.
It’s in this context that Sexton racked up a number of career highlights. These included acclaimed albums like 2008’s Gotta Move On, a tour for troops in Japan and Guam, shows at legendary spots like Tipitina’s and House of Blues, and a national TV performance on the program “Showtime at the Apollo,” for which the Inner City All Stars received a standing ovation.
Some two decades and many membership shake-ups later, Sexton is eyeing new horizons. By now, he’s racked up a considerable legacy in so many fields — performing with a symphony orchestra, teaching at music camps and in music business workshops, and bringing his irresistible art to more than 200 colleges and universities across the United States.
If you’re looking for an electrifying, magnetic performer with a tremendous knowledge of Black musics across the spectrum, don’t miss out on booking Sexton — and wowing your audience in the process.