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Quentin E. Baxter

Quentin E. Baxter, a native of Charleston, SC, comes from a family of drummers with his mother leading the troupe. “I’m unable to recall a moment in my youth void of having drums either at home or church.” Baxter’s unique skillsets have garnered a GRAMMY Award as producer/performer, in total 4 GRAMMY Nominations as producer/performer, the 2017 South Carolina Governor’s Award for the Arts, a City of Charleston Proclamation “Quentin E. Baxter Day” – April 25, 2017, the 2017 College of Charleston Alumnus of the Year Award, the 2017 Eddie Ganaway Distinquished Alumni Award, and a 2017 Inductee to the Savannah Coastal Jazz Hall of Fame.

Currently touring world-wide with GRAMMY Award winning Gullah sensation RANKY TANKY and multi-Grammy-nominated vocalist/composer René Marie, Baxter regularly performs many of the most prestigious venues and festivals, i.e., The Kennedy Center (Washington, D.C.), Jazz at Lincoln Center (New York), SFJazz (San Francisco, CA), Joy of Jazz Festival (South Africa), Toulouse Jazz Festival (France), Umbria Jazz Festival and Spoleto Festival dei Due Mondi (Italy), Savannah Jazz Festival, Savannah Music Festival, and, of course, Spoleto Festival USA (Charleston).

Baxter’s passion for world-wide performances is paralleled by his dedication to educate, promote, produce, and present world-class artists in his home town and neighboring regional communities. As a testament, from 1997 to 2019 he served as Adjunct Professor of Jazz Studies at the College of Charleston and formed the production company Baxter Music Enterprises (BME, LLC) in 2004. He also serves as Musical Director of the Charleston Jazz Initiative (CJI), a multi-year research project that explore the jazz history and legacy of African American musicians from Charleston and other places in the Carolinas; founding board member of the Jazz Artists of Charleston (JAC); board member of both the Charleston Symphony Orchestra and Engaging Creative Minds; producer of numerous benefit concerts/auctions for Avery Research Center, Jenkins Orphanage, Halsey Gallery, Spoleto USA, and many other artistic organizations who share the same sentiment to enhance and enrich lives via art and music here in the Lowcountry. From 2012-2015, BME, LLC teamed up with Sermet’s Downtown, LLC to create Charleston’s only “listening room” experience, The Mezz – Charleston Jazz Bar. Baxter is currently in the design/development stages of the Baxter Center for Music Performance, Education, and Production – a stand-alone structure designed and dedicated to the presentation and advancement of live music.

Educated in the public schools of Charleston County and a graduate of the College of Charleston (Bachelor of Arts – Music Theory & Composition), Baxter cultivated his musical talents under “the wings” of regional legends/mentors Robert Ephraim, Oscar Rivers, Jr, Lonnie Hamilton III, George Kenney, Dr. David Maves, Teddy Adams, and Delbert Felix. Baxter’s musical versatility has enabled him to work with other great artists including Monty Alexander, Ernest Ranglin, Wycliff Gordon, Fred Wesley, Houston Person, and Doug Carn.

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Album Review

Greg Satterthwaite: Savannah Blue

Read "Savannah Blue" reviewed by Dave Linn


Greg Satterthwaite was born in Jamaica and moved with his family to the US when he was five. After earning a Bachelor of Music from the University of Miami, followed by a Master of Arts in Commercial Music from Florida Atlantic University and finally his Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of North Texas in Jazz Piano Performance, he is currently an Assistant Professor of Jazz Piano and African American Studies at the University of Georgia.

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Radio & Podcasts

Betty Carter, Horace Parlan, Shirley Scott & Quentin Baxter

Read "Betty Carter, Horace Parlan, Shirley Scott & Quentin Baxter" reviewed by Joe Dimino


Just like we did last week, we travel to South Carolina for our first song from the very esteemed drummer Quentin E. Baxter with a cut off his 2022 album Art Moves Jazz with “For Minors Only." From there, we hear a classic from another South Carolina stronghold in Lucky Thompson. We also profile the nostalgia of US3 with their hit “Cantaloop." From there, we take a good look into some excellent new modern songs from George Burton, Hanka G ...

2
Album Review

Ranky Tanky: Good Time

Read "Good Time" reviewed by Chris Mosey


Why change a winning formula? Ranky Tanky's follow-up to their hit debut album takes things further in the same vein: a heady mix of gospel and traditional Gullah songs from the Sea Islands of South Carolina, laced with original music and lyrics. The emphasis this time is on a pounding beat generated by the electric guitar of lone white man Clay Ross and the drumming of Quentin Baxter. Much of the music, especially “Pay Me My Money ...

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Album Review

Ranky Tanky: Good Time

Read "Good Time" reviewed by John Bricker


The West African phrase Ranky Tanky roughly translates to “get funky" or “work it," according to the band's website. The band earns this title with danceable blends of gospel and jazz, celebrating the Gullah culture found in their home state of South Carolina. Although Good Time delivers more infectious energy than their self-titled debut, Ranky Tanky fails to leave a lasting impression due to weak arrangements and lackluster lyrics. In 2017, Ranky Tanky's first album introduced their unique ...

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Live Review

Quentin Baxter Quintet At The Jazz Corner

Read "Quentin Baxter Quintet At The Jazz Corner" reviewed by Martin McFie


The Quentin Baxter Quintet The Jazz Corner Hilton Head Island February 8-9, 2019 Playing his drums with the wooden rims, Quentin Baxter came to The Jazz Corner with his quintet of friends from Charleston, South Carolina. Brett Belinger led them off with a bass solo, picked up by tenor saxophonist Mark Sterbank and trumpeter Charlton Singleton in an original composition delivered in unison. Pianist Demetrius Doctor's strong solos elicited encouraging sounds and smiles from Baxter. ...

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Album Review

Ranky Tanky: Ranky Tanky

Read "Ranky Tanky" reviewed by Chris Mosey


Ranky Tanky are based in Charleston, South Carolina. They specialize in jazz-and blues-influenced arrangements of the traditional music of the Gullah people, who came from West Africa as slaves in the 19th century. They were brought to South Carolina's Low Country and Sea Islands to work on plantations where their knowledge of rice cultivation could be put to good use and where high humidity and mosquitoes made life unbearable for whites and blacks from elsewhere in Africa. Best-known descendant of ...

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Album Review

Ranky Tanky: Ranky Tanky

Read "Ranky Tanky" reviewed by James Nadal


Against all odds, the Gullah tradition prevails on the Sea Islands of South Carolina's Low Country. Maintaining their West African traditions and singular way of life for generations, their direct impact on African-American music is undeniable, and continues to be a vital source of inspiration. Combining revered Gullah kinship with a jazz sensibility, Ranky Tanky accentuates the spirituality connected to the ring shouts and praise houses, proposing a modern rendition of their ancestral music. Ranky Tanky loosely translates ...

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Recording

Quentin E. Baxter & Charlton Singleton Mark Nearly 30 Years Making Music Together With Joint Albums 'Art Moves Jazz' & 'Crossroads,' Set For Aug. 12 Release By Baxter Music Enterprises

Quentin E. Baxter & Charlton Singleton Mark Nearly 30 Years Making Music Together With Joint Albums 'Art Moves Jazz' & 'Crossroads,' Set For Aug. 12 Release By Baxter Music Enterprises

Source: Terri Hinte Publicity

Friends, bandmates, and fellow members of the Gullah cultural community Quentin E. Baxter and Charlton Singleton enrich their relationship yet further with the tandem August 12 release of their albums—Baxter’s Art Moves Jazz and Singleton’s Crossroads—on Baxter’s own BME/Baxter Music Enterprises. Two-fifths of the Grammy-winning Gullah music ensemble Ranky Tanky, drummer Baxter and trumpeter Singleton each also plays a prominent supporting role on the other’s record, with Baxter as the producer of both. Friends for nearly 30 years, Baxter and ...

“…the most amazing, exciting, musically dedicated drummer I have ever known.” – René Marie

Photos

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Savannah Blue

Independent Release
2023

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Influencers vol. 1

Self-produced
2022

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Good Time

Resilience Music Alliance
2019

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Ranky Tanky

Resilience Music Alliance
2018

buy

nonfiction

Self Produced
2012

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Videos

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