CLAY ROSS

Clay Ross has established himself as an in-demand sideman and innovative bandleader

on the international music scene, winning multiple grants through the U.S. Department

of State and touring around the world as a cultural ambassador. Now signed to the

Motema Music label, he currently tours internationally, leading his New York Citybased band Matuto. “Ross is a very deft guitarist with a rich vocabulary of folk, blues, 

and jazz at his disposal.” {Wall StreetJournal)

CHARLTON SINGLETON

Charlton Singleton is the artistic director and conductor of the Charleston Jazz

Orchestra, a tw enty-piece jazz ensemble that includes some of the finest professional

musicians in the Southeast, and the Big Band of Charleston, South Carolina. Having

toured across Europe and throughout the United States, he has shared the stage with

some of the most talented entertainers in the world.

CALVIN BAXTER

Calvin Baxter is playing today for his uncle Quentin E. Baxter, a Grammy-nominated

musician and producer currently on tour with Freddy Cole and Rene Marie. The Post

and Courier ofCharleston writes that Calvin is known “as a gifted producer, engineer,

and multi-instrumentalist, who is quickly garnering a reputation among musical cognoscenti as a go-to guy for R&B and Funk. His primary instrument is drums, but he is

an accomplished keyboard player, singer and guitar player.”

Admission to the National Gallery ofArt 

and all of its programs is free of charge,

except as noted.

The use of cameras or recording equipment during the performance is not

allowed. Please be sure that all portable 

electronic devices are turned off.

The department of music produced 

these program notes. Copyright © 2018

Board ofTrustees, National Gallery of

Art, Washington

Concerts are made possible in part

through the generosity of donors to

the National Gallery ofArt through

The Circle. Reserved seating is available

in recognition of their support. Please

contact the development office at

(202) 842-6450 or circle@nga.gov for

more information.

Cover Horace Pippin, Interior (detail), 1944,

National Gallery ofArt, Washington,

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Meyer P. Potamkin, 

in Honor of the 50th Anniversary of the 

National Gallery ofArt

nga.gov/music

76TH SEASON OF CONCERTS

MAY 13, 2018 / NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART
Program

Ranky Tanky

Kevin Hamilton, bass

Quiana Parler, vocals

Clay Ross, guitar and vocals

Charlton Singleton, trumpet and vocals

Calvin Baxter, drums

Celebrating Outliers andAmerican VanguardArt

MAY 13, 2018/3:30

WEST BUILDING, WEST GARDEN COURT

Program will be announced from the stage.

The Band

The word “Gullah” has its origins in West Africa and means “a people blessed by 

God.” “Ranky Tanky” translates loosely as “Work It,” or “Get Funky!” In this spirit,

this Charleston, South Carolina-based quintet performs timeless music of Gullah

culture born in the southeastern Sea Island region of the United States. From playful

game songs to ecstatic shouts, from heartbreaking spirituals to delicate lullabies, the

musical roots of Charleston are “rank” and fertile ground from which these contemporary artists are grateful to have grown.

South Carolina natives Quentin Baxter, Kevin Hamilton, Charlton Singleton,

and Clay Ross first came together in 1998, fresh out of university, to form a seminal

Charleston jazz quartet. Now, united by years apart and a deeper understanding of

home, these accomplished artists have come together again, joined by Quiana Parler, 

one ofthe Lowcountry’s most celebrated vocalists, to revive a “Heartland ofAmerican

Music” born in their own backyards.

The Musicians

KEVIN HAMILTON

Kevin Hamilton is a celebrated artist in Charleston’s vibrant jazz scene and has

performed internationally with renowned artists such as Houston Person, Gregory

Hines, and Rene Marie, as well as with the Charleston Jazz Orchestra. Hamilton

joined the U.S. Department of State’s OneBeat program in 2012 and holds a degree

in music theory and composition from the College of Charleston.

QUIANA PARLER

One of the most sought-after voices in the South Carolina Lowcountry, Quiana

Parler has graced many of our nation’s most prestigious stages. Following her top

placement on the television show American Idol, she was discovered by Clay Aiken,

with whom she toured nationally for seven years. Parler has performed with Kelly

Clarkson, Ruben Studdard, and Miranda Lambert, worked with producers David

Foster, Adam Anders, Phil Ramone, and Walter Afanasieff, and appeared on the

television programs The View, Good MorningAmerica, and Jimmy Kimmel Live, among

others. Currently based in Charleston, Parler performs locally and across the country

with her ten-piece party band, Quiana Parler & Shiny Disco Ball Band.