FLUID - A Live Music Event

Cranford Theater and Downtown Cranford present: FLUID: a live music event featuring world renowned musicians Chris Crocco, Kenny Brooks, Ross Pederson and Sean Conly. The performance is followed by an opportunity to meet these master musicians and speak about the music industry.

Please join us for this special evening on Thursday, May 1, 2025. Doors open at 6:00pm and you can experience the pre-show and enjoy refreshments for purchase.

The performance begins promptly at 6:30pm and will be followed by a conversation and Q & A with the performers.

Seating is General Admission.

About Christopher Crocco - Band Leader/Guitar

Christopher Crocco attended Berklee College of Music in Boston and graduated Cum Laude in 1997. Since that time he has worked nationally and internationally as a full time performer, composer, and educator with an extensive following in the United States and Europe. Over the past 25 years he has performed as a sideman and leader at every major jazz club in New York City. Crocco established himself as one the most unique improvisational voices on the scene. He has performed with Kenny Werner, Mike Mainieri, John Lockwood, Dennis Irwin, George Garzone, Greg Tardy, Sam Yahel, Antonio Farao, Frank Tiberi, Bob Gullotti, Francisco Mela, Ben Street, Kenny Brooks, Ross Pederson, Peter Slavov, Pete Zimmer, Jeremy Allen, John Sullivan, Rick Margitza, Essiet Essiet, Eivind Opsvik, Charles Blenzig, Sean Conly, Tony Moreno, and Ian Froman amongst others.

Crocco's longtime relationship with master saxophonist and educator George Garzone, has helped him acquire a uniquely individual voice not only as a guitarist but also through his continued mentoring to students at all levels of music development. Crocco is the only musician qualified to fluidically perform, compose, and teach Garzone's original pedagogy called, "The Triadic Chromatic Approach". He has had the privilege of conducting master classes at music institutions and universities across Europe and the United States. In addition to teaching private students in his New York City Music Studio, Crocco is also an adjunct professor within the New School Jazz Department.

His current group is called "FLUID". It includes a rotation of some of the finest musicians working and performing in improvisational music today. "FLUID" has released a number of highly acclaimed CDs & DVDs. Exploring every aspect of truth in music and art, "FLUID" performs with a ferocity and freedom... swing and organic color. Every show is energized with the colors of life.

Further information can be found at

Here are a few quotes from well known Jazz Critics regarding Mr. Crocco’s music:

“Guitarist Chris Crocco’s scorching lines and wide intervals herald the arrival of a new guitar star on the scene.” – Bill Milkowski, Jazztimes

“Chris Crocco’s Fluid Trio+ stands out a bit from the gaggle of current jazz guitar recordings by virtue of its sheer stylistic range, and by the virtuosity of the playing therein.” –Dave Wayne,

Sean Conly is a bassist (electric/contrabass) and composer whose love and affection for a huge spectrum of the world’s musics have made him an extremely versatile performer. As a player and a writer, Sean is constantly looking for ways to mix the traditional with the new, in a never ending journey to mix melody harmony rhythm and sound into a unique artistic voice. As a band leader or co/ leader he has performed with several stellar groups over the years starting with The Invisibles featuring Ben Monder, Tony Malaby, John OGalliger and Tony Moreno, Re:Action with Michael Attias Tony Malaby and Pheeroan Aklaff, Grassroots with Darius Jones, Chad Taylor and Alex Harding, High Low Brow with Mike Pride and
Mary Halvorson, Think Shadow with Michael Attias, The True North Project, featuring Tom Rainey and Kris Davis and also performs solo. , . In May 2018 Cleanfeed will release a new trio Recording ”Hard Knocks” featuring saxophonist Michaël Attias and Satoshi Takeishi on drums. In 2019 He released “Live at the Bushwick Series with Michael Attias and Tom Rainey. In 2021 “The Buzz” will be released on 577 Records featuring Francisco Mela and Leo Genovese. Sean is also an in demand Teacher. He has given clinics on four continents and since 2009 has been on the faculty of The Collective School of Music (). In 2017 He was chosen as the recipient educator in The Alaadeen Jazz Master/Apprentice program and in 2018 was a Judge at the Notre Dame Jazz Fest.

Kenny Brooks was inspired to play reed instruments from the age of 9. After graduating from El Cerrito H.S. in 1984 he went directly to the New England Conservatory at age 17. There he studied with master saxophonist George Garzone and other notable faculty including George Russell, Bob Moses and Ken Radnofsky. Brooks received his B.M. in '88 and returned to the Bay Area in '89. His work in the early 90's included the Peck Allmond Group, the afro-pop group Kotoja and the start of his long-term association with legendary drummer Eddie Marshall. 1991 was the birth year of Brooks' groundbreaking hip/hop-jazz band Alphabet Soup. Co-founded with pianist Dred Scott, Alphabet Soup remains one of San Francisco's most popular bands. Alphabet Soup was the first hip/hop-jazz group at both the Monterey and San Francisco Jazz Festivals. In 1992 he recorded with his hero and teacher Joe Henderson on Kitty Margolis' CD "Evolution". In 1994 Kenny Brooks and Charlie Hunter began a run of almost 3 years playing duo and trio every Friday night at the SOMA nightspot the Up and Down Club. In 1996 Brooks joined the Charlie Hunter Quartet. They recorded the CD "Natty Dread" for Blue Note and toured extensively throughout the U. S., Canada and Europe. By 1995 Brooks was leading a trio under his own name with Eddie Marshall and top Bay Area bassist Jeff Chambers. Brooks played at the Monterey Jazz Festival in '83, '89, '90, '91, '92, '93, '94, '95 and '99. Other international festivals include the North Sea, Montreaux, Istanbul, What Is Jazz? (Knitting Factory), Copenhagen, Molde(Norway), Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto and many others. Gigs have included venues like the House of Blues(New Orleans, L.A. , Cambridge, Anaheim, Las Vegas, Orlando, and Myrtle Beach), Yoshi's, Knitting Factory, Red Rocks, L.A. Greek Theater, Berkeley Greek Theatre to name just a few. Brooks has toured to Japan, Canada, Switzerland, Austria, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, France, England, Germany, Turkey and Holland. Brooks has played and recorded with people like Mike Clark, Ohio Players, Steve Smith, Les Claypool, MMW, String Cheese Incident, Josh Roseman, etc..... joined Bob Weir's (Grateful Dead) band Ratdog in 2000 and has been playing with them ever since....in 2006 recorded on Chuck MacKinnon's new CD as well as DJ Teeko's "My Soundstation" and appearing with Teeko's 41Funk Jam Band.

Ross is an explosive, sensitive, dynamic, and compelling voice on the drum set and in the studio, Ross has in the last decade emerged as an in-demand drummer and producer in
Brooklyn, NY. Ross has shared the stage with renowned, diverse and prominent
musicians/artists as Fred Hersch, Snarky Puppy (recorded on their first album, The
Only Constant), The Manhattan Transfer, Take 6, Eddie Gomez, Kenny Werner, Patti
Austin, Shayna Steele, David Cook, Chris Potter, Melissa McMillan, Grace Kelly,
Emmy Rossum, Jessie James, David Binney, Lew Soloff, Nir Felder, Will Lee,
Kevin Hayes, Jean-Michel Pilc, Rufus Reid, Mark Egan, Francois Moutin, Ben
Wendel, John Ellis, Tim Lefevbre, Gary Versace, Oz Noy, Marc Johnson, Patricia
Barber, Henry Hey, Lynne Arriale, Johannes Weidenmueller, Jon Hendricks, Madeline Eastman, Joe Martin, Taylor Eigsti, John Abercrombie, Billy Drewes, Rich Perry, Wycliffe Gordon, Gilad Hekselman, Pete McCann, Kate McGarry, Ralph LaLama, among many others. As a sideman, Ross has recorded on dozens of albums ranging from Jazz trio to Indie Rock. He is a current member of the bands of Shayna Steele, Melissa McMillan and Grace Kelly, The Manhattan Transfer, as well as a frequent member of the Kenny Werner and Fred Hersch Trios. In addition to his jazz roots Ross stays in touch with his rock, pop, and singer-songwriter roots, playing with and producing jazz, soul/R&B, folk, rock, and indie-electronic artists in Brooklyn at his home studio.

Host or Publisher Downtown Cranford