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Thom Keith

Thom is active in the seacoast region of New Hampshire and Maine, and currently is a member of Trio Encompas, Equal Time and Camera 4, as well as freelancing and co-founder of Avant Coast artists' collective.

About Me

Thom is active in the seacoast region of New Hampshire and Maine, and currently is a member of Equal Time and The George Brown Band, as well as freelancing and co-founder of Avant Coast artists' collective. In the past, he has studied with Richard Gardzina and Jeff Coffin.

My Jazz Story

I love Jazz because, Jazz is. I was first exposed to jazz in the womb. My father was constant blaring music (Jazz), particularly on Sunday morning. I met Clifford Jordan by phone, then Tommy Flanagan in person. Since then I've been fortunate enough to meet many of my heroes, Eddie Gale, Dick Griffin, Billy Harper, James Carter, Frank Lowe, Ahmed Abdullah, Dennis Gonzalez (and all of Yells At Eels!), William Parker, Hamid Drake, Fred Hopkins... surely this is a sign of my age, but each time I'm a 12-year-old kid again. The best show I ever attended was Billy Harper in Waterville, ME. The first jazz record I bought was Sonny Rollins' Don't Ask. My advice to new listeners is to listen. Never mind what you're *supposed* to like. Listen, dig, and enjoy.