Unsung Giants
A live concert by Brandon Meeks, inspired by Midwest jazz legacy stories
Summary • Video • Featured Stories • Gallery • Meet the Band • About Brandon Meeks • Press • Contact
Project Summary
Unsung Giants is an award-winning performance project by Creative Capital State of the Art Prize recipient Brandon Meeks.
The project has also been selected as a 2026 New Works commission by the Allied Solutions Center for the Performing Arts, where it premiered on May 30, 2026 at the Tarkington Theater.
Through new compositions, storytelling, and multimedia elements, Unsung Giants transforms conversations with under-recognized jazz legacy artists into powerful live performance experiences.
Performance Details
Format: Live concert
Performer: Brandon Meeks (trio or quintet)
Featured Stories: Unsung Midwest legacy artists whose stories are the basis for the music
Length: 75–90 minutes
Best fit for: Performing arts centers, universities, jazz series
Watch the Performance
The premiere of Unsung Giants at the Allied Solutions Center for the Performing Arts.
Full Project Description
Unsung Giants is a nationally touring performance project by jazz bassist and composer Brandon Meeks that transforms conversations with the Midwest’s under-recognized Black American jazz legacy artists into new compositions, shared through live concert performance and storytelling.
The project centers on musicians whose work shaped regional jazz traditions but was never fully documented or recognized beyond their communities. Through in-depth conversations, their experiences serve as source material for new music performed live by Meeks and his core ensemble.
Each performance brings these stories to the stage, honoring lineage while presenting jazz as a living, evolving art form. Rather than only looking backward, Unsung Giants connects past and present—demonstrating how the knowledge, innovation, and resilience of these artists continue to inform contemporary jazz and reach new audiences across the country.
Project Recognition
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Creative Capital State of the Art Prize (2026)
Unsung Giants was awarded the Creative Capital State of the Art Prize in recognition of the project's artistic excellence and cultural impact.
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New Works Commission - Allied Solutions Center for the Performing Arts (2026)
Unsung Giants was selected for a New Works Commission, supporting the creation and premiere of the project.
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Jazz Hero Award - Jazz Journalists Association (2026)
Unsung Giants received the Jazz Hero Award in recognition of its commitment to preserving and celebrating Indiana's jazz legacy.
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Project Grant - Indy Arts Council (2025)
Unsung Giants received an Indy Arts Council Project Grant to support the development and public presentation of the project.
Why This Work Matters
For generations, under-recognized Black jazz artists from the Midwest helped shape the sound and culture of American music while receiving little documentation or institutional recognition. Many of their stories—marked by innovation, migration, mentorship, and community leadership—remain absent from the public record.
This gap is especially visible in regional jazz histories that have influenced countless musicians but were never fully preserved or shared beyond their local scenes. As time passes, these stories risk being lost altogether.
Unsung Giants responds by preserving artists’ voices, centering Black artistic lineage, and transforming lived experience into new music that can be shared with audiences today. The project creates space for intergenerational exchange while honoring the knowledge and contributions that continue to shape contemporary jazz.
By bringing these stories to the stage, Unsung Giants ensures that essential chapters of jazz history are not only remembered, but carried forward as living, evolving art.
Unsung Giants centers on living, under-recognized jazz artists whose work shaped regional jazz traditions and influenced generations of musicians, often without broader documentation or national visibility.
These artists are not presented as historical figures, but as active contributors whose knowledge, artistry, and leadership continue to inform contemporary jazz. Their voices and experiences serve as the foundation for the project’s new compositions and performances.
As Unsung Giants develops, each artist will be featured through excerpts from their recorded interviews and original music inspired by their stories.
Source Voices
Billy Foster (Gary, IN)
Pianist and educator whose work has been central to the development of jazz musicians across Northwest Indiana and beyond.
Clifford Ratliff (Indianapolis, IN)
Trumpeter and mentor whose influence spans decades of performance, teaching, and community leadership.
Kenny Phelps (Indianapolis, IN)
Drummer and producer known for his creative versatility and long-standing role in shaping Indianapolis’ jazz scene.
Featured Stories
Billy Foster
Clifford Ratliff
Kenny Phelps
Project Elements
Oral Histories
Recorded conversations with under-recognized jazz artists capturing their stories, lineage, and personal histories.
Original Compositions
New music inspired by the lives and legacies of the elders, composed by Brandon Meeks.
About Brandon Meeks
2026 Creative Capital State of the Art Prize winner and 2026 Jazz Hero recognized by the Jazz Journalists Association, Brandon Meeks has been a vibrant force in the Midwest’s soulful and eclectic music scene for more than 20 years.
As a bassist, he has crafted countless compelling live music experiences with dozens of regional artists, as well as several nationally recognized acts.
Meeks has had the good fortune of working alongside highly acclaimed artists such as Robert Glasper, Emmet Cohen, Jazzmeia Horn, and Charlie Hunter.
Brandon is also the creator of Unsung Giants, a nationally touring performance project that transforms conversations with under-recognized jazz artists into new music, live-performance and storytelling.
Inspired by this vision, he recently formed a new collective of standout musicians from Indianapolis, Chicago, and Cincinnati to explore bold musical ideas shaped by modern jazz visionaries like Christian McBride and Roy Hargrove.
Blending the spirit of classic straight-ahead jazz with a fresh, streetwise 21st-century aesthetic, the group delivers music that uplifts, inspires, and electrifies every room they play.
Meet The Band
William Menefield
PianoWilliam Menefield is a pianist, composer, and educator whose work reflects a wide-ranging musical voice grounded in jazz tradition and expanded through influences from R&B, soul, and classical music. He currently serves as Assistant Professor of Jazz Studies at the University of Iowa School of Music.
A Cincinnati native, Menefield began his professional career at age twelve and released his debut album shortly after high school. His playing has been described as “breathtaking,” blending influences as diverse as Stevie Wonder, Beethoven, and Kenny Kirkland into a sound that is both expressive and refined.
He has performed with artists including Roy Ayers, Clark Terry, and Gary Bartz, and has appeared as a soloist with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and Cincinnati Opera. In addition to his performance career, he is an active composer with works ranging from jazz recordings to opera, and continues to perform and present internationally.
Brandon Meeks
Upright Bass, ComposerBrandon Meeks is a jazz artist, composer, and cultural advocate known for his ability to fuse jazz, hip-hop, and soul into immersive, story-driven performance experiences. Born and raised in Gary, Indiana and based in Indianapolis, his work is rooted in the lineage of Black American music and the improvisational spirit of jazz.
He is the creator of the 3rd Sunday Jazz Concert series, a community-centered performance platform that has become a consistent space for live jazz in Indianapolis, bringing together audiences and musicians from across the region.
A recipient of the 2026 Creative Capital State of the Art Prize and the 2026 Jazz Hero Award from the Jazz Journalists Association, Meeks continues to develop multidisciplinary work that explores legacy, identity, and the overlooked figures who shape musical history.
Cassius Goens is a drummer, educator, and versatile performer known for his dynamic approach to jazz percussion and his strong presence across the Midwest music scene. He serves as Associate Lecturer of Jazz Percussion at Ball State University School of Music.
A native of Muncie, Indiana, Goens began playing percussion at age eleven and went on to earn degrees from Ball State University and the University of Iowa, where he performed with multiple jazz ensembles and developed his voice as a performer.
He has performed extensively throughout the United States, Europe, and Brazil, appearing at major festivals including Montreux and Jazz à Vienne, and has shared the stage with artists such as Jimmy Greene, Slide Hampton, and Wayne Bergeron. In addition to leading his own projects, Goens is a sought-after collaborator known for his adaptability, rhythmic depth, and strong musical voice.
DrumsCassius Goens
