Unsung Giants
A live concert by Brandon Meeks, inspired by Midwest jazz legacy stories
Summary • Full Description • Impact • Featured Stories • Press • Contact
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 will premiere 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.
Project Summary
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
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.
Full Project Description
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.
Creative Capital State of the Art Prize (2026)
Unsung Giants was recognized through the Creative Capital State of the Art Prize, a national juried award supporting innovative artist-led projects.
Project Recognition
New Works Commission — Allied Solutions Center for the Performing Arts (2026)
Selected as one of the Center’s annual New Works commissions, with a public premiere scheduled for May 30, 2026 at the Tarkington Theater.
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 (in development)
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
(In development)
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.
Brandon Meeks is a jazz bassist, composer, and cultural advocate. Based in Indianapolis, he is known for his work across jazz, hip-hop, and soul, and for his leadership in strengthening the region’s creative ecosystem.
His project Unsung Giants expands the cultural narrative of the Midwest by documenting and celebrating the legacy of Black jazz elders while cultivating next generation artists.
About Brandon Meeks
Get Updates
A community-supported initiative connected to this project will launch in early 2026. Join the list to be the first to know.
Contact
For media inquiries, interviews, or partnership opportunities:
brandon@brandonmeeksmusic.com