Jesse

        Based in Ann Arbor, Jesse Kramer is one of the most in demand drummers in Metro Detroit. Kramer began learning drum set at the age of five, and grew up studying and working with local jazz masters such as Sean Dobbins, Paul Keller, Vincent York, and Claude Black. Kramer graduated from the University of Michigan School of Music in 2011, where he studied with Ellen Rowe, Andrew Bishop, Michael Gould, Marion Hayden, and Geri Allen. While attending U of M, Kramer was awarded a DownBeat Magazine Student Music Award, and represented the University at the 2011 International Association of Schools of Jazz meeting in Sao Paulo, Brazil, directed by Dave Liebman.

       Kramer has performed with countless local and national artists, and is himself a respected band leader. He has recorded with artists such as Paul Keller, Demetrius Nabors, Miles Brown, and Vincent Chandler. Kramer performed and recorded in Bangkok with vocalist Natasha Patamapongs and her acclaimed group Mellow Motif for ThaiPBS "BossaNona All-Star Brazilian Concert" in 2011, and for the live DVD recording "Ao Vivo!" released in 2015. 

      Kramer co-leads the Roe Bickley Kramer trio, along with pianist Rick Roe and bassist Rob Bickley. The trio has released three albums: "Heliosphere" in 2018, "Dark Virtue" in 2019, and "Lucid Dream" in 2022. Kramer released his first solo record, "Acacia", in 2014. In June of 2019, Kramer released his latest project “Antinous as Osiris”. Inspired by two of the most important 20th century literary figures—Marguerite Yourcenar and Langston Hughes—Kramer translates Yourcenar’s exquisite language from her historical novel “Memoirs of Hadrian” and Hughes’ cadence from “Montage of a Dream Deferred” into timeless melodies with lush harmonies and sophisticated rhythmic structures.