Notorious Jazz

BENNY BENACK III
2023-10-22 08:00 - 17:00 (America/New_York) | CA
The Band: Benny Benack III – trumpet & vocals | TBA – piano | Russell Hall – bass | Joe Peri – drums
By age 32, Emmy-nominated trumpeter and singer Benny Benack III has proven to be that rarest of talents: not only a fiery trumpet player with a stirring command of the postbop trumpet vernacular in the vein of Kenny Dorham and Freddie Hubbard, but also a singer with a sly, mature, naturally expressive delivery in the post-Sinatra mold, performing standards and his own astute songs with a thrilling sense of showmanship. This duel-threat ability was recognized by the 2022 Downbeat Critics Poll where he appeared as not only the #2 Rising Star Male Vocalist, but a top Rising Star Trumpeter as well. His superb intonation and bracing virtuosity enable him to handle astounding feats of originally composed vocalese (complex solos with written lyrics). On top of it all, he’s a highly capable pianist as well.
Benny has performed internationally as an Emcee/Host for the Youtube sensation Postmodern Jukebox, and achieved his own viral success amassing millions of views for his crooning alongside the Grammy-award winning “8-Bit Big Band”. In early 2020 he released A Lot of Livin’ to Do, the follow-up to his well-received 2017 debut One of a Kind. This sophomore effort, richly varied in mood and brimming with bop inflection, features bassist extraordinaire and Jazz ambassador Christian McBride (whose Grammy-award winning Big Band frequently calls upon Benny in the trumpet section) and drummer/producer Ulysses Owens, Jr., as well as the radiant Takeshi Ohbayashi on piano and Rhodes. His vocalese duet on “Social Call” from this album alongside fellow young star vocalist Veronica Swift became an instant smash hit single, being transcribed and learned by Jazz vocalists around the world.
Alongside his global touring as a straight-ahead/contemporary bandleader, Benny has appeared as a trumpet soloist in more commercial circles alongside Josh Groban, Ben Folds, fashion icon Isaac Mizrahi, Ann Hampton Callaway and more. He’s been featured at Birdland, Jazz @ Lincoln Center, Mezzrow, Bemelmans Bar at the Carlyle and other leading New York venues, and has also been a special guest with the Pittsburgh Symphony Pops Orchestra, the Columbus Jazz Orchestra and the Minsk Philharmonic Orchestra. He made his television debut in NBC’s short-lived, SNL-inspired variety show “Maya & Marty” playing in the in-studio band led by acclaimed bassist & Broadway arranger Charlie Rosen. More recent TV credits include “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” where he frequently performs in the House Band. His global recognition has been bolstered by recent live-streaming concerts at Smalls Jazz Club, where he maintains a weekly residency, as well as frequent appearances on fellow young lion Emmet Cohen’s “Emmet’s Place” weekly show.

RAVI COLTRANE
2023-10-24 20:00 - 2023-10-29 23:30 (America/New_York) | Village Vanguard, 178 7th Avenue S, New York City, NY, 10014, United States
He bears the name of jazz royalty, and he’s spent many hours curating, archiving and producing his parents’ recordings. But when he picks up his own saxophones, Ravi Coltrane blows an original and distinctly modern strain of jazz, distilling but never seeking to imitate his family’s adventurous improvising spirits. Now one of today’s top saxophonists.
The Band: Ravi Coltrane – Saxophone | Jonathan Finlayson – Trumpet | Luis Perdomo – Piano | Robert Hurst – Bass | Mark Whitfield Jr. – Drums
All Show Sold Out Except The 10:00pm Shows On Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday & Sunday

MARIE-CLAIRE GIRAUD
2023-10-25 18:00 - 22:00 (America/New_York) | Parker’s At Thompson Central Park, 119 W 56th St,, New York City, NY, 10019, United States
Marie-Claire Giraudis a soprano, jazz singer, musical theater singer, songwriter, composer, playwright, and actor. Born on the island of Dominica and raised in The Bronx. Marie-Claire started her operatic training in Rome, Italy. The pandemic afforded Marie-Claire the luxury of time to reflect, and she overcame obstacles that were blocking her creative path.
With her creativity freed, Marie-Claire wrote her first musical, discovered her true voice of soprano. With the musical finished Marie-Claire has many more projects in the works, screenplays, novels, EP’s, musicals and more.
Program: The Great American Songbook At The Movies

QUIANA PARLER & THE LAVON STEVENS TRIO
2023-10-25 18:30 - 23:00 (America/New_York) | The Jazz Corner, 1000 William Hilton Parkway, Hilton Head Island, SC, 29928, United States
As lead vocalist, lyricist, and composer for internationally and critically acclaimed two-time Grammy Award-winning roots music group, Ranky Tanky, Quiana Parler spent weeks at #1 on several Billboard Jazz charts. Quiana has spent over 20 years as the most sought-after vocalist in the Lowcountry. Known locally for years prior, she rose to national prominence after her success on the 2003 season of American Idol. Quiana has worked and collaborated with diverse artists and producers such as Clay Aiken, Kelly Clarkson, Ruben Studdard, Bobby McFerrin, Miranda Lambert, David Foster, Walter Afanasieff and many more.
Her performances have been featured on national broadcasts like The View, NBC’s TODAY, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, The Tonight Show, The Tyra Banks Show, and Saturday Night Live, as well as the Academy of Country Music Awards and the American Music Awards. Lavon Stevens has traveled and performed all over the country including Aspen, Colorado, Atlanta, Georgia and Orlando, Florida. The resort vacation destination of Hilton Head Island, South Carolina has been his home since 1981. He is one of the premier entertainers on Hilton Head Island. He is producing a variety of shows and recording projects including other R&B, Jazz and Gospel artists.
Cover: $10.00 ~ $15.00

KERMIT RUFFINS & THE BBQ SWINGERS
2023-10-25 20:00 - 22:00 (America/New_York) | Chickie Wah Wah, 2828 Canal Street, New Orleans, LA, 70119, United States
Halloween Special
American jazz trumpeter, singer, composer, and actor from New Orleans, Louisiana. He has been influenced by Louis Armstrong and Louis Jordan and says that the highest note he can hit on trumpet is a high C. He often accompanies his songs with his own vocals. Most of his bands perform New Orleans jazz standards though he also composes many of his own pieces.

WYCLIFFE GORDON & FRIENDS
2023-10-26 17:00 - 2023-10-29 23:00 (America/New_York) | Dizzy’s Club, 10 Columbus Circle, New York City, NY, 10019, United States
Wycliffe A. Gordon jazz trombonist, arranger, composer, band leader, and music educator at the collegiate-conservatory level. Gordon also sings and plays didgeridoo, trumpet, soprano trombone, tuba, and piano.
His early works as a professional were with Wynton Marsalis, but in 2010 he has expanded beyond swing and has experimented with new instruments. The strongest example of this might be The Search where he plays didgeridoo and covers Thelonious Monk songs. He has also played Gospel music.
In 1995, Gordon arranged and orchestrated the theme song for NPR’s All Things Considered. Gordon’s arrangement and orchestration is the third version of the melody composed in 1971 by Donald Joseph Voegeli (1920–2009).
On September 24, 2004, Gordon conducted the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra in the premiere of his new, original score for “Body and Soul”, the 1925 silent film directed by Oscar Micheaux.
He has recently gained more worldwide popularity, being featured in South Australia’s Generations In Jazz 2016 and 2017, playing alongside artists such as James Morrison, Jazzmeia Horn, Gordon Goodwin and Ross Irwin among others. For over a decade, he has also worked with visual artist and educator Ligel Lambert on numerous collaborative projects.

CLARK TRACEY QUINTET
2023-10-26 20:00 - 21:30 (America/New_York) | Spicejazz Soho, 6 Moor Street, London, England, W1D 5NA, United Kingdom
Line-up:
CLARK TRACEY drums
JAMES OWSTON double bass
GRAHAM HARVEY piano
ALEX CLARKE alto/tenor sax
EMILY MASSER vocals
Much acclaimed jazz drummer Clark Tracey has been leading his own bands since 1981 and currently leads an ever evolving quintet as well as tribute bands to his father, the late Stan Tracey. His latest quintet features a few of the most exciting young musicians today.
Alex Clarke on alto and tenor sax is aged 23. She won the Rising Star in the British Jazz Awards 2 years ago and was runner up in the BBC Young Jazz Musician last year. Last year she successfully released her debut CD “Only A Year” with Dave Newton, Dave Green and Clark Tracey.
Emily Masser is an astonishing vocalist, still 19 years of age and attending Trinity. Her vocalese skills have already introduced her to hardened jazzers like Claire Martin and Liane Carroll who have both endorsed her and invited her to sit in with them. Daughter of Dean Masser, her years belie her enormous talent, which began at Chethams School of Music.
Graham Harvey is one of the UK’s most experienced pianists, studied at Berkley, MD of Incognito, Stacey Kent’s pianist and much sought after as a freelancer.
James Owston on bass is 25, a graduate of Birmingham Conservatoire and again a runner up in the BBC Young Jazz Musician Finals a few years ago. Considered by Clark to be one most technically gifted upright bassists in the UK and is now working with a variety of musicians.

JACKIEM JOYNER
2023-10-27 06:00 - 2023-10-28 23:00 (America/New_York) | Middle C Jazz, 300 South Brevard Street, Charlotte, NC, 28202, United States
Contemporary saxophonist, author, and music producer Jackiem Joyner has set the bar high in his close 20 years as a performer. With a number one jazz album, several Billboard chart-topping hits, and a series of critically acclaimed booksto his name, he has shown himself to be the rare artist capable of transcending his instrument and reaching a mainstream audience.
Now, as he begins the 18th year of his career during a time of unprecedented change in the entertainment industry, he remains as focused on his art as ever.
Jackiem was born in Norfolk, VA. At an early age, he began to show signs of the restless creativity that would later define his career. Despite his humble upbringing, he was able to get his hands on a saxophone as a child. The instrument quickly became his constant companion. After years of practice, he emerged in style with 2007’s ‘Babysoul.’ A masterclass in seductive smooth jazz, the album marked the arrival of a brilliant instrumentalist, and set the stage for a prolific recording career that would include Grammy runner ups, hit singles, and no shortage of critical adoration, right up through 2019’s ‘Touch’, and on to 2020’s EP “Journey of Passion”
As a performer, he has toured over 30 countries and performed with the likes of the late George Duke, Marcus Miller, Keiko Matsui, Donnie McClurkin, Angela Bofill, Najee, Kirk Whalum, Peter White, and many others.

AUDREY SHAKIR QUARTET
2023-10-27 20:00 - 2023-10-28 23:00 (America/New_York) | Good Times Jazz Bar, 107 W. Broughton St, Savannah, GA, 31401, United States
Audrey Shakir was born into a musical family in Cleveland, Ohio – her mother was a great pianist, organist and vocal coach, and her father, whose idol was Billy Eckstine, loved to sing. She began her professional career as a pianist in a group that played the tunes of Stevie Wonder, Chaka Khan and others. Eventually, Audrey started leaning towards Herbie Hancock and Chick Corea, all the while adding singing to her playing talents, with the vocal influences of Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughn, Joe Williams and Jon Hendricks.
After moving to New York, she was introduced to Barry Harris, which led to numerous gigs with him. While playing the New York scene, she became a regular performer at The Village Gate and had numerous dates at Town Hall, the Apollo Theater and Tavern on the Green among many others.
She has toured with Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz At Lincoln Center Orchestra, including sold-out performances in New York at the Rose Theatre in Jazz At Lincoln Center, and played to sold-out audiences at the Center’s famed sister nightspot, Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola.
Audrey Shakir is a world-class vocalist, affectionately known as “Atlanta’s First Lady of Jazz”. She has performed with many noted jazz artists over the years in numerous clubs and concert halls throughout the United States and internationally during her successful professional career. An accomplished pianist in her own right, she has sung with small groups and with large orchestras in intimate and grand settings.
Most recently, she had a tremendously successful tour of Big Band Holidays, featuring Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz At Lincoln Center Orchestra, including four sold-out shows in New York at the Rose Theatre in Jazz At Lincoln Center, and followed that date up with two evenings of sold-out shows at New York’s famed jazz nitespot, Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola.
She has entertained at several Jazz Festivals, notably Atlanta and Savannah, and has headlined at clubs and private events in New York and throughout the southeast. Audrey’s CD, If You Could See Me Now, from Hot Shoe Records, has met with great critical acclaim, and she’s heading into the studio soon to record her next CD for Hot Shoe entitled Come Swing With Me, a celebration of the great vocalists of the Big Band Era.
Her Trio: Eric Jones ~ Piano | Marc Chesanow ~ Double Bass | Robert Britton Saunders ~ Drums

THE HEAVY HITTERS
2023-10-27 20:30 - 2023-10-28 22:00 (America/New_York) | The Side Door, Old Lyme Inn, 85 Lyme Street, Old Lyme, CT, 06371, United States
The Heavy Hitters is a sextet co-led by pianist Mike LeDonne and tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander. The band is rounded out by some of the premiere purveyors of straight-ahead swinging jazz: Vincent Herring on alto saxophone, Joshua Bruneau on trumpet, Peter Washington on upright bass, and Kenny Washington on drums.
The music is built to tickle your mind, hit you in the heart and get your head swaying back and forth. The Heavy Hitters make soulful kickass swinging music that you might have heard on a Blue Note record back in the day. Not to look back… this is a band that is all about the NOW because it’s happening right now!
The Heavy Hitters have been swinging hard their whole lives! Their debut record was recorded at Rudy Van Gelder’s studio, a place we are so lucky to still have up and running and that is putting out the same great sound we have all loved for all these years. It’s a true “Jazz” sound, recorded by some of the greatest jazz musicians of their generation.
Tickets Fees: $3.07~$4:05

RUSSELL MALONE
2023-10-28 19:00 - 2023-10-29 22:30 (America/New_York) | Blues Alley, 1073 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC, 20007, United States
“Obviously, we are in the capable hands of a master. Absolutely fluid touch and beautiful integration between moving lines and harmonic cadences. The sound of the instrument is well-balanced throughout the entire register. The relaxed quality of everything that’s being played gives it such a warm feeling. To play that stuff is extremely hard. This is an absolute master, the best of the best.”— Kurt Rosenwinkel, responding to Russell Malone’s solo performance of “Remind Me” on Playground [MaxJazz, 2004], in a DownBeat Blindfold Test.
Russell Malone is one of the signature guitar players of his generation. The several recordings since 1992, Malone is as well-known on the international circuit for helming a world-class quartet and trio as he is for his long-standing participation in Ron Carter’s Golden Striker Trio, and his recent consequential contribution to the musical production of the likes of Sonny Rollins and Dianne Reeves, who recruited Malone for his singular tone, refined listening skills, limitless chops, and efflorescent imagination.
In all these circumstances, Malone addresses the tradition on its own terms, refracting the vocabularies and syntax of such heroes as Charlie Christian, Chet Atkins, George Van Eps, Johnny Smith, Wes Montgomery, Grant Green, Kenny Burrell, Pat Martino, and George Benson into an argot entirely his own. A master of all tempos, a relentless swinger, he spins his stories —in idioms ranging from the urban and downhome blues, country, gospel, various corners of the American Songbook, and hardcore jazz—with a soulful, instantly recognizable instrumental voice, and seasons them with sophisticated harmonies that are never “too hip for the room.”
“I take pride on being open enough to play with anybody,” says Malone, citing encounters with such diverse artists as B.B. King, Andy Williams, James “Blood” Ulmer, and Ornette Coleman. “I love to swing, but I won’t turn up my nose at any style of music—or any other musician—because it’s different. I’ll play with anybody, if the music is good.”
Ticket Fee: $7.00 | $15 food/beverage minimum per person not included in ticket price.

TONY HIGHTOWER
2023-10-29 18:00 - 19:30 (America/New_York) | Middle C Jazz, 300 South Brevard Street, Charlotte, NC, 28202, United States
Singer/Songwriter Tony Hightower is taking up the mantle to be a bridge that ushers R&B audiences into Jazz…Real Jazz. With years of experience as a musical performer and actor with familiar roots that place him firmly within the music’s firmament, Atlanta-native Hightower is still just getting started on this benevolent turn in his journey. And he is bringing a lot of young people with him.
​His sophomore project, LEGACY, finds Hightower exploring Jazz vocal stylings from a dazzling prism of angles. The 10-song album moves confidently and assuredly from original compositions such as the soulful scat-laced “All to the Good,” the seductive Brazilian bossa nova of “Rendezvous” and the tender carnal Jarreau-esque love beg “I Need You” to swingin’ covers of Earth, Wind & Fire’s classic Skip Scarborough-penned “Can’t Hide Love,” a mean shuffle boogie groove through Al Green’s “Love and Happiness” and a smoldering upright bass accompanied tiptoe through the 1929 Andy Razaf standard “Gee, Baby, Ain’t I Good To You” made further famous in 1944 by one of Hightower’s greatest and earliest Jazz vocal heroes, Nat “King” Cole. That one’ll make the women wiggle.

CHRISTIAN MCBRIDE'S NEW JAWN
2023-10-29 20:00 - 22:00 (America/New_York) | City Winery Atlanta, Ponce City Market, 650 North Avenue NE, Atlanta, GA, 30308, United States
Christian McBride is an eight-time GRAMMY Award winning bassist, composer, and bandleader. McBride is the Artistic Director of the historic Newport Jazz Festival, New Jersey Performing Arts center (NJPAC) and the TD James Moody Jazz Festival, and the National Jazz Museum in Harlem. Christian is also a respected educator and advocate as the Artistic Director of Jazz House KiDS, and the Jazz Aspen Snowmass Summer Sessions. In addition to consistent touring, McBride hosts NPR’s “Jazz Night in America” and “The Lowdown: Conversations With Christian” on SiriusXM. Whether behind the bass or away from it, Christian McBride is always of the music. From jazz, to R&B, pop/rock, hip-hop/neo-soul, to classical, he is a luminary with one hand ever reaching for new heights, and the other extended in fellowship—and perhaps the hint of a challenge—inviting us to join him.
Doors ~ 6:30pm

KURT ELLING SUPERBLUE AT UNION CHAPEL
2023-10-31 19:00 - 22:30 (Europe/London) | Jazz Cafe London, 5 Parkway, Camden,, London NW1 7PG, United Kingdom
Grammy winner Kurt Elling is without question today’s preeminent male jazz vocalist, renowned worldwide for his unparalleled virtuosity and flair for trailblazing artistic exploration.
From his stunning reinvention of timeless standards to his own captivating original songcraft, the Chicago-based musician has fused his dazzling talents across a panoply of musical approaches, emblazoning each with signature imagination, insight, and emotional intelligence.
He presents his stunning new LP, SuperBlue: The Iridescent Spree.
The follow up to 2021’s remarkable SuperBlue, the album once again sees Elling joining forces with producer/guitarist Charlie Hunter and multi-instrumentalist duo drummer Corey Fonville and bassist-keyboardist DJ Harrison for a kaleidoscopic collection of new songs, surprising covers, and dynamic reinventions.

TYSHAWN SOREY TRIO
2023-10-31 20:00 - 2023-11-05 23:30 (America/New_York) | Village Vanguard, 178 7th Avenue S, New York City, NY, 10014, United States
At 43, Tyshawn Sorey is an American composer, multi-instrumentalist, and professor of contemporary music. Sorey has received accolades for performances, recordings, and compositions ranging from improvised solo percussion to opera, with work in best-of lists for both classical and jazz music.
A Newark native, is among the most formidable denizens of the in-between zone. Here is an extraordinary talent who can see across the entire musical landscape.

NOEL FREIDLINE & MARIA HOWELL
2023-11-03 08:00 - 2023-11-04 17:00 (America/New_York) | Middle C Jazz, 300 South Brevard Street, Charlotte, NC, 28202, United States
A jazz Celebration of Stevie Wonder featuring special guest Adam McKnight.
For over 35 years, Maria Howell, this petite North Carolina native, who splits her time between both the east coast and the west coast, has developed her career as a singer, actor, and voiceover artist. Her debut acting role was the choir soloist in the Oscar Nominated film, “The Color Purple”. She has gone on to appear in hit TV shows as Lifetime’s “Army Wives”, NBC’s “Revolution”, and CBS’s “Criminal Minds”. Feature films…“The Blind Side”, “Hidden Figures”, and “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire”. As a song stylist, Maria has shared the musical stage with legendary artists as, Nancy Wilson, George Benson, Ray Charles, Earl Klugh, brothers Ronnie and Hubert Laws, and veteran actor/singer, Keith David.
Pianist, vocalist, writer, arranger and educator, doesn’t come close to all things Noel Freidline! As a Magna Cum Laude graduate of the University of North Florida, with a BA in Music, Noel has been the bandleader of The Noel Freidline Quintet for over 26 years. He has numerous recordings to his credit, and has performed at jazz festivals from the Jacksonville Jazz Festival (FL)…to the Montreux Jazz Festival (Switzerland)…not to mention, a 3-year stint at the world famous Bellagio in Las Vegas, as the house band, leading his NFQ, where he performed for actress Julia Robert’s surprise 35th birthday party.
Noel was named Best Jazz Musician by Charlotte Magazine in 2006 and in 2009 and was named “Best Musical Director”, by the Metrolina Theatre Association of the Carolinas. In 2011 Freidline was chosen for the Blumenthal Performing Arts Association – Center Stage Award (Charlotte, NC), in recognition of his excellence in service to the arts. And in May, 2015, Noel Freidline was inducted into the Jacksonville Jazz Hall of Fame.

JEAN CHAUMONT
2023-11-03 18:30 - 20:00 (America/New_York) | Coffee Oasis, 822 Burwell Street, Bremerton, WA, 98337, United States
French jazz guitarist and composer who started playing guitar at fourteen years old, after eight years of piano training. Two years later, he began formally studying jazz music. He received a degree in jazz musical studies from the Conservatory of Orsay in 2004, later rounding out this academic training by playing extensively in France with musicians such as Fiona Monbet, Ibrahim Maalouf, Armel Dupas, and Karl Jannuska in venues such as Festival Jazz à Saint-Germain-des-Prés, Charlie Jazz Festival, Salle Pleyel, and Sunset/Sunside. Alongside his performance work, Chaumont was commissioned for various compositions and arrangements including the scoring of “Le Bonheur en Suspens,” a full-length French documentary for France 3.
Chaumont moved to Princeton, New Jersey in 2014. He began composing for his debut album, The Beauty of Differences, which was released on 15 June 2018. It received critical acclaim including a four-star review from Down Beat magazine and remained in the top 100 in jazz radio airplay for ten weeks in the United States, according to JazzWeek. The Beauty of Differences features a core band with bassist Ike Sturm, saxophonist Sam Sadigursky, pianist Michael Bond, and drummer Rudy Royston as well as Tierney Sutton, Vinod Gnanaraj, John Hadfield, and Enoch Smith Jr. as guests. Its proceeds will finance the excavation of wells in the Sakata region of Malawi, Africa through the Villages in Partnership organization.
Admission: $5.00 Donation ~ Cash Only | 25 and Younger: Free | Youth Arrive At 6:00pm For A Free Dinner

EBBAN & EPHRAIM DORSEY: HOMECOMING
2023-11-03 19:00 - 23:00 (America/New_York) | Keystone Korner Baltimore, 1350 Lancaster Street, Baltimore, MD, 21231, United States
The multi-talented siblings have been playing together since they were 10 and 11. They continue to strive with their gifts as they travel, playing with some of the best local, national and international recording artists. Their performances can be described as two different voices coming together to create a healing, ethereal, and emotional experience for the listeners, as well as themselves.
Ebban Dorsey, 19-year-old alto saxophonist, composer, and bandleader, is from Baltimore, Maryland and has studied with Blake Meister, Carl Grubbs, Tim Green, and Gary Thomas. Ebban has gained a lot of experience playing Jazz and has even performed with Carl Grubbs, Gary Bartz (Performed on a live recording for the documentary titled, “Blues Chronicles”), Kamasi Washington, John Lamkin, Warren Wolf, Benito Gonzales, Kenny Garett, Tia Fuller, Sean Jones, Wycliffe Gordon, Tanya Darby, Erica Von Kleist, Mimi Jones, Shamie Royston, Reginald Thomas, Allison Miller, José James, Matthew Stevens, The Chuck Redd Band, Christian Scott, and many more. She was a member of NYO Jazz 2020 as well as NYO Jazz 2021 and recorded an album with the 2021 Jazz band. She has also performed a jazz rendition of “This Land is Your Land” at the Baltimore Orioles stadium as part of the “Women of Music” concert series, and later performed the national anthem alongside Ephraim Dorsey for the 2020 season opener. Ebban Dorsey is an extraordinary musician with a bright future ahead of her.
Ephraim Dorsey, 20-year-old tenor saxophonist, composer, and bandleader, is from Baltimore, Maryland and has studied with Blake Meister, Carl Grubbs, Tim Green, and Gary Thomas. Ephraim has gained a lot of experience playing Jazz and has performed with Carl Grubbs, Gary Bartz (Performed on a live recording for the documentary titled, “Blues Chronicles”), Kamasi Washington (participated in a film project entitled, “As told to G/D thyself”’, which is available for viewing on iTunes and the Apple Store), Kenny Garett, John Lamkin, Warren Wolf, Benito Gonzales (Performed with at the twins Jazz Club), Kris Funn, Sean Jones, Wycliffe Gordon, Erica Von Kleist, Reginald Thomas, The Chuck Redd Band, Christian Scott, and many more. He was a member of NYO Jazz 2021 and recorded an album with the 2021 Jazz Band. Ephraim is a passionate Jazz musician and aims to share his gift with the rest of the world.
Ticket Fees: $1.70~$3.46

RUSSELL MALONE
2023-11-03 19:30 - 2023-11-04 23:00 (America/New_York) | The Velvet Note, 4075 Old Milton Parkway, Alpharetta, GA, 30005, United States
Russell Malone is one of the signature guitar players of his generation. The several recordings since 1992, Malone is as well-known on the international circuit for helming a world-class quartet and trio as he is for his long-standing participation in Ron Carter’s Golden Striker Trio, and his recent consequential contribution to the musical production of the likes of Sonny Rollins and Dianne Reeves, who recruited Malone for his singular tone, refined listening skills, limitless chops, and efflorescent imagination.
In all these circumstances, Malone addresses the tradition on its own terms, refracting the vocabularies and syntax of such heroes as Charlie Christian, Chet Atkins, George Van Eps, Johnny Smith, Wes Montgomery, Grant Green, Kenny Burrell, Pat Martino, and George Benson into an argot entirely his own. A master of all tempos, a relentless swinger, he spins his stories —in idioms ranging from the urban and down-home blues, country, gospel, various corners of the American Songbook, and hardcore jazz—with a soulful, instantly recognizable instrumental voice, and seasons them with sophisticated harmonies that are never “too hip for the room.”

GEORGE COLLIGAN
2023-11-03 20:30 - 22:00 (America/New_York) | The Side Door, Old Lyme Inn, 85 Lyme Street, Old Lyme, CT, 06371, United States
George Colligan – piano | Nicole Glover – saxophone | Alex Claffy – bass | Kush Abadey – drums
George Colligan is not only one of the great jazz pianists of his generation, but he has earned an international reputation as a multi-instrumentalist (drums, trumpet, organ, keyboards), composer, accompanist, teacher, and bandleader, as well as popular blogger. Winner of the 2015 DownBeat magazine Critics Poll (Keyboard), he has had a long association with living jazz legend Jack DeJohnette; recent touring took Colligan around the U.S. with “An Evening with Jack DeJohnette and Savion Glover.” He has also recently toured the U.S. and Canada as a leader with his trio featuring legends Buster Williams and Lenny White. With over 130 albums to date as an accompanist, Colligan has worked with a long list of jazz greats, including John Scofield, Buster Williams, Cassandra Wilson, Don Byron, Ravi Coltrane, Chris Botti, and many others. His latest album, “King’s Dream” (PJCE Records 2022) is his 36th as a bandleader.
Colligan, a New York resident for 15 years, now resides in Portland, Oregon where he is a Full Professor at Portland State University. He has recently won two Region Arts and Culture Council grants, A South Arts Jazz Road grant, and a PSU Faculty Development grant. Colligan recently won the PSU College of The Arts Dean’s Council Award for Research, Scholarship and Creativity(2020), and also won the Researcher of the Year Award from the PSU College Of The Arts(2021).
Ticket Fees: $2.58~$3.56

HEIDI MARTIN ENSEMBLE
2023-11-08 19:30 - 21:00 (America/New_York) | Keystone Korner Baltimore, 1350 Lancaster Street, Baltimore, MD, 21231, United States
Ensemble: Janelle Gil, Romeir Mendez, Justin Faulkner, Paige Brown, Tim Warfield & Clarence Ward, III
A treat in store for jazz-vocals fans released at the end of this month this from American singer Heidi Martin full of original, involving compositions with some very sensitive accompaniment by among others guitarist Paul Bollenback, bassist Tarus Mateen and drummer Eric Harland recorded in a New York studio last summer. At times you land as if in Joni Mitchell territory time-travelling as the record dips and darts into unexpected areas and sharing the same oblique poeticism of Mitchell and a certain spirit of adventure musically and lyrically that lifts the spirits. If you’re into Dena DeRose, Patricia Barber or Tierney Sutton step this way.

STANLEY JORDAN
2023-11-09 19:00 - 2023-11-12 22:30 (America/New_York) | Blues Alley, 1073 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC, 20007, United States
In a career that took flight in 1985 with commercial and critical acclaim, guitar virtuoso Stanley Jordan has consistently displayed a chameleonic musical persona of openness, imagination, versatility and maverick daring. Be it bold reinventions of classical masterpieces or soulful explorations through pop-rock hits, to blazing straight ahead jazz forays and ultramodern improvisational works-solo or with a group-Jordan can always be counted on to take listeners on breathless journeys into the unexpected.
Key to Jordan’s fast-track acclaim was his mastery of a special technique on the guitar’s fretboard. Instead of conventional strumming and picking, Jordan’s innovative “touch technique” is an advanced form of two-handed tapping. While a handful of other players were using similar techniques, Stanley’s fluid, multi-layered textures and sheer virtuosity raised the bar for excellence. But his technique, though impressive, is always a means to a musical end. His music is imbued with a warmth and sensitivity that has captured the imagination of listeners worldwide. A classically trained pianist before playing guitar, Jordan wanted greater freedom in voicing chords on his guitar, so he applied piano principles to do so. Jordan’s touch technique allows the guitarist to play melody and chords simultaneously with an unprecedented level of independence. It also allows Jordan to play simultaneously on two different guitars, or even on guitar and piano. He says that “I think of it as a single instrument, but one with a wide range of tonal colors-that’s why I do it.”
To date Jordan has performed in over 60 countries on 6 continents. He has performed at many festivals, including the Kool Jazz Festival, the Concord Jazz Festival, and the Montreaux International Jazz Festival. During the 1980s he collaborated with a diverse array of artists, including performances with Art Blakey and Richie Cole and recordings with Stanley Clarke and Kenny Rogers. The track with Rogers, “Morning Desire”, became America’s #1 country song in 1986. Later Jordan became a frequent guest with Les Paul during Paul’s legendary Monday nights at Iridium in New York. Today Jordan performs frequently as a soloist and with his band, as well as collaborating with other guitarists such as Kevin Eubanks, Sharon Isbin and Muriel Anderson. He’s also a frequent guest with jam bands such as the Dave Matthews Band, the String Cheese Incident, Phil Lesh, Moe and Umphrey’s McGee.

JOEY ALEXANDER
2023-11-10 19:00 - 2023-11-11 23:00 (America/New_York) | Jazz Forum Arts, 1 Dixon Lane, Tarrytown, NY, 10591, United States
Joey Alexander, is an Indonesian jazz pianist. He became the first Indonesian musician to chart on Billboard 200 when his album My Favorite Things debuted at number 174 and then peaked at 59. His first album, My Favorite Things, was released in 2015 when he was 11 years old.
Widely regarded as a wunderkind, Alexander taught himself to play jazz at the age of six by listening to his father’s classic jazz albums. He won the Grand Prix at the 2013 Master-Jam Fest when he was nine.
In 2014, Wynton Marsalis invited him to play at Jazz at Lincoln Center. Alexander played at the Montreal and Newport Jazz Festivals in 2015 and has performed for Herbie Hancock, Bill Clinton, Wendy Kiess, and Barack Obama.

TRIBUTE TO PHAROAH SANDERS
2023-11-11 17:00 - 2023-11-12 23:00 (America/New_York) | Keystone Korner Baltimore, 1350 Lancaster Street, Baltimore, MD, 21231, United States
Gary Bartz [Saxophone]
Jean Carn [Vocals]
Norman Connors [Vocals & Drums]
Eddie Baccus Jr. [Saxophone]
The Starship Orchestra
Known for his overblowing, harmonic, and multi-phonic techniques on the saxophone, as well as his use of “sheets of sound”, American jazz musician Pharaoh Sanders played a prominent role in the development of free jazz and spiritual jazz through his work as a member of John Coltrane’s groups in the mid-1960s, and later through his solo work. He released over thirty albums as a leader and collaborated extensively with vocalist Leon Thomas and pianist Alice Coltrane, among many others. Fellow saxophonist Ornette Coleman once described him as “probably the best tenor player in the world”. Most of Sanders’ best-selling work was made in the late 1960s and early 1970s for Impulse Records, including the 30-minute wave-on-wave of free jazz “The Creator Has a Master Plan” from the album Karma.
A native of Baltimore, Gary Bartz has been known to many as a trail blazer in the music business from the moment he started playing with Art Blakey at his father’s jazz club in his hometown to his own music throughout the 57 years as a professional musician. As if his Grammy Award with McCoy Tyner in 2005 (‘Illuminations’) wasn’t enough to carve out a place for Bartz in the jazz genre, he has broken the mold with more than 40 solo albums and over 200 as a guest artist.
Drummer and producer Norman Connors’ work has become a main staple of jazz-fusion, with tracks including “Mother Of The Future” from album “Slew Foot” (1974), “Captain Connors” from album “This Is Your Life” (1977), “You Are My Starship” (1976) album, et al. He has lead jazz recordings with Carlos Garnett, Gary Bartz, Dee Dee Bridgewater, and Herbie Hancock.
Jean Carn began her recording career with her then-husband, pianist Doug Carn, founder of Black Jazz Records and had an astounding five octave voice range. She sang background for artists including the likes of Earth, Wind & Fire and Norman Connors, but in 1977, she debuted solo, playing a crucial role in the golden era of Philly soul.
Streaming: $10.00 + fees
Showtimes ~ Saturday: 7:00 & 9:30pm | Sunday: 5:00 & 7:30pm

LAURENCE HOBGOOD
2023-11-12 08:00 - 17:00 (America/New_York) | Zinc Bar, 82 West 3rd Street, New York City, NY, 10012, United States
Laurence Hobgood: pianist, Matt Clohesy: bass, Jared Schonig: drums.
Laurence Hobgood, a multifaceted artist with a career spanning over three decades, brings his exceptional talents to the stage. From a young age, he immersed himself in the world of music, ultimately transitioning to jazz during his time at the University of Illinois. It was there that he developed his skills and artistic philosophy in a thriving musical environment.
In 1988, Hobgood made his mark in Chicago, collaborating with legendary musicians, including Kurt Elling. Their partnership resulted in Grammy-nominated albums, with Hobgood recognized as a producer when they clinched the 2010 Grammy for “Dedicated To You: Kurt Elling Sings The Music Of Coltrane and Hartman.” Hobgood’s achievements also include receiving ASCAP’s Deems Taylor Award and earning critical acclaim for his own albums, such as “When The Heart Dances” and “PoemJazz,” featuring poet Robert Pinsky.
In 2013, he introduced the Laurence Hobgood Quintet, a project celebrated by Downbeat magazine. Hobgood’s musical journey continues to captivate audiences worldwide, making his performance on November 21st an event not to be missed. See you there!

MADELEINE PEYROUX
2023-11-12 19:30 - 21:00 (America/New_York) | City Winery Atlanta, Ponce City Market, 650 North Avenue NE, Atlanta, GA, 30308, United States
Every great musical project starts with a feeling that it’s time.So it was, in 2004, for Madeleine Peyroux: “when I got around to making Careless Love it had been a good eight years since my first album.” Eight years—forever in the music world. Not long After Dreamland dropped in ’96, she had disappeared from the touring scene as well. Where had she been? What had she been doing, and why?I was traveling a lot across America, rediscovering the country and re-identifying as an American. I was born here in the States but moved with my mother to live in Paris when I was young. I met family I never met before. I caught up on what was happening with the music here. It was all a culture shock for me. When I came back to New York to make that first album I was like a deer in the headlights. It was my first time in a studio, my first time back in America. Then 9/11 happened. Then George W. got re-elected. It was like the world was going crazy. After Dreamland I had signed with Sony and I was trying to make my second record. I was broke and I didn’t know what I was going to do next.Self-reflection and spiritual sensitivity are assets to any musician in the process of starting a career, of establishing one’s musical identity and direction. They don’t, however, necessarily lock into the typical velocity of career-building. There were other things Peyroux had to handle. She underwent surgery on her vocal cords. She healed and worked with a vocal coach. As the ‘90s gave way to the first years of a new century, she continued to question the how and, significantly, the why of what she was doing. (Her choice of the Dylan Thomas quote below, from his 1946 poem “In my Craft and Sullen Art,” helps explain her creative motivation.)

MICHAEL WOLFF
2023-11-14 19:00 - 21:45 (America/New_York) | Zinc Bar, 82 West 3rd Street, New York City, NY, 10012, United States
Michael Wolff ~ piano, Ben Allison ~ bass, Allison Miller ~ drums.
In the summer of 2015, the renowned pianist-composer battled a rare cancer, defying the odds to make a remarkable recovery. His sons Nat and Alex, known from The Naked Brothers Band, played by his side during his darkest moments. Today, he is completely cancer-free, and his outlook on life and music has transformed profoundly.
His latest album, “Swirl,” is a radiant piano trio masterpiece featuring bassist Ben Allison and drummer Allan Mednard. This new work reflects Wolff’s newfound appreciation for life’s joys, focusing on creating beautiful music that resonates deeply.
Michael Wolff’s storied career spans decades, with collaborations with jazz legends like Cannonball Adderley and Tom Harrell. He’s also known for his role as the musical director of Arsenio Hall’s late-night talk show. Additionally, Wolff is an avid fan of blackjack and has shared his insights into the game.

AL WEST JR. & FRIENDS
2023-11-15 19:00 - 20:30 (America/New_York) | Caffè Vivace, 975 E McMillan Street, Cincinnati, OH, 45206, United States
Al West Jr. — vocalist Greg Chako — guitar David Lloyd — bass Michael Meloy — drums

Conceived in Mississippi, born in St. Louis, Misouri and raised in Chicago, Illinois he is a jazz vocalist whose journey follows the genealogy and geography of this uniquely American musical art form. His silky smooth vocals and classic-man vibe naturally suit his expansive repertoire. Al interprets a broad range of selections from the Great American Songbook with emotion, sensitivity, and vitality that poignantly conveys each story. Straddling classic and contemporary jazz worlds, he easily moves from intimate lounge settings to larger performance halls.

MANDY GAINES & SERGIO PAMIES
2023-11-16 19:00 - 20:30 (America/New_York) | Caffè Vivace, 975 E McMillan Street, Cincinnati, OH, 45206, United States
Mandy Gaines ~ vocalist | Sergio Pamies ~ piano

Mandy Gaines began singing at an early age in school and church. She holds a B.A. from the College of Wooster in Speech/Arts. She has continued her studies through private vocal instruction and workshops emphasizing oral interpretation, jazz improvisation, vocal technique, theatre, and broadcasting/media studies. Born in 1983 in Granada, Spain, Sergio

Pamies has published four albums under his name: Entre Amigos (PSM, 2008), Borrachito (Bebyne Records, 2011), and What Brought You Here? (Bebyne Records, 2017) and Summer Night at La Corrala: Solo Piano (expected April 2021). Critics have acknowledged his talent for composition, the lyrical qualities of his playing, and his natural and spontaneous ability to fuse the traditional jazz language and flamenco music of his childhood. Pamies has performed at festivals in Austria, the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Colombia, Perú, China, Spain, and the United States. He has collaborated with outstanding artists such as Dave Liebman, Christian Scott, Quamon Fowler, Brad Leali, Quincy Davis, Ed Soph, Stockton Helbing, and Tatiana Mayfield.

Pamies currently teaches at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM), where he was appointed Assistant Professor in 2020. Pamies has given masterclasses and presented his research at Universidad de Granada (Spain), the University of North Texas, the University of Central Oklahoma, the University of Texas at Arlington (USA), East Shanghai Normal University, Contemporary Music Institute of Zhuhai (China), Universidad Autónoma de Bucaramanga, Universidad Industrial de Santander and Universidad EAFIT de Medellín (Colombia), and the Jazz Educators Network Conference, among other institutions.

LINDSEY WEBSTER
2023-11-16 19:30 - 21:00 (America/New_York) | St. James Live, 3220 Butner Road #240, Atlanta, GA, 30331, United States
An American jazz, R&B, and pop singer. Her first single, “Fool Me Once”, reached number one on the Smooth Jazz chart at Billboard magazine (2016), making her the first vocalist since Sade’s 2010 “Soldier of Love” to have a #1 vocally-driven song in the primarily instrumental format. Since then Webster has scored six Top 5 hits, including “Where Do You Want To Go” (#1), Back To Your Heart (#2), Open Up (#3), Next To Me (#3), & Love Inside.
