Notorious Jazz

THAD WILSON QUARTET
2023-07-28 20:00 - 2023-07-29 23:00 (America/New_York) | Good Times Jazz Bar, 107 W. Broughton St, Savannah, GA, 31401, United States
“My personality is youthful in nature so my audiences should be prepared for a high-energy musical journey. Blues, R&B, Hip Hop, Gospel, and Jazz have always been present in my sound. In my travels, the one thing I’ve discovered is how fragile and beautifully unique the human condition is. When I compose and perform, I base all of my musical ideas on the interconnectedness of that thing we call the human experience.” – Thad
Thad was born in Fort Dix, New Jersey. However, his musical life started as a child living in Montgomery, Alabama. At fifteen, he moved back to New Jersey where he was quickly recognized for his talent and awarded the All-American High School Music Award and a place in New Jersey’s All-State Jazz Ensemble. Shortly after, he began studying privately with Jimmy Owens, former member of Dizzy Gillespie’s Big Band. It was Jimmy who gave Thad a glimpse into the life of a true professional musician. In his early days, he performed at the Village Gate, Blue Note, Visiones, Knitting Factory and many other new york city venues.
While in New York, Thad was a member of Charlie Persip’s Super Band and had a brief stint with Illinois Jacquet. Over his career, Thad has performed alongside James Moody, Benny Golson, Steve Turre, Cecil Bridgewater, Andrew White, Buck Hill, Keter Betts, Johnny O’neal, Russell Malone, Roy Hargrove, Wynton Marsalis and many others. He also lived briefly in Atlanta and made his way on the early hip hop scene performing with Bone Crusher, Khalfani, and many others. Currently, Thad tours with the legendary group, The Blackbyrds. He also composes and performs his live film scores all over the world.

THE BAYLOR PROJECT
2023-08-03 19:30 - 21:00 (America/New_York) | St. James Live, 3220 Butner Road #240, Atlanta, GA, 30331, United States
A husband. A wife. An astonishing duo built on love, family, faith, culture and community.
These are the things that power The Baylor Project featuring Jean Baylor and Marcus Baylor. This enticing collaboration is steeped in the heart and soul of jazz. As the children of Pastors, Marcus’ and Jean’s musical roots were planted deep within the church, and it was there that the road was paved for the influence of jazz, gospel, blues and soul to make it’s mark. Their debut CD “The Journey“, released on their own label, Be A Light, topped the Billboard Jazz Chart at Number 8 in 2017 and a year later garnered 2 GRAMMY® Nominations for Best Jazz Vocal Album and Best Traditional R&B Performance. Two years later during one of the most challenging years in recent history, The Baylors released their single, “Sit On Down” in 2020 which earned a 3rd GRAMMY® Nomination for Best Traditional R&B Performance, solidifying The Baylor Project as an undeniable force. Their second album, “Generations,” released in 2021 earned the duo its first NAACP Image Award win for Outstanding Jazz Album-Vocal and it’s 4th GRAMMY® Nomination for Best Jazz Vocal Album. And their first live album, “The Evening : Live At APPARATUS” earned The Baylors their 5th and 6th GRAMMY® Nominations for Best Jazz Vocal Album and Best Improvised Jazz Solo.
Marcus and Jean Baylor signed an exclusive distribution agreement, in partnership with their artist-owned label, Be A Light with Motown Gospel (a division of Capitol CMG/Capitol and Universal Music Group) making The Baylor Project’s catalogue available for the first time across all streaming platforms.
Jean, a “Jersey Girl”, was introduced to jazz in college as a Vocal Performance Major at Temple University, where she was heavily influenced by artists such as Carmen McCrae, Jimmy Scott, and Shirley Horn. She subsequently made her mark as one-half of the platinum recording duo, Zhane´. In time, Jean grew into a composer, arranger, producer and bandleader. She has been a featured guest artist on performances and recordings with artists including Yellowjackets, Kenny Garrett, Marcus Miller and legendary bassist, Buster Williams. Well-equipped with an agile mezzo-soprano range, Jean combines a fresh, whimsical approach to phrasing with clever improvisation resulting in singing of such vocal purity that she embraces the soul.

THE HIGHTOWER HARPER HANG
2023-08-03 20:00 - 23:59 (America/New_York) | HandleBar, 476 Edgewood Avenue, Atlanta, GA, 30312, 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.

Growing up in Atlanta with a local legend mother who was a Funk-Rock singer but could sing anything and mentored many singers coming behind her, Tony learned music first-hand from Bobby Blue Bland and the Platters to Mother’s Finest, S.O.S. Band and Brick. And as mother Theresa evolved as a first-class singer – shifting her focus to Jazz that resulted in her historic residency at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in once fiercely segregated Buckhead district of Atlanta, Georgia – so, too, did Tony’s taste begin to broaden. The artist that Theresa followed at The Ritz: Freddy Cole, Nat’s brother.
Trumpeter Terence Harper started playing the drums at the age of two and at twelve years old began playing the trumpet. While in middle school he began playing the drums for one of the Spelman College Jazz ensembles under the direction of Joe Jennings, while also being featured on a recording with the Inman Middle School jazz band on both trumpet and drums.
Harper attended North Atlanta High School Center of the Performing Arts and played trumpet in both jazz band and symphonic band under the direction of Mr. Reginald Colbert. During his high school years he started to focus more on both classical and jazz trumpet and has won numerous auditions during his high school term including the Georgia Music Educators Association All State band, principal trumpet for the district honor band, The Talent Development Program and the Atlanta Youth Wind Symphony at Emory University. Terence has also attended the prestigious Interlochen Arts camp in Michigan and has also taught trumpet performance and jazz studies at Summerbridge Atlanta at the Lovett School.
He graduated from Rutgers University as a classical trumpet major in 2009, where he studied under William Fielder, who has been regarded as one of the greatest trumpet instructors of his generation.
Every Thursday: Music from 8:00pm ~ Midnight | Hang til 2:00am
Cover: $10.000 | Musicians: $5.00 | Free parking in the lot just past slutty vegan atl

WILLIE JONES III QUINTET
2023-08-04 19:00 - 2023-08-05 23:00 (America/New_York) | Jazz Forum Arts, 1 Dixon Lane, Tarrytown, NY, 10591, United States
Jazz drummer Willie Jones III has played, toured, and recorded with Horace Silver, Roy Hargrove, Hank Jones, Cedar Walton, and Herbie Hancock. He played on Arturo Sandoval’s Grammy-winning 1998 album Hot House.
Jones was one of the founding members of the band Black Note in 1990. Members of this ensemble included, at various times, Ark Sano, Eric Reed, Gilbert Castellanos, James Mahone, Kenneth Crouch, Mark Shelby, and Richard E. Grant. They released several albums.
In 1991, Jones began studying at the California Institute of the Arts, where he took drum lessons from Albert “Tootie” Heath. Jones played with Milt Jackson in 1994, and toured with trumpeter Arturo Sandoval from 1994 to 1998.
Jones was based in Los Angeles until he moved to New York in 1997. He played in trumpeter Roy Hargrove’s quintet from 1998 to 2006.
In 2000, Jones founded an independent jazz label, WJ3 Records. He has regularly played with pianist Eric Reed, as the drummer for Wynton Marsalis’ Jazz at Lincoln Center, and has several CDs released as a leader on his own label, playing hard bop and swing.
Jones has taught at Northwestern University since 2010.
Showtimes: 7:00pm | 9:30pm

WYCLIFFE GORDON QUARTET
2023-08-04 19:30 - 2023-08-06 23:00 (America/New_York) | Birdland, 315 W 44th Street, #5402, New York City, NY, 10036, United States
Wycliffe Gordon experiences an impressive career touring the world performing to great acclaim from audiences and critics alike. Jazz Journalists Association named him 2020 “Trombonist of the Year” for the record breaking 13th time, and he’s topped Downbeat Critics Poll for “BestTrombone” again for an unprecedented six times (2020, 2018, 2016, 2014, 2013 &2012). Last year he was the recipient of the “Louie Award”, the International Trombone Award and the Satchmo Award, among others. Wycliffe is a prolific recording artist and is extremely popular for his unmatched signature sound, plunger technique and unique vocals. He can be heard on hundreds of recordings, soundtracks, live DVD’s and documentaries. In addition to an exceptionally successful solo career, Gordon tours regularly leading his quintet, headlining at legendary jazz venues and performing arts centers throughout the world. He is commissioned frequently, and has an extensive catalog of original compositions that span the various timbres of jazz and chamber music. Musicians and ensembles of every caliber perform his music throughout the world and his arrangement of the theme song to NPR’s “All Things Considered” is heard daily across the globe. Gordon is a former veteran member of the Wynton Marsalis Septet, the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra and has been a featured guest artist on Billy Taylor’s ” Jazz at the Kennedy Center” Series. Gordon is also one of America’s most persuasive and committed music educators, and serves as Director of Jazz Studies at Augusta University in Augusta, GA. Wycliffe Gordon is a Yamaha Performing Artist and has his own line of Wycliffe Gordon Pro Signature Mouthpieces by Pickett Brass.

SCOTT WENDHOLT / ADAM KOLKER QUARTET
2023-08-04 20:00 - 21:30 (America/New_York) | Maureen’s Jazz Cellar, 2 N Broadway, Nyack, NY, 10960, United States
Scott Wendholt, born in Maryland and raised in Denver, he began playing trumpet when he was eight years old. He took a bachelor’s degree at Indiana University in 1987, then played in Cincinnati in the Blue Wisp Big Band of John von Ohlen. He relocated to New York City at the end of the 1980s, where he studied jazz with Dave Liebman and played in a succession of Latin jazz ensembles. He had a house band at Augie’s Jazz Club in Manhattan from 1991 to 1994.
Adam Kolker is a multi-talented performer, composer and arranger. He performed and recorded with latin-jazz artist Ray Barretto from 1994 through 2002 (with whom he received two GRAMMY nominations). He also appears in New York City with groups including the Village Vanguard Orchestra, Fred Hersch’s “My Coma Dreams,” the Maria Schneider Orchestra, Bruce Barth, Judi Silvano, Lucia Pulido, and his own groups with John Abercombie and Billy Hart. He has recorded with Bruce Barth, John Hébert, Marty Ehrlich, The Story, Bobby Previte, Gunther Schuller, Bruce Saunders, Frank Carlberg, among others.

Scott Wendholt ~ trumpet | Adam Kolker ~ saxophone, clarinet | Ugonna Okegwo ~ bass | Anthony Pinciotti ~ drums

AFRO LATIN JAZZ ORCHESTRA
2023-08-06 20:30 - 23:59, 2023-08-13 20:30 - 23:59, 2023-08-20 20:30 - 23:59, 2023-08-27 20:30 - 23:59 (America/New_York) | Birdland, 315 W 44th Street, #5402, New York City, NY, 10036, United States
The multi-Grammy winning Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra (ALJO) is an 18-piece big band of jazz and Latin-jazz virtuosos, led by the inimitable Arturo O’Farrill.

JOE ALTERMAN
2023-08-10 19:00 - 21:00 (America/New_York) | Eddie’s Attic, 515-B North McDonough Street, Decatur, GA, 30030, United States
Joe Alterman Album Release Show
Atlanta native Joe Alterman expresses a certain upbeat naivete, with a broad smile and bright eyes that make you feel welcome. One would not guess that this is a man hailed by greats; Ramsey Lewis describes his music as “happy music with tasty meat on the bones,” Les McCann states “Joe’s on a ‘blow your mind’ level,” and Ahmad Jamal calls him “a very special artist.” Journalist Nat Hentoff championed three of Alterman’s albums, as well as his writing (Joe wrote liner notes to three Wynton Marsalis/JLCO albums), calling one of Joe’s columns “one of the very best pieces on the essence of jazz, the spirit of jazz, that I’ve ever read, and I’m not exaggerating.”
Joe Alterman began at NYU with a BA and Masters in Jazz Piano from NYU and has since performed at many world renowned venues including the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, Birdland and Blue Note alongside Houston Person, Les McCann, Dick Gregory, Ramsey Lewis, and his own trio, among others. Downbeat describes his sound as “rooted in the blues, and with a touch reminiscent of the great pianists of the 1950s—Red Garland, Ahmad Jamal, Bill Evans.” It is clear Joe hits all of the necessary points for Jazz critics and fans alike.
But there is more to the story, of course. The 21st century has brought another transition for this thing called jazz; in one moment we see the push and pull between tradition and progression, and in another we see Pop and Hip-Hop musicians emulating and sampling. In Joe Alterman we find none of this struggle; the music just sounds good. Our conscious faculties are instantly disabled as we tap our feet, feeling the intent and joy of his playing. An old classic is new when you feel good in the moment. Or, as Hentoff wrote about Alterman in the Wall Street Journal, “Alterman’s continually evolving presence on the jazz scene surely makes people smile and, if the room is right, dance. There’ll be no need for any last rites of jazz.”

RODNEY JONES QUARTET
2023-08-11 19:00 - 2023-08-12 23:00 (America/New_York) | Jazz Forum Arts, 1 Dixon Lane, Tarrytown, NY, 10591, United States
Guitarist Rodney Jones has worked with Jaki Byard, Chico Hamilton, Dizzy Gillespie, and Lena Horne and as a bandleader. He is cited as a jazz guitarist who uses modern quartal harmony. Jones is a faculty member at Juilliard.
The Quartet features Ron Blake, Lonnie Plaxico and Carl Allen
Showtimes: 7:00pm | 9:30pm

RODNEY JONES
2023-08-11 19:00 - 2023-08-12 23:00 (America/New_York) | Jazz Forum Arts, 1 Dixon Lane, Tarrytown, NY, 10591, United States
A foursome of world-class musicians who have worked with countless top talents (like Herbie Hancock, Dizzy Gillespie, James Brown, Stevie Wonder) Rodney Jones Quartet thrills audiences worldwide by not just playing straight ahead jazz at its highest level, but performing for the audience, sharing stories about the music and its meaning.
Bandleader Jones was also the Apollo Theater house guitarist and staff guitarist on Rosie O’Donnell’s TV show. Jazz Times called him a “consummate guitarist.”
Featuring Rodney Jones, guitar | Ron Blake, saxophone | Lonnie Plaxico, bass | Ronnie Burrage, drums

VANESSA RUBIN & HER TRIO
2023-08-11 19:30 - 2023-08-13 23:00 (America/New_York) | Birdland, 315 W 44th Street, #5402, New York City, NY, 10036, United States
Revered as both a torchbearer and a storyteller, jazz vocalist Vanessa Rubin possesses a voice hailed for crystalline clarity, hearth-like warmth and playful lioness sass. The Cleveland native brings a wealth of diverse influences to her vocal performance from both the Trinidadian/Caribbean roots of her mother and traditional jazz by way of her Louisiana-born father. Additional homespun influences include the melodic bell tone clarity of a young Capital Records recording artist, Nancy Wilson, the fire of Lambert, Hendricks & Ross, the sweet sounds of trumpeter Blue Mitchell as well as her love of the Motown Sound…especially girl groups like the Supremes.

ANDREA BRACHFELD QUARTET
2023-08-12 20:00 - 22:00 (America/New_York) | Maureen’s Jazz Cellar, 2 N Broadway, Nyack, NY, 10960, United States
Andrea Brachfeld is an American jazz and Latin jazz flutist. She attended The High School of Music and Art and the Manhattan School of Music. She had her first professional performance at the age of 16. In 1974, she received the Louis Armstrong Award for outstanding Jazz student. She studied with Hubert Laws, Jimmy Heath, George Coleman, and Eddie Daniels. Her breakthrough came when she became flutist for the Latin band Charanga ’76.
Joining her on the bandstand are Mamiko Watanabe, Obasi Akoto & Alvester Garnett.

GREG ABATE QUARTET
2023-08-13 16:00 - 19:30 (America/New_York) | Jazz Forum Arts, 1 Dixon Lane, Tarrytown, NY, 10591, United States
Greg Abate jazz saxophonist, flutist, composer continues as an International Jazz/Recording Artist with 225 days a year touring the globe. In the mid 70’s after finishing a four year program at Berklee College Of Music, Greg played lead alto for the Ray Charles Orchestra for 2 years. In 1978 he formed his group Channel One which was a favorite in the New England area and from there had the opportunity to play tenor sax with the revived Artie Shaw Orchestra under leadership of Dick Johnson from 1986 to ’87.
Following this experience Greg ventured out as post hard bop soloist playing Jazz Festivals, Jazz Societies and Jazz Clubs throughout the U.S. Canada and abroad, including most of Europe, UK, and Moscow and Georgia Russia. His newest release Gratitude, with the Tim Ray Trio has received glowing reviews and a lot of international airplay. Also, check out Greg’s other recordings including special guests Phil Woods and other notable artists.

CARMEN LUNDY
2023-08-17 20:00 - 21:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | Yoshi’s, 510 Embarcadero West, Oakland, CA, 94607, United States
Grammy Nominated Jazz singer, composer and arranger Carmen Lundy hails from Miami, Florida and received her B.M. degree from the University of Miami. After an early career in Miami, Lundy moved to NYC in 1978 and in 1985, she released her first solo album entitled Good Morning Kiss, which topped the Billboard chart for 23 weeks.
Currently on the Afrasia Productions label, Carmen is a 2-time Grammy® Nominated artist for her 16th and newest album Fade To Black, released on September 30, 2022, and her previous album Modern Ancestors, both for Best Jazz Vocal Album. Her 2017 release Code Noir, debuted at #6 on the Billboard Jazz Chart and received both critical and popular acclaim. Carmen’s other releases and discography consist of “Good Morning Kiss” (CLR/Afrasia Productions), “Moment To Moment” (Arabesque/Afrasia Productions), “Night And Day” (CBS/SONY and re-issued by Afrasia in 2011), “Old Devil Moon” (JVC), “Self Portrait” (JVC), “Something To Believe In” and “This Is Carmen Lundy” (both for Justin Time), “Jazz and The New Songbook – Live at The Madrid” (2-disc set and DVD, Afrasia Productions), “Come Home”, “Solamente”, “Changes”, “Soul To Soul” and “Code Noir” (Afrasia Productions). All have topped the Best Albums and Top Ten Albums lists on JazzWeek, Downbeat, and JazzTimes.
Among Lundy’s other awards and recognitions are a Grammy Award for Terri Lyne Carrington’s Mosaic Project, Grammy Winner for Best Jazz Vocal Album of 2011, which features the Carmen Lundy composition “Show Me A Sign”, with Lundy’s original performance from the album “Solamente” reinvented on the arrangement.
As a composer, Ms. Lundy’s catalogue numbers over 150 published songs, one of the few jazz vocalists in history to accomplish such a distinction. Her compositions have been recorded by such artists as Kenny Barron, Ernie Watts, Terri Lyne Carrington, Straight Ahead and Regina Carter. Carmen’s far-reaching discography also includes performances and recordings with such musicians as brother and bassist Curtis Lundy, Ray Barretto, Bruce Hornsby, Mulgrew Miller, Kip Hanrahan, Courtney Pine, Roy Hargrove, Jimmy Cobb, Ron Carter, Randy Brecker, Oscar Castro-Neves, Robert Glasper, Jamison Ross, Patrice Rushen, and the late Kenny Kirkland and Geri Allen among others.
Carmen Lundy’s work as a vocalist and composer has been critically acclaimed by Jazz Times, Downbeat, Jazziz, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Los Angeles Times, Variety, The Washington Post, and Vanity Fair among numerous other foreign publications. Lundy acted as Resident Clinician at Betty Carter’s Jazz Ahead at The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. for 20 years. She has conducted Master Classes around the world, among them the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz and The Sibelius Academy in Helsinki.
Ms. Lundy is also a gifted actress active in theatre. “Acting,” as she told Dr. Billy Taylor in 2006, “helps me to get more comfortable and acquainted with the art of performance.” She performed the lead role as Billie Holiday in the Off-Off Broadway play “They Were All Gardenias” by Lawrence Holder, as well as the lead role in the Broadway show, Duke Ellington’s “Sophisticated Ladies,” and she made her television debut as the star of the CBS Pilot-Special “Shangri-La Plaza” in the role of Geneva, after which she relocated to Los Angeles, where she currently resides.
Carmen Lundy is a celebrated mixed media artist and painter as well, and her works have been exhibited in New York at The Jazz Gallery in Soho, at The Jazz Bakery in Los Angeles, and at a month-long exhibition at the Madrid Theatre in Los Angeles, CA. Several of her sculptures are currently on exhibit at The Carr Center in Detroit, MI.

JEB PATTON TRIO
2023-08-18 20:00 - 2023-08-19 21:30 (America/New_York) | Maureen’s Jazz Cellar, 2 N Broadway, Nyack, NY, 10960, United States
Described as both a “young phenom…on piano” and an “absolute great,” Jeb Patton has earned a well-regarded reputation in the international jazz community. The multi-talented Patton is known as a “player of great expression” and “not one to tread the predictable,” as well as a “simpatico accompanist” for The Heath Brothers, an “innovative” arranger, and one who “cuts…[an] impressive swath on his composition, ‘Hanna’s Mood,’” a tribute to his late teacher, Sir Roland Hanna.

Jeb Patton graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts and Sciences degree with a major in music from Duke University, where he studied piano with Tibor Szasz, Douglas Buys, and Jane Hawkins. As a member of the Duke Jazz Ensemble under Paul Jeffrey, he performed with and/or arranged for more than 60 professional jazz artists, including 48 musicians from New York and more than 12 international jazz musicians from Italy, Monaco, and Portugal.
Studying under Sir Roland Hanna and Jimmy Heath, Jeb earned his Master of Arts degree, summa cum laude, in 1997 from the Aaron Copland School of Music, Queens College, City University of New York, where he also received the Louis Armstrong Award for composition from the ASCAP Foundation.

Jeb Patton ~ piano | David Wong ~ bass | Hank Allen-Barfield ~ drums

VANESSA RUBIN TRIO
2023-08-19 18:30 - 2023-08-20 23:00 (America/New_York) | South, 600 N. Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19130, United States
Revered as both a torchbearer and a storyteller, jazz vocalist Vanessa Rubin possesses a voice hailed with crystalline clarity, hearth-like warm, emotional depth and keen burnished wisdom she can deliver with playful lioness sass. The Cleveland native brings a wealth of diverse influences to her vocal performances. From swing to bossa nova to blues, ballads and contemporary covers performed with small and large ensembles, Rubin’s interpretive ability to move through the Great American Songbook to modern jazz composers/arrangers like Tadd Dameron and Horace Silver to contemporary composers as Stevie Wonder, Bill Withers and Sting is masterful. “The Great American Songbook continues to expand with songs by outstanding composers who can paint pictures of the life of our times with their unique melodies and lyric that also stand the test of time”, Rubin asserts.
The Trio: Brandon McCune ~ piano | Kenny Davis ~ bass | Winard Harper ~ drums
Showtimes:
Saturday ~ 7:00pm | 9:30pm
Sunday ~ 6:30pm | 8:30pm

BERTHA HOPE QUARTET
2023-08-20 16:00 - 19:30 (America/New_York) | Jazz Forum Arts, 1 Dixon Lane, Tarrytown, NY, 10591, United States
Pianist Bertha Hope pays tribute to her late first husband with a Salute to Elmo Hope’s Centennial.
Hope-Booker started playing professionally in Johnny Otis’s band as well as local trios. In 1958, Hope-Booker met Elmo Hope who was touring with Sonny Rollins. Hope-Booker married Elmo in 1960 and the following year they moved to New York City.
Together they recorded an album, Hope-Full, for Riverside which featured Hope-Booker on three songs. After Elmo’s death in 1967, Hope-Booker gave up her music career despite being offered a place in Art Blakey’s band.

RANDY NAPOLEAN QUARTET
2023-08-24 18:30 - 21:45 (America/New_York) | The Blue Llama, 314 S Main Street, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
Known as a forward-thinking musician with a passion for the jazz tradition, guitarist Randy Napoleon is an Associate Professor at Michigan State University. He is currently touring as a leader after twenty years of road apprenticeship with some of the most celebrated musicians and groups of our time.
Napoleon cut his teeth touring with pianist Benny Green, The Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, Michael Buble, and a thirteen year tenure with Freddy Cole. He has also performed with artists across the jazz spectrum such as Bill Charlap, Natalie Cole, Monty Alexander, Rodney Whitaker and John Pizzarelli.
Napoleon has performed or arranged on over seventy records. He arranged as well as performed on Freddy Cole’s seven most recent records including the Grammy-nominated releases, Freddy Cole Sings Mr. B and My Mood Is You. He performed on The Clayton Hamilton Orchestra: Live at MCG. Napoleon is featured on Buble’s Grammy-nominated CD/DVD Caught in the Act.
Napoleon has played on The Tonight Show, Late Night With David Letterman, The View, The Today Show, and The Ellen DeGeneres show as well as TV shows in South America, Europe and Asia. He has performed across the globe at notable venues including Royal Albert Hall, The Sydney Opera House, The Hollywood Bowl, and Lincoln Center.
THE BAND:
Randy Napoleon-Guitar
Rick Roe-Piano
Reuben Stump-Bass
David Alvarez III-Drums

RONI BEN~HUR SEXTET FEATURING GEORGE CABLES
2023-08-25 19:00 - 2023-08-26 23:00 (America/New_York) | Jazz Forum Arts, 1 Dixon Lane, Tarrytown, NY, 10591, United States
• Remembering Barry Harris
Ben~Hur started playing guitar when he was eleven. He learned about jazz from a high school’s friend’s record collection. In Israel he performed in clubs and at weddings and bar mitzvahs until he had enough money to move to the U.S. He arrived in New York City in 1985, spending time at Barry Harris’s Jazz Cultural Theater. He took lessons from Harris, then became a member of his band.
Ben-Hur’s experience as an educator dates back to 1981 in Israel. In the U.S. he started jazz music programs at Professional Performing Arts School, the Coalition School for Social Change, and at the Lucy Moses School. At the request of Bette Midler, he started a jazz program for New York City high schools.[1] Ben-Hur began a jazz camp in Saint-Cézaire-sur-Siagne, France, with Santi Debriano. With Nilson Matta, he began a jazz and Brazilian music camp in Bar Harbor, Maine, both intended for adult jazz amateurs. He is the founding director of the jazz program at the Lucy Moses School at Kaufman Center in Manhattan where he teaches.
His book Talk Jazz: Guitar (Mel Bay, 2004) includes a CD with a removable guitar track of Ben-Hur performing the exercises in the book with Tardo Hammer on piano, Earl May on bass, and Leroy Williams on drums.
His album Anna’s Dance was named by The Village Voice one of the best jazz albums of 2001. All About Jazz called him “a virtuoso guitarist with impeccable swing”. In 2000, he won the Jazziz reader poll for “Best New Talent”.

MARK SOSKIN TRIO
2023-08-27 16:00 - 19:30 (America/New_York) | Jazz Forum Arts, 1 Dixon Lane, Tarrytown, NY, 10591, United States
Featuring Jay Anderson & Matt Wilson
Soskin has recorded and performed with such diverse musicians as Sonny Rollins, Joe Henderson, Randy Brecker, Billy Cobham, Buster Williams, Eddie Henderson, Stanley Turrentine, Cornell Dupree, Herbie Mann, John Abercrombie, Claudio Roditi, Sheila Jordan, Gato Barbieri, Joe Locke, David”Fathead”Newman, Mark Murphy, Slide Hampton, Pete and Sheila Escovedo, Bobby Watson, Miroslav Vitous, The NY Voices and others.
Since 1981 Soskin has resided in New York City, remaining active as sideman and as a leader. He has ten of his own recordings to date and three as co-leader, one which features Harvie Swartz and Joe LaBarbera with Sheila Jordan called “Spirits”, one under the name “Contempo Trio” with Danny Gottlieb and Chip Jackson featuring Ravi Coltrane and another Contempo Trio recording named”The Secret of Life” featuring Carolyn Leonhart. His recording, “17” on TCB, highlights Soskin in a quintet setting featuring mainly original compositions.

THE HURRICANE TRIO
2023-08-31 18:30 - 21:45 (America/New_York) | The Blue Llama, 314 S Main Street, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
In 2023 the Detroit Jazz Festival Global-Connect International All-Star Initiative explores the fusion of Detroit and Italian jazz artistry embodied in a multi-generational quartet featuring the lauded Milan, Italy based Hurricane Trio: Roberto Mattei-Bass, Lorenzo Blardone- Piano and Massimiliano Salina-Drums – and, the award-winning saxophonist from Detroit, Chris Collins; internationally recognized for his singular role in the global jazz scene. This powerhouse quartet serves as the gravity- center for uniting artists and legacies from both cultures. Known individually for their unique creative and technical prowess, collectively, the ensemble creates highly refined, dynamic, communicative, unified and thoroughly modern jazz performances. The band presents original compositions and sophisticated improvisation born from cross-cultural fertilization and study of each other’s jazz traditions. Built on infectious grooves to complex metric environments, powerful lyricism to inventive angularity and fresh harmonic dimensions, the music captures the emotion, artistry, intellect, and legacy that defines great jazz art while displaying the wonders that come from true cultural collaboration.In 2023, the Detroit Jazz Festival Global-Connect International All- Stars will present music from their new CD “Turning Point” with concert tours in Japan, Europe and the USA culminating with a feature appearance at the 2023 Detroit Jazz Festival September 1-4, 2023 in Downtown Detroit.

MAUREESE ITSON
2023-09-01 18:30 (America/New_York) | Coffee Oasis, 822 Burwell Street, Bremerton, WA, 98337, United States
Maureese Itson is a renowned, up and coming Inspirational Saxophonist in the Seattle area. His desire is to inspire people to “Love God, Love People, and Live Amazing” through the gift of music. “It amazes me to see the joy and feel the love from people through music. Music awakens my soul”. He began his love for music growing up in Atlanta, GA. He is a retired Air Force veteran where he spent 20+ years serving. He has a lovely wife and daughter that he loves dearly.
Maureese has been featured on the local Trinity Broadcast Network “Seattle Praise the Lord”, The Washington State Fair, Argosy cruises, the Islander Yacht, and the Gaillard in Charleston, SC. He has performed and shared the stage with artist Michael Bolton, The Mighty Clouds of Joy, Gospel Jazz Artist Ben Tankard, Saxophonist Tom Braxton, Contemporary Christian artists “The Benions”, Jazz Trumpeter Bobby Medina, The Jazz Disciples, Toyin Adekale to name a few. Keep a look out for up coming events in the Seattle area, nationally and abroad from this sought after artist.
Suggested Donation: $5.00 | 25 & Younger: Free | Youth Arive At 6:00pm For Free Dinner

TOMI BERRY
2023-09-01 19:00 - 23:00 (America/New_York) | The Candela Bar, 5780 CH James Parkway, Ste 250, Powder Springs, GA, 30127, United States
Nights Over Egypt: A Jazz/R&B Oasis!
Wherever Tomi Berry sings, she spreads joy. Whether singing smooth R&B, swinging jazz, or sultry ballads, she holds an audience in rapt attention. A spiritual song-stylist, she engages her listeners in musical conversation. The 2016 42nd Annual Lawrence Award Winner for “Best Seasoned Performer” and the runner up for the 2016’s inaugural Atlanta’s Top Vocalist competition, Susan “Tomi” Berry has an extensive background in performing and public speaking.
​An accomplished, classically trained singer, Tomi has performed most of her life in multiple music genres, starting formally in gospel and spiritual church choirs in her hometown of Montclair, NJ. She continued to perform throughout college in classical and madrigal choirs, chorale and was the first soloist to sing with the college jazz band. She also performed with a campus band that did pop and R&B tunes for campus events and private functions.

In Atlanta, she performed with the Hillside Chapel and Truth Center Choir and Jubilee Singers and was a member of the “neo-spiritual” group I Am Unlimited. She has been a member and briefly served on the board of Southeastern Organization for Jazz Arts (SOJA) where she performed a two-woman show with vocalist Nina Carl, with support from Terry Harper on piano, Danny Harper on trumpet and Delbert Felix on contrabass.
She also had the opportunity to perform with jazz pianist/songwriter, Donald Brown during an in-home performance in the Atlanta area and has been supported by jazz pianist/musician/songwriter Takana Miyamoto on multiple projects as well as by pianist Rodney Martino Avery. She was the featured performer at The Velvet Note Acoustic Living Room in 2013 where she performed two shows featuring GRAMMY Award winning, Atlanta-based producer/keyboardist, Phil Davis, bassist. Trey Gilbert, and drummer, Joey Williams. Tomi continues to perform at clubs in the Atlanta metro area like Riley’s on the Square, church and community events and frequents the local jam sessions including Venkman’s and The Velvet Note Acoustic Living Room.

Also performing live is Indigokat Soul, Dance Grooves by DJ Lane.
Attire: Sophisticated, Black with Bling and Dressy
Admission/Secure Reservation : $IndigoKat58 via CashApp by 8.25.23

DAVE STRYKER QUARTET
2023-09-01 19:00 - 2023-09-02 23:00 (America/New_York) | Jazz Forum Arts, 1 Dixon Lane, Tarrytown, NY, 10591, United States
When Dave Stryker was ten years old, he was inspired by the Beatles to start playing guitar. His interest was rock and roll until he heard the albums My Favorite Things by John Coltrane and Beyond the Blue Horizon by George Benson. By seventeen, he was a jazz guitarist in Omaha. In 1978 he moved to Los Angeles where he took lessons from another Omaha native, Billy Rogers, and met organist Jack McDuff. After moving to New York City, he toured with McDuff in 1984–5, then spent ten years with saxophonist Stanley Turrentine.
Stryker formed a band with Steve Slagle and a trio with Jared Gold and Tony Reedus (later McClenty Hunter and Billy Hart). He worked with the late Kevin Mahogany as sideman, composer, and arranger, appeared with him at Carnegie Hall, and toured with him in Europe and Japan. He has also worked with Eliane Elias, Javon Jackson, and Andy LaVerne.
He teaches jazz guitar at Indiana University and Montclair State University and at the Jamey Aebersold Summer Jazz Workshop, the Litchfield Jazz Camp, and the Veneto/New School Workshop in Italy.
In 2018 Stryker began teaching jazz guitar online through the ArtistWorks music education website.

ANDROMEDA TURRE
2023-09-03 16:00 - 19:30 (America/New_York) | Jazz Forum Arts, 1 Dixon Lane, Tarrytown, NY, 10591, United States
Andromeda Turre is a consummate performer and composer who has honed her craft over a lifetime immersed in music. Born into a family of jazz musicians, she was fortunate to glean from the greats, including Dizzy Gillespie, Max Roach, Wynton Marsalis as well as her parents Steve Turre and Akua Dixon.
Formally trained at The Boston Conservatory, where she studied theater, and at Berklee College of Music, where she focused on vocal performance, her talents have taken her around the world, from touring with Ray Charles, to reigning as the “Queen of the Blues,” at Tokyo Disney and headlining festivals with her own music in 17 countries worldwide. Turre’s artistic practice is rooted in providing her audience with an immersive experience, inviting them into new depths of perspective and self discovery.
In addition to her vocal talents, Andromeda is an accomplished composer whose original works have been featured in film, television, and video games. Her music is deeply influenced by her life’s experiences, and often addresses themes of social justice, spirituality and self-discovery. She composed the score and 13 original songs for Lena: Lessons from a Lady, a musical about the life of Lena Horne, and has been highly sought after as a curator of bespoke music experiences for corporate events. Andromeda’s work as an Artistic Director for Central Park’s premier 2022 Juneteenth Celebration and Music Supervisor for Aquila Theater’s adaptation of The Great Gatsby, demonstrates her ability to create unforgettable experiences that leave a lasting impact. She is currently working on a highly engaging experience for Central Park’s 2023 Juneteenth Celebration.

KENNY GARRETT
2023-09-08 19:00 - 2023-09-09 22:30 (America/New_York) | Scullers Jazz Club, 400 Soldiers Field Road, Boston, MA, 02134, United States
NEA Jazz Master Saxophonist Kenny Garrett returns! With his illustrious career that includes hallmark stints with Miles Davis, Art Blakey and The Jazz Messengers, Donald Byrd, Freddie Hubbard, Woody Shaw and the Duke Ellington Orchestra, as well as a heralded career as a solo artist that began more than 30 years ago, he is easily recognized as one of modern jazz’s brightest and most influential living masters. And with the marvelous Sounds From The Ancestors, the GRAMMY® Award-winning saxophonist shows no signs of resting on his laurels.

EDDIE HENDERSON QUINTET
2023-09-10 08:00 - 17:00 (America/New_York) | Smoke Jazz & Supper Club, 2751 Broadway, New York City, NY, 10025, United States
Witness to History Record Release!

“His musical wisdom, gleaned during decades spent on the best jazz bandstands, informs every unerring note.” – Downbeat. Eddie Henderson – trumpet Donald Harrison – alto saxophone George Cables – piano Gerald Cannon – bass Lenny White – drums Trumpeter Eddie Henderson celebrates the release of a highly anticipated new recording, Witness to History, that reflects on his incredible life in music and whose arrival coincides with the 50th anniversary of his 1973 recording debut as a leader, Realization.
Joining Henderson for these release performances is the spectacular quintet of his closest collaborators that he convened for the recording, including alto saxophonist Donald Harrison, pianist George Cables, bassist Gerald Cannon, and drummer Lenny White. Henderson’s “deft feel and plush sound made him a central figure in the worlds of jazz-funk and hard-bop in the 1970s,” according to The New York Times. The Chicago Reader adds, “His progressive, assured, and imaginative improvisations roll out in a glorious sun-splashed tone… he seems to dance through his solos, balancing his quick clockwork technique with bursts of bluesy soul.” The eternally youthful Henderson has proven again that he is still making some of the most important music of his career into his 80s.
