Chicago born and raised jazz trumpeter Mario Abney now of New Orleans fuses traditional and extended trumpet techniques in a most inventive way; his strikingly personal instrumental vision endows the music with an infinite array of tonal color. Recognized for his ability to create pure musical dialog, and hear music in a universally spiritual way, […]
Audrey Silver's voice is like pure sterling. Her phrasing is exquisite, her clarity and enunciation on par with the great Jo Stafford and her breath control is a talent so often, and so wrongfully overlooked rivals Sinatra's. She honed her craft through private study with singers Shelia Jordan and Mark Murphy. She has worked with […]
Judith Owen is a performer whose stylistic range spans rock, pop, classical, jazz, blues, and musical theatre. Owen is also a comedic actress and master storyteller. Judith grew up in London surrounded by classical music, ballet, theatre, and the fine arts. Further, she was also exposed to many jazz icons and Broadway musicals that her parents […]
The NCCU Jazz Jam at Missy Lane’s brings together the talented musicians of North Carolina Central University for a dynamic evening of improvisation and collaboration. Expect an electrifying atmosphere as students and seasoned performers blend traditional and modern jazz in an intimate, soulful setting. Admission - $10 Cover
The pianist, composer and arranger is best known as the co-founder and co-director of Brian Blade and the Fellowship Band. He has worked extensively as an arranger, producer, songwriter and accompanist with a vast range of artists, such as Cassandra Wilson, John Scofield and Lizz Wright to Joni Mitchell, Brandi Carlile, Rosanne Cash, Norah Jones, […]
Trio Contrafactus with special guest Peter Bernstein Wilner's career took off in New York's vibrant jazz scene, performing at iconic venues like the Village Gate and becoming a fixture at Smalls Jazz Club, where he recorded "Late Night: Live At Smalls." Over the past 15 years, he's collaborated with jazz greats such as Peter Bernstein, […]
The Ron Savage Berklee Trio features two of Berklee’s stalwart and renowned faculty performers in award-winning composer Consuelo Candelaria-Barry and legendary acoustic bassist Ron Mahdi. The trio has performed locally and internationally for years including Taiwan, Capo Verde, Umbria Jazz and many more. Their music focuses on mixing expressive originals and music from the African […]
RECORD RELEASE Following his acclaimed 2023 release Unjust, which received accolades from DownBeat, The Wall Street Journal, NPR and more, esteemed bassist and composer Ben Wolfe returns with The Understated. This project features a mix of new compositions and fresh takes on his earlier works, with a notable emphasis on ballads, showcasing Wolfe’s ability to […]
For a decade starting in the mid-1980s, Cyrus Chestnut apprenticed as pianist for Jon Hendricks, Betty Carter, Donald Harrison and Wynton Marsalis. But since then, he's toured the world and recorded many albums under his own name and has traveled the world with his own trio. TICKETS: $35.00~$150.00
Guitarist Ed Cherry is best known for his long association with jazz icon Dizzy Gillespie. He's also worked with Paquito Rivera, Jon Faddis, John Patton, Hamiet Bluiett, Henry Threadgill, and Paula West. Cherry has recorded a number of albums as a leader, his most recent “Soul Tree” and “It’s All Good” for Posi-tone Records. Cover: […]
As a touring member of Pieces of a Dream for a decade and a half he had the opportunity to perform with and alongside a virtual who’s who in the traditional jazz, urban jazz and R&B worlds: Luther Vandross, Jeffrey Osborne, George Duke, War, Candy Dulfer, Rick Braun, Grover Washington Jr, Bobby Watson, Greg Abate, […]
Jack Freeman, a Houston native, is a talented singer-songwriter known for his soulful and authentic approach to music. Guided by his mantra to “make good music and tell the truth,” Freeman has built a loyal fanbase throughout his career. His latest album, NINA, produced by Bryan-Michael Cox, explores themes of love, loss, and self-discovery. Through his heartfelt lyrics […]
Nduduzo Makhathini grew up in the lush and rugged hillscapes of umGungundlovu in South Africa, a peri-urban landscape in which music and ritual practices were symbiotically linked. The area is significant historically as the site of the Zulu king Dingane kingdom between 1828 and 1840. It is important to note that the Zulu, in fact the […]
Herrod, an alum of the Cornish College of the Arts and Portland State University, first came to worldwide prominence as a finalist on the NBC nationally broadcast television show, “America’s Got Talent,” earning the rare “Golden Buzzer” recognition from actress Sofia Vargara and returning the following year on the AGT All-Stars series. Traversing many musical […]
Pat Mallinger was born and raised in St. Paul, Minnesota and began playing the saxophone at 11 years of age. He received his Jazz Studies degree from North Texas State University on a “One O’clock Lab Band” Scholarship. He lived and performed in Los Angeles, Dallas, Boston, and Japan, before establishing Chicago as his home in […]
Emmet Cohen has emerged as one of his generation’s pivotal figures in music and the related arts. A recognized prodigy, Cohen began Suzuki method piano instruction at age three. He quickly became a mature player, melding musicality, technique, and concept. Downbeat observed that his “nimble touch, measured stride and warm harmonic vocabulary indicate he’s above any convoluted technical […]
The Supergroup, formed by the first letters of their first names, as well as the term BPM stands for beats per minute, the definition of the tempo in music. Collectively they are responsible for over 80 Billboard Smooth Jazz Number 1 Hits and many hundreds of thousands of record sales. Now together as BPM, they […]
Detroit soul jazz flutist & Billboard chart-topping sensation brings her red hot band back to the Rubber City in a sizzlin' return to BLU! Althea was born December 25th in Detroit, Michigan and began her musical journey at the tender age four. She studied classical music while attending Howard University in Washington D.C. and later […]
At the core of Firey String Sistas are three powerhouse women, Nioka Workman (founder),Marlene Rice and Mala Waldron. Together they infuse world, global funk, ‘head bopping’ soul and Jazz music to produce a unique sound for violin, cello, bass, piano and percussion. The Firey String Sistas extend from 3 to 5 members, featuring cutting edge […]
Unity Jazz presents trumpeter Longineu Parsons and his Ensemble featuring pianist Nat Adderley Jr. with special guest vocalist Myrna Clayton. The career of Longineu Parsons, with its many musical pieces and parts, serves as a metaphor for what he calls “the disorder of the human tribe.” The whole of Longineu Parsons is greater than the […]
Atlanta native Joe Alterman has performed at venues from the Kennedy Center and Lincoln Center to famed jazz clubs Birdland and Blue Note in New York as well as Eddie’s Attic in Atlanta. His skills and his joyful approach to music have been praised by such jazz greats as Les McCann, Ramsey Lewis, and Ahmad […]
Grammy-nominated, vocalist extraordinaire Debo Ray is an immersive musical and visual experience. She has performed on some of the world’s biggest stages: Newport and Monterey Jazz, Carnegie Hall, The Hollywood Bowl and more. Her versatility from neo-soul/R&B to jazz, pop, classical/opera and rock is unmatched. In a Boston Globe feature, music critic Jon Garelick asks: […]
Her own trio, The Sheryl Bailey 3, is a modernized version of the organ trio-"the ultimate organ trio" according to JazzInside Magazine. In addition to their 15-year plus residency at NYC's 55 Bar, they have toured China, Canada, Europe and the US. She also tours the world as a member of David Krakauer's "Ancestral Groove". A partial […]
In fact, this true all-star band has been a sensation going back to 1997, when they began a 20-year run on Thursdays at Portland’s legendary “Jimmy Mak’s” music venue (The Oregonian dubbed them “Jimmy Mak’s signature group”). With a collective resume that reads like a "Who's Who" of NW jazz, blues, and soul, this group […]
