He plays with swing, soul, and an unmistakable sense of uplift — the kind of piano that makes people lean forward, smile, and stay a little longer. Les McCann called him “a giant.” Ramsey Lewis called him “an inspiration.” Ahmad Jamal hailed him as “a very special artist.” And George Benson once told him, “You […]
Trombonist Frank Lacy brings his talent to the stage at Smalls. He has spent over two decades as a member of the Mingus Big Band. An alumni of Texas Southern University and Berklee College of Music in Boston, studying trombone and composition. His classmates included Branford Marsalis, Greg Osby, and Marvin Smith. He played with Illinois Jacquet's big band, […]
Kyle Eastwood, son of film icon and jazz lover Clint Eastwood, developed a love for both art forms at an early age. He has become a world-renowned bassist (with numerous recordings and tours) and a successful film score composer (“Mystic River,” “Million Dollar Baby,” “Gran Torino,” etc.). This week, Kyle will be performing many new […]
Bass genius Christian McBride honors his mentor and greatest inspiration, the legendary Ray Brown, with an all-star trio of Ray Brown Trio alumni — pianist Benny Green and drummer Gregory Hutchinson. A major figure in the development of bebop and hard bop in the 40s and 50s, Brown was among the most prolific and versatile bassists in jazz history who […]
Tyreek McDole is a multi-award-winning Haitian-American vocalist from Central Florida whose soulful baritone and deeply reflective artistry are making waves across the New York and international music scenes. Rooted in the belief that music is one of the highest forms of communication, McDole approaches performance as a space for healing, reflection, and collective dreaming — treating […]
Chris Standring is a British jazz guitarist known for his heavy use of 1970s-style musical nuances. In an illustrious career that stretches back over the last 25 years, Chris has earned a reputation as one of the world’s most virtuosic guitarists, with considerable radio and chart success. With a catalog of fourteen solo albums, including […]
Born in Washington, DC and raised in North Carolina, 2X Grammy-nominated and NAACP Award winning vocalist, composer, and educator Christie Dashiell stands at the intersection of jazz, R&B, gospel, and soul. Celebrated for her expressive improvisation and warm, clear tone, she has emerged as one of today’s most compelling voices.Growing up in a musical family, […]
Samara Joy released her self-titled debut album in 2021 and was subsequently named Best New Artist by JazzTimes. Her second album, Linger Awhile (2022), reached number one on the Billboard Jazz Albums chart. She has received six Grammys, which include Best New Artist in 2023, and three wins each for Best Jazz Vocal Album 2023, 2025 and 2026, as well as Best Jazz Performance in 2024 and 2025. In 2019, […]
Grammy-nominated saxophonist and composer Tia Fuller has established herself as one of the most compelling voices in modern jazz. Equally at home on the concert stage, in the recording studio, and in the classroom, Fuller is celebrated for her commanding tone, inventive compositions, and electrifying performances. A former member of Beyoncé’s all-female touring band, she […]
Jason Hainsworth is in demand both as a saxophonist and as a composer/arranger. As a performer, Jason has led his own quartet throughout the world to critical acclaim, most recently headlining the Suriname Jazz Festival. He is a current touring member of Ed Calle’s Mamblue (2016 Latin Grammy Winner), Tito Puente Jr’s Latin Jazz All […]
Australian guitarist/composer Tim Jago currently resides in New York City and maintains a busy schedule worldwide as a leader and sideman. His recent album ‘Time Shift’ (2025) was released to wide acclaim with glowing reviews in publications such as DownBeat, Paris Move, Jazz Life (Japan), All About Jazz and many more. With a deep foundation […]
Bassist and composer Christian McBride’s most recent project is a quintet showcasing several of the most exciting young players on the scene. Returning to the Miner Auditorium stage for two nights, the cast features tenor saxophonist Nicole Glover, who has toured with Wynton Marsalis and Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, performed with veteran masters such as drummer […]
The son of “The King of the Timbales,” Tito Puente Jr. continues to carry forward one of the most celebrated legacies in Latin music. Following in the footsteps of his legendary father, the iconic American salsa and Latin jazz pioneer Tito Puente, he has emerged as one of today’s most exciting and dynamic Latin musicians […]
Dominique Fils-Aimé has established herself as one of today’s leading voices in vocal jazz. Also, the Montreal singer-songwriter has won two Juno Awards. Her latest album, Our Roots Run Deep (2023), earned the 2024 JUNO Award for Vocal Jazz Album of the Year. Additionally, it received the 2024 Félix Award for Best Jazz Album at ADISQ. […]
The Cookers take their name from Night of the Cookers, the famous 1965 recorded trumpet summit between Lee Morgan and Freddie Hubbard at Brooklyn's Club La Marchal. Formed by trumpeter and organizer David Weiss, the group brings together some of the most storied musicians in jazz, players who came up in the 1960s and 70s […]
Mike Stern is one of the true guitar greats of his generation. There, he plays with remarkable facility, and his searing lines draw mainly on bebop and the blues. Additionally, he carries a rock-tinged intensity. He uniquely combines the finesse and lyricism of Jim Hall, the driving swing of Wes Montgomery and the turbulent, overdriven attack […]
Pianist, singer, and composer Jany McPherson is originally from Cuba and launched her brilliant career performing with top-tier musicians such as Omara Portuondo & the Buena Vista Social Club, John McLaughlin, and Andy Narell, to name just a few. Jany’s style is a blend of various genres related to jazz—rich in nuance, at times exotic, […]
Saxophone great and NEA Jazz Master Branford Marsalis and his superlative quartet are joined by fellow NEA Jazz Master and jazz’s greatest vocalist, Dianne Reeves, for a week devoted to the immortal music of John Coltrane, in honor of the centennial of his birth. Saxophonist Branford Marsalis is one of the most influential and revered […]
When Antonio Hart was in ninth grade, the music and art programs were cut out of the public schools. Antonio was devastated because the one thing that made school interesting was taken away from him. Having a friend that attended the then new Baltimore School for the Performing Arts, somehow got Antonio an audition. He […]
Just days before John Coltrane would have turned 100 his oldest surviving son, saxophonist Ravi Coltrane, presents a blazing young band to mark the milestone. While Ravi spent the first quarter century of his career focusing on acquiring a diverse array of experience as a sideman and then honing his own lustrous, harmonically ambiguous compositions, he’s […]
Bill Charlap was born in New York City into a deeply musical family, his father was Broadway composer Moose Charlap, whose credits include Peter Pan, and his mother is singer Sandy Stewart, a Grammy nominated vocalist who toured with Benny Goodman. Charlap began playing piano at age three and never looked back. In the late 1980s […]
Legendary a cappella group Take 6 brings their unmatched vocal artistry to the Frost stage, joined by the Henry Mancini Institute Orchestra for an unforgettable collaboration. Winner of 10 Grammy Awards and celebrated worldwide for their seamless integration of gospel, jazz, R&B and pop harmonies, Take 6 takes center stage in a program that fuses […]
This lady will be paying tribute to the legendary voices of jazz: Nancy Wilson, Sarah Vaughn, Peggy Lee, Dinah Washington, GloriaLynne, Dakota Staton, Lena Horne, Eartha Kitt & Ella Fitzgearld. As an artist with over 6 decades of performing & recording under her belt, Freda is so much more than the Pop/soul diva with million […]
An adept jazz pianist with a deep understanding of the acoustic bebop, hard bop, and post-bop traditions, Benny Green built upon his early years as a prodigy, maturing into a nuanced and sophisticated virtuoso. Green emerged in the late '80s, garnering praise for his work with veterans like Better Carter, Eddie Henderson, Art Blakey, and Ray Brown. He […]