Notorious Jazz

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

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

CHICAGO JAZZ FESTIVAL
2023-09-01 11:30 - 21:00 (America/Chicago) | Millennium Park, 201 E. Randolph Street, Chicago, IL, 60601, United States
Seating Bowl and Great Lawn open at 2:45pm.
Von Freeman Pavilion (North Promenade)

11:30-12:25pm – Eric Hochberg String Thing
12:40-1:35pm – Alexis Lombre Quartet
1:50-2:45pm – Anthony Bruno Quartet

Jay Pritzker Pavilion
Security gates open 2 hours before the event start time. The concert perimeter (Pritzker Pavilion, Stage and Great Lawn) will be closed to the public for 1 hour before the gates open.

4:15-5:05pm – Juan Pastor Chinchano
5:25 – 6:10pm – Walter Smith III Quartet
6:25 – 7:25pm – Ari Brown Quintet
7:45-9pm – Dianne Reeves

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.

GEORGE V. JOHNSON JR.
2023-08-31 18:00 - 19:30 (America/New_York) | Kennedy Center | Millenium Stage, 2700 F Street, NW, Washington, DC, 20566, United States
Tribute To Charlie Parker | AH~LEU~CHA
Native Washingtonian, jazz vocalist-songwriter, and recording artist George V. Johnson Jr. will perform (alongside his bandmates) excerpts from the “jazzical” Jazz Iz Really Classical Music, a.k.a. Ah-Leu-Cha, a spirited tribute to Charlie Parker featuring Johnson’s original lyrics.
Deemed “Next in Line” by Eddie Jefferson, the father of the art of jazz vocalese, Johnson continues the legacy of writing lyrics to improvised solos and telling stories we love and appreciate. The performance will be an unforgettable evening celebrating the music of Charlie Parker.
Imagine listening to a seasoned jazz musician rip into a bebop solo so sizzling and smooth it makes your senses tingle. Close your eyes and play along. Try and picture the sweat bouncing off the performer like the notes that leap through the air. See if you can hear the mesmerizing melodies go up and down, bringing you through joy and sadness, taking your emotions on a sensory experience unlike any other. Now picture that musician and his beloved instrument: his voice.
Band members Donvonte McCoy (trumpet), Elijah Easton (tenor saxophone), Allyn Johnson (piano), Herman Burney (bass), and Dana-j Hawkins (drums) are seasoned visionaries who’ve performed across the globe. Join us for a memorable performance.

CHICAGO JAZZ FESTIVAL
2023-08-31 11:00 - 21:00 (America/Chicago) | Millennium Park, 201 E. Randolph Street, Chicago, IL, 60601, United States
Seating Bowl and Great Lawn open at 2:45pm.
Claudia Cassidy Theater, 2nd Floor North

11am-12pm – The Live the Spirit Residency Young Masters – Presented by Live the Spirit
12:15-1:15pm – Asian Improv, Francis Wong’s “Legends and Legacies” – Presented by Asian Improv
2-3pm – The Fred Jackson Quartet – Presented by The Elastic Arts Foundation
3:15-5:15pm – What is thing called Jazz? Presented by the Education Committee of the Jazz Institute of Chicago

Preston Bradly Hall, 3rd Floor South

11am-12pm – Zubin Edalji Quintet – Presented by The Hyde Park Jazz Festival
12:30-1:30pm – Zack Markstet, Performing Horace Silvers’ 1966 release “The Jody Grind” – Presented by The Fulton Street Collective
2-3pm – The Natalie Scharf Quartet – Presented by Illiana Club
3:30-4:30pm – Bobbi Wilsyn – Presented by The South Side Jazz Coalition

Jay Pritzker Pavilion

6:30-7:30pm – Chico Freeman-100 Von Freeman Centennial
8-9pm – Ron Carter and Foursight

AFRO LATIN JAZZ ORCHESTRA
2023-08-27 20:30 - 23:59, 2023-08-20 20:30 - 23:59, 2023-08-13 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.

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.

CHARLIE PARKER JAZZ FESTIVAL
2023-08-26 15:00 - 19:00 (America/New_York) | Marcus Garvey Park, 6316, Mt Morris Park W,, New York City, NY, 10027, United States
Featuring: The Cookers | Ndudzo Makhathini Trio | Endea Owens & The Cookout | Akua Allrich & The Tribe | DJ Sets by Uptown Vinyl Supreme
As part of the Charlie Parker Jazz Festival, the Cookers headline a group of innovative artists that embody a sense of community. Most of this super septet—comprising Billy Harper, Cecil McBee, George Cables, Eddie Henderson, Billy Hart, David Weiss, and Donald Harrison—are veterans of the heady mid-’60s when hard bops gave way to the next wave of jazz, and have been pushing the limits of the sound ever since. Endea Owens and the Cookout is led by the titular house bassist for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Hailing from Detroit, Juilliard graduate Owens has found a home in Harlem, where she hosted community cookouts during the COVID-19 pandemic, playing music with her band of fellow virtuosos and handing out hundreds of free meals. Nduduzo Makhathini has become a rising star of South African jazz in both art and academia; the award-winning pianist, improviser, healer, and scholar brings his latest trio to perform selections from The Spirit Of Ntu, his 2022 album for Blue Note Africa. Rounding out the bill is Akua Allrich and The Tribe, led by the jazz and pan-African vocalist with deep musical roots in the blues, soul, and R&B. Allrich and her group the Tribe have drawn accolades for their annual events honoring the defining female voices of Black music, but are also known to craft soul-stirring originals.
Plus, see “We’re Outside”, an exhibition of 10 local artists, curated by Fable Jones Studio, August, 26th, 3-7pm on the west lawn of Marcus Garvey Park (123rd & Mt Morris Park West side) hosted by Heath Gallery and MMPCIA.

AKUA ALLRICH
2023-08-26 15:00 - 15:45 (America/New_York) | Marcus Garvey Park, 6316, Mt Morris Park W,, New York City, NY, 10027, United States
Charlie Parker Jazz Festival 2023
Jazz vocalist and DC-native Akua Allrich has proven herself to be a musician of extraordinary talent and crowd-moving passion. With finesse and charisma, this vocalist, composer and teacher, has successfully etched out a place for her unique musical expression, electrifying audiences in and around the nation’s capital with sold-out performances.
With the launch of her independently produced albums, A Peace of Mine in 2010, Uniquely Standard, Akua Allrich Live! in 2012, and her latest release Soul Singer, the young artist’s music and concerts created a significant buzz with critics and music-lovers alike. Said Franz Matzner of All About Jazz, “Akua Allrich’s music flows with a free, natural energy as engaging as her equally ingenuous personality.” Her appeal soon reached across US borders and attained international attention. In early 2011, Allrich signed a distribution deal with Japanese record label AGATE/Inpartmaint Inc. Her debut CD, A Peace of Mine, was released in Japan during their “Golden Week” of May 2011. Music lovers and tastemakers from around the world expressed their appreciation and excitement for this new music.
Allrich’s style is fluid and ever evolving. Her musical roots run deeply into blues, soul and rhythm and blues, with a clear grounding in jazz and pan-African music. She sings in many languages including Portuguese, French, Spanish, English, Xhosa, and Twi. Given her ability to capture the essence of a broad range of musical genres, Allrich is often likened to legendary artists such as Oscar Brown, Jr., Miriam Makeba and Nina Simone. She has developed popular tribute programs involving the latter two women and other great African American women of jazz.
Akua Allrich was educated at Howard University, where she obtained her BM in jazz vocals and a master’s degree in social work. She was taught, coached and mentored by talented musicians such as world-renowned singer Kehembe V. Eichelberger, singer/drummer Grady Tate, and pianist Charles Covington.
Joining her is The Tribe: Kris Funn ~ bass, Samuel Prather ~ keys, Tyler Leak ~ 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”.

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

THE LEGENDARY COUNT BASIE ORCHESTRA
2023-08-20 19:00 - 21:00 (America/New_York) | Stowe Performing Arts, 854 Trapp Hill Road, Stowe, VT, 05672, United States
Music In The Meadow
The Count Basie Orchestra, today directed by Scotty Barnhart, has won every respected jazz poll in the world at least once, won 18 Grammy Awards. In the history of Jazz music, there is only one bandleader that has the distinction of having his orchestra still performing sold out concerts all over the world, with members personally chosen by him, for over 30 years after his passing. Pianist and bandleader William James “Count” Basie was and still is an American institution that personifies the grandeur and excellence of Jazz. The Count Basie Orchestra, today directed by Scotty Barnhart, has won every respected jazz poll in the world at least once, won 18 Grammy Awards, performed for Kings, Queens, and other world Royalty, appeared in several movies, television shows, at every major jazz festival and major concert hall in the world.
Guest Vocalist: Carmen Bradford

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.

EUGENIE JONES
2023-08-19 19:00 - 20:30 (America/New_York) | The National Jazz Museum In Harlem, 58 West 129th Street, Ground Floor 2203, New York City, NY, 10027, United States
Eugenie Jones is an award-winning singer/songwriter/producer based in the Seattle, WA, area with an international fan base. Her recordings and concerts with jazz icons Reggie Workman, Bobby Sanabria, Julian Priester, Lonnie Plaxico, and many others have earned the entertainer praise in every major jazz publication, a #7 ranking on Jazz Week’s Top 50, and a #30 spot on Jazz Weeks top one-hundred albums. Jones is also a 2023 recipient of the Jazz Journalists Association’s Jazz Hero award for her efforts intersecting jazz performance events with community service.
Rating her recording Black Lace Blue Tears 3.5 out of 4 stars, DownBeat called the singer “impressive.” At the same time, legendary Blue Note Records artist Joe Chambers describes Jones as “an excellent singer, with a voice, style, and range that encompasses multiple idioms.”
Jones brings an authentic and electric presence to the stage, packaged within a uniquely exquisite voice. Accompanying her performance is an a-list line-up of New York musicians, including Lafayette Harris/p, Lonnie Plaxico/b, and Dwayne Broadnax. This concert will feature reimagined jazz classics, soulful jazz originals, and a taste of soul classics by Nina Simone, Anita Baker, James Brown & more!

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

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

HOWARD HEWETT & MICHAEL LINGTON
2023-08-18 19:30 - 21:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Hyatt Regency Newport Beach, 1107 Jamboree Road, Newport Beach, CA, 92660, United States
Howard Hewett is one of the most gifted vocalists in the Post-Marvin Gaye era of pop R&B.
He started singing as a child, fronting his older sisters in The Hewett Singers. The group toured the gospel circuit. As a teen, Hewett sharpened his crooner skills in a funk band called Lyfe. In 1976, Hewett moved to Los Angeles and formed a group put together by the owners of the historic Maverick’s Flat, called Beverly Hills.
​Hewett got his mainstream break as the male vocal lead in Shalamar, a centerpiece of Dick Griffey’s SOLAR (Sound of Los Angeles Records) label. His tenor voice mixed beautifully with the bright vocals of Jody Watley, the dancing skills of Jeffery Daniels and the writing and production of Leon Sylvers III. The group gave the world feel-good dance favorites The Second Time Around and A Night to Remember, the baby-making classic For the Lover in You, as well as a number of beautiful B-side ballads like You Can Count On Me and Somewhere There’s a Love. When Watley and Daniels left the group in 1983, Hewett continued to lead Mickey Free and Delisa Davis in the reconstituted Shalamar. This version of the group was best known for soundtrack contributions on Footloose and Beverly Hills Cop with Dancing in the Sheets and the Grammy-winning Don’t Get Stopped in Beverly Hills, respectively.
​In the mid-eighties, Howard sets out on his solo career, releasing I Commit to Love in 1986 on Elektra and from the first single Hewett made magic, giving his amorous voice and whimsical lyrics to Stay, I’m For Real and the title track. Most beloved track on this freshman release would be his spiritually grounded Say Amen. This single soared on the Inspirational charts and has enjoyed the status of a modern gospel classic.
​Subsequent projects have solidified Hewett’s place in the high ranks of R&B balladeers by writing and collaborating and lending his voice within an intimate group of crooners, including George Duke, Quincy Jones, James Ingram, Anita Baker, Prince and Stanley Clarke. With Elektra, he released Forever and Ever (1988- Once, Twice, Three Times), Howard Hewett (1990- Show Me) and Allegiance (1992- Can We Try Again).
​Later work shows increasing authenticity as Hewett rips song lyrics straight from his soul. It’s Time (1994- This Love is Forever), written and produced almost exclusively with long time friend and collaborator Monte Seward, displays all the vulnerability involved in falling and staying in love. In 2001, Hewett released the all inspirational album The Journey, where he shows us that his faith can’t be separated from his heart and soul.
​Hewett continues to seduce audiences and eardrums as he is constantly touring and intermittently releasing new music.
​“Of all the fine vocalists working today, Howard Hewett is one of the finest.” – Babyface
Michael Lington is an award winning saxophonist, songwriter, producer, recording artist and a purveyor of soul and contemporary jazz.
Powering full steam ahead into the next phase of his dynamic 25 year solo career, saxophonist Michael Lington captures all the freewheeling magic, energy and optimism we’re feeling post-pandemic with his latest perfectly titled Billboard single “Play” – a funked out, fun-spirited, perfect for summertime jam that marks his first time co-writing and co-producing with longtime friend and fellow horn master and hit maker Darren Rahn. The groove-intensive track also features Paul Jackson Jr.’s blistering guitar fire and the non-stop grooves of bassist Mel Brown and drummer Tarell Martin. While creating a forward minded way to keep joy and hope flowing in turbulent times, “Play” – from Lington’s upcoming EP and first set of original tunes since 2018’s Silver Lining – also reflects the multi-talented artist’s ever-bustling role as a first time dad to his son Landon and the passion he’s bringing to his latest endeavor, hosting his own Friday radio show on Smooth Jazz 247.
He has released 12 solo albums and has 27 singles that have charted on the Billboard and Radio & Records (R&R) contemporary jazz radio charts.
Over the course of his career, Lington has collaborated with Michael Bolton, Barry Manilow, Randy Crawford, Bobby Caldwell, Kenny Lattimore, Booker T. Jones, Ray Parker, Jr., Taylor Dayne, Brian Culbertson, William Bell, Dave Stewart, Vince Gill and many others.
He has toured regularly his entire career, averaging 60-80 shows per year. In recent years, Lington joined Michael Bolton on tour as his opening act & special guest. Lington and Bolton performed over 350 shows together in more than 40 countries.
Barry Manilow invited Lington to join his “One Last Time” arena tour. Michael opened the show and joined Manilow on the song “Brooklyn Blues” during the headliner’s main set.
In Nov. 2016, Lington performed for the Memphis Music Hall Of Fame ceremony, honoring 2016 inductee Charles Lloyd. Stax Records soul singer William Bell and Snoop Dogg also performed at the induction ceremony.
In September 2019 it was announced that Michael would join the Dave Koz and Friends; Gifts Of The Season Christmas tour alongside Koz, Jonathan Butler, Melissa Manchester and Chris Walker. The 22-date concert tour traveled across the U.S. between November 29 and December 23, 2019.
In 2020 during the pandemic, Michael become one of the leading music artists producing hi-quality virtual shows, which earned him a most innovative artist award by Stageit!
Lington is signed to the The Reliant Talent agency for worldwide representation and has a publishing administration deal with Kobalt Music Publishing. He is an ASCAP songwriter/publisher and a 25-year voting member of the Recording Academy.
Parking: $30.00 advanced purchase | $35.00 day of
Valet: $40.00 advanced purchase | $45.00 day of (if not sold out)

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.

GEORGE BENSON
2023-08-13 20:00 - 21:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | Hyatt Regency Newport Beach, 1107 Jamboree Road, Newport Beach, CA, 92660, United States
Ten-Time GRAMMY-award-winning artist, George Benson, has the rare distinction of being in the pop consciousness while remaining in the pantheon of jazz greats. With 36 studio albums and 8 live albums, Benson has emerged as a household name best known for the 1976 three-time GRAMMY-winning album, Breezin’, boasting the pop-jazz vocal smash “This Masquerade,” which topped the jazz, pop, and R&B charts. The album remains one of the best-selling jazz albums of all time and has since been certified 3x platinum. His 1980 soul-pop gem, “Give Me The Night,” produced by Quincy Jones and written by Rod Temperton (Michael Jackson), summited to the top of the soul single charts. In 2009, Benson was awarded the NEA Jazz Masters Fellowship— the highest honor that our nation bestows on jazz artists.
Benson is a consummate performer and an adventurous instrumentalist who remains an annual must-see artist. He regularly packs and, o_en sells out, such hallowed venues as The Hollywood Bowl, Royal Albert Hall, Hampton Court Palace, and Sydney Opera House. Benson is also a marquee artist at many U.S. Jazz and international festivals, including Montreux Jazz Fest.
Benson’s recent accomplishments are varied and aplenty. He collaborated with subversive art-pop band, Gorillaz, featuring Blur’s Damon Albarn, to co-write and perform on the track “Humility,” which has amassed over 100 million YouTube views and counting. In 2021, DJ Steve Aoki remixed Benson’s hit “Give Me The Night,” with a rugged house beat introducing the irresistible R&B-pop gem to a whole new audience. His recent albums have earned features and rave reviews in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, American Songwriter, Forbes, and Newsweek. In 2020, Benson was inducted into jazz bible DownBeat Magazine’s Hall Of Fame. The following year he was inducted by music legend Quincy Jones into New Jersey’s Hall Of Fame— an honor from which he received a personal congratulatory note from President Obama.
Parking: $30.00 advanced purchase | $35.00 day of
Valet: $40.00 advanced purchase | $45.00 day of (if not sold out)

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.

SAN JOSÉ JAZZ SUMMER FEST
2023-08-13 11:00 - 21:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Plaza de César Chávez, 1 Paseo de San Antonio, San Jose, CA, 95113, United States
Performers: Full Spectrum Jazz Band, Mr. Clifford’s Young Jazz All Stars, Marcu Shelby New Orchestra Featuring Tiffany Austin, Marcel Smith, SOJ Band, Berkeley High School Combo, Yakiv Tsvietinsky With The Siz Collective, Mosaic America: Journey Through Multicultural Jazz Dance, Mariachi Mexico, Veronica Swift, Chickenbone Slim & The Biscuits Featuring Laura Chavez, Ronit Widmann~Levy & Angel Romero, Connie Han Trio, Savannah Martinez Band, Footnotes Big Band, Club Mambí, Billy Iuso, Patrice Rushen, Siz U19S, Ames Jazz Band, Shayna Steele, Vocal Gents Of Jazz With Kenny Washingtn, Nicolas Bearde And Jamie Davis, San Miguel, Bee Taylor, Gregory Porter, Ensemble A Contratiempo Afrovenezuean Jazz, Swing Solution, Orquesta La Moderna Tradición With Orlando “Maraca” Valle, Telmary & Friend, Mae.Sun
Venues: Latin Tropical Stage, SJZ Break Room Stage, Tabard Theatre Swing Stage, Hammer Theatre Stage, Blues/Big Easy Stage, Sobrato Organization Main Sage, Montgomery Theater Stage, SJMA Next Gen Stage
Tickets: Advance Price Ends July 31
3-Day Pass Adult VIP ~ $610.00 + $16.60 fee
3-Day Pass Adult Priority Access ~ $310.00 + $9.80 fee
3-Day Pass Adult All Stages ~ $190.00 + $7.10 fee
3-Day Pass GA ~ $115.00 + $5.60 fee
3-Day Pass Child (Ages 5-12) ~ $30.00 + $3.60 fee
General Admission
Sunday Adult VIP ~ $225.00 + $8.00
Sunday Adult Priority Access ~ $110.00 + $5.40 fee
Sunday Adult All Stages ~ $70.00 + $4.50 fee
Sunday Adult GA ~ $40.00 + $3.90 fee
Sunday Child ( Ages 5-12) ~ $10.00 + 3.20 fee

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.

SAN JOSÉ JAZZ SUMMER FEST
2023-08-12 11:00 - 2023-08-13 00:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | Plaza de César Chávez, 1 Paseo de San Antonio, San Jose, CA, 95113, United States
Performers: Los Gatos~Saratogo Big Band, Monterey Jazz Fesival Regional All~Star Vocal Ensemble, The Serenaders, Isaiah Collier & The Chosen Few, Monterey Jazz Fesival Regional All~Star Band, Mitch Woods & His Rocket 88’s, Vanessa Collier, Vibrasón, Yvonne Flores, Synchronicity, Jazz Education Ensemble, Chika Di, The Blues Defenders Blues REview Featuring Mz. Dee & Willy Jordan, Youth Jazz Jam, Cimafunk, Luca Stricagnoli, Top Shelf, Benny Benack III, Marcus Miller, Lalin St. Juste, Halie Loren, Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, Soul Message Band, Maxx Cabllo Jr., Óscar Ly & Rumbalú, Blaque Dynamite, Anthony Hamilton Featuring The Ton3s, Grace Kelly, Los Tacoyos, Gabriel Gonzalez Y La Verdad, Sunny War, Ian Santillano
Venues: Latin Tropical Stage, SJZ Break Room Stage, Tabard Theatre Swing Stage, Hammer Theatre Stage, Blues/Big Easy Stage, Sobrato Organization Main Sage, Montgomery Theater Stage, SJMA Next Gen Stage
Tickets: Advance Price Ends July 31
3-Day Pass Adult VIP ~ $610.00 + $16.60 fee
3-Day Pass Adult Priority Access ~ $310.00 + $9.80 fee
3-Day Pass Adult All Stages ~ $190.00 + $7.10 fee
3-Day Pass GA ~ $115.00 + $5.60 fee
3-Day Pass Child (Ages 5-12) ~ $30.00 + $3.60 fee
General Admission
Saturday Adult VIP ~ $225.00 + $8.00
Saturday Adult Priority Access ~ $110.00 + $5.40 fee
Saturday Adult All Stages ~ $70.00 + $4.50 fee
Saturday Adult GA ~ $40.00 + $3.90 fee
Saturday Child ( Ages 5-12) ~ $10.00 + 3.20 fee

HOT PANTS DE FRANCE
2023-08-11 20:00 - 22:00 (America/New_York) | Arts Garage, 94 NE 2nd Avenue, Delray Beach, FL, 33444, United States
Assembling some of the hottest talent from around the world, touring/session guitarist (Maynard Ferguson, NKOTB, Kenny Loggins) and Emmy nominated film/tv composer Sam Kaufmann formed the Gypsy Jazz and Swing Group – Hot Pants de France. Sam has liberated himself from the Hot Jazz canon and presents his own uninhibited, modern style with Hot Pants de France and highlights what is still to come. Well received by both listeners and the press, the vision was to bring a fresh, contemporary feel to hits from the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s by arranging them in the style of jazz great Django Reinhardt. The intention was not to simply recapitulate the music, but to interpret it with a uniqueness, incorporating modern influences, while remaining true to the innovative style created by Django and Stéphane Grappelli in Quintette du Hot Club de France, one of the first all-string jazz bands.
The dichotomy between musical styles of the ’40s and the ’90s is bridged by our various vocalists including Lisa Rittner, and Valeria Koka. Each elegantly bringing the music into the sound of “today”. Lisa honed her chops for a decade on the Queen Mary and the band Sound F/X. In addition to her voice, Lisa gracefully adds her Saxophone prowess to Hot Pants’ samba-esque version of “Black Hole Sun”. While Valeria is best known for her vocal work with Ukranian Superstar Artem Pivovarov and her own Valeria Koka Sextet.
Harkening back to the establishing sound of OG – Stéphane Grappelli, Jane Young (2nd Place International Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, Swiss Dream Circus, NBC, Nova/PBS) constructed excellent counterpoint to Sam’s guitar lines. The two play off each other like a conversation between old friends.
Finally, touring/session bassist Jack O’Roonie (Andre Williams, Danny B Harvey, Wanda Jackson and Labella Strings endorsee) outlines the harmony while controlling the dynamics and pace of the band with his fantastical yet proficient bass lines.
Years of experience and effortless interaction are clear – noteworthy on the recordings as well as on stage. Standing on the works by Django Reinhardt, it is this unique mix of pop, jazz, americana and inventive compositions that makes the unmistakable sound of the group.
BAND MEMBERSSam Kaufmann – Reharmonizer and GuitarLisa Rittner – Vocals and SaxValeria Koka – VocalsJack O’Roonie – BassAndrea Reynolds and Jane Young – Violin

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.

CHRIS ISAAK
2023-08-11 19:30 - 21:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | Hyatt Regency Newport Beach, 1107 Jamboree Road, Newport Beach, CA, 92660, United States
Over the course of his three-decade plus career, Platinum-selling and GRAMMY-nominated singer & actor Chris Isaak has performed to sold-out crowds across the globe with his longtime band Silvertone. His music and film credits include thirteen critically acclaimed studio albums, twelve chart-topping singles along with several motion pictures, such as The Silence of the Lambs and That Thing You Do!. His work has also taken him behind the scenes, creating music for multiple film soundtracks, including Eyes Wide Shut, True Romance, Wild at Heart, and Blue Velvet. Isaak has starred in his own critically acclaimed television series The Chris Isaak Show on SHOWTIME, has previously served as a judge on The X Factor Australia, and hosted the music talk show, The Chris Isaak Hour on BIO. 2019 marked the 30th Anniversary of Isaak’s beloved Heart-Shaped World album, which includes his breakthrough classic “Wicked Game”. Isaak was recently honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award for Performance by the Americana Honors.
Opening Act: David Rosales
Parking: $30.00 advanced purchase | $35.00 day of
Valet: $40.00 advanced purchase | $45.00 day of (if not sold out)

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
