Mala's music career has taken her all over the world, performing for international tours and festivals, as well in some of NYC's most prestigious stages, including the Iridium Jazz Club, the Blue Note, the Jazz Standard, the 55 Bar, and Brooklyn's BAM Café. Most recently she performed in Washington DC at the Kennedy Center. Mala […]
NEA Jazz Master Maria Schneider returns to NJPAC with her genre-defying orchestra. Widely acclaimed for her sophisticated large-ensemble recordings, Schneider is a gifted arranger and composer whose highly original work often blurs the lines between post-bop, classical and the avant-garde. Her GRAMMY® winning albums include 2005’s Concert in the Garden, 2008’s Sky Blue, and 2015’s The Thompson Fields. Schneider’s […]
Maria Schneider’s music has been hailed by critics as “evocative, majestic, magical, heart-stoppingly gorgeous, imaginative, revelatory, riveting, daring, and beyond categorization.” Blurring the lines between genres, her varied commissioners stretch from Jazz at Lincoln Center to The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra to the American Dance Festival, and include collaboration with David Bowie. She is among […]
Pianist, composer, producer and arranger Demetrius “Krayon” Nabors is well known and in demand in the Detroit area and on the national contemporary jazz scene. He is a two-time Detroit Music Award Winner in the Outstanding Gospel/Christian Musician category. His considerable talents caught the attention of numerous high-profile national artists, including R&B singer KEM, flutist […]
Paul Mutzabaugh is a multi-instrumentalist and composer from Chicago. Over the past 20 years, he has worked consistently in a wide range of musical styles with a variety of notable artists and ensembles, including: Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Heather Headley, Jason Robert Brown, Rufus Wainwright, Mannheim Steamroller, Robbie Fulks, Miguel Zenón, Spektral Quartet, John Elmquist’s HardArt Groop, […]
Conga player and composer Alberto Nacif and the superlative musicians who make up the sizzling Latin Jazz group Aguankó have a new, all original Latin Jazz recording titled “Unidad”, which was released at the July 2023 performance at Blue LLama. This recording features the core group of Aguanko musicians from the incredibly rich Detroit area […]
Eric Alexander is one of the most sought-after saxophonists on the modern jazz scene. "The people I listened to in college are still the cats that are influencing me today," says Alexander. "Monk, Dizzy, Sonny Stitt, Clifford Brown, Sonny Rollins, Jackie McLean, Joe Henderson - the legacy left by Bird and all the bebop pioneers, […]
D'Rivera and Valdés: Together Again! These rare benefit concerts features Cuban jazz legends, clarinetist, saxophonist, author, composer and arranger Paquito D'Rivera and pianist, composer, and arranger Chucho Valdés first met in 1962. Both child prodigies and sons of musical families, the two worked together in Havana's Musical Theatre Orchestra and in the Cuban Orchestra of Modern […]
Eric Kennedy & Friends: Tribute to Lisa A Baltimore, Maryland native, Eric Kennedy is a drummer, vocalist, percussionist, educator, arranger and composer. He started performing at the age of three with a family band and encouraged by visiting local and national musicians. Eric was the 2004 runner-up in the Billie Holiday Vocal Competition and first-place band member […]
Born and raised in Madrid, Spain, pianist and composer Marta Sánchez is actively working in the contemporary creative music scene in New York City and around the globe. Charting a significant path through her innovative and original music, she has reached an international audience, gaining significant global recognition. Marta has toured the United States, Europe, […]
Three time Grammy-nominated Axel Tosca is a highly talented Cuban jazz pianist and composer who has gained recognition for his virtuosic performances and innovative compositions that blend elements of jazz, classical music, Hip-Hop and Afro-Cuban rhythms. Born in Cuba in 1983, Tosca grew up in a prestigious musical family. His mother is the renowned Cuban […]
CD Release Celebration The native Washingtonian is a multi-talented musician, composer, arranger and producer whose trademark sound gives brilliance and fortitude to the art of jazz improvisation. While a student at the University of the District of Columbia, Allyn was mentored by the late great jazz legend Calvin Jones. Allyn hopes to continue Jones' rich […]
The career of Bob James is long, varied and continues to evolve at every turn. From his first days in Marshall, Missouri, the music of Bob James has captivated audiences throughout the world. Discovered by Quincy Jones at the Notre Dame Jazz Festival in 1963, James recorded his first solo album, Bold Conceptions, that year for […]
Keyon Harrold Present "Foreverland" An inventive, multidisciplinary, genre-fluid artist; trumpeter and vocalist; a composer, arranger, and platinum music producer; bandleader and major recording artist,Keyon Harrold’s career is a spectrum of greatness. From touring and recording with Jay-z and Cirque Du Soleil to being signed by legendary Rapper Nas (Mass Appeal) and writing the theme song […]
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 piano playing as ‘a joy to behold’. Les McCann states ‘As a man and musician he is already […]
The Sous Vide Trio opens the night of great music with a 30 minute set. This will be followed with the headliner consisting of the 10-piece Soul band JIVA returns with an amazing performance. They will be performing their unique blend of upbeat soul and Brazilian-inspired songs. Cleveland Jones, Lavahi and Chanda Leigh will be the […]
