A native of New Orleans, Riley started on the drums when he was three. He played trumpet through high school, but he went back to drums in college. After graduating, he spent three years as a member of a band led by Ahmad Jamal. He has worked often with Wynton Marsalis as a member of the Jazz […]
Award-winning drummer and bandleader Ulysses Owens, Jr. returns to Dizzy’s Club with his powerhouse big band for a five-night engagement. Known for his electrifying performances, Owens crafts a thrilling musical journey through original compositions and vibrant arrangements of works by giants like Terence Blanchard, John Coltrane, and Mulgrew Miller. His repertoire serves as a canvas […]
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 […]
Grammy Award-Winning Vocalist with The Lavon Stevens Trio As lead vocalist, lyricist, and composer for internationally and critically acclaimed two-time Grammy Award-winning roots music group, Ranky Tanky, Quiana Parler spent weeks at #1 on several Billboard Jazz charts. She has spent over 20 years as the most sought-after vocalist in the Lowcountry. Known locally for […]
She has earned four national TOP 10 jazz CDs and a Soul Train Award, will add her singular twist to songs that remind us of the miraculous gifts of life, love, family and the reason for the season. Come find out why The New York Times has called this world-renowned jazz vocalist “a pop-soul superwoman,” and why Miami […]
The Grammy-nominated vocalist from Dallas, Texas, won the 2013 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition and the 2015 Thelonious Monk Institute International Jazz Competition. Known for her powerful voice and message of love and social change, she has released three critically acclaimed albums, including A Social Call, Love and Liberation, and Dear Love, while also conducting global […]
One of the most highly regarded jazz drummers on the scene today, Joe is known for his blazing speed, precision, musical, and melodic playing. After he studied at William Paterson College in New Jersey in 1994 where he began playing with saxophonist Eric Alexander and guitarist Peter Bernstein. Upon moving to New York City, he […]
Out of Detroit’s lively jazz scene, which has produced some of the best musicians in the world, comes the ground breaking jazz group Straight Ahead. A group of strong, inventive instrumentalists and vocalists, they have shown themselves to be powerful and imaginative composers and arrangers. Widely recognized for their eclectic and soulful approach to creating […]
Alan Broadbent and Harvie S. originally met when they were students at Berklee College of Music. After school, Alan left with the Woody Herman Band and that was the beginning of a brilliant career. Ending up in California, he was pianist for 25 years with Charlie Haden, and on top, of that winning Grammys for […]
Robert Glasper is the leader of a new sonic paradigm with a career that bridges musical and artistic genres. To date, he boasts 5 Grammy wins and 11 nominations across 11 categories, an Emmy Award for his song for Ava Duvernay’s critically hailed documentary “13th” with Common and Karriem Riggins, and a Peabody Award for […]
A Detroit Native, Robert Hursts boasts a distinguished 30+ year career as a composer, bassist, educator, and entrepreneur. Renowned for his work with icons like Sir Paul McCartney, Wynton Marsalis, Branford Marsalis, Diana Krall, Terence Blanchard, Nicholas Payton, Ravi Coltrane, Kris Davis, and the legendary Pharaoh Sanders, Hurst's talent shines on over 250 recordings, earning […]
The Bill Charlap Trio – with bassist Peter Washington and drummer Kenny Washington – is a jazz super-group with three brilliant, accomplished talents. Their dazzling interplay and near-telepathic communication has earned a Grammy Award and multiple nominations, plus raves from audiences everywhere. Downbeat gave their new live recording, And Then Again, 4 ½ stars, placing […]
A protégé of the legendary jazz master Dizzy Gillespie, Arturo Sandoval was born just two years after Gillespie became the first musician to bring Latin influences into American Jazz. Sandoval began studying classical trumpet at the age of twelve, but it didn’t take him long to catch the excitement of the jazz world. He has […]
Tree Jazz- The Shape of Christmas to Come Palmetto 20242 The year 2024 marks the 60th birthday of the beloved drummer, composer, and bandleader Matt Wilson. It also celebrates the 15th anniversary of one of Matt’s acclaimed ensembles, the Christmas Tree- O, featuring multi-reed legend Jeff Lederer and revered bassist Paul Sikivie. The band performed […]
Backed by a flawless band and background vocals, get in the spirit as Yolanda Rabun performs her rendition of seasonal tunes during “Songs of Holiday Cheer” a signature show with a diverse holiday repertoire. An extraordinarily gifted storyteller with a soul-drenched jazz voice, the Triangle chanteuse is also a publisher and songwriter with four full […]
Charlotte favorites Noel Freidline & Maria Howell return to the Blumenthal’s Booth Playhouse for their 5th annual Jazz Celebration of the Holidays. On the heels of a 2023 sellout show, Noel & Maria are joined by their all-star band as well a special guests, vocakist Ray Greene and violinist extraordinaire Karen Briggs, as they reinterpret […]
The Harlem born pianist gained attention in the 1970s and continues to record and play in New York and abroad. Starting off as a tap dancer he attended the Ruth Williams Dance Studio before enrolling at the High School of Performing Arts with dance as his major. Soon after arriving at the school he switched […]
The daughter of legendary saxophonist Charles Neville of the Neville Brothers, carries the torch of a rich New Orleans musical legacy. While she is rooted in the city’s vibrant traditions, Charmaine brings her own unique voice to the stage, blending R&B, Jazz, and world rhythms into a sound that’s all her own. Her performances are […]
Acclaimed saxophonist Eric Person makes a strong impression live and on recordings. Person has worked with leaders within the vanguard of the jazz world namely McCoy Tyner, Dave Holland, Chico Hamilton, John Hicks, Will Calhoun, Wallace Roney, and many others. Eric's work as a leader is stylistically diverse and intrepid. His 2022 release "Blue Vision" […]
Jazz harmonica virtuoso and composer Hendrik Meurkens began his career in Germany playing vibraphone. At age 19, he heard Toots Thielemans play harmonica, which totally changed his musical life. His career has taken him from Germany to Brazil, then throughout the European continent and eventually to the US. In 1992, a trip to California led […]
World-renowned, seven string jazz guitarist, composer and arranger, Ron Jackson has performed, recorded, and taught music in over 30 countries. Jackson has had a strong career as a music artist, putting out 10 albums as a leader. His most recent CD, "Standards And My Songs," was Top 10 on the USA JazzWeek radio charts, featuring […]
Acclaimed drummer Joe Strasser to New York City in 1990 to attend the famed jazz program at the New School. He's since played with a "who's who" of jazz, including: George Coleman, Harold Mabern, Etta Jones, Cecil Payne, Jane Monheit, Hillary Kole, Peter Bernstein and countless others. Joe also co-led the Hotpants, a funk band […]
For two nights only the holiday season will honor the contributions of songstress Nancy Wilson as songs are interpreted by the great North Carolina-based singer Yolanda Rabun, while the story of her life is told by Jazz Historian Carl Anthony. Yolanda Rabun is a Renaissance Woman. A wife, mother, corporate lawyer, and national recording and […]
Hendrik Meurkens, a virtuoso on both the chromatic harmonica and the vibraphone, is the most important jazz harmonica player since Toots Thielemans. A two-mallet player in the tradition of Milt Jackson and Bobby Hutcherson, Hendrik Meurkens was en-route to being an instantly recognizable vibraphonist when he heard Toots Thielemans. Inspired by the sound of Thielemans’ […]
Tomorrow's Another Day may be trumpeter and composer Jeremy Pelt's most experimental recording to-date, notable for its variety and bold auricular explorations. With greater emphasis on the dynamic aspects of sound, it is a thought-provoking record that gets a huge lift from the participation of drummer/technologist Deantoni Parks, who previously has lent his remarkable talents […]
Cleveland saxophonist, Jevaughn Bogard, brings his group Abstract Sounds back to Akron, for a special night at BLU Jazz on December 27th! Abstract Sounds is a 6pc Jazz fusion / Funk band from Cleveland, OH started by the saxophonist. The band is a horn section driven by an amazing rhythm section that will keep you […]