84th Birthday Celebration Charles McPherson Javon Jackson Amy Shook Jeb Patton Billy Drummond For more than 60 years, saxophonist Charles McPherson has been one of the most expressive and highly regarded voices in jazz. His rich musical style, rooted in the blues and bebop, has influenced and inspired generations of musicians and listeners. Wynton Marsalis, a longtime […]
Scott Wendholt, born in Maryland and raised in Denver, he began playing trumpet when he was eight years old. He took a bachelor's degree at Indiana University in 1987, then played in Cincinnati in the Blue Wisp Big Band of John von Ohlen. He relocated to New York City at the end of the 1980s, where he […]
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 […]
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 […]
NEA Jazz Master Saxophonist Kenny Garrett returns! With his illustrious career that includes hallmark stints with Miles Davis, Art Blakey and The Jazz Messengers, Donald Byrd, Freddie Hubbard, Woody Shaw and the Duke Ellington Orchestra, as well as a heralded career as a solo artist that began more than 30 years ago, he is easily recognized […]
Devin Phillips, Saxophones | Kiran Raphael, Piano | Eric Gruber, Bass | Tyson Stubelek, Drums Born and reared in New Orleans, Devin Phillips’s intense affair with the saxophone began at the age of eight. At 14, he was accepted into the prestigious New Orleans Center for Creative Arts, whose alumni include Wynton and Branford Marsalis, […]
The music of Steve Swallow, Clare Fischer, Benny Golson, A.C.Jobim, McCoy Tyner, Kenny Garrett, Roland Kirk, Dizzy Gillespie, Mingus & Coltrane. Scott FitzGibbon | flute, saxophone Ken Johnston | trumpet, cornet, flugelhorn Gus Russell | piano Robert Lassila | bass Joe Kelner | drums
“In a rich, soulful voice, she sings messages of hope and compassion.” – Jazziz Cynthia Scott, a soulful, Grammy-nominated vocalist, leads a swinging quintet featuring the legendary tenor saxophonist Houston Person. Scott worked with Ray Charles as a Raelette before launching her successful solo career and subsequently performing with Hank Crawford, David “Fathead” Newman, Wynton […]
Acclaimed London-based saxophonist, whose sound is very much centred in the capital’s vibrant music scene. Growing up in south London and learning from the Kinetika Bloco and Jazz Warriors families, Kaidi’s outlook on music has always been multifaceted, which can be seen in the various collaborations with the likes of Tom Misch, Black Midi, Blue […]
Originally from Charlotte, North Carolina, pianist Luther S. Allison is a rising star who is making his Smoke debut as a leader with a stellar sextet featuring the great saxophonist Steve Wilson. Allison has already gained a reputation working alongside Rodney Whitaker, Jazzmeia Horn, The Baylor Project, Samara Joy, Gregory Tardy, Ulysses Owens Jr. and […]
where are we” Tour | Kaufmann Concert Hall Joshua Redman, saxophone | Gabrielle Cavassa, vocals | Aaron Parks, piano | Joe Sanders, bass | Brian Blade, drums Widely revered as the greatest jazz saxophonist of his generation, Joshua Redman returns following his sold-out 2022 92NY concert to open our season with a NYC exclusive. A release concert […]
11th Anniversary with the SCC Jazz Orchestra Saxophonist Vincent Herring’s intense, soulful, multi-noted style and ebullient swing have excited audiences worldwide. On stage, Herring and his band often make an incendiary sound over fine and controlled rhythms of modern times. Vincent tours frequently with his projects around the in the United States, Europe, Japan, China […]
Playing music from the saxophonist's latest release “Like Minds” Wayne Escoffery is a 2014 & 2021 Downbeat Critics Poll Winner for both the tenor and soprano saxophones and a Grammy Award-winning musician. He is considered one of the jazz world’s most talented saxophonists and in-demand sidemen. Escoffery leads his groups, which tour internationally and has […]
He bears the name of jazz royalty, and he's spent many hours curating, archiving and producing his parents' recordings. But when he picks up his own saxophones, Ravi Coltrane blows an original and distinctly modern strain of jazz, distilling but never seeking to imitate his family's adventurous improvising spirits. Now one of today's top saxophonists. […]
Contemporary saxophonist, author, and music producer Jackiem Joyner has set the bar high in his close 20 years as a performer. With a number one jazz album, several Billboard chart-topping hits, and a series of critically acclaimed booksto his name, he has shown himself to be the rare artist capable of transcending his instrument and reaching […]
The Heavy Hitters is a sextet co-led by pianist Mike LeDonne and tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander. The band is rounded out by some of the premiere purveyors of straight-ahead swinging jazz: Vincent Herring on alto saxophone, Joshua Bruneau on trumpet, Peter Washington on upright bass, and Kenny Washington on drums. The music is built to […]
Over the years, Peter White has maintained a reputation as one of the most versatile and prolific acoustic guitarists on the contemporary jazz landscape. Armed with an unparalleled combination of lyricism and energy, he combines elements of jazz, pop and classical guitar to create a sound that is singular and at the same time accessible […]
The multi-talented siblings have been playing together since they were 10 and 11. They continue to strive with their gifts as they travel, playing with some of the best local, national and international recording artists. Their performances can be described as two different voices coming together to create a healing, ethereal, and emotional experience for the […]
Gary Bartz Jean Carn Norman Connors Eddie Baccus Jr. The Starship Orchestra Known for his overblowing, harmonic, and multi-phonic techniques on the saxophone, as well as his use of "sheets of sound", American jazz musician Pharaoh Sanders played a prominent role in the development of free jazz and spiritual jazz through his work as a member of John Coltrane's groups in the mid-1960s, and later […]
Saxophonist Mark Turner has recorded over five dozen albums as a leader, member of a group and as a sideman. He brings his quartet to the club for a special week of music. He released his first album as a leader in 2004 on ECM Records. It features trumpeter Avishai Cohen, bassist Joe Martin, and drummer Marcus […]
Saxophonist/clarinetist Neal Spitzer occupies a special spot with our region’s jazz community. In addition to his own Ensemble, his funk band Gridline, his popular weekly Hep Cat Hump Day gig at The Park Theater in Hudson, NY, and his duo work with Arnie Warmbrand, he runs our Jitterbug: Jazz for Kids program for preschoolers at the […]
Alto saxophonistWessell "Warmdaddy" Anderson grew up in the tough Bedford Stuyvesent and Crown Heights neighborhoods of Brooklyn, NY. By the time Anderson was 14 years old, he was deeply involved in the local jazz scene (thanks in part to his father, a drummer) and attending jam sessions at then-active Brooklyn and Queens jazz clubs like the Blue Coronet, […]
An Atlanta native, Gary has been playing saxophone for over 20 years. In that time he has opened for artist like Gerald Albright and Will Downing,performed with legends William Bell and Jean Carne and can be heard and seen on projects with Outkast and Ann Nesby. He plays smooth jazz with a funky edge and nice […]
Countdown Festival Quintet I ~ The Cats with special guests George Coleman Quintet featuring Emmet Cohen & Peter Bernstein. George Coleman – tenor saxophone | Peter Bernstein – guitar | Emmet Cohen – piano | John Webber– bass | Joe Farnsworth – drums Smoke’s annual year-ending festival celebrating the music of John Coltrane, Countdown 2024, […]