CYRUS CHESTNUT

Chestnut’s playing, deeply rooted in gospel and blues, infuses each performance with profound emotional depth. As The New York Times notes, his “crisp articulation and blues-inflected harmony evoke another era… multifaceted and dynamic,” seamlessly blending tradition with fresh innovation to captivate audiences. Chestnut’s artistry has earned him widespread acclaim as one of the most distinctive and compelling jazz pianists of his generation. As The New York Daily News aptly describes him, he is “the rightful heir to Bud Powell, Art Tatum, and Erroll Garner.”

At age nine Chestnut was enrolled in the prep program at the Peabody Institute in Baltimore. He later headed to Berklee College of Music in Boston, where he received the Eubie Blake fellowship, the Oscar Peterson scholarship, and the Quincy Jones scholarship.

After graduating from Berklee in 1985, Chestnut went on to work with vocalist Jon Hendricks and trumpeter Terrence Blanchard before joining jazz legend Wynton Marsalis. He toured for two years as the pianist for the Betty Carter Trio and has often said that playing with Carter was a form of graduate school.

By 1994, Chestnut had graduated from being an accompanist and band member by forming and leading his own trio, then releasing his major label debut album Revelations. The album, voted Best Jazz Album by the Village Voice, soared on the charts.

Chestnut has worked with such leading artists as saxophonists Donald Harrison and Joe Lovano; trumpeters Roy Hargrove and Freddie Hubbard; pianist Chick Corea, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Boston Pops, and opera singer Kathleen Battle, as well as vocalists Vanessa Williams, Anita Baker, Bette Midler and Isaac Hayes.

Today he tours continually, playing at jazz festivals, clubs and concert halls around the world. He is a first call for the piano chair in such groups as the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra and the Dizzy Gillespie All-Star Big Band. The NY Daily News has hailed Cyrus Chestnut as the rightful heir to Bud Powell, Art Tatum and Erroll Garner.

Cover: $35.00 ~ $50.00 +$7.00 fee | $15 food/beverage minimum per person not included in ticket price

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TIFFANY GRIDIRON TRIO

Tiffany Gridiron is a gifted jazz vocalist and songwriter whose sultry vocals and playful approach have excited audiences around the world. She began singing as a child in her family church, but was particularly inspired by singer Jill Scott before being introduced to the poetry and improvisation of jazz through vocalist and educator Sunny Wilkinson.

Tiffany has recorded five CDs of jazz standards, released by Sony Records Japan, that feature such musical greats as Hank Jones, Tadataka Unno, Omar Hakim, and many others. In September of 2023, Tiffany released on all digital platforms, her most personal album to date with friend, producer, trumpeter and arranger Kris Johnson. Five of the album’s eight songs feature lyrics penned by Gridiron and co-composed by Johnson, with Brendon Davis (piano), Jonathan Muir-Cotton (bass), Nate Winn (drums), and Vivienne Smith (background vocals) also adding their beautiful artistry to this material.

The Performers:
Tiffany Gridiron: Vocals | Aya Sekine: Piano | Sam Corey: Bass

Cover: $75 w/$55 dinner credit | $40 w/$20 credit | 18% gratuity + fees

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ANAT COHEN QUARTETINHO

Following great success at some of the world’s great jazz festivals and venues with her Tentet, Grammy-nominated clarinetist and composer Anat Cohen shifts her focus to an intimate group sound with her newest band, the endlessly colorful Quartetinho (pronounced “quar-te-CHIN-yo,” i.e., little quartet).

The group of New York-based international multi-instrumentalist-virtuosos are all drawn from the ranks of her aforementioned Tentet. The idea of instrumental doubling to achieve a wide stylistic range comes from the larger group, and the spirit of this cross-cultural / stylistic ensemble ring true throughout their performances. They share a deep love for music in all its heterogeneity and it’s all amply represented in both recordings and the band’s own live show. The result is boundlessly melodic and lyrical, with a wide array of timbres and subtle details of orchestration.

The Group:
Clarinet: Anat Cohen
Bass: Tal Mashiach
Piano/Accordion: Vitor Gonçalves
Vibraphone/Percussion: James Shipp

Cover: $40.61 ~ $50.91

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CHRISTIAN SANDS

The Steinway Artist and Grammy Nominee is an emerging jazz force. His abundant piano technique perfectly matches his conception, accomplishing a much deeper musical goal: a fresh look at the entire language of jazz.  Christian says, “My music is about teaching the way of jazz and keeping it alive.”  Whether it’s stride, swing, bebop, progressive, fusion, Brazilian or Afro-Cuban, Sands develops the past while providing unusual and stimulating vehicles for the present… and for the future.  He expresses himself through an extensive vocabulary of patterns, textures and structures, all the while maintaining a strong sense of understatement, sensitivity, taste and swing — hallmarks for as long as he has been playing.

From a very early age, Christian possessed an insatiable appetite for music.  He was enrolled in music classes at age 4 and wrote his first composition at age 5.  He started playing professionally at the age of 10, and studied at the Neighborhood Music School and the Educational Center for the Arts in New Haven, CT.  He received his Bachelor of Arts and Masters of Arts degrees from the Manhattan School of Music.  For his participation on the MSM “Kenya Revisited” album, Sands received a Grammy Nomination for Best Latin Piano Solo.

Since arriving on the scene, Sands has shared the stage with many jazz luminaries as Wynton Marsalis, Diane Reeves, Shelia E, Warren Wolf, Tia Fuller, Gary Burton, Stefan Harris, Teri Lynne Carrington, Jason Moran, Geri Allen, James Moody, Bill Evans (sax), Russell Malone, Terrance Blanchard, Louis Hayes, Patti Austin, Kurt Elling and Dee Dee Bridgewater.  He served as the Creative Ambassador for the Erroll Garner foundation, Artist in Residence for Jazz in July Education program at University of Massachusetts, Artist in Residence for Monterey Jazz Festival for 2020-2022 – he was the Creative Director for the ‘Monterey Festival Band on Tour’ 2022-2023.

Christian provides a soulful melodic touch on S. Epatha Merkerson’s documentary, “Contradictions of Fairhope,” a soundtrack recorded with McBride and a melodic piano introduction to Netflix’s Biopic documentary “Rustin” of which he recorded with Branford Marsalis.  He was named one of the future rising stars by Wynton Marsalis in Jet Magazine.  Vanity Fair’s “Jazz Youth-Quake” also named him as a future jazz star.  He was finalist for the 2015 Cole Porter Jazz Fellowship Award sponsored by the America Pianist Association.

Just embarking on his 30s, Sands has already enjoyed a remarkable career trajectory including a 2013 Grammy nomination with renowned Bassist Christian McBride and 2021 Grammy Nomination for Best Jazz Instrumental Composition and 52nd Annual NAACP Image Award Nominee for Outstanding Jazz Album Instrumental for his third album “Be Water” recording for Mack Avenue Records.

His music has taken him to many international stages.  In 2023 he received Chevalier de L’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, rank of Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters, from France Minister of Culture.

The Band:

Christian Sands – bandleader, pianist

Ryan Sands – Drummer

Gilad Hekelsman – Guitar

Scott Colley – Bass

Cover: $40.61 ~ $50.91 | Including Fees

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KALEB KIRBY

The band comes together for a vibrant tribute to the legendary John Scofield. From groove-heavy electric moments to intimate acoustic explorations, the ensemble reimagines Scofield’s career-spanning work with deep respect and fearless creativity.

Drawing from his collaborations with Miles Davis, Medeski Martin & Wood, and his own celebrated ensembles, the program showcases the expressive range and rhythmic ingenuity that define Scofield’s voice—bridging tradition and innovation through bold interplay and dynamic sound.

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