A TRIBUTE TO SAM YI

Sam Yi ~ A Legacy Built One Night at a Time

Sam Yi died in February 2025. By then, the impact of what he had created extended across generations of Atlanta musicians.

Sam had a remarkable ability to make musicians feel that Churchill Grounds belonged to them. He offered opportunities to young artists. He supported established players. He gave musicians room to experiment, develop and sometimes simply play because they needed somewhere to play.

He understood that jazz doesn’t survive because someone preserves it behind glass. It survives because people play it. Because experienced musicians teach younger ones. Because audiences show up. Because someone turns on the lights, opens the doors and gives the music a room.

For nearly two decades at the Fox, and for years afterward, Sam did exactly that. His legacy isn’t simply the history of a beloved Atlanta jazz club. His legacy is the community that grew inside it.

Cover:
~ Limited View Seat: $35.00
~ Standard Seat: $45.00
~ Premium Seat: $55.00
~ Standard Booth, up to 6: $270
~ Premium Booth: Sold Out

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A MUSICAL CELEBRATION OF AUDREY SHAKIR

Musicians from the Atlanta Jazz Community come together to celebrate the life and music of the late, great hometown Jazz Legend ~ Audrey Shakir. She gave so much to the city and set a standard for jazz vocalists to follow.

Holding down the rhythm section are drummer Justin Varnes, pianist Louis Heriveaux, bassist Kevin Simth, and saxophonist John Sandsort on saxophone. They will be hosting multiple special guests who will contribute to the evening’s festivities.

Cover: $40.00

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NICOLE HENRY

Jazz vocalist Nicole Henry returns from touring to Miami for her 13th Annual Winter Concert ~ “Gifted”. Award-winning, internationally acclaimed vocalist Nicole Henry, who has called Miami home since attending the University of Miami, has set Dec. 16th at the newly renovated Miami Beach Bandshell for her annual winter concert.

Celebrating 13 years of benefitting non-profits in the area, this year she has again aligns with two organizations that are close to her heart to raise monies for music education and equality ~ Miami Music Project and SAVE.

Tickets:
~VIP Section A:  Includes the seats closest to the stage plus entrance to the VIP reception with open bar and passed hors d’ouevres: $142.75
~ General Admission Section B: $76.35
~ General Admission Section C: $54.22

NOTE: there are wheelchair/accessibility seats in each section.

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KAMASI WASHINGTON & AMI TAF RA

There are few artists in the world who can do what Kamasi Washington does in a room this size. Up close, with Ami Taf Ra beside him, his towering saxophone meets her Moroccan gnawa, Arabic vocals, and gospel-soaked spiritual jazz, and you feel every note.

Some collaborations feel inevitable in hindsight. Ami Taf Ra and Kamasi Washington’s is one of them. This November, the North African, Los Angeles based vocalist and composer joins Grammy winning saxophonist and producer Kamasi Washington for a rare live presentation of Ami’s debut album, The Prophet and the Madman, a project Washington produced and released through Brainfeeder.

The record itself defies easy categorization, and that’s the point. Moroccan Gnawa rhythms meet Arabic musical tradition, gospel, soul, and spiritual jazz, all in service of a meditation on duality, healing, and ancestral memory. Inspired in part by Kahlil Gibran’s writing, the album gives Ami’s operatic, genre defying voice room to move between whispered intimacy and full theatrical release. It’s earned the attention to match: a Libera Award nomination for Best Spiritual Album, a spot on NPR’s Best Songs of 2025 for the track “Gnawa,” and a place among Stereogum’s Best New Artists of 2025.

Onstage, the Ami and Washington partnership becomes something else entirely. Their work together on “How I Became a Madman” captures the tension between inner chaos and clarity better than most records manage in a full tracklist, and that same electricity runs through Washington’s expansive musical universe, an artist whose reach spans jazz, soul, hip hop, and film scoring. Ami brings her own well earned global résumé to the stage, with performances alongside the Dutch Royal Metropole Orchestra, at North Sea Jazz, Blue Note Tokyo, Ronnie Scott’s, the Hollywood Bowl Jazz Festival, and City Winery Boston.

Tickets: $78.00 ~ $102.00 | Use code KAMASI30 at checkout for 30% off.  Offer available while tickets last.

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Requisites

Sunny Side Up ~ Lou Donaldson | By Eddie Carter

This morning’s spotlight shines on alto saxophonist Lou Donaldson, who would’ve turned 100 on November 1st. Sunny Side Up (Blue Note BLP 4036/BST 84036) was his seventh release as a leader and hit the U.S. stores in 1961. Musically, it bridges Donaldson’s bebop roots and the blues-soaked hard bop and soul-jazz sound he later became known for. On this album, he’s working with Bill Hardman on trumpet (tracks: A1 to A4, B2, B3); Horace Parlan on piano; Laymon Jackson (A1, A2, A4, B1) and Sam Jones (A3, B2, B3) on bass; and Al Harewood on drums. For this report, I used my 1983 King Records Company Japanese mono reissue (Blue Note BLP 4036-K18P-9236).

The opener, Blues For J.P., by Horace Parlan, begins with an easy swing into the quintet’s theme. Bill’s opening solo is crisply constructed right from the start. Lou continues cooking with a down-home flavor in the second statement. Horace delivers a relaxing reading next, and Laymon takes a short walk, leading to the melody’s restatement and ending. Lou deceptively opens The Man I Love by George and Ira Gershwin slowly before the pace picks up for the group’s upbeat melody. Lou has the first spot this time for a rocking reading. Bill follows the leader with a solo of infectious energy. Horace comfortably digs into the third statement, and the front line shares a short conversation with Al before the song concludes.

Politely by Bill Hardman starts with the group’s theme at a slow, relaxing tempo. Lou gets things going with a solo as comfortable as a walk in the park. Bill glides through the second statement with a model of consistency and execution. Horace wraps things up before the ensemble returns to take the song out. It’s You or No One by Jule Styne and Sammy Cahn is a happy romper that takes off with the quintet’s brisk opening chorus. Lou takes charge on the first solo with an energetic statement. Bill flexes in the second interpretation, and Horace’s fingers get a good workout before the ensemble’s reprise and ending.

Lou Donaldson’s The Truth opens the second side, blending the blues with a spiritual flavor in a quartet showcase. Lou’s opening statement is warm and affectionate as it unfolds. Horace steps into the spotlight next for a short solo that’s hauntingly beautiful until Lou returns for a tender theme restatement and close. Goose Grease reunites the quintet for a medium-tempo melody led by both horns. Lou’s opening solo establishes an engaging rhythmic momentum, then Bill follows the leader with an impressive performance. Horace settles into an easygoing groove, while Sam delivers a terrific closing statement before the ensemble’s reprise and fadeout.

Softly As In A Morning Sunrise by Oscar Hammerstein II and Sigmund Romberg begins with Bill leading the rhythm section on the theme and opening solo. Lou steps up next and puts his personal stamp on a relaxing interpretation, then Horace delights with a soulful statement. Sam walks with well-thought-out ideas before the group takes it out softly. Alfred Lion produced Sunny Side Up, and Rudy Van Gelder recorded it. This King reissue’s sound quality is simply superb, with a dynamic soundstage that brings the musicians to your listening room with stunning fidelity.

For fans of Lou Donaldson who only know his soul-jazz releases and want a terrific alto sax-led album, I invite you to check out Sunny Side Up the next time you’re out record shopping. Lou Donaldson keeps things rocking, and his sidemen deliver in fine style. It’s an album that makes you feel good, rewards repeated listening and is highly recommended for a spot in your jazz library!

~ Softly As In A Morning Sunrise, The Man I Love – Source: JazzStandards.com ~ It’s You or No One – Source: Wikipedia.org © 2026 by Edward Thomas Carter

CALIFORNIA JAZZ FOUNDATION

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