BRANFORD MARSALIS & DIANNE REEVES

Saxophone great and NEA Jazz Master Branford Marsalis and his superlative quartet are joined by fellow NEA Jazz Master and jazz’s greatest vocalist, Dianne Reeves, for a week devoted to the immortal music of John Coltrane, in honor of the centennial of his birth.

Saxophonist Branford Marsalis is one of the most influential and revered figures in contemporary music. The NEA Jazz master, three-time Grammy Award winner, and Tony and EMMY Award nominee is equally at home performing concertos with symphony orchestras and sitting in with members of the Grateful Dead, but the core of his musical universe remains the Branford Marsalis Quartet. After more than three decades of existence with minimal personnel changes, this celebrated ensemble is revered for its uncompromising interpretation of a kaleidoscopic range of both original compositions and jazz and popular classics.

The Branford Marsalis Quartet and Dianne Reeves will release a tribute album which revisits Coltrane’s seminal 1963 collaboration with Johnny Hartman. Originally recorded at Rudy Van Gelder’s studio in March of 1963, John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman was a sublime showcase for Coltrane, McCoy Tyner, Jimmy Garrison, and Elvin Jones, who gave remarkable depth and sensitivity to a selection of standards including Irving Berlin’s “They Say It’s Wonderful,” Guy Wood’s “My One and Only Love,” and the definitive version of Billy Strayhorn’s “Lush Life.” Bringing the songs to life was the distinctive, evocative baritone of crooner Johnny Hartman, who was the only vocalist Coltrane ever collaborated with.

Interpreting the songs with her own singular gifts, Reeves is a five-time GRAMMY winner who is accurately called “The most admired jazz diva since the heyday of Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday” (NY Times). She is an artist who embodies the music’s enduring values of elegance, class, and improvisational poise, with an innate feel for swing.

Personnel:
Branford Marsalis ~ tenor saxophone
Dianne Reeves ~ vocals
Joey Calderazzo ~ piano
Eric Revis ~ bass
Justin Faulkner ~ drums

Tickets: $50.00 ~ $165.00

Thursday: Sold Out | Friday: Tickets Available | Saturday: Almost Sold Out | Sunday: Tickets Available

Showtimes: Thursday ~ Saturday @ 7:30pm | Sunday: 3:00pm

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CHRISTIAN MCBRIDE’S URSA MAJOR

Bassist and composer Christian McBride’s most recent project is a quintet showcasing several of the most exciting young players on the scene. Returning to the Miner Auditorium stage for two nights, the cast features tenor saxophonist Nicole Glover, who has toured with Wynton Marsalis and Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, performed with veteran masters such as drummer Al Foster, vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater, and bassist Reggie Workman, and recorded with pianist Aaron Diehl’s Grammy-nominated 2023 Mary Lou Williams project Zodiac Suite.

Ely Perlman is an exciting young guitarist who has collaborated with Terreon Gully and Braxton Cook, and Chicago pianist Mike King has been touring with Dee Dee Bridgewater, and trumpeters Marquis Hill, Theo Croker, and Marcus Printup. Powering the band is Oakland native Savannah Harris, a remarkably poised young drummer who has made a major impact with the likes of vocalist Cécile McLorin Salvant, Kenny Barron, and Immanuel Wilkins.

Tickets: $40.00 ~ $125.00

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LEESA RICHARDS

Miami vocalist, songwriter, vocal teacher, arranger and producer Leesa Richards celebrates the 40th Anniversary of The Sunshine Jazz Organization. Bringing her voice to the Historic Lyric Theater stage for one night only, she’ll give tribute to the legendary women of jazz featuring the new canon chamber collective.

Not only is this talented women the above, her journey began as a dancer with Whitney Houston , then captured the role of Mary Magdalene in the national touring company of the Broadway musical, Jesus Christ Superstar, earning critical acclaim which led to featured performances throughout the US and Europe. She is the founder and director of an outstanding youth theater company.

Conductor: Waldrion Dunkley

Tickets: $ TBD

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CHRISTIAN MCBRIDE TRIO

Bass genius Christian McBride honors his mentor and greatest inspiration, the legendary Ray Brown, with an all-star trio of Ray Brown Trio alumni — pianist Benny Green and drummer Gregory Hutchinson.

A major figure in the development of bebop and hard bop in the 40s and 50s, Brown was among the most prolific and versatile bassists in jazz history who gained fame through his notable associations with Oscar Peterson, Ella Fitzgerald, and Dizzy Gillespie.

He led a series of remarkable trios in the 1990s and 2000s featuring Green and Hutchinson, whose recordings for the Telarc label stand as benchmarks for the time-honored format.

In addition to his own lengthy histories with both Green and Hutchinson, McBride appeared on Brown’s live 1997 bass summit release SuperBass and 2001 follow-up SuperBass 2 (along with fellow legend John Clayton). He pays tribute to the master with this special performance.

Cover: $45.00 ~ $135.00

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THE COOKERS

The Cookers take their name from Night of the Cookers, the famous 1965 recorded trumpet summit between Lee Morgan and Freddie Hubbard at Brooklyn’s Club La Marchal. Formed by trumpeter and organizer David Weiss, the group brings together some of the most storied musicians in jazz, players who came up in the 1960s and 70s working alongside the very architects of the music.

Drummer Billy Hart and trumpeter Eddie Henderson were both members of Herbie Hancock’s groundbreaking Mwandishi group. Bassist Cecil McBee anchored Charles Lloyd’s celebrated quartet alongside Keith Jarrett and Jack DeJohnette. Pianist George Cables held the piano chair in bands led by Sonny Rollins, Joe Henderson, Freddie Hubbard, Dexter Gordon, and Art Pepper. Saxophonist Donald Harrison, a recently named NEA Jazz Master, came up performing with Art Blakey, Roy Haynes, and Herbie Hancock.

Together these musicians have contributed to well over a thousand recordings across the history of jazz, and the chemistry between them, forged over decades of shared history on bandstands around the world, is unmistakable. Critics have praised The Cookers for embodying the serious commitment it took to thrive on the New York jazz scene of decades past, and audiences consistently describe their live performances as electrifying, a rare opportunity to witness musicians who don’t simply play the music, but live inside of it. This is a true once in a lifetime chance to experience some of the last living architects of modern jazz in an intimate room.

The Side Door Jazz Club is a dedicated jazz listening room located inside the historic Old Lyme Inn, 85 Lyme Street, Old Lyme, CT. Tickets are reserved seating. Guests dining at the Old Lyme Inn prior to the show receive 10% off their dinner bill.

The Band:
Eddie Henderson – Trumpet
David Weiss – Trumpet
Donald Harrison – Alto Saxophone
Azar Lawrence – Tenor Saxophone
George Cables – Piano
Cecil McBee – Bass
Billy Hart – Drums

Cover: $38.57

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