WYNTON MARSALIS

Trumpeter, composer, and 2011 NEA Jazz Master Wynton Marsalis brings the most recent iteration of his iconic Septet to the Miner stage for four performances over two days.

The most famous jazz musician alive, Marsalis is a towering figure in the evolution of the art form. From his New Orleans beginnings and fiery debut with legendary drummer Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers to his string of acclaimed albums and role as Artistic Director of Jazz at Lincoln Center, Marsalis has amassed a staggering list of accomplishments including nine GRAMMYs and the Pulitzer Prize for Music for his long-form work Blood on the Fields — the first ever awarded to a jazz artist. He received the SFJAZZ Lifetime Achievement Award at SFJAZZ Gala 2022 and made news in 2026 by announcing his departure from his leadership position at Lincoln Center after nearly 40 years.

Marsalis returns following his sublime performance of his score accompanying a screening of the 2010 silent Louis Armstrong biopic Louis during the 2025-26 Season with his vaunted Septet — a format that has remained his most enduring creative outlet and yielded a procession of masterful albums including 1992’s Blue Interlude, 1993’s Citi Movement, 1999’s Mr. Jelly Lord, and 2007’s Here…Now, among others.

Cover: $60.00 ~ $210.00

More Posts: ,,,,,,,,

NAT REEVES SEXTET

Nat Reeves brings his sextet to The Side Door, the same all-star group from his new album Now in Time. For over 40 years, Nat Reeves has been one of the most respected bassists in jazz. Early in his career he performed with Jackie McLean, Benny Golson, Donald Byrd, Art Taylor, Mulgrew Miller, Kenny Kirkland, and Kenny Drew. He became a longtime member of Kenny Garrett’s group beginning in 1994, and has worked and recorded with Pharoah Sanders, George Coleman, Harold Mabern, George Cables, and Joe Farnsworth, among many others. He has released three albums as a leader, State of Emergency, Blue Ridge, and now Now in Time, released April 17, 2026 on Cellar Live.

Now in Time brings together an extraordinary lineup spanning multiple generations of jazz, twelve tracks running just over an hour that move comfortably between Reeves’ own original compositions and a thoughtful selection of standards, including “On Green Dolphin Street,” “Alice in Wonderland,” and a tribute to Marvin Gaye with “The Creator Has a Master Plan.” Throughout the record, Reeves’ bass acts as a quiet narrator, steering the music’s direction with the kind of unhurried confidence that comes from four decades on the bandstand. Critics have praised the album as a recording that rewards close, attentive listening, one that resists the pace of casual consumption and instead invites listeners to settle into a long evening built on the trust and shared musical language of these six players.

T

his is a rare chance to hear the album’s celebrated lineup perform the music live, in an intimate setting.

The Band:
Nat Reeves – Bass
Eric Alexander – Tenor Saxophone
Steve Davis – Trombone
Eddie Henderson – Trumpet
Caelan Cardello – Piano
Jeff “Tain” Watts – Drums

Cover: $38.57

More Posts: ,,,,,,,,,

BENITO GONZALEZ TRIO

Two-time Grammy nominee Benito Gonzalez is joined by legends Buster Williams and Lenny White.

Born in Maracaibo, Venezuela, Benito Gonzalez grew up immersed in traditional Venezuelan folk music before discovering jazz through the playing of Herbie Hancock, McCoy Tyner, Chick Corea, and Keith Jarrett, an early inspiration that shaped his powerful, Afro-Latin-infused approach to the piano. Gonzalez made his way to the United States by a serendipitous route, an American cultural ambassador caught one of his trio gigs and later invited him to Washington, D.C.

He went on to play with Jackie McLean in 2003, then spent nearly seven years touring with Kenny Garrett’s quartet, earning two Grammy nominations for the recordings Seeds from the Underground and Pushing the World Away. In 2019 he joined NEA Jazz Master and Coltrane protégé Pharoah Sanders as pianist and musical director. A 2005 winner of the Great American Jazz Piano Competition and a Steinway artist since 2020, Gonzalez has shared the stage with Dave Liebman, Roy Hargrove, Christian McBride, Nicholas Payton, Al Foster, and many others.

Joining him are two of the most legendary rhythm section players in jazz history. Bassist Buster Williams has anchored some of the most important recordings and bands of the past six decades, from Herbie Hancock and Miles Davis to McCoy Tyner and Ron Carter, and remains one of the most revered bassists in the music. Drummer Lenny White, a member of the original lineup of Return to Forever and a Grammy-winning legend in his own right, brings a depth of groove and history matched by few. Together, this trio represents three generations of jazz mastery converging in one room.

The Band:
Benito Gonzalez – Piano
Buster Williams – Bass
Lenny White – Drums

Cover: $38.57

More Posts: ,,,,,,,,,,,

HENDRIK MEURKENS

One of the most unique and captivating voices in jazz brings his quartet to The Side Door. Hendrik Meurkens is a virtuoso on both the chromatic harmonica and the vibraphone and is widely regarded as the most important jazz harmonica player since Toots Thielemans. Born in Hamburg and now based in New York, his path to musical mastery is one of jazz’s most extraordinary stories. As a teenager, a Benny Goodman record with Lionel Hampton lit the fuse — he had to play vibraphone. Then, at nineteen, he heard Toots Thielemans for the first time and knew he had to play harmonica too. He perfected his unique musical voice at Berklee as a vibraphone major, then moved to Rio de Janeiro in the early 1980s to immerse himself completely in the music and culture of Brazil.

His poignant, emotionally affecting harmonica proved to be a sound that Brazilians strongly embraced, and that deep love of Brazilian music , samba, bossa nova, choro, has never left him, infusing everything he plays with a warmth and rhythmic vitality that is entirely his own. Back in Germany by 1983, he became a respected studio musician, recording with European Radio Orchestras and accompanying visiting legends like Harry “Sweets” Edison and Buddy Tate. He then moved to New York on an exclusive contract with Concord Records and has since released over fifteen acclaimed albums as a leader, performing at festivals and clubs around the world.

The Band
Hendrik Meurkens – Harmonica & Vibraphone
Steve Ash – Piano
Joe Fitzgerald – Bass
Ben Bilello – Drums

Cover: $27.98

More Posts: ,,,,,,,,,,

VANESSA RUBIN

Revered as both a torchbearer and a storyteller, jazz vocalist Vanessa Rubin possesses a voice hailed for crystalline clarity, hearth-like warmth and playful lioness sass. The Cleveland native brings a wealth of diverse influences to her vocal performance from both the Trinidadian/Caribbean roots of her mother and traditional jazz by way of her Louisiana-born father. Additional homespun influences include the melodic bell tone clarity of a young Capital Records recording artist, Nancy Wilson, the fire of Lambert, Hendricks & Ross, the sweet sounds of trumpeter Blue Mitchell as well as her love of the Motown Sound…especially girl groups like the Supremes.

The Trio
Vanessa Rubin – vocals
Cliff Barnes – organ
David Throckmorton – drums

Cover: $20.00 ~ $50.00 | Call For Reservations

More Posts: ,,,,,,,,,

« Older Posts       
© Notorious Jazz 2026