JOE GRANSDEN & NOEL FRIEDLINE TRIO

Tony Bennett’s life and legacy embody the absolute pinnacle of the Great American Story. As we honor the centennial milestone of his birth, his unprecedented career as the pre-eminent singer of the 20th and 21st centuries continues to embrace and inspire audiences across all generations.

Through his unyielding dedication to artistic excellence, Bennett became the ultimate “keeper of the flame,” extolling the timeless values of the Great American Songbook. Yet his impact reached far beyond the stage; he consistently stood on the front lines of modern history. A World War II veteran who fought in the Battle of the Bulge, Bennett went on to perform for eleven U.S. Presidents and marched side-by-side with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Selma. A lifelong pacifist and proactive humanitarian, his commitment to justice bridged cultural divides by highlighting our shared humanity. This special centennial tribute celebrates a visionary artist who achieved the American Dream without ever forgetting his roots—leaving behind a profound blueprint of dedication, courage, and compassion.

Guided by Duke Ellington’s advice ~ “Number one, never give up. Number two, remember number one!” ~ jazz vocalist Antonia Bennett has spent her life honoring the Great American Songbook. The youngest daughter of legendary artist Tony Bennett and actress Sandra Grant Bennett, Antonia grew up in Los Angeles and began singing with her father at age four, surrounded by icons like Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald. Her early passion led her to Boston’s prestigious Berklee College of Music.

By the mid-2000s, Antonia was officially performing as her father’s opening act at renowned venues worldwide, including Radio City Music Hall, the Hollywood Bowl, and London’s Royal Albert Hall. Her distinct voice—which The New York Times describes as a mix of “Billie Holiday and Rickie Lee Jones, with a hint of Betty Boop”—shines on her acclaimed releases Natural and Embrace Me. From recording “I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm” with her father to capturing critics’ attention with her own swinging standards, Antonia continues to tour the world, effortlessly bridging her father’s incredible musical legacy with her own contemporary jazz artistry.

Cover: $54.15 ~ $66.15

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MONTY ALEXANDER

Nearly sixty years after he moved to the United States from Kingston, Jamaica, his hometown, GRAMMY® nominated pianist Monty Alexander is an American classic, touring the world relentlessly with various projects, delighting a global audience drawn to his vibrant personality and soulful message. A perennial favorite at Jazz festivals and venues worldwide and at the Montreux Jazz Festival where he has appeared 23 times since 1976, his spirited conception is one informed by the timeless verities: endless melody-making, effervescent grooves, sophisticated voicings, a romantic spirit, and a consistent predisposition.

In the course of any given performance, Alexander applies those aesthetics to a repertoire spanning a broad range of jazz and Jamaican musical expressions—the American songbook and the blues, gospel and bebop, calypso and reggae. Documented on more than 75 recordings and cited as the fifth greatest jazz pianist ever in The Fifty Greatest Jazz Piano Players of All Time (Hal Leonard Publishing), the Jamaican government designated Alexander Commander in the Order of Distinction in 2000 and conferred on him the national honor of the Order of Jamaica in 2022 for “Sterling Contributions to the Promotions of Jamaican Music and the Jazz Genre Interpretations Globally”.

The Trio:
Monty Alexander, piano
Lorin Cohen, bass
Jason Brown, drums

Cover: $45.00 ~ $55.00 +fees | Streaming: $15.00 +fee

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LISA FISCHER

After four decades of featured background singing with icons like Luther Vandross, The Rolling Stones, Chaka Khan, Tina Turner, and Nine Inch Nails, Ms. Lisa Fischer set out to take center stage with her own humble, heartfelt song. The 2013 Best Documentary Oscar winning film “Twenty Feet from Stardom” altered the course of Lisa’s musical journey, telling her story, with clips of her legendary duets with Sting or with Mick Jagger on “Gimme Shelter”, left audiences eager to see and hear more, so Lisa took the chance to set out on her own reinventing classic songs with her co-conspirators JC Maillard and Grand Baton. Their organic fusion of Caribbean psychedelic soul and jazzy progressive rock ignited Lisa’s flexibility and freedom of expression, awakening her lifelong desire to make music that heals but still rocks the house.

While Lisa’s range is legendary, her greatest gift is the ability to connect, to reach the hearts of her listeners. Raised in the Fort Greene neighborhood of Brooklyn, she emerged from New York’s fervent studio scene in the early 1980s, sang for two decades with legendary vocalist Luther Vandross, and released “So Intense”, earning her first Best R&B Performance Grammy with “How Can I Ease The Pain”. She joined the Rolling Stones for their 1989 Steel Wheels tour, and continued to grace their stage for the next 26 years. Lisa’s passion for constant growth and experimentation with different styles invited recent collaborations with jazz pianist Taylor Eigsti, Sting, Bruce Springsteen, Michael McDonald, Eric Krasno, Talib Kweli, Billy Childs and YoYo Ma, the BBC Proms / Jules Buckley and the Metropole Orkest, Alonzo King LINES Ballet, Anna Deavere Smith’s “Notes from the Field” for HBO, and especially her full evening program The Classic Lisa Fischer with Grand Baton and Seattle Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony and the National Philharmonic.

The Band:
Lisa Fischer: Vocal
Orrin Evans: Piano
James Genus: Bass
Mark Whitfield Jr.: Drums

Cover: $49.43 ~ $66.32 | Fees Included
Food/Beverage Per Person: $20.00 Minimum

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VANESSA RUBIN & HER TRIO

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.

Rubin takes the stage of the Jellife Theatre for a Benefit Concert with  proceeds from the evening will support Karamu’s artistic productions, arts education programs, workforce development initiatives, community engagement efforts, and the preservation of Black theatre and storytelling. Opening reception begins at 5:30pm, concert @ 7:00pm.

The Band:
Vanessa Rubin ~ Vocal
Brandon McCune ~ Piano
Kenny Davis ~ Bass
Jerome Jennings ~ Drums

Cover: $125.00 |  Ticket Includes:
~ Admission to the Vanessa Rubin Benefit Concert
~ Pre-concert reception
~ Complimentary drink tickets
~ Post-concert dessert reception

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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

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