Daily Dose Of Jazz…

Kid Thomas was born Thomas Valentine on February 3, 1896 in Reserve, Louisiana and moved to New Orleans in his youth. Gaining a reputation as a hot trumpet man in the early 1920s, he started his own band in 1926, basing himself in the New Orleans suburb of Algiers.

Unaffected by the influence of Louis Armstrong and later developments of jazz, Kid Thomas had perhaps the city’s longest lasting old-style traditional jazz dance band, continuing to play in his distinctive hot, bluesy sometimes percussive style. Although Valentine played popular tunes of the day even into the rock and roll era, he played everything in a style of a New Orleans dance hall of the early 1920s.

Kid Thomas Valentine started attracting a wider following with his first recordings in the 1950s and played regularly at Preservation Hall from the 1960s through the 1980s. He toured extensively for the Hall, including a Russian tour, as a guest at European clubs and festivals, and working with various local bands as well as his own. During the 1960s Kid Thomas recorded extensively for the Jazz Crusade and GBH labels both with his own band and with Big Bill Bissonnette’s Easy Riders Jazz Band. He made over 20 tours with the Easy Riders in the U.S. Northeast.

By the mid 1980s, as Thomas’s strength started to wane, Preservation Hall management brought in Wendell Brunious, who took over much of his trumpet duties, though Kid continued to lead the band. On June 18, 1987, trumpeter Kid Thomas Valentine passed away.

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BRANDON WOODY’S UPENDO

Brandon Woody is a Baltimore-born, Bach-endorsed trumpeter, composer, and bandleader whose music flows from the rich lineage of Black music, including jazz, gospel, improvisation, and beyond, to explore themes of love, resilience, and community. Hailed by The New York Times and Los Angeles Times as a rising force in contemporary jazz, Woody signed with the legendary Blue Note Records in November 2024 and released his debut album, “For The Love Of It All”, in May 2025. Featuring his longtime band Upendo, the album showcases Woody’s ability to craft music that is both deeply personal and universally resonant.

Rooted in Baltimore, Woody has built his career from his hometown, drawing on its vibrant creative culture and community spirit. The Washington Post described Woody’s music as “staggeringly self-assured” and “radiating warmth, purpose, and a sense of place,” reflecting both the clarity of his artistic vision and his deep connection to his community. He has performed with artists such as Terri Lyne Carrington, BADBADNOTGOOD, Danilo Pérez, Casey Benjamin, Marcus Gilmore, the Robert Glasper Black Radio Orchestra, Paul Russell, and Solange Knowles. His television appearances include Godfather of Harlem (MGM+), Lady in the Lake (Apple TV), and The Bride (Warner Bros.

The Band:
Brandon Woody, trumpet
Charlie Powell, guitar
Troy Long, piano
Michael Saunders, bass
Quincy Phillips, drums

Tickets: $30.00 ~ $35.00 +fees
Streaming: $10.00 +fees

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ARTURO SANDOVAL

The 10-time Grammy Award winner and Emmy Award recipient, Arturo Sandoval is also a 6-time Billboard Award winner and the recipient of the 2013 Presidential Medal of Freedom.

protégé of the legendary jazz master Dizzy Gillespie, he was born in Artemisa, a small town in the outskirts of Havana, Cuba, on November 6, 1949, just two years after Gillespie became the first musician to bring Latin influences into American Jazz. Sandoval began studying classical trumpet at the age of twelve, but it didn’t take him long to catch the excitement of the jazz world. He has since evolved into one of the world’s most acknowledged guardians of jazz trumpet and flugelhorn, as well as a renowned classical artist, pianist and composer.

He is one of the most dynamic and vivacious live performers of our time, and has been seen by millions at the Oscars, at the Grammy Awards, and the Billboard Awards. Musicians and fans alike rightly marvel at his technical ability on the horn – the effortless high notes and the dizzying speed and execution of his improvised runs.

The Band:
Arturo Sandoval, trumpet
Keith Fiala, trumpet
Michael Tucker, saxophone
Larry Bustamante, baritone saxophone
Will Brahm, guitar
Lisandro Pidre, piano
Maximilian Gerl, bass
Daniel Feldman, drums
Samuel Torres, percussion

Tickets: $65.00 ~ $75/00 +fees
Streaming: $15.00 +fees | 6:00pm Show

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MELTON MUSTAFA JAZZ FESTIVAL

The 29th Annual Melton Mustafa Jazz Festival Weekend returns to Florida Memorial University for an unforgettable music alumni homecoming honoring Dr. Dawn Batson.

Artists:
Jesse Jones Jr. ~ Saxophone
Mark Strowbridge ~ Guitar
James Cotman ~ Drums
Leon “Foster” Thomas ~ Steel Pan
Doug Carter ~ Piano
Nicole Yarling ~ Violin, Vocal

The FMU Funk Jazz AllStars:
Wildmayer Marcelin ~ Saxophone
Mark McClary ~ Drums
Raignor Rollocks ~ Piano
Jaquan Hunter ~ Bass
Joel Chinnery

Day 2 – February 27, 2026
Cigars & Jazz | Dress to Impress!
Gardens Cigar Lounge
19801 NW 27th Avenue
Miami Gardens, FL 33056
8:00 – 10:00PM

Festival Tickets: $20.00 ~ $230.00

See full schedule for details.

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TERENCE BLANCHARD

Malcolm X Jazz Suite Featuring Terence Blanchard, The E-Collective and Turtle Island Quartet

In celebration of the centennial of human rights and civil rights icon Malcolm X, NEA Jazz Master Terence Blanchard will perform his iconic Malcolm X Jazz Suite with his band, The E-Collective, and Grammy-winning Turtle Island Quartet. Blanchard created the project following the release of Spike Lee’s 1992 biopic Malcolm X, for which Blanchard wrote the score and performed most of the trumpet cues. A reworking of the score for quintet, the Jazz Suite has been updated and expanded and has rippled through Blanchard’s work for the past three decades.

Tickets: $52.65 – $152.10 (includes fees)

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