Hartford Jazz Society

Dr. G’s Jazz Brunch
2026-01-04 12:00 - 15:00, 2025-12-21 12:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York) | Quattro’s Italian Restaurant & Wine Bar, 14 Water Street, Guilford, CT
Dr. G’s Jazz Brunch held on the 1st, 3rd & 5th Sundays from 12pm (noon) until 3pm at Quattro’s Italian Restaurant:

All events will also include jazz masters Jeff Fuller on bass and Barry Ries on drums &/or trumpet. “Dr. G” will provide guitar accompaniment.

Jazz Jam at Cafe Nine
2026-01-03 16:00 - 19:00, 2025-12-27 16:00 - 19:00, 2025-12-20 16:00 - 19:00 | CT
Every Saturday, 4-7

Jazz at Three Sheets
2026-01-02 18:00 - 21:00, 2025-12-19 18:00 - 21:00 | Three Sheets, 372 Elm Street, New Haven, CT
New England Jazz Underground presents jazz on the 1st and 3rd Friday every month.

Fridays with Frank
2026-01-02 17:15 - 19:00, 2025-12-26 17:15 - 19:00 | Institute Library, 847 Chapel Street, New Haven, CT
Join renowned jazz historian and Jazz Haven Board member Frank Cochran for BYOB “Fridays with Frank.” Happy Hour jazz listening sessions are held every Friday from 5:15 to 7:00 pm at the Institute Library in downtown New Haven. Each Friday Frank selects iconic jazz LPs to play from the Library’s extensive collection. Discussion follows. BYOB and please give a modest donation towards the IL’s spiraling utilities. A $5.00 contribution is welcome.

New Years Eve w/ Michelle Lordi/Matthew Parrish Quartet
2025-12-31 20:30 - 23:59 | Side Door Jazz Club, 85 Lyme Street, Old Lyme, CT, United States
8:30PM and 10:45PM sets (Tickets sold separately)
Celebrate New Years Eve with an amazing Jazz Quartet featuring Vocalist Michelle Lordi and Bassist Matthew Parrish!
This show will have a 1 drink minimum per person
Michelle Lordi – Vocals
Matthew Parrish – Bass
Vincent Bourgeyx – Piano
Byron Landham – Drums
Jazz bassist Matthew Parrish has ‘come into his own’ as a sought after performer, arranger, composer, producer and instructor. Matthew brings skills and s wing as he puts his heart into every note he plays. He has a genuine warmth and loyalty to the music that transcends into every note, every tune, and every interaction with his fellow musicians.
Born in central California to hard-working, music-loving parents of four children, Matthew is the youngest to his next sibling by eleven years. With a variety of jazz, rock, and classical music being played around him since birth, whether live or recorded, and a father who played acoustic bass early in his military career, Matt was destined for a life dedicated to music. Although he started on trumpet in middle school, he switched from that instrument for the acoustic bass in a last minute decision of the heart right before his Rutgers Mason Gross School of the Arts music program audition. He was accepted as an acoustic bass student in jazz studies and he has never stopped learning his craft.
Matt’s young bass career is grounded in Philadelphia, PA. He had the blessing, in his late teens and early twenties, of performing with Shirley Scott, Mickey Roker, Bobby Durham, Cecil Payne, Johnny Coles, Harry ‘Sweets’ Edison, Sylvia Simms, Danny Turner, and fellow young musicians, Orrin Evans and Byron Landham. Matthew went on to have the unforgettable experience of touring with legendary trombonist, Al Grey. This era also included performing with Clark Terry, Marion McPartland, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Lou Donaldson, Joe Cohn, Savion Glover, and Bill Charlap.
After the sad passing of Al, an important mentor and friend, Matthew continued to tour with the bands of Greg Osby, Jon Jang, James Newton, Stefon Harris, and Regina Carter. Matt came to be relied upon as a gifted composer and arranger in addition to his steady performing. His own works, as played by Matt on bass, are on his debut CD, ‘Circles’ (Hipnotic Records), as well as on recordings from Regina Carter and Dave Leonhardt, Denise Montana, and Ben Schachter.
Matthew also has recorded with musicians such as Wynton Marsalis, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Paquito D’Rivera, Clark Terry, Etta Jones, James Williams, Harry ‘Sweets’ Edison, James Newton, Miri Ben-Ari, Gary Thomas, Vana Gierig, Orrin Evans, and Houston Person
Vocalist Michelle Lordi has received international accolades and heavy rotation on jazz radio stations in the US and abroad for her recording projects, “Drive” (2015) and “Dream A Little Dream” ( 2017),“Break Up With The Sound“(2019) and “ Two Moons” ( 2023)
Whether she’s performing with bebop jazz legends, exploring experimental soundscapes in her original music or delivering her taut, mesmerizing jazz interpretations of pop ballads, Lordi’s profound love of the music she chooses to sing and the musicians she creates with is evident in every note of her vividly expressive and elegantly communicative voice.
Michelle has performed in performance venues, jazz clubs and festivals across the US such as the Mann Music Center, The Kimmel Center, The Deer Head Inn, Chris’ Jazz Café, Philadelphia Museum of Art, South, Zlock Performing Arts Center (PA), 55 Bar, Birdland, Cornelia Street Café, Jazz Forum, Maureen’s, Mezzrow, Minton’s, SMOKE Jazz & Supper Club, Smalls,(NY), DazzleJazz (CO) , BluJazz, Bop Stop (OH) The Drake (MA) Cliff Bell’s, Dirty Dog Jazz Café, (MI) The Jazz Cruise (FL) & Le Duc Des Lombards (France)
In 2019 Michelle Lordi was nominated in three categories ( Best Band, Rising Star & Female Jazz Vocalist) in the Hot House New York City Readers Jazz Awards. She has performed and/or recorded with musical luminaries such as Orrin Evans, Sumi Tonooka, Eric Wortham II, JD Allen, Rudresh Mahanthappa, Larry McKenna, Greg Osby, Houston Person, Matthew Parrish, Buster Williams, Eric Revis, Ben Wolfe, Matt Davis, Nir Felder, Steve Cardenas, Ian Macaulay, Tim Motzer, Miles Okazaki, Sonny Troy, Nasheet Waits, Gene Jackson, Jerome Jennings, Donald Edwards, Wayne Smith, Jr. EJ Strickland, Rudy Royston and many others. Lordi has also collaborated with producer/guitarist Warren Defever ( His Name Is Alive).

Michael Palin's Other Orchestra
2025-12-30 20:00 - 22:00, 2025-12-23 20:00 - 22:00 | The Hungry Tiger, 120 Charter Oak Street, Manchester, CT
It’s a funky Big Band thang, a large jazz ensemble that rocks the house. Playing music from Tower of Power, Frank Zappa, The Brecker Brothers, Jaco Pastorious, Steely Dan, The Yellow Jackets, Bob Berg…..You’ll want to see them again and again!
https://www.facebook.com/OtherOrchestra/

Hartford Jazz Orchestra
2025-12-29 19:30 - 21:30, 2025-12-22 19:30 - 21:30 | Elicit Brewery, 165 Adams Street, Manchester, CT
Every Monday at Elicit Brewery in Manchester CT. No cover.

Tuxedo Junction
2025-12-29 19:00 - 20:30, 2025-12-22 19:00 - 20:30 | Guilford VFW Post 9666, 104 Mill Road, Guilford, CT
For over 24 years, hosting public rehearsals every Monday night, now at Guilford VFW Post 7666.
Tuxedo Junction was started in 1989 by Pete Jacobs (trumpet) and Will Tayler (drums), WWII veterans who set up an 8-piece Dixieland jazz band in the basement of the senior citizens center in Madison, CT. Pat soon joined on piano.
The band quickly grew into a full swing band as Pete added big band arrangements and people joined: everyone from high school students to retired music teachers started to fill out the sections. Tuxedo Junction moved its practice home to the Westbrook Elks briefly, and in 1997 Paul James suggested that Bill’s Seafood restaurant in Westbrook would be a great place to share the sounds of swing. After more than 20 years of Monday nights at Bill’s, originally outnumbering the customers and staff before turning it into the most happening place on the Shoreline for a Monday night, we moved outside to Town Greens, Overlook Farm in Killingworth, and the Guilford VFW.
Tuxedo Junction plays original big band arrangements from the 30’s through the present, including charts from Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Glenn Miller, Sy Zentner, Buddy Rich, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, and more. We focus on danceable tunes from swing to waltz, foxtrot to two-step, Latin and even some rock. The band has weekly open rehearsals at local venues on the Eastern Connecticut shoreline. The public is invited to dance and listen in at no charge. We are also available for hire at public and private events throughout Connecticut.
After more than 1,001 performances, Tuxedo Junction has become a musical success story. We are now eighteen passionate musicians, men and women of all ages, following the great jazz tradition and warmly welcoming visiting jazz musicians to sit in.

Nat Reeves Trio w/ Jordan Williams & Jeff "Tain" Watts
2025-12-27 20:00 - 22:30 | Side Door Jazz Club, 85 Lyme Street, Old Lyme, CT, United States
Join us for a special night of jazz with Bassist Nat Reeves and his Trio!
Nat Reeves – Bass
Jordan Williams – Piano
Jeff “Tain” Watts – Drums
For over 40 years, Nat Reeves has been one of the top bassists in jazz. His supportive and stimulating playing has uplifted a countless number of sessions and recording dates (most notably with the great altoists Jackie McLean and Kenny Garrett). He has lead his own CDs State of Emergency and Blue Ridge. Both as a performer and an educator, he has made a strong impact on the jazz world.
Nat Reeves was born and raised in Lynchburg, Virginia. “My grandfather played the banjo, mandolin and guitar. One day I picked up his guitar and started playing the bass part. He noticed and, for my 16th birthday, he bought me an electric bass.” Nat had grown up hearing bluegrass, rock and soul records but did not get an opportunity to listen to jazz until he was already a bassist. “As a teenager, I listened closely to the radio, learning everything by ear. Originally I gravitated towards soul artists such as Marvin Gaye and the music of the time. In high school, I worked for a time with a band called the Dynatones. We learned all of the top 40 songs as soon as they came out. Whenever a new hit record was released, we would purchase the recording, go in the basement, put it on the turntable, and learn the song. Quite often the same day we would play the song for dances.”
Nat admired Stanley Clarke, Jaco Pastorius and all of the top electric bassists of the time, being interested in all of the styles. “As a bassist it is my function to concentrate on the foundation of the band and make everybody else sound good. To become a better bass player and learn more about the instrument, I started listening to jazz. In jazz there is much more freedom to create one’s own bass part and to develop my own bass sound. It is my job to always learn and not merely play the bass but be a bass player, projecting more than just my notes and always sounding fresh and alive.”
When he was 22 and living in Richmond, Virginia, Nat joined a band led by trumpeter Tom Mitchell and guitarist Randy Johnston. Johnny Coles, trumpeter for Ray Charles who frequently sat in with the band, convinced Nat to switch to acoustic bass. Without taking a lesson, Nat taught himself the new instrument and quickly developed his own individual voice.
In 1979, Nat Reeves moved to New York City. “I listened, played on the streets, listened some more, and learned. It was at the same time that Kenny Garrett, Mulgrew Miller, Tony Reedus and James Williams also came to New York. We were all friends and played together.” He first toured with Sonny Stitt in 1982 during what would be the great saxophonist’s last tour. That year he met Jackie McLean, who became his mentor.

Bob Ahern Quartet
2025-12-27 18:00 - 21:00 | Lighthouse Inn, 6 Guthrie Pl, New London, CT
The Bob Ahern Quartet featuring drummer Bob Ahern will be performing the last Saturday of every month for 2025 at the legendary Lighthouse Inn in New London. Each month, Bob features a different Jazz celebrity. Great jazz venue and restaurant.

Duke Robillard Quartet
2025-12-26 20:00 - 22:30 | Side Door Jazz Club, 85 Lyme Street, Old Lyme, CT, United States
Join us for a special night of jazz with Guitarist Duke Robbilard and his Quartet!
Duke Robillard – Guitar
Doug James – Saxophone
Marty Ballou – Bass
Mark Teixeira – Drums
Michael John “Duke” Robillard is a distinguished American blues guitarist, vocalist, songwriter, producer, and educator, renowned for his versatility across blues, jazz, swing, and R&B. Born on October 4, 1948, in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, he co-founded the influential band Roomful of Blues in 1967, which played a pivotal role in reviving jump blues and R&B.
Robillard’s career spans over five decades, during which he has released numerous solo albums, collaborated with iconic artists, and earned multiple accolades.
His Grammy nominations include Best Contemporary Blues Album for Guitar Groove-a-Rama (2007) and Best Traditional Blues Album for Stomp! The Blues Tonight (2010).
He has been honored with the W.C. Handy Award (now Blues Music Award) for Best Blues Guitarist in 2000, 2001, 2003, and 2004, and received the Keeping the Blues Alive Award for Producer of the Year in 2004.
Robillard’s collaborations are extensive and diverse. He has recorded and performed with legends such as Bob Dylan (appearing on Time Out of Mind), Tom Waits, Ruth Brown, Jay McShann, Pinetop Perkins, and Jimmy Witherspoon.
Additionally, he has worked with Maria Muldaur, John Hammond, and produced albums for artists like Joe Louis Walker, Billy Boy Arnold, and Otis Clay.
In 1990, Robillard replaced Jimmie Vaughan in The Fabulous Thunderbirds, further showcasing his adaptability and skill. He has also been a member of The Legendary Blues Band, which included former members of Muddy Waters’ bands, and has led his own group, The Duke Robillard Band, later known as The Pleasure Kings.
Beyond performing, Robillard is a respected producer and educator. He has produced albums for various artists and has been involved in music education, sharing his knowledge and passion for blues and jazz.
Robillard’s contributions to music have been recognized with multiple awards, including Grammy nominations and Blues Music Awards. His influence continues to resonate in the blues community, and he remains an active performer and recording artist.

Al Fenton Big Band directed by Kathy Neri
2025-12-25 18:15 - 20:15 | The Carousel Museum, 95 Riverside Avenue, Bristol, CT
Enjoy the vibrant and smooth sounds of the 18 piece Al Fenton Big Band. Their open rehearsal gives you a behind-the scenes look at their musical process, followed by a performance that will have you dancing on the beautiful wooden dance floor.
BYOB: Enhance your evening by bringing your own beverages and food. Relax and enjoy a lively night out with great music and company. While you are at The Carousel Museum, take some time to visit the museum’s exhibits before or after the rehearsal to discover the rich history and artistry of carousel.
Thursday, March 27th
Thursday, April 24
Thursday, May 29
Thursday, June 26
Thursday, July 31
Thursday, August 28
Thursday, September 25th
Thursday, October 30th (Boo Bash – Costumes Encouraged)
Thursday, November 20
Thursday, December 18th Holiday Spectacular
Admission Tickets available at the door.
Members: Free!
Adults $15
Seniors/Students $10
Kids 12 and Under: Free

Jazz at Cafe Nine
2025-12-23 19:00 - 21:00 | Cafe Nine, 250 State Street, New Haven, CT, 06510
Presented by New Haven Jazz Underground on the 2nd & 4th Tuesday every month.

JHunter Group
2025-12-21 17:00 - 20:00 | Steak Loft, 27 Coogan Blvd, Mystic, CT, United States
Live Jazz, Blues and other grooves and Great Food

Lisa Marien vocalist
Steven Marien saxophonist
Sam Mayer pianist
James Hunter bassist
Randy Cloutier drums

The Tricycle Trick + Conduction XX New Haven 2025
2025-12-20 20:30 - 23:30 | Firehouse 12, 45 Crown Street, New Haven, CT
8:30 The Tricycle Trick (Knox Chandler, Bob Gorry, Peter Riccio)
10:00 Conduction XX New Haven 2025 (For Butch Morris)

The New Haven Improvisers Collective celebrates the 20th anniversary of the first NHIC performance at the recently opened Firehouse 12. In 2005, Lawrence D. “Butch” Morris led the New Haven Improvisers collective for two sold out shows of new music based on his trademark Conduction system. It helped launch NHIC and Firehouse12 into the New Haven institutions they are today.
Conduction XX New Haven 2025
Bob Gorry will lead this new group of CT music luminaries, featuring a few from the original performance. Musicians include Stephen Haynes, Jeff Cedrone, Brian Slattery, Diane Buettner, Michael Larocca, Dan O’Brien, and Brett Bottomley, Vance Provey, and Chris Morrison. https://www.conduction.us/
The Tricycle Trick opens the evening, offering compelling new music with Soundribbons electronic processed bass, guitar, and drums. It features Knox Chandler (Psychedelic Furs, Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Golden Palominos, Cyndi Lauper), Bob Gorry (Roundhouse Quartet, GoBruCcio, Truth Ensemble) and Peter Riccio (Sawtelles, GoBruCcio, Void Kittens).
Knox Chandler’s career has spanned over four decades, including long stints as a member of The Psychedelic Furs, Siouxsie and the Banshees, and the Cyndi Lauper band, as well as extraordinary experiences in recording and performing live around the world on guitar, bass, and cello. Knox spent a decade residing in Berlin, Germany, while he explored sound-scaping. He developed a technique he calls “Soundribbons”, which he recorded and performed in its own right as well as applying it to different genres and mediums. He composed, recorded, toured, produced, and wrote string arrangements for Herbert Grönemeyer, Jesper Munk, Pure Reason Revolution, The Still, TAU, Miss Kenichi and the Sun, Mars William’s Albert Ayler Xmas, Rita Redshoes, Them There, The Night, etc.
Bob Gorry is a guitarist/composer/bandleader living in and working out of New Haven, CT where he curates the NHIC New Music series and leads the New Haven Improvisers Collective, a group he founded that is now celebrating 20 years. Other current working bands include GoBruCcio, The Light Upon Blight Ensemble, RHINOCH, and The Roundhouse Quartet. He has performed and recorded with Joe Morris, Stephen Haynes, Butch Morris, Vance Provey, Allen Lowe, Greg Bendian, Albee Balgochian, Adam Matlock, Brett Bottomley, Michael Larocca, and many more.
Peter Riccio acquired his first set of drums at the age of eight and has been involved in a constant stream of diverse performing groups and configurations ever since (indie rock, punk, jazz, new music, etc). He studied jazz drums at Berklee College of Music along the way. He has played in punk, indie rock, and jazz groups. Peter also plays rhythm guitar, sings, and writes songs for the Sawtelles and plays drums with Lys Guillorn’s Void Kittens.

Eddie Allen's Jazzy Brass for the Holidays
2025-12-20 20:00 - 22:30 | Side Door Jazz Club, 85 Lyme Street, Old Lyme, CT, United States
Join us for a special night of jazz with Trumpeter Eddie Allen and his band, which will be spreading the Holiday Cheer!
Eddie Allen – Trumpet
Mark McGowan – Trumpet
Amie Amis – French Horn
Jerrick Matthews – Trombone
Oscar Perez – Piano
Richie Goods – Bass
Jerome Jennings – Drums
– CRITIC’S REVIEW –
A smart holiday set that might have some fat playing but certainly doesn’t show any schmaltz- Chris Spector Midwest Record
New Yorker Eddie Allen has assembled a sassy brass quartet (plus acoustic bass and some percussion), generating white heat and a slow burn for the holidays. ChristmasReviews.com–Carol Swanson
Trumpeter Allen has conviction in what he’s doing. Refusing to stoop to weak sentiment, he communicates his sense of uplift when refurbishing “We Three Kings”, “O Holy Night” and a dozen more classics. –Downbeat Magazine Frank Hadley
Here, Allen has chosen to go the jazzy route from the outset on the pop material. For the carols, he makes use of the brass quartet to state the melody, but then allows the individual horn players to follow their improvisational imagination. It makes for an interesting mix that is a pleasant and lively change of pace from most jazz Christmas albums. –Jersey Jazz Joe Lang

Caravan of Thieves
2025-12-20 20:00 - 22:00 | StageOne at Fairfield Theatre Company, 70 Sanford Street, Fairfield, CT, 06824
Inspired by the big band swing era, Django Reinhardt and the Quintette du Hot Club de France, absurd and macabre musical theater and early American folk music, Caravan of Thieves took shape in the hearts and minds of Fuzz and Carrie, the dynamic singing, strumming and songwriting musical duo who formed the band in early 2008. They began by writing a handful of songs based on this concept and soon after, filled out their sound with upright bass, violin, and an occasional accordion and any other willing participant they could recruit along the way. Caravan of Thieves was born.
By the end of their first year, the Caravan began to gain recognition for their distinctive musical vision, which inspired them to record and release their debut full-length album, Bouquet (2009). So Fuzz and Carrie took their show and growing cast of characters on the road, sharing stages with a variety of artists such as Emmylou Harris, Dan Hicks, The Decemberists, Keb Mo, Tom Tom Club, Iron and Wine, Shemekia Copeland, Punch Brothers, Robert Cray, John Jorgenson and many others. They successfully connected with audiences on each of these diverse bills, proving their act to be appreciated by folk, pop, rock and jazz audiences of all ages.
A few albums and a few hundred thousand miles later, Fuzz and Carrie eventually reached a comfortable stride embracing their roles as show and album producers, songwriters and arrangers. They released Mischief Night (2010), The Funhouse (2012) and Kiss Kiss (2015), produced the shows and tours to follow, and continued to introduce a greater blend of styles, instrumentation and musical guests with each new album and tour. As a result, the live performance now covers a wide dynamic range and appeal with each show flowing seamlessly from intimate acoustic duets to entertaining and exciting junk percussion jams to big audience stomp, clap and sing alongs, all while maintaining their spontaneous “street performance brought to the stage” mentality they developed in their early days of performing together.
According to Fuzz and Carrie, “We’re driven to consistently entertain our audience, in concert and on our studio recordings, which lends to building a community of listeners who can be involved in our show and our creative process in some way, as well as a variety of artists who we can share our vision with. These elements allow our band and our music to be alive, have a soul.”
“We are always attempting to write that song that was mistakenly left out of the book of standards”, Fuzz and Carrie explain. “But the challenge for us lies in covering topics that most listeners can relate to while taking them to the edges of their imaginations by both lyrically and musically using as many vibrant images as we can to illustrate the story.”
Over the past fifteen years and throughout several countries, the Caravan of Thieves have developed a loyal family of “Freaks”, a moniker both the band and their followers willingly and affectionately refer to themselves as. During that time, Fuzz and Carrie’s ever expanding community of musicians, artists and fans have allowed their dream to live through each triumph and hurdle, and with each performance, each interaction and each new moment adding another layer of color to their story.

Big Bad Voodoo Daddy's Wild and Swingin' Holiday Party
2025-12-20 20:00 - 22:00, 2025-12-19 20:00 - 22:00 | Mohegan Sun Casino, 1 Mohegan Sun Blvd, Uncasville, CT
Since its formation in the early nineties in Ventura, California, the band has toured virtually nonstop, performing on average over 150 shows a year, and has produced a sizable catalog of recorded music, with sales of over two million albums to date. Early on, during their legendary residency at the Derby nightclub in Los Angeles, they reminded the world, in the midst of the Grunge era no less, that it was still cool to swing. The band, co-founded by singer Scotty Morris and drummer Kurt Sodergren, was at the forefront of the swing revival of that time, blending a vibrant fusion of the Classic American sounds of Jazz, Swing, and Dixieland, with the energy and spirit of contemporary culture.
After over 30 years, 11 records, over 3000 live shows, and countless appearances in film and television, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy is showing no signs of slowing down, and is looking forward to sharing its music with new and old fans alike.
Wolf Den

Holiday Jazz Show by Candlelight
2025-12-20 18:30 - 20:30 | Naatiya Banquet Hall, 8 Mountain Avenue, Bloomfield, CT, 06002
Step into an intimate, softly lit room glowing with candlelight and Old Hollywood charm. Enjoy a complimentary glass of wine during the cocktail reception, followed by a harvest cheese tray, heavy appetizers, and a dessert bar available all evening.
Relax as the smooth, soulful sounds of Fusion 88 fill the room with the perfect holiday jazz vibe. Featured Musicians, Vocals Elden Lowery, Bass Lionel Lee, Saxophone Glen Winfree, Drums Trevor Pitts, Keyboard Jarreau Pitts.
Extras: Cash bar available
A classy, cozy evening of music, food, and holiday magic. We can’t wait to see you there.

Camille Thurman w/ Darrell Green Quartet
2025-12-19 20:00 - 22:30 | Side Door Jazz Club, 85 Lyme Street, Old Lyme, CT, United States
Join us for a special night of jazz with Saxophonist/Vocalist Camille Thurman, performing with Drummer Darrell Green and his Quartet!
As a composer, multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, and unique interpreter of the jazz tradition, Camille Thurman is quickly becoming one of the standard bearers for the form, making a considerable and dynamic contribution to the legacy of jazz while paying tribute to its heroes. Fluid and powerful on the tenor saxophone and highly inventive as a vocalist, she also plays bass clarinet, flute, and piccolo. Her rich sax sound has been compared to Joe Henderson and Dexter Gordon, while her vocal approach—including an impressive scatting ability—has been classified alongside those of Ella Fitzgerald and Betty Carter.
In a few short years, Thurman has shared stages with Janelle Monáe, Alicia Keys, Lalah Hathaway, Jill Scott, Erykah Badu, Roy Haynes, Dianne Reeves, Kenny Barron, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Terri Lyne Carrington, Jon Batiste, Diana Krall, Patti LaBelle, Gladys Knight, Chaka Khan, Nicholas Payton, The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra (JALCO) featuring Wynton Marsalis, and Buster Williams, among many others.
The New York City native has already amassed several distinctive honors for her musicianship: runner up in the 2013 Sarah Vaughan International Vocal Competition, two-time winner of the ASCAP Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composers Award and a winner of the Fulbright Scholars Cultural Ambassador Grant, The Chamber Music of America Performance Plus Grant (Sponsored by the Dorris Duke Charitable Foundation) and the Jazz Coalition Composers Grant among others. Thurman also has four full-length recordings as a leader to her credit.
Her compositions were featured and performed by her quartet in the ASCAP/The Kennedy Center Songwriters: The Next Generation showcase as well as the Greenwich School of Music’s Uncharted Series. Camille has appeared on BET’s Black Girls Rock as the saxophonist and flutist in the All-Star Band. Equally adept as a player and a singer, and recognized for her compositional abilities as well, Thurman has also earned accolades from the media, from JazzTimes to Downbeat, All About Jazz to the New York Times, NPR to Sirius XM Satellite Radio, BET to Jazz Night In America.
Thurman was chosen by the State Department under the Fulbright Scholarship grant to perform in Paraguay and Nicaragua with her band. She and Darrell Green were selected by American Music Aboard to travel and perform in various African nations including Cameroon, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, and Mauritania.

Mark Kaplan Quintet
2025-12-19 19:00 - 21:00 | Best Video Film and Cultural Center, 1842 Whitney Ave, Hamden, CT
The Mark Kaplan Quintet is one of New England’s premier jazz ensembles! They are dedicated to the preservation of the classic bebop and post-bop genres, lovingly referred to as “Straight Ahead.” Each member is an established luminary on the local and regional jazz scene. They are: Mark Kaplan, tenor saxophone; Martin Carter, piano; Adam Anderson, bass; and John Rispoli, drums. For this evening, they will also be joined by Peter Alexander on vibes, expanding to a quintet. This is an evening of great jazz not to be missed!
