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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260422T080000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260422T170000
DTSTAMP:20260424T083437
CREATED:20260330T002302Z
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SUMMARY:Sean Nelson Jazz Orchestra with Guest Vocalist Leala Cyr
DESCRIPTION:The Sean Nelson Jazz Orchestra returns to the Side Door as part of their monthly residency with Guest Vocalist Leala Cyr \nSaxes\nErik Elligers\nMatt Parker\nJosh Thomas\nLisa LaDone \nTrombones\nSean Nelson\nLeroy Loomer\nVince Yanovitch\nWes Mayhew \nTrumpets\nDon Clough\nSeth Bailey\nLuke Wingfield\nHaneef Nelson \nRhythm\nEarl MacDonald\nGianni Gardner\nLou Bocciarelli\nNathan Lassell \nThe Sean Nelson Jazz Orchestra is a “full bodied and polished brassy big band” (Jazz Weekly) made up of 17 of the finest musicians in New England. Formed in 2016 as the New London Big Band\, for the past nine years they have played monthly for sold out crowds at the Social Bar + Kitchen in New London CT. The band has performed all over the country\, including the Kennedy Center (Washington DC)\, the Birdland Jazz Club (NYC)\, Monks Jazz Club (Austin TX)\, and Hallowed Halls (Portland OR). The band has released three albums\, the most recent of which\, “Don’t Stop Now: the lost music of Thad Jones for Harry James\,” reached #29 on the jazz radio charts. \nThe band’s sound is rooted in the Kansas City swing of Count Basie\, “swinging high\, hard\, and hot” (All About Jazz.) “Nelson…has assembled a youthful\, sharp\, hip 17-piece ensemble as dedicated as he is to the belief that big band sounds can provide a fine musical experience — one best served up live\, where the groove and excitement of the arrangements and instrumental interplay can energize and pack a dance floor across generations.” (The Day of New London) \nSean Nelson is the leader and founder of the band. By day\, he is enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard\, where he plays trombone with the Coast Guard Band’s concert band and jazz ensembles\, serves as staff arranger\, and is music director for the Guardians Big Band. \nNelson was music director and arranger for the 2024 National Christmas Tree Lighting with the Coast Guard’s Guardians Big Band\, creating over 500 pages of arrangements. This was performed in front of the White House and seen nationally on CBS. Sean was one of two composers that co-created the official song of the Space Force\, Semper Supra\, which is now part of every Armed Forces Medley. He also composed the official song for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration officer corps (one of the eight federal uniformed services). He has won the National Band Association Young Composers Jazz Composition Contest and is a two­ time winner of Downbeat Magazine’s jazz arranging award. He currently works as the arranger for Sam Houston State University Bearkat Marching Band. Sean’s big band arrangements are published at iJazzmusic.com. \nA native of Dallas\, Texas\, Sean received a Bachelor of Music degree from Sam Houston State University and a Master of Music degree from the University of North Texas. While at North Texas\, he was trombonist and composer for the One O’Clock Lab Band and sang with the Jazz Singers I. Sean’s trombone quartet won the International Trombone Association Quartet Contest. He spent his summers and winter breaks playing in house bands on cruise ships for Princess Cruises and Cunard Cruises. \nSean lives in Quaker Hill\, Connecticut\, with his wife Megan and children Lucinda\, Giles\, McCoy\, and Cab. \nSean is a performing artist for S.E. Shires trombones and Denis Wick mouthpieces and mutes. \nLeala Cyr is fast becoming one of the most sought-after jazz vocalists of her generation. A rare “double threat\,” Cyr complements her impeccable vocals with a warm\, golden tone on the trumpet. As a member of Esperanza Spalding’s “Radio Music and Chamber Music Societies\,” she has performed around the world and has appeared on The Late Show\, The Tonight Show\, The View\, The Daily Show\, Jimmy Kimmel Live\, Austin City Limits\, and more.A native of Pulaski\, WI\, Leala now resides in CT\, where she is actively involved in a number of music scenes and is adjunct faculty at the Hartt School of Music and UConn.
URL:https://hartfordjazzsociety.com/event/sean-nelson-jazz-orchestra-with-guest-vocalist-leala-cyr/
LOCATION:Side Door Jazz Club\, 85 Lyme Street\, Old Lyme\, CT\, United States
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260418T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260418T223000
DTSTAMP:20260424T083437
CREATED:20260330T001952Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260330T001952Z
UID:10007676-1776542400-1776551400@hartfordjazzsociety.com
SUMMARY:Halie Loren Quartet
DESCRIPTION:Join us for a special night of jazz with Vocalist Halie Loren and her Quartet! \nHalie Loren – Vocals\nJohn O’Leary – Piano\nWill Slater – Bass\nRick Costa – Drums \nHalie Loren is an international\, award-winning jazz singer/songwriter. She brings a fresh and original perspective to time-honored musical paths\, channeling her innate understanding of connectedness across musical boundaries to forge bonds with diverse audiences in North America\, Asia\, and Europe. Her multi-genre and multi-lingual musical blend across her ten albums to-date has earned several national and international awards in multiple genres as well as significant critical and chart success along the way\, with her albums consistently reaching #1 on the Billboard Japan\, iTunes (Canada and Japan) and Amazon jazz charts. \nAn award-winning songwriter since her early teens\, Halie began garnering international acclaim as a recording artist when her debut jazz album They Oughta Write a Song was named the Best Vocal Jazz Album of the year at the 2009 JPF Independent Music Awards. She was subsequently signed for distribution in Asia by JVC/Victor Entertainment and in North America with Canadian-based jazz label Justin Time Records. Loren’s accolades in more recent years include an Independent Music Award for her original song “Thirsty” in 2011\, a Best Vocal Jazz Album 2012 award in Japan’s Jazz Critique Magazine for her album Heart First\, (which also reached #1 on Canada’s iTunes Jazz chart)\, and a total of four Billboard #1 albums on Japan’s jazz charts since 2013. Her video for “Noah”\, the 2nd single from her 2018 release From the Wild Sky album produced by UK tour-de-force Troy Miller (Amy Winehouse\, Gregory Porter\, Diana Ross)\, won an Emmy in 2019 for Best Music Video as presented by The National Academy Of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) Southeast Chapter. \nAlong with recording and songwriting successes\, Halie’s live performances have brought her around the world several times\, with performances on 4 continents thus far\, including tours across the U.S.\, Canada\, France\, the U.K.\, Japan\, Italy\, Egypt\, China\, Hong Kong\, Taiwan\, South Korea\, Egypt\, and Haiti. Her concerts range from intimate clubs to grand halls to festivals\, from solo to classic jazz trio to lush orchestral collaborations. \nHalie’s newest record\, Dreams Lost and Found\, was recorded in Montreal\, Canada in collaboration with fellow artists from the Justin Time Records family\, and released on April 12\, 2024. This collection of songs explores themes of longing\, seeking\, and seeing with new eyes — the falling away of old illusions and outgrown desires\, finding new visions for love and life\, allowing some dreams to die to make space for new dreams to be born. The album captures the live essence of her music\, that has led to tours and performances for audiences worldwide. The 14-song effort sees Halie lend her take on standards\, originals\, and her personal favorites. \nHalie adds: “This album marks my return to a more jazz-oriented musical sound\, but forged in a completely new environment of creativity (quite literally\, in that I traveled to Montreal to record for the first time) that brought my improvisational spirit to the forefront—in no small part inspired by collaborating with masterful musicians Taurey Butler on piano\, Morgan Moore on bass\, Sam Kirmayer on Guitar\, and Jim Doxas on drums. Though I have performed for years with most of these amazingly talented people\, we’ve never before recorded together… to me\, it was like we were dancing on the edge of the unknown when creating these songs. It felt very alive in the moment\, and I think that comes through the music”
URL:https://hartfordjazzsociety.com/event/halie-loren-quartet/
LOCATION:Side Door Jazz Club\, 85 Lyme Street\, Old Lyme\, CT\, United States
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260417T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260417T223000
DTSTAMP:20260424T083437
CREATED:20260330T001727Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260330T001727Z
UID:10007675-1776456000-1776465000@hartfordjazzsociety.com
SUMMARY:Brandon Goldberg Trio
DESCRIPTION:Join us for a special night of jazz with Pianist Brandon Goldberg and his Trio! \nBrandon Goldberg – Piano \nDavid Wong – Bass \nAaron Kimmel – Drums \nAward-winning pianist and composer Brandon Goldberg has been playing piano and making music since he was three years old. Critics have praised his “unassailable technique\, advanced harmonic understanding\, a deep sense of swing and\, most impressively\, a clarity and plethora of ideas executed to near-perfection.” – Downbeat Magazine \nGoldberg has performed at renowned jazz festivals worldwide\, including the Newport Jazz Festival\, SFJazz\, PDX Jazz\, Litchfield\, Twin Cities\, Caramoor\, NCPA Mumbai Jazz Festival\, Santander Jazz in Spain\, and Ystad Jazz in Sweden. He has also graced the stages of prestigious jazz clubs\, such as Dizzy’s Club\, Smoke Jazz Club\, Mezzrow\, and Birdland Theater in New York\, as well as The Side Door Jazz Club in Connecticut\, and Marian’s Jazz Room in Switzerland\, just to name a few. \nGoldberg released his third album\, “Brandon Goldberg Trio: Live at Dizzy’s” in 2024.The album is described as a “prodigious work\, wrapped in tradition and steered with refreshing contemporaneity. A testament to shared musical vision\, this album showcases Goldberg’s musicianship” – Lydia Liebman PR. The “song selection and sequencing are exquisite…Impeccable sense of time\, spotless communication with the accompaniment\, unhurriedness\, fidelity to melody and harmonic structure.” – Dark Blue Notes. Goldberg has released two other albums which also received critical acclaim – “In Good Time” (2021) and “LET’S PLAY!” (2019) – both were recognized as top albums of the year\, earning four-star reviews from Downbeat Magazine. \nGoldberg often collaborates with David Foster\, recently playing at the iconic Hollywood Bowl alongside Chris Botti and making memorable appearances with Katharine McPhee on Good Morning America and Live with Kelly and Markaccompanying as she performed songs from her new album with David Foster\, Christmas Songs. Goldberg has also written original music for television and his compositions were featured in 1923 and Lawmen: Bass Reeves. \nGoldberg is a 2024 YoungArts Winner with Distinction\, the youngest semifinalist in the 2023 Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz International Piano Competition and youngest recipient of the 2022 ASCAP Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Award. \nIn connection to his South Florida roots\, Goldberg has been a featured performer at the South Beach Jazz Festival\, Jazz Roots Series at the Adrienne Arsht Center\, the Miami International Piano Festival\, FAENA Summer Jazz Series. He was also commissioned by The Miami Symphony Orchestra to write two original compositions for piano and orchestra\, “Surroundings” and “Rhapsody in f minor”\, which were both performed live and recorded by MISO and received high praise and accolades. \nGoldberg was a featured performer at TEDxYouthMiami\, TEDxBocaRaton and TEDxCoconutGrove conferences. He also works closely with the Jazz Foundation of America (JFA) and performed at their annual Gala at the famous Apollo Theater where he presented McCoy Tyner with the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016. \nAt a young age\, Goldberg appeared on national television in Seasons 1 and 2 of NBC’s Little Big Shots\, The Steve Harvey Show and the Harry Connick\, Jr. Show.
URL:https://hartfordjazzsociety.com/event/brandon-goldberg-trio/
LOCATION:Side Door Jazz Club\, 85 Lyme Street\, Old Lyme\, CT\, United States
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260411T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260411T223000
DTSTAMP:20260424T083437
CREATED:20260330T001450Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260330T001450Z
UID:10007674-1775937600-1775946600@hartfordjazzsociety.com
SUMMARY:Steve Slagle Quartet
DESCRIPTION:Join us for a special night of jazz with Saxophonist Steve Slagle and his Quartet! \nSteve Slagle – Saxophone\nMatthew Rotger-Lynn-Guitar\nDezron Douglas-Bass\nByron ‘Wookie’ Landham-Drums \nSaxophonist\, flutist and composer Steve Slagle makes his home in New York City. He has released 20 CD’s as a leader\, and performed on countless others. His many original compositions are published by Slagle Music\, BMI worldwide. Steve was musical director of the Mingus Big Band for many years\, and wrote many of the bands arrangements as well with Joe Lovano’s Nonet\, of which he is a member. He has received two Grammy Awards for recordings with each of those groups and continues his association with them. As a leader\, Steve concentrates on new sounds and new compositions as a performer\, bandleader and recording artist. \nSteve attended Berklee College of Music in Boston on a Downbeat scholarship at age 18 and subsequently received his Masters in Music at MSM in NYC. \nHe has played with Stevie Wonder\, Machito’s Afro-Cuban Orchestra\, Steve Kuhn\, Lionel Hampton\, Jack McDuff\, Charlie Haden’s Liberation Music Orchestra\, Brazil’s Milton Nascimento and band\, Carla Bley Orchestra\, Ray Barretto\, Beastie Boys\, and many others. \nSteve’s last two recordings ‘Alto Manhattan’ ( 2016) and ‘Dedication’ ( 2017) – on Panorama Records – have both reached top ten in Jazz radio play nationwide. He is co-leader of the Stryker / Slagle Band and their last release in 2015 ‘Routes’ (which features an expanded band line-up and four horn arrangements)\, was nominated for a Grammy in 2016. Steve’s 2013 recording ‘Evensong’ was chosen top recordings of 2013 by Jazz Times. \n“Scenes\, Songs and Solo’s” (Schaffner Press) is Steve’s first book on composition and improvisation and was released in 2012. This book points his direction for young players as well as containing many of his compositions and ideas on music. \nSteve’s first recording as a leader was on Japans Polydor Label and he continues that relationship as endorser of Yanagisawa saxophones from Japan\, as well as a long time endorser of Vandoren (Dansr) Reeds. \nSteves extensive discography is listed on this site under ‘Recordings’. \nHis arrangements for Mingus Big Band are published internationally by Hal Leonard Publishing. Several of his Sax Quartet compositions and arrangements are published by Advance Music\,but many others he owns privately. \nSteve served on the faculty of Manhattan School of Music for 20 years as well as associations with Rutgers University\, NYU\, New School in NYC\, William Paterson\, NJ and Suny Purchase as well as master classes and clinics world wide.
URL:https://hartfordjazzsociety.com/event/steve-slagle-quartet/
LOCATION:Side Door Jazz Club\, 85 Lyme Street\, Old Lyme\, CT\, United States
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260410T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260410T223000
DTSTAMP:20260424T083437
CREATED:20260330T001138Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260330T001138Z
UID:10007673-1775851200-1775860200@hartfordjazzsociety.com
SUMMARY:Blues on the Corner: McCoy Tyner Legacy Band
DESCRIPTION:Join us for a special night of jazz with the McCoy Tyner Legacy Band! \nFrancisco Mela – Drums and bandleader\nNat Reeves – Bass\nBenito Gonzalez – Piano\nGeorge Garzone (special guest) – Tenor Saxophone \nBlues on the Corner: McCoy Tyner Legacy BandDon’t miss world-renowned drummer and former McCoy Tyner sideman Francisco Mela as he leads this all-star tribute to his legendary mentor and former bandleader.Joining him is Venezuelan-American pianist Benito Gonzalez\, widely hailed as the torchbearer for McCoy’s hard-driving yet lyrical style. Acclaimed bassist and Hartt School Professor Nat Reeves anchors the rhythm section. Tenor saxophone titan George Garzone will be a featured guest\, heard here like never before.Produced by New England Jazz Collaborative\, whose work has been featured on NPR’s Morning Edition and in The Boston Globe.“[Francisco] Mela is just a fantastic player. He has his own style and his own sound\, which is what I look for in a drummer.”— McCoy Tyner“Fans and critics of pianist Benito Gonzalez agree: He’s a Latin McCoy Tyner.”— Michael J. West\, JazzTimes“I’m not the master of the sax\, George Garzone is.”— Michael Brecker
URL:https://hartfordjazzsociety.com/event/blues-on-the-corner-mccoy-tyner-legacy-band/
LOCATION:Side Door Jazz Club\, 85 Lyme Street\, Old Lyme\, CT\, United States
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260404T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260404T223000
DTSTAMP:20260424T083437
CREATED:20260325T025737Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260325T025737Z
UID:10007665-1775332800-1775341800@hartfordjazzsociety.com
SUMMARY:Michelle Walker Quartet
DESCRIPTION:Join us for a special night of jazz with Vocalist Michelle Walker and her Quartet! \n\n\n\n\nArmed with a provocative\, whiskey-soaked tone\, jazz vocalist Michelle Walker is a charismatic singer that uses an artful blend of blues\, bebop\, swing and soul with playful rhythmic expressiveness. Based in New York City\, she bends the lines and pushes the boundaries of jazz vocal art. With rich colors and adventurous flexibility\, she moves easily from a dark\, deep tone to a mid-range\, swinging lilt. Michelle is very versatile and blessed with a beautifully distinctive voice. Her artful arrangements are garnishing her critical praise. In her upcoming release\, Love Misery\, Michelle brings together a collection of jazz standards\, original songs and her arrangements of pop tunes that thematically chronicles a love affair. This latest recording project features Joel Frahm on sax\, Ron Affif on guitar\, Toru Dodo on piano\, Michael O’Brien on bass and Willard Dyson on drums. Additional highlights of her career include multiple tours in Europe\, performing in the Lincoln Center Women in Jazz Festival\, touring with jazz vocal legend Mark Murphy and performing at the White House for the lighting of the National Christmas Tree. Dave Nathan at AllAboutJazz.com says\, “Walker demonstrates an extraordinary degree of musicality…” Michelle is often compared to Cassandra Wilson\, Nina Simone and Betty Carter in style and tone but has develop her own unique sound and singular voice. \nIt is easy to see why this is looking to become a breakout year for Walker. In early 2016\, she performed at the JAVA JAZZ FESTIVAL in Jakarta\, Indonesia headlining the festival with Kurt Elling\, Monty Alexander\, Patti Austin\, Chris Botti\, Sting\, Robin Thicke and more. She then went on to tour in Asia which included performing debut concerts in Kazakhstan and Thailand. Michelle has also headlined the Belarus International Jazz Festival in the city of Minsk on the same bill as Vocal group TAKE 6\, The Silver Spring Jazz Festival with Wynton Marsalis and Spyro Gyro\, The Lincoln Center Women in Jazz Festival and the Rehoboth Beach Jazz Festival which featured George Benson. Throughout 2015 & 2016\, she completed a 30 city extraordinary tour in Russia performing at many Philharmonic Concert Halls around the country. The uniqueness of Walker is found her shifting\, rhythmic\, lyrical phrasing and her revived\, unexpected arrangements of standard songs. Mike Joyce of the Washington Post says\, “[Walker]…has a soul-comforting allure.” Michelle has performed in concert with noted jazz musicians Joel Frahm\, Ron Affif\, Dan Tepfer\, Robert Rodriguez\, Benito Gonzales\, Matt Wilson\, Klaus Mueller\, Boris Kozlov\, E.J. Strickland\, Helen Sung\, Ben Monder and Yotam Silberstein. \nMichelle studied classical voice at the University of Maryland and also studied at the Amsterdam Music Conservatory in Holland and the Stanford Jazz in Palo Alto\, CA. Michelle was the first vocalist asked to perform at the “Hot Jazz” Concert Series which featured jazz veterans Kenny Werner\, Eric Alexander\, Peter Bernstein\, David Hazeltine and Jimmy Greene. Walker has performed throughout US\, Canada\, Russia\, Israel England\, Holland and most recently at Blues Alley and The Black Rock Performing Arts Center outside Washington\, DC where she helped kick off the jazz concert season which has featured Russell Malone\, Cyrus Chestnut and Ravi Coltrane. \nHer debut recording\, Slow Down\, was released with critical acclaim. The recording received a Washington Area Musician Association (WAMA) Award nomination for Best Jazz and Debut Album of the year and also a national nomination for Best Independent Jazz Vocal album of the year. Walker spent the first years of her career working as a full-time vocalist in the Washington\, DC area before she moved to New York City\, where she currently resides and performs. While living in the DC area\, the Washington Post placed her several times on its Top Ten Area Performers to see perform live. Michelle served on the 2003-2005 Executive Board for the DC Chapter of the International Association of Jazz Educators (IAJE).
URL:https://hartfordjazzsociety.com/event/michelle-walker-quartet/
LOCATION:Side Door Jazz Club\, 85 Lyme Street\, Old Lyme\, CT\, United States
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260403T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260403T223000
DTSTAMP:20260424T083437
CREATED:20260325T025502Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260325T025502Z
UID:10007664-1775246400-1775255400@hartfordjazzsociety.com
SUMMARY:The Makanda Project
DESCRIPTION:Join us for a special night of jazz with The Makanda Project! \nKurtis Rivers · Saxophone\nSeth Meicht · Saxophone\nSean Berry · Saxophone\nTemidayo Balogun · Saxophone\nCharlie Kohlhase · Saxophone\nJerry Sabatini · Trumpet\nHaneef Nelson · Trumpet\nAlfred Patterson · Trombone\nRichard Harper · Trombone\nBill Lowe · Trombone\nJohn Kordalewski · Piano\nAvery Sharpe · Bass\nYoron Israel · Drums \nThe Makanda Project was started in 2005 as an effort to explore the previously unrecorded compositions of Makanda Ken McIntyre (1931-2001). Twenty years and over 250 performances later\, the 13 musicians in the group are still moved by the challenges and opportunites this music presents. Leader and pianist John Kordalewski\, a former McIntyre student\, has arranged over 60 McIntyre compositions for the group’s 10-member horn section. Especially given that there is no record of Dr. McIntyre having performed these pieces\, the Makanda Project differs from those repertory groups whose function is largely to re-create sounds or styles from the past. Rather\, the McIntyre compositions have been a vehicle for the group to develop its own sound and identity. \nThe Makanda Project has established a presence on the Boston jazz scene through their ongoing series of self-produced free concerts in low-income neighborhoods. These concerts are unique in the Boston area both as a platform for creative music and as community events. They tale place throughout the year and have attracted a large and still-growing following. \nThe band has also collaborated with renowned guest musicians such as Oliver Lake\, Chreles Tolliver\, Chico Freeman\, Ricky Ford\, Feya Faku\, Michael Gregory Jackson\, and Craig Harris\, as well as with poet Askia Toure and dancer/choreographer Mickey Davidson. These collaborations often involve the guests’ compositions. The Makanda Project has also performed at East Coast locations from Washington DC to Maine\, in the Midwest\, and in Europe. This will be their second appearance at the Side Door. \nThe individual members are Kurtis Rivers\, Seth Meicht\, Sean Berry\, Temidayo Balogun\, and Charlie Kohlhase (saxophones)\, Jerry Sabatini and Haneef Nelson (trumpets)\, Alfred Patterson\, Richard Harper\, and Bill Lowe (trombones)\, John Kordalewski (piano)\, Avery Sharpe (bass)\, and Yoron Israel (drums).
URL:https://hartfordjazzsociety.com/event/the-makanda-project/
LOCATION:Side Door Jazz Club\, 85 Lyme Street\, Old Lyme\, CT\, United States
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260328T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260328T223000
DTSTAMP:20260424T083437
CREATED:20260220T020252Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260220T020252Z
UID:10007621-1774728000-1774737000@hartfordjazzsociety.com
SUMMARY:Greg Abate Quartet
DESCRIPTION:Join us for a special night of jazz with Saxophonist Greg Abate and his Quartet! \n\n\n\n\nGreg Abate – Saxophone \nChuck Lamb – Piano \nJohn Lockwood – Bass \nGary Johnson – Drums \nGreg Abate jazz saxophonist\, flutist\, composer continues as an International Jazz/Recording Artist with 225 days a year touring the globe. \nIn the mid 70’s after finishing a four year program at Berklee College Of Music\, Greg played lead alto for the Ray Charles Orchestra for 2 years. \nIn 1978 Greg formed his group Channel One which was a favorite in the New England area and from there had the opportunity to play tenor sax with the revived Artie Shaw Orchestra under leadership of Dick Johnson from 1986 to ’87. \nFollowing this experience Greg ventured out as post hard bop soloist playing Jazz Festivals\, Jazz Societies and Jazz Clubs throughout the U.S. Canada and abroad\, including most of Europe\, UK\, and Moscow and Georgia Russia. \nGreg’s newest release Gratitude\, with the Tim Ray Trio has received glowing reviews and a lot of international airplay. Also\, check out Greg’s other recordings including special guests Phil Woods and other notable artists. \nGreg is currently a Whaling City Sound recording artist. \nGreg recorded his first CD Live At Birdland NYC in 1991 on the Candid Jazz Label with the trio of James Williams\, Rufus Reid and Kenny Washington. \nTo this date Greg has recorded over 17 other recordings as leader. \nGreg is also an adjunct professor of Jazz Studies at Rhode Island College and is also a very active jazz clinician with co. sponsorship from the Conn-Selmer Instrument Co.\, conducting workshops and master classes through the U.S and abroad. \nGreg has been inducted into the RI MUSIC HALL OF FAME 2016
URL:https://hartfordjazzsociety.com/event/greg-abate-quartet/
LOCATION:Side Door Jazz Club\, 85 Lyme Street\, Old Lyme\, CT\, United States
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260327T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260327T223000
DTSTAMP:20260424T083437
CREATED:20260220T020047Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260220T020047Z
UID:10007620-1774641600-1774650600@hartfordjazzsociety.com
SUMMARY:Amina Figarova Sextet
DESCRIPTION:Join us for a special night of jazz with Pianist Amina Figarova and her Sextet! \n\n\n\n\nAmina Figarova – Piano \nCharlie Porter – Trumpet \nBart Platteau – Flutes \nWayne Escoffery- Tenor sax \nLuques Curtis – Bass \nDonald Edwards – Drums \nAmina Figarova was born in Baku\, Azerbaijan\, and as a child studied to be a classical concert pianist. Graduated from the Baku Conservatory as classical concert pianist. In 1990\, she entered Rotterdam Conservatory (where she met Bart Platteau\, a fellow student from Belgium) to pursue jazz\, coming to the United States in 1992 to complete her formal education at Boston’s Berklee College of Music. In 1998 she was invited to the Thelonious Monk Institute’s summer jazz colony in Aspen\, and after more than a decade of bookings in major U.S. jazz clubs\, concert halls and festivals\, the couple gained legal immigrant status in 2013\, and became US citizen in 2020. They currently live in Harlem\, NY and tour constantly. \n“Among the most important composers to come into jazz in the new millennium” – JazzTime \nHailing from Azerbaijan\, the New York-based Amina Figarova is an internationally influenced—and recognized—composer\, pianist\, and bandleader. Those three roles come to the forefront in Figarova’s sextets\, bands with a remarkable chemistry that brings her detailed arrangements to life. Every member of the group stands out as a first-rate individual\, but their dedication to Figarova’s eclectic and powerful compositions gives this group its depth of feeling and elite status. The Amina Figarova Sextet has been a hit at major festivals like the Newport Jazz Festival and New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival \nSuite for Africa is Amina’s 18th album\, all with original compositions by Amina. Other compositions for Symphonic orchestra\, Musical Diana\, a ballad book for Trio Del Norte\, brass ensemble\, flute duo and quartet\, and many more.
URL:https://hartfordjazzsociety.com/event/amina-figarova-sextet/
LOCATION:Side Door Jazz Club\, 85 Lyme Street\, Old Lyme\, CT\, United States
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260321T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260321T223000
DTSTAMP:20260424T083437
CREATED:20260220T015843Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260220T015843Z
UID:10007619-1774123200-1774132200@hartfordjazzsociety.com
SUMMARY:Chembo Corniel Quintet
DESCRIPTION:Join us for a special night of jazz with Conga Player Chembo Corniel and his Quintet! \n\n\n\n\nEvan Francis – Saxophone/Flute \nGabriel Chakarji – Piano \nCarlos Mena – Bass \nJoel E. Mateo – Drums \nChembo Corniel – Tumbadoras \nWilson “Chembo” Corniel\, Jr. Born in Manhattan on November 22\, 1953 of proud Puerto Rican parents\, Chembo was raised in the humble streets of Red Hook\, Brooklyn. It was during these years\, as a quick-witted youngster\, that he had the privilege and honor to study with such percussion luminaries as\, Tommy Lopez Sr.\, “Little Ray” Romero\, Louie Bauza\, and Cachete Maldonado. Chembo honed his skills at The Harbor Conservatory for the Performing Arts in New York\, and also at the prestigious La Escuela Nacional de Arte in Havana\, Cuba under the direction of the great Chucho Valdés. His intense studies with such legends noted above channeled his energy onto a path where Wilson “Chembo” Corniel has now created a reputation for himself among musicians and the public. \nToday\, he is considered as one of the best hard-hitting\, versatile percussionists around. Chembo teaches percussion to students at the SUNY Purchase Conservatory of Music a also at The Collective and leads numerous clinics throughout the United States where he brings awareness to others of the rich Afro-Caribbean traditions. Among his credits\, Chembo was chosen to create his own instructional DVD called\, “An Introduction to Hand Percussion: Volume I—Congas”. It was released in December of 2000 and with distribution by Warner Brothers it has been a success. \nHe’s been a vital endorser of Latin Percussion instruments since 1982 as he is currently for Remo drum heads\, Vic Firth sticks and Sabian cymbals. His touring credits are as long as his performing credits. \nChembo has toured with many major artists throughout Europe\, Asia\, North & South America\, and the Caribbean. Television credits include an appearance on the “Bill Cosby Show” and a recurring recording gig on Nickelodeon’s children show\, “Dora the Explorer”. Chembo continues to perform and/or record with many artists of different genres. He is currently concentrating on leading his own Latin Jazz quintet\, “Chembo & Grupo Chaworó”. This is a well-balanced Latin Jazz group that incorporates many rich traditions\, such as writer Aurora Flores states: “a sprinkling of be-bop\, a touch of swing with a dollop of bomba\, rumba\, tango and danzón topped with ‘un chin’ de charanga.”
URL:https://hartfordjazzsociety.com/event/chembo-corniel-quintet/
LOCATION:Side Door Jazz Club\, 85 Lyme Street\, Old Lyme\, CT\, United States
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260320T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260320T223000
DTSTAMP:20260424T083437
CREATED:20260220T015344Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260220T015344Z
UID:10007618-1774036800-1774045800@hartfordjazzsociety.com
SUMMARY:Vanisha Gould Quartet
DESCRIPTION:Join us for a special night of jazz with Vocalist Vanisha Gould and her Quartet! \n\n\nVanisha Gould is a vocalist\, composer\, and bandleader whose music bridges vulnerability and strength. After earning her degree from Berklee College of Music\, she moved from California to New York City in 2015 and quickly became a vital voice in the city’s jazz community\, performing at Smalls Jazz Club\, Ornithology\, Mezzrow\, The Jazz Gallery\, Minton’s Playhouse\, and Dizzy’s Club. \nGould’s artistry has also reached audiences around the world. She has toured internationally throughout Europe and Russia\, performing in Sweden\, Denmark\, Latvia\, Lithuania\, Estonia\, and across the Nordic regions\, bringing her intimate\, story-driven sound to festivals\, clubs\, and house-concert stages overseas. \nHer albums In Her Words (2021)\, Life’s a Gig (2024)\, and She’s Not Shiny\, She’s Not Smooth (2024) illuminate the interior world of women in jazz\, exploring resilience\, humor\, and truth through story and sound. \nIn 2023\, Gould received The Jazz Gallery Composition Residency Commission\, expanding her vision toward multi-movement works that integrate text\, voice\, and visual storytelling. Her music honors jazz tradition while pushing it forward with intimacy\, imagination\, and depth.
URL:https://hartfordjazzsociety.com/event/vanisha-gould-quartet/
LOCATION:Side Door Jazz Club\, 85 Lyme Street\, Old Lyme\, CT\, United States
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260314T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260314T223000
DTSTAMP:20260424T083437
CREATED:20260220T015134Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260220T015134Z
UID:10007617-1773518400-1773527400@hartfordjazzsociety.com
SUMMARY:Matt Dwonszyk Quintet Album Release Celebration
DESCRIPTION:Join us for a special night of jazz with Bassist Matt Dwonszyk and his Quintet\, to celebrate the release of his new album! \n\n\n\n\nJosh Evans- Trumpet \nMatt Knoegel- Tenor Saxophone \nTBD- Piano \nMatt Dwonszyk- Bass \nJonathan Barber-Drums \nMatt Dwonszyk is a Connecticut-born\, New York-based\, bassist\, composer\, arranger\, bandleader and educator. He can regularly be found with drummer Jonathan Barber’s Vision Ahead\, trios by pianist Jon Davis Trio and saxophonist Julieta Eugenio\, and saxophonist Sarah Hanahan’s quartet. He also leads his namesake ensemble\, the Dwonztet. Dwonszyk began playing the electric bass at age eleven. At the Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts High School\, he switched to upright bass. Dwonszyk then continued his studies at the Jackie McLean Institute of Jazz at the University of Hartford. There\, Dwonszyk developed a profound rapport with trombonist Steve Davis and bassist Nat Reeves\, whose insight led to a career as a top-call bassist in his native Connecticut. After graduating with a Bachelor’s of Music in Jazz Studies from UHart\, Dwonszyk obtained a Master’s of Music at SUNY Purchase College in New York. He soon was performing at legendary jazz venues like Smalls\, Smoke\, Minton’s\, Zinc Bar\, Birdland\, and the Jazz Standard. In 2018 — the year he released his debut album\, Wonderful World\, — Dwonszyk toured Russia as part of the Rainy Days Jazz Festival. In 2019\, he toured through Canada with the Oleg Butman Trio and in 2020 with Jonathan Barber and Vision Ahead through the West Coast. In 2022\, he released A Year and a Day\, recorded with his versatile\, namesake ensemble\, the Dwonztet. That year\, with the Julieta Eugenio Trio\, Dwonszyk won the 2022 DC JazzPrix Competition at the Washington\, DC Jazz Festival. In 2023\, the Dwonztet performed at the Hartford Baby Grand Jazz Series\, The Northampton Jazz Strut\, Smalls Jazz Club\, The Side Door Jazz Club\, and the Poli Club. The following year\, they performed at the Clifford Brown Jazz Festival\, Hartford Jazz Festival\, and Springfield Jazz and Roots Festival. True to his roots\, Dwonszyk’s latest album was 2024’s Donny Time: The Music of Don DePalma\, an album-length tribute to Hartford’s late\, great pianist — with 100 percent of the proceeds going to the DePalma Roy Scholarship. Since 2020\, he has taught jazz bass at Manchester Community College and Central Connecticut State College; at the latter\, Dwonszyk also teaches jazz history. In 2024 Dwonszyk he taught jazz bass at the University of Hartford and in 2025 at UMass Amherst. He also teaches privately. This year Dwonszyk’s performed and recorded in Buenos Aires\, Argentina; His next album “Live at the Side Door” is scheduled to release in the fall of 2025.
URL:https://hartfordjazzsociety.com/event/matt-dwonszyk-quintet-album-release-celebration/
LOCATION:Side Door Jazz Club\, 85 Lyme Street\, Old Lyme\, CT\, United States
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260313T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260313T223000
DTSTAMP:20260424T083437
CREATED:20260220T014830Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260220T014830Z
UID:10007616-1773432000-1773441000@hartfordjazzsociety.com
SUMMARY:Matt Parker Quartet
DESCRIPTION:Join us for a special night of jazz with Saxophonist Matt Parker and his Quartet! \n\n\n\n\nMatt Parker is a tenor and soprano saxophone player\, born and raised in Fort Lauderdale\, Florida. After seeing trumpeter Maynard Ferguson in concert\, he fell in love with jazz and was mentored by the legendary South Florida saxophonist Jimmy Cavallo. Parker played professionally as a teenager in New Orleans before moving to New York to study with Jane Ira Bloom\, Barry Harris\, and Junior Mance. Later\, Parker would go on to play in Maynard’s band Big Bop Nouveau for two years and is on the album “MF Horn VI: Live At Ronnie’s” (2006). \nParker’s career has been wildly eclectic\, showcasing his tireless explorative spirit and chameleon-like style. He has paid tribute to both avant-garde players and straight-ahead stalwarts on his albums “Worlds Put Together” (2014) and “Present Time”(2016)\, and has collaborated with a wide range of musicians\, including Reggie Watkins\, Ariana Grande\, Orrin Evans\, Hess is More\, and the Mingus Big Band. He is also a member of the viral ensemble Postmodern Jukebox and has made appearances (both musical and on-screen) in the hit action film “John Wick”.  The Dorrance Dance company features Parker in “45th and 8th” premiering nationally (2022-23). He is also a featured performer with comedian\, and renowned entertainer Murray Hill and Bridget Everrett (“Somebody\, Somewhere”). Parker’s experience with the Cape Town Youth Choir\, where he learned the importance of blending and the beauty of collaboration\, has had a profound impact on his music. \nCharles Mingus’ previously unrecorded “Song To Keki” makes its first appearance on Parker’s album\, which the Ottawa Citizen called “a warmly swinging showcase for his breathy\, Ben Webster-esque flow.” The same publication noted that Parker’s playing on the tune builds momentum until his tenor seems like it will come apart in his hands. The Ottawa Citizen also described the album as having an overall compositional and improvisational contrast that catches the listener by surprise. \nDownBeat Magazine praised Parker’s “own tireless explorative spirit\,” while JAZZIZ Magazine described Parker as someone who “welcomes listeners with warmth and wit.” Hot House noted that Parker’s playing can recall the gruff-yet-sensuous lines of Ben Webster\, while Outside-Inside-Out said\, “Parker can do anything…he swings his ass off.” Something Else Reviews called Parker “restlessly inventive” and “showed off his resourcefulness and playfulness\,” while The Village Voice praised him as a “Tenor and soprano sax whiz.” All About Jazz said Parker “can’t be pigeonholed into just one tradition” and that “he has arrived on the creative music scene a fully formed artist – one with his own unique voice and singular vision.” \nParker is also a prolific composer and musical director. He has written music for various ensembles\, including big bands\, small groups\, and studio orchestras for film. Parker’s compositions often blend elements of woodwind instrumentation with more adventurous\, avant-garde approaches. Complex harmonies\, intricate rhythms\, and bold\, imaginative melodies characterize his music. \nParker has featured his compositions on several albums\, including “Worlds Put Together” (2014)\, “One for Miles\, One for Maynard” (2014)\, and “Present Time”(2016). He has also composed for the Immersive theater show “MidSummer – A Shakespearience” (Variety Life Productions)\, the original audio drama series “Brother\, Mine” (Hand Forged Fiction 2020) and the immersive sound walk experience “Kierkbride” (Hand Forged Fiction 2022). Critics have praised his music for its originality\, energy\, and emotional depth. \nIn addition to his work as a saxophonist\, composer\, and musical director\, Matt Parker is also a passionate educator. He teaches saxophone\, composition\, and improvisation at several universities and music schools\, inspiring young musicians to develop their own unique voices.
URL:https://hartfordjazzsociety.com/event/matt-parker-quartet/
LOCATION:Side Door Jazz Club\, 85 Lyme Street\, Old Lyme\, CT\, United States
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260311T193000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260311T220000
DTSTAMP:20260424T083437
CREATED:20260220T014603Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260220T014603Z
UID:10007615-1773257400-1773266400@hartfordjazzsociety.com
SUMMARY:Sean Nelson Jazz Orchestra "Swing into Spring"
DESCRIPTION:The Sean Nelson Jazz Orchestra returns to the Side Door as part of their monthly residency \nThe Sean Nelson Jazz Orchestra is a “full bodied and polished brassy big band” (Jazz Weekly) made up of 17 of the finest musicians in New England. Formed in 2016 as the New London Big Band\, for the past nine years they have played monthly for sold out crowds at the Social Bar + Kitchen in New London CT. The band has performed all over the country\, including the Kennedy Center (Washington DC)\, the Birdland Jazz Club (NYC)\, Monks Jazz Club (Austin TX)\, and Hallowed Halls (Portland OR). The band has released three albums\, the most recent of which\, “Don’t Stop Now: the lost music of Thad Jones for Harry James\,” reached #29 on the jazz radio charts. \nThe band’s sound is rooted in the Kansas City swing of Count Basie\, “swinging high\, hard\, and hot” (All About Jazz.) “Nelson…has assembled a youthful\, sharp\, hip 17-piece ensemble as dedicated as he is to the belief that big band sounds can provide a fine musical experience — one best served up live\, where the groove and excitement of the arrangements and instrumental interplay can energize and pack a dance floor across generations.” (The Day of New London) \nSean Nelson is the leader and founder of the band. By day\, he is enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard\, where he plays trombone with the Coast Guard Band’s concert band and jazz ensembles\, serves as staff arranger\, and is music director for the Guardians Big Band. \nNelson was music director and arranger for the 2024 National Christmas Tree Lighting with the Coast Guard’s Guardians Big Band\, creating over 500 pages of arrangements. This was performed in front of the White House and seen nationally on CBS. Sean was one of two composers that co-created the official song of the Space Force\, Semper Supra\, which is now part of every Armed Forces Medley. He also composed the official song for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration officer corps (one of the eight federal uniformed services). He has won the National Band Association Young Composers Jazz Composition Contest and is a two­ time winner of Downbeat Magazine’s jazz arranging award. He currently works as the arranger for Sam Houston State University Bearkat Marching Band. Sean’s big band arrangements are published at iJazzmusic.com. \nA native of Dallas\, Texas\, Sean received a Bachelor of Music degree from Sam Houston State University and a Master of Music degree from the University of North Texas. While at North Texas\, he was trombonist and composer for the One O’Clock Lab Band and sang with the Jazz Singers I. Sean’s trombone quartet won the International Trombone Association Quartet Contest. He spent his summers and winter breaks playing in house bands on cruise ships for Princess Cruises and Cunard Cruises. \nSean lives in Quaker Hill\, Connecticut\, with his wife Megan and children Lucinda\, Giles\, McCoy\, and Cab.
URL:https://hartfordjazzsociety.com/event/sean-nelson-jazz-orchestra-swing-into-spring/
LOCATION:Side Door Jazz Club\, 85 Lyme Street\, Old Lyme\, CT\, United States
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260307T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260307T223000
DTSTAMP:20260424T083437
CREATED:20260220T014317Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260220T014317Z
UID:10007614-1772913600-1772922600@hartfordjazzsociety.com
SUMMARY:Edu Ribeiro Trio w/Seamus Blake
DESCRIPTION:Join us for a special night of jazz with Drummer Edu Ribeiro and his Trio with Special Guest Seamus Blake! \nSeamus Blake – Saxophone\nVinicius Gomes – Guitar\nNoah Garabedian – Bass\nEdu Ribeiro – Drums \nEdu Ribeiro\nBrazilian drummer\, composer and educator. Two times Grammy Awards winner. As a leader\, Edu Ribeiro has released the albums “Já Tô Te Esperando”\, “Na Calada do Dia” and “Folia de tReis” (Latin Grammy nominated for the Best Instrumental Album category). As a member of Trio Corrente and Vento Em Madeira\, Edu has released more than ten albums\, including the two times Grammy Award Winner “Song for Maura” album\, recorded with Trio Corrente & Paquito D’Rivera. As a co-leader\, Edu has recorded the albums “Varanda” with the Reunion Project and “At Play” with Romero Lubambo\, Helio Alves and Reuben Rogers. Edu has also recorded albums with numerous artists such as Chico Pinheiro\, Eliane Elias\, Randy Brecker\, Hamilton de Holanda\, Amilton Godoy\, and many others. As an educator\, Edu teaches drums at Faculdade Santa Marcelina since 2006 and is the Popular Music Coordinator at Escola de Música do Estado de São Paulo (EMESP) since 2014. Edu has recorded a series of online lessons that can be found at Edu Ribeiro Music Workshop. \nSeamus Blake\nNew York based saxophonist/composer SEAMUS BLAKE is recognized as one of the finest exponents of contemporary jazz. His music is known for its sophistication\, bold improvisations and “sheer swagger”. John Scofield\, who hired Seamus for his “Quiet Band\,” called him “extraordinary\, a total saxophonist.” Throughout his 24 year career\, Seamus has garnered critical praise for his masterful playing\, his fine compositional skills and for his facility as a leader.\nSince moving to Paris in February 2018 Seamus has been invited to perform the music of his recent CD\, “Superconductor” with a number of European Jazz Bands. Beginning with the Latvian Radio Jazz Band early in 2018\, Seamus has performed with the Trondheim Big Band and The Sibis Alumni Big Band (Sibelius Institute \, Helsinki)\,in September. He is scheduled to perform his music with The Tuesday Big Band (Amsterdam) on November 6/7\, and The Subway Jazz Orchestra on November 14.\nIn 2017 Seamus assembled a new quartet\, The French Connection. The band ( Seamus\, Tony Tixier piano\, Florent Nisse\, bass\, and Gautier Garrigue\, drums) recorded their first CD in Paris in November\, 2017 and have toured in France and Spain. The CD will be released on the Whirlwind label. Three promo videos will be available on Youtube in January. Seamus has a busy schedule in Europe in 2018. Check the Performance page for details.\nSuperconductor is Seamus’ most ambitious project to date and was released in December 2015. The talent includes Nate Smith\, Matt Garrison\, Scott Kinsey\, a 7 piece orchestral ensemble as well as special guest appearances by John Scofield and Gonzalo Rubalcaba. The album marks the debut of Seamus on EWI (electronic wind instrument). Seamus plays on the 2015 Grammy nominated Camino by pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba. \nSeamus Blake was born December 1970 in England and raised in Vancouver\, Canada. At age 21\, while still a student at Boston’s prestigious Berklee College\, he was asked to record with legendary drummer Victor Lewis. After graduation\, he moved to New York\, where he rapidly established himself on the New York jazz scene. In February 2002\, Seamus took first place in the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Saxophone Competition in Washington D. C. As the winner\, he performed with Wayne Shorter and Herbie Hancock. \nAs a leader/co-leader \, Seamus has released 16 albums. He is featured as a sideman on over 70 CDs. \nSeamus has played on six of of the Grammy nominated Mingus bands’ albums He continues to play and record with Bill Stewart\, Kevin Hays\, David Kikoski and Alex Sipiagin. Seamus is frequently featured as a guest artist. In 2010 he was guest of honor at the International Saxophone Symposium in Washington hosted by the US Navy Band. Seamus was a member of John Scofield’s Quiet Band and toured and recorded with Dave Douglas. Some of the many other artists he has worked with include Eric Reed\, Ethan Iverson\, Chris Cheek\, and Matt Penman.
URL:https://hartfordjazzsociety.com/event/edu-ribeiro-trio-w-seamus-blake/
LOCATION:Side Door Jazz Club\, 85 Lyme Street\, Old Lyme\, CT\, United States
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260306T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260306T223000
DTSTAMP:20260424T083437
CREATED:20260220T014015Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260220T014015Z
UID:10007613-1772827200-1772836200@hartfordjazzsociety.com
SUMMARY:Miguel Zenon Quartet
DESCRIPTION:Join us for a special night of jazz with Saxophonist Miguel Zenon and his Quartet! \n\n\n\n\nMiguel Zenón – Saxophone\nLuis Perdomo – Piano\nMatt Penman – Bass\nHenry Cole – Drums \nThis young musician and composer is at once reestablishing the artistic\, cultural\, and social tradition of jazz while creating an entirely new jazz language for the 21st century.”\n— MacArthur Foundation\, 2008. \nGrammy Winner\, Doris Duke Artist and Guggenheim and MacArthur Fellow Miguel Zenón represents a select group of musicians who have masterfully balanced and blended the often-contradictory poles of innovation and tradition. Widely considered one of the most groundbreaking and influential saxophonists and composers of his generation\, he has also developed a unique voice as a conceptualist\, concentrating his efforts on perfecting a fine mix between jazz and his many musical influences. \nBorn and raised in San Juan\, Puerto Rico\, Zenón has released eighteen recordings as a leader\, including his latest\, Vanguardia Subterránea: Live at The Village Vanguard(2025)\, the Grammy-nominated Golden City (2024)\, and the Grammy-winning album El Arte Del Bolero Vol. 2 (2023). He has worked with luminaries such as The SFJAZZ Collective\, Charlie Haden\, Fred Hersch\, Kenny Werner\, David Sánchez\, Danilo Perez\, The Village Vanguard Orchestra\, Kurt Elling\, Joey Calderazzo\, Steve Coleman\, Ray Barreto\, Andy Montañez\, Jerry Gonzalez & The Fort Apache Band\, The Mingus Big Band and Bobby Hutcherson. \nIn April 2008 he received a fellowship from the prestigious John Simon Guggenheim Foundation. Later that year he was one of 25 distinguished individuals chosen to receive the coveted MacArthur Fellowship\, also known as the “Genius Grant.” In 2011 he founded Caravana Cultural\, a program which presents free-of-charge Jazz concerts in rural areas of Puerto Rico. In 2022 he received an Honorary Doctorate from La Universidad del Sagrado Corazón in San Juan\, Puerto Rico\, the highest honor bestowed by the institution. In 2024 he received a Doris Duke Artist Award from the Doris Duke Foundation. \nZenón has been featured in publications such as The New York Times\, The Wall Street Journal\, The Los Angeles Times\, The Boston Globe and The Chicago Tribune. In addition\, he topped both the Jazz Artist of the Year and Alto Saxophonist of the Year categories in the 2014 JazzTimes Critics Poll and was selected as Alto Saxophonist of the Year by the Jazz Journalists Association in 2015\, 2018\, 2019 and 2020 (when he was also recognized as Arranger of the Year). In 2023 he was recognized by the same organization as the Composer of the Year. \nAs a composer he has been commissioned by SFJAZZ\, NYO Jazz\, The New York State Council on the Arts\, Chamber Music America\, Logan Center for The Arts\, The Hyde Park Jazz Festival\, The John Simon Guggenheim Foundation\, MIT\, Spektral Quartet\, Miller Theater\, The Hewlett Foundation\, Peak Performances\, PRISM Quartet\, Kinetic Ensemble and many of his peers. Zenón has given hundreds of lectures and master classes at institutions all over the world and is an Associate Professor in the Music & Theater Arts Department at MIT. \nZenón lives in New York City with his wife Elga and their daughter.
URL:https://hartfordjazzsociety.com/event/miguel-zenon-quartet-2/
LOCATION:Side Door Jazz Club\, 85 Lyme Street\, Old Lyme\, CT\, United States
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260228T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260228T223000
DTSTAMP:20260424T083437
CREATED:20260125T192336Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260125T192336Z
UID:10007586-1772308800-1772317800@hartfordjazzsociety.com
SUMMARY:Dan Pugach Big Band w/Special Guest Nicole Zuraitis
DESCRIPTION:Join us for a special night of jazz the Dan Pugach Big Band and Nicole Zuraitis! \n\n\n\n\nDan Pugach is a GRAMMY® Award-winning drummer and composer\, a 5X GRAMMY® nominee\, 2X  ASCAP Foundation Jazz Composer Award winner\, a recipient of the BMI Charlie Parker Composition Prize/Manny Albam Commission for Big Band and a participant at the  Betty Carter Jazz Ahead Residency Program at the Kennedy Center. He is a 2025 Chamber Music America “New Jazz Works” Grantee. \nHis latest album\, Bianca Reimagined: Music for Paws and Persistence (2024)\, featuring Nicole Zuraitis\, won the 2025 GRAMMY® Award for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album. Additionally\, he was the featured drummer on the 2024 GRAMMY® Award-winning album How Love Begins\, co-produced by Nicole Zuraitis and Christian McBride. His debut album\, Dan Pugach Nonet – Plus One (2018)\, reached the top 20 in Jazz radio and earned a GRAMMY® nomination for Best Arrangement\, Instruments and Vocal for “Jolene” alongside Zuraitis. \nThe Dan Pugach nonet and big band perform regularly and have headlined at Dizzy’s\, Deer Head Inn\, Birdland\, Blue Note\, Smalls\, the 55bar\, and the Red Sea Jazz Festival. \nBorn in Israel\, he served as the drummer for The Air Force Band in the IDF while attending the Rimon School of Jazz. After studying percussion in Rio de Janeiro\, he moved to the U.S. in 2006 to pursue a career in Jazz performance. Pugach holds a Bachelor of Music from Berklee College of Music (2008)\, where he studied with Terri Lynn Carrington and Joe Lovano\, and a Master of Arts from the City College of New York (2011)\, where he studied with Mike Holober\, Scott Reeves and John Patitucci.
URL:https://hartfordjazzsociety.com/event/dan-pugach-big-band-w-special-guest-nicole-zuraitis/
LOCATION:Side Door Jazz Club\, 85 Lyme Street\, Old Lyme\, CT\, United States
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260227T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260227T223000
DTSTAMP:20260424T083437
CREATED:20260125T192045Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260125T192045Z
UID:10007585-1772222400-1772231400@hartfordjazzsociety.com
SUMMARY:Olli Soikkeli Trio
DESCRIPTION:Join us for a special night of jazz with Guitarist Olli Soikkeli and his Trio! \n\n\n\n\nOlli Soikkeli – Guitar \nPaul Sikivie – Bass \nBen Zweig – Drums \nBorn in Nurmes\, Finland and based in NYC\, Soikkeli was introduced to the music of great Django Reinhardt and Gypsy Jazz\, which has been his primary focus since. Olli played in jazz clubs and festivals across Finland\, and toured Europe with Sinti Guitarist Paulus Schäfer. While still young\, he’s already played with notable artists such as Bucky Pizzarelli\, Stochelo Rosenberg\, Tommy Emmanuel\, Andreas Öberg\, Cyrille Aimee\, Antti Sarpila and Marian Petrescu. \nAfter move to New York City in 2014. Olli has played legendary venues such as Town Hall\, Herbst Theatre\, Birdland Jazz Club\, Blue Note\, Iridium and the Lincoln Center. \nOlli recorded his first album “Trois Générations” (2011) with Hot Club de Finlande and Vitali Imereli and recorded his second album “Kouvola Junction” (2012) with Paulus Schäfer and Arnoud van den Berg.
URL:https://hartfordjazzsociety.com/event/olli-soikkeli-trio/
LOCATION:Side Door Jazz Club\, 85 Lyme Street\, Old Lyme\, CT\, United States
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260221T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260221T223000
DTSTAMP:20260424T083437
CREATED:20260125T191847Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260125T191847Z
UID:10007584-1771704000-1771713000@hartfordjazzsociety.com
SUMMARY:Cyrus Chestnut Trio
DESCRIPTION:Join us for a special night of jazz with Pianist Cyrus Chestnut and his Trio! \n\n\n\n\nCyrus Chestnut is one of the most gifted and innovative jazz pianists of his generation. With a musical style that effortlessly combines the influences of gospel\, classical music\, and straight-ahead jazz\, Chestnut has garnered acclaim from critics and peers alike for his soulful\, virtuosic playing. His career spans decades of performances and recordings\, establishing him as a pivotal figure in contemporary jazz. \nRaised in the heart of Baltimore in a musical family\, Chestnut’s gospel roots have been a key influence on his musical development. His father\, a pianist\, and his mother\, a singer\, were both deeply involved in the church\, where Chestnut first encountered the powerful\, emotional connection between music and spirituality. This early exposure to gospel music provided him with a rich\, emotive foundation that continues to permeate his jazz performances\, infusing them with a soulful\, dynamic energy that resonates deeply with audiences. Chestnut has often described how the gospel tradition taught him not only how to play the piano but also how to connect with listeners on a deeper\, more emotional level. He has said\, “I want to spread some feel good… I want to be able to spread the feel good”—a sentiment that echoes the uplifting\, transformative nature of gospel music. \nChestnut’s talent is further showcased in his upcoming album\, Rhythm\, Melody\, and Harmony\, released on April 25\, 2025\, via HighNote Records. This piano quartet recording demonstrates his signature blend of rhythmic precision\, emotive expression\, and improvisational mastery. Joined by saxophonist Stacy Dillard\, bassist Gerald Cannon\, and drummer Chris Beck\, Chestnut continues to push boundaries with his original compositions\, which form the core of this album. The album adds to his already impressive discography\, which includes critically acclaimed works like Kaleidoscope and My Father’s Hands. \nIn addition to his recording career\, Chestnut has performed with a diverse array of artists and ensembles\, spanning the genres of jazz and classical music. He has recently graced the stage with classical groups such as the Cecilia Chorus of New York and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra\, further showcasing his versatility as an artist and his ability to bridge genres. Whether performing in intimate jazz settings or collaborating with large orchestras\, Chestnut’s music continues to captivate audiences with its depth and complexity. \nAs a Steinway Artist\, Chestnut joins an esteemed group of musicians known for their artistry and technical skill\, further solidifying his reputation as a master of the piano. \nA graduate of the renowned Baltimore School for the Arts\, Chestnut’s early exposure to both jazz and classical music shaped his unique approach to the piano. His career as a sideman has included collaborations with jazz giants such as Wynton Marsalis\, Betty Carter\, and Donald Harrison\, while his leadership of the Cyrus Chestnut Trio has solidified his place as one of the foremost jazz pianists today. \nChestnut’s contributions to the jazz world have earned him widespread praise\, with JazzTimes describing his playing as “virtuosic” and Down Beat calling him “one of the finest jazz pianists of his generation.” His music remains a testament to the power of jazz as an expressive and transformative art form\, deeply rooted in the spiritual and emotional traditions of gospel\, while extending outward into new musical horizons
URL:https://hartfordjazzsociety.com/event/cyrus-chestnut-trio-2/
LOCATION:Side Door Jazz Club\, 85 Lyme Street\, Old Lyme\, CT\, United States
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260220T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260220T223000
DTSTAMP:20260424T083437
CREATED:20260125T191751Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260125T191751Z
UID:10007583-1771617600-1771626600@hartfordjazzsociety.com
SUMMARY:Cyrus Chestnut Trio
DESCRIPTION:Join us for a special night of jazz with Pianist Cyrus Chestnut and his Trio! \n\n\n\n\nCyrus Chestnut is one of the most gifted and innovative jazz pianists of his generation. With a musical style that effortlessly combines the influences of gospel\, classical music\, and straight-ahead jazz\, Chestnut has garnered acclaim from critics and peers alike for his soulful\, virtuosic playing. His career spans decades of performances and recordings\, establishing him as a pivotal figure in contemporary jazz. \nRaised in the heart of Baltimore in a musical family\, Chestnut’s gospel roots have been a key influence on his musical development. His father\, a pianist\, and his mother\, a singer\, were both deeply involved in the church\, where Chestnut first encountered the powerful\, emotional connection between music and spirituality. This early exposure to gospel music provided him with a rich\, emotive foundation that continues to permeate his jazz performances\, infusing them with a soulful\, dynamic energy that resonates deeply with audiences. Chestnut has often described how the gospel tradition taught him not only how to play the piano but also how to connect with listeners on a deeper\, more emotional level. He has said\, “I want to spread some feel good… I want to be able to spread the feel good”—a sentiment that echoes the uplifting\, transformative nature of gospel music. \nChestnut’s talent is further showcased in his upcoming album\, Rhythm\, Melody\, and Harmony\, released on April 25\, 2025\, via HighNote Records. This piano quartet recording demonstrates his signature blend of rhythmic precision\, emotive expression\, and improvisational mastery. Joined by saxophonist Stacy Dillard\, bassist Gerald Cannon\, and drummer Chris Beck\, Chestnut continues to push boundaries with his original compositions\, which form the core of this album. The album adds to his already impressive discography\, which includes critically acclaimed works like Kaleidoscope and My Father’s Hands. \nIn addition to his recording career\, Chestnut has performed with a diverse array of artists and ensembles\, spanning the genres of jazz and classical music. He has recently graced the stage with classical groups such as the Cecilia Chorus of New York and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra\, further showcasing his versatility as an artist and his ability to bridge genres. Whether performing in intimate jazz settings or collaborating with large orchestras\, Chestnut’s music continues to captivate audiences with its depth and complexity. \nAs a Steinway Artist\, Chestnut joins an esteemed group of musicians known for their artistry and technical skill\, further solidifying his reputation as a master of the piano. \nA graduate of the renowned Baltimore School for the Arts\, Chestnut’s early exposure to both jazz and classical music shaped his unique approach to the piano. His career as a sideman has included collaborations with jazz giants such as Wynton Marsalis\, Betty Carter\, and Donald Harrison\, while his leadership of the Cyrus Chestnut Trio has solidified his place as one of the foremost jazz pianists today. \nChestnut’s contributions to the jazz world have earned him widespread praise\, with JazzTimes describing his playing as “virtuosic” and Down Beat calling him “one of the finest jazz pianists of his generation.” His music remains a testament to the power of jazz as an expressive and transformative art form\, deeply rooted in the spiritual and emotional traditions of gospel\, while extending outward into new musical horizons
URL:https://hartfordjazzsociety.com/event/cyrus-chestnut-trio/
LOCATION:Side Door Jazz Club\, 85 Lyme Street\, Old Lyme\, CT\, United States
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260215T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260215T223000
DTSTAMP:20260424T083437
CREATED:20260125T191417Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260125T191417Z
UID:10007582-1771185600-1771194600@hartfordjazzsociety.com
SUMMARY:Jimmy Greene Quartet
DESCRIPTION:Join us for a special night of jazz with Saxophonist Jimmy Greene and his Quartet! \n\n\n\n\nA native of Connecticut\, Jimmy Greene is one of the most respected saxophonists of his generation. His most recent recording\, As We Are Now\, was released on July 25\, 2025. His 2014 release\, Beautiful Life (Mack Avenue)\, garnered two Grammy® Award nominations: one for Best Jazz Instrumental Album and one for Best Arrangement\, Instruments and Vocals for Greene’s song “When I Come Home.” Greene has performed selections from the album on CBS This Morning\, NBC’s The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon\, and the nationally syndicated Meredith Vieira Show. His other releases as a leader\, While Looking Up (Mack Avenue)\, Flowers: Beautiful Life\, Vol. 2 (Mack Avenue)\, Live at Smalls (SmallsLive)\, Mission Statement (RazDaz/Sunnyside)\, The Overcomers Suite (NuJazz)\, Gifts and Givers (Criss Cross)\, True Life Stories (Criss Cross)\, Forever(Criss Cross)\, Brand New World (RCA Victor)\, Live at Birdland (RCA Victor) and Introducing Jimmy Greene (Criss Cross) were also met with much critical acclaim. In fact\, Tony Hall of Jazzwise Magazine (UK) calls Greene “ . . .without doubt one of the most striking young tenors of recent years.” \nThe Jimmy Greene Quartet/Quintet performs in concert venues\, festivals and clubs worldwide\, including the Village Vanguard\, Smoke and Dizzy’s Club Coca Cola in New York\, the Alexanderplatz Jazz Club (Rome\, Italy)\, Sunside Jazz Club (Paris\, France)\, Newport Jazz Festival (USA)\, Detroit International Jazz Festival (USA)\, Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival (USA)\, Red Sea Jazz Festival (Israel)\, Lapataia Jazz Festival (Uruguay) and Amazonas Jazz Festival (Brazil). In one such appearance\, Jim Macnie of the Village Voice said\, “[Greene] is good for a couple of body chills every time you see him. He’s got a big barrelhouse sound\, and a way of negotiating changes that make academic moves seem natural.” \nIn addition to his recordings and appearances as a leader\, Greene appears on over 100 albums as a sideman and is a member of legendary bassist Ron Carter’s Foursight Quartet. He has also toured and/or recorded in the bands of Horace Silver\, Tom Harrell\, Freddie Hubbard\, Harry Connick\, Jr.\, Avishai Cohen\, Kenny Barron\, Lewis Nash\, Steve Turre\, Dee Dee Bridgewater and the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band\, among many others. As a member of Harrell’s quintet\, Greene was featured on CBS’s benchmark news magazine\, 60 Minutes. As a member of Harry Connick Jr.’s Big Band\, Greene is a featured soloist on 2 DVD releases\, Harry for the Holidays\, and Only You. He was featured as a soloist on Connick’s 2003 holiday special aired on NBC\, in addition to NBC’s Today Show\, and BBC’s Parkinson Show. \nAs a composer\, Greene was awarded the prestigious 2005 ASCAP / IAJE Commission in honor of Ornette Coleman. Greene is the 2013 recipient of the State of Connecticut Governor’s Arts Award in Music as well as the 2012 recipient of the City of Hartford’s Innovator Award in Music. Greene was twice named a winner of Chamber Music America’s New Works: Creation and Presentation grant for jazz composition – in 2004 and again in 2023\, awarded a 2005 Artist Fellowship in Music Composition by the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism\, and awarded a 2009 Individual Artist Grant by the Greater Hartford Arts Council. Seventy of Greene’s original compositions and arrangements have been recorded on the Mack Avenue\, RCA Victor\, SmallsLive\, Criss Cross\, NuJazz and RazDaz / Sunnyside labels. In addition\, Greene’s performance of his composition “Mr. McLean” was aired throughout the US and Canada on ABC-TV during a NASCAR pre-race broadcast in September 2007. \nDown Beat Magazine named Greene the Winner of the Rising Star – Soprano Saxophone category in its 66th Annual Critics’ Poll \nGreene is Professor of Music at Western Connecticut State University in Danbury\, CT.
URL:https://hartfordjazzsociety.com/event/jimmy-greene-quartet-3/
LOCATION:Side Door Jazz Club\, 85 Lyme Street\, Old Lyme\, CT\, United States
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260214T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260214T223000
DTSTAMP:20260424T083437
CREATED:20260125T191308Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260125T191308Z
UID:10007581-1771099200-1771108200@hartfordjazzsociety.com
SUMMARY:Jimmy Greene Quartet
DESCRIPTION:Join us for a special night of jazz with Saxophonist Jimmy Greene and his Quartet! \n\n\n\n\nA native of Connecticut\, Jimmy Greene is one of the most respected saxophonists of his generation. His most recent recording\, As We Are Now\, was released on July 25\, 2025. His 2014 release\, Beautiful Life (Mack Avenue)\, garnered two Grammy® Award nominations: one for Best Jazz Instrumental Album and one for Best Arrangement\, Instruments and Vocals for Greene’s song “When I Come Home.” Greene has performed selections from the album on CBS This Morning\, NBC’s The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon\, and the nationally syndicated Meredith Vieira Show. His other releases as a leader\, While Looking Up (Mack Avenue)\, Flowers: Beautiful Life\, Vol. 2 (Mack Avenue)\, Live at Smalls (SmallsLive)\, Mission Statement (RazDaz/Sunnyside)\, The Overcomers Suite (NuJazz)\, Gifts and Givers (Criss Cross)\, True Life Stories (Criss Cross)\, Forever(Criss Cross)\, Brand New World (RCA Victor)\, Live at Birdland (RCA Victor) and Introducing Jimmy Greene (Criss Cross) were also met with much critical acclaim. In fact\, Tony Hall of Jazzwise Magazine (UK) calls Greene “ . . .without doubt one of the most striking young tenors of recent years.” \nThe Jimmy Greene Quartet/Quintet performs in concert venues\, festivals and clubs worldwide\, including the Village Vanguard\, Smoke and Dizzy’s Club Coca Cola in New York\, the Alexanderplatz Jazz Club (Rome\, Italy)\, Sunside Jazz Club (Paris\, France)\, Newport Jazz Festival (USA)\, Detroit International Jazz Festival (USA)\, Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival (USA)\, Red Sea Jazz Festival (Israel)\, Lapataia Jazz Festival (Uruguay) and Amazonas Jazz Festival (Brazil). In one such appearance\, Jim Macnie of the Village Voice said\, “[Greene] is good for a couple of body chills every time you see him. He’s got a big barrelhouse sound\, and a way of negotiating changes that make academic moves seem natural.” \nIn addition to his recordings and appearances as a leader\, Greene appears on over 100 albums as a sideman and is a member of legendary bassist Ron Carter’s Foursight Quartet. He has also toured and/or recorded in the bands of Horace Silver\, Tom Harrell\, Freddie Hubbard\, Harry Connick\, Jr.\, Avishai Cohen\, Kenny Barron\, Lewis Nash\, Steve Turre\, Dee Dee Bridgewater and the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band\, among many others. As a member of Harrell’s quintet\, Greene was featured on CBS’s benchmark news magazine\, 60 Minutes. As a member of Harry Connick Jr.’s Big Band\, Greene is a featured soloist on 2 DVD releases\, Harry for the Holidays\, and Only You. He was featured as a soloist on Connick’s 2003 holiday special aired on NBC\, in addition to NBC’s Today Show\, and BBC’s Parkinson Show. \nAs a composer\, Greene was awarded the prestigious 2005 ASCAP / IAJE Commission in honor of Ornette Coleman. Greene is the 2013 recipient of the State of Connecticut Governor’s Arts Award in Music as well as the 2012 recipient of the City of Hartford’s Innovator Award in Music. Greene was twice named a winner of Chamber Music America’s New Works: Creation and Presentation grant for jazz composition – in 2004 and again in 2023\, awarded a 2005 Artist Fellowship in Music Composition by the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism\, and awarded a 2009 Individual Artist Grant by the Greater Hartford Arts Council. Seventy of Greene’s original compositions and arrangements have been recorded on the Mack Avenue\, RCA Victor\, SmallsLive\, Criss Cross\, NuJazz and RazDaz / Sunnyside labels. In addition\, Greene’s performance of his composition “Mr. McLean” was aired throughout the US and Canada on ABC-TV during a NASCAR pre-race broadcast in September 2007. \nDown Beat Magazine named Greene the Winner of the Rising Star – Soprano Saxophone category in its 66th Annual Critics’ Poll \nGreene is Professor of Music at Western Connecticut State University in Danbury\, CT.
URL:https://hartfordjazzsociety.com/event/jimmy-greene-quartet-2/
LOCATION:Side Door Jazz Club\, 85 Lyme Street\, Old Lyme\, CT\, United States
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260213T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260213T223000
DTSTAMP:20260424T083437
CREATED:20260125T191207Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260125T191207Z
UID:10007580-1771012800-1771021800@hartfordjazzsociety.com
SUMMARY:Jimmy Greene Quartet
DESCRIPTION:Join us for a special night of jazz with Saxophonist Jimmy Greene and his Quartet! \n\n\n\n\nA native of Connecticut\, Jimmy Greene is one of the most respected saxophonists of his generation. His most recent recording\, As We Are Now\, was released on July 25\, 2025. His 2014 release\, Beautiful Life (Mack Avenue)\, garnered two Grammy® Award nominations: one for Best Jazz Instrumental Album and one for Best Arrangement\, Instruments and Vocals for Greene’s song “When I Come Home.” Greene has performed selections from the album on CBS This Morning\, NBC’s The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon\, and the nationally syndicated Meredith Vieira Show. His other releases as a leader\, While Looking Up (Mack Avenue)\, Flowers: Beautiful Life\, Vol. 2 (Mack Avenue)\, Live at Smalls (SmallsLive)\, Mission Statement (RazDaz/Sunnyside)\, The Overcomers Suite (NuJazz)\, Gifts and Givers (Criss Cross)\, True Life Stories (Criss Cross)\, Forever(Criss Cross)\, Brand New World (RCA Victor)\, Live at Birdland (RCA Victor) and Introducing Jimmy Greene (Criss Cross) were also met with much critical acclaim. In fact\, Tony Hall of Jazzwise Magazine (UK) calls Greene “ . . .without doubt one of the most striking young tenors of recent years.” \nThe Jimmy Greene Quartet/Quintet performs in concert venues\, festivals and clubs worldwide\, including the Village Vanguard\, Smoke and Dizzy’s Club Coca Cola in New York\, the Alexanderplatz Jazz Club (Rome\, Italy)\, Sunside Jazz Club (Paris\, France)\, Newport Jazz Festival (USA)\, Detroit International Jazz Festival (USA)\, Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival (USA)\, Red Sea Jazz Festival (Israel)\, Lapataia Jazz Festival (Uruguay) and Amazonas Jazz Festival (Brazil). In one such appearance\, Jim Macnie of the Village Voice said\, “[Greene] is good for a couple of body chills every time you see him. He’s got a big barrelhouse sound\, and a way of negotiating changes that make academic moves seem natural.” \nIn addition to his recordings and appearances as a leader\, Greene appears on over 100 albums as a sideman and is a member of legendary bassist Ron Carter’s Foursight Quartet. He has also toured and/or recorded in the bands of Horace Silver\, Tom Harrell\, Freddie Hubbard\, Harry Connick\, Jr.\, Avishai Cohen\, Kenny Barron\, Lewis Nash\, Steve Turre\, Dee Dee Bridgewater and the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band\, among many others. As a member of Harrell’s quintet\, Greene was featured on CBS’s benchmark news magazine\, 60 Minutes. As a member of Harry Connick Jr.’s Big Band\, Greene is a featured soloist on 2 DVD releases\, Harry for the Holidays\, and Only You. He was featured as a soloist on Connick’s 2003 holiday special aired on NBC\, in addition to NBC’s Today Show\, and BBC’s Parkinson Show. \nAs a composer\, Greene was awarded the prestigious 2005 ASCAP / IAJE Commission in honor of Ornette Coleman. Greene is the 2013 recipient of the State of Connecticut Governor’s Arts Award in Music as well as the 2012 recipient of the City of Hartford’s Innovator Award in Music. Greene was twice named a winner of Chamber Music America’s New Works: Creation and Presentation grant for jazz composition – in 2004 and again in 2023\, awarded a 2005 Artist Fellowship in Music Composition by the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism\, and awarded a 2009 Individual Artist Grant by the Greater Hartford Arts Council. Seventy of Greene’s original compositions and arrangements have been recorded on the Mack Avenue\, RCA Victor\, SmallsLive\, Criss Cross\, NuJazz and RazDaz / Sunnyside labels. In addition\, Greene’s performance of his composition “Mr. McLean” was aired throughout the US and Canada on ABC-TV during a NASCAR pre-race broadcast in September 2007. \nDown Beat Magazine named Greene the Winner of the Rising Star – Soprano Saxophone category in its 66th Annual Critics’ Poll \nGreene is Professor of Music at Western Connecticut State University in Danbury\, CT.
URL:https://hartfordjazzsociety.com/event/jimmy-greene-quartet/
LOCATION:Side Door Jazz Club\, 85 Lyme Street\, Old Lyme\, CT\, United States
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260207T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260207T223000
DTSTAMP:20260424T083437
CREATED:20260125T190904Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260125T190904Z
UID:10007579-1770494400-1770503400@hartfordjazzsociety.com
SUMMARY:Bobby Broom Eastern Standard Trio
DESCRIPTION:Join us for a special night of jazz with Guitarist Bobby Broom and his Trio! \n\n\n\n\nBobby Broom – Guitar \nNat Reeves – Bass \nRon Savage – Drums \nGuitar great Bobby Broom knows exactly when he first fell in love with the jazz organ. The magic moment came at age 10 when he put on one of the albums his father had brought home\, Charles Earland’s Black Talk! Young Bobby didn’t know or care much about jazz yet. “I was just into music\,” he says. But after playing the “Mighty Burner’s” now-classic 1969 album\, he was sold. \n“Something about that record captivated me from the start\, the feeling\, it was just like that”\, says Broom. “It had ‘The Age of Aquarius’ and ‘More Today Than Yesterday\,’ songs I knew from the radio. It made me happy. It made me want to dance. And it made me want to listen. I played that album every day\, multiple times a day. It completely enthralled me.” \nWhen Earland moved to Chicago in the late ’80s for a successful comeback\, there was no doubt in Broom’s mind who his guitarist had to be. “I thought\, this is my gig\, obviously\, this is my gig\,” says the guitarist\, laughing. “There’s no way he moves to Chicago and I’m here and I’m not going to play with him! It was the thing doing its thing!” \nAs documented on Earland albums including Front Burner and Third Degree Burn\, the dream gig became a reality\, and Broom went on to play and/or record with other Hammond B-3 masters including Jimmy McGriff\, Dr. Lonnie Smith\, Melvin Rhyne and\, once\, the king of them all\, Jimmy Smith. But he has made his strongest mark in this vein with his own organ groups—first the Deep Blue Organ Trio\, a Chicago collective featuring Chris Foreman that lasted 25 years\, and its ongoing successor\, the Bobby Broom Organi-Sation\, featuring B-3 whiz Ben Paterson. \nOn the Organi-Sation’s terrific new live album\, Jamalot\, Broom flashes back as ever to Earland’s treatment of pop hits to reach a wider audience. Half of the album\, recorded during his trio’s 2014 tour with Steely Dan\, consists of tunes that the legendary pop band’s followers would be familiar with\, including Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition\,” the Animals’ “House of the Rising Sun\,” the Beatles’ “The Long and Winding Road\,” and Derek and the Dominos’ “Layla”—all of which he had previously recorded. \nThe other songs on Jamalot\, recorded in 2019 at Joe and Wayne Segal’s Jazz Showcase in Chicago\, address earlier eras of the popular song movement via “Tennessee Waltz\,” Fats Waller’s “Jitterbug Waltz\,” Kurt Weill’s “Speak Low\,” and Tadd Dameron’s “Tadd’sDelight.” Different audiences with different expectations but connected by a love of classic melodies. \nBroom\, who had previously opened for Steely Dan with the Deep Blue Organ Trio\, initially turned down the invitation to tour with them again. Following the dissolution of the DBOT\, he was between organ groups and was uncomfortable with “wrangling” a Hammond player he didn’t know musically or personally. \nTold of his decision\, one of his regular drummers\, Makaya McCraven\, now a mega-force incontemporary music\, got in his ear. “He said\, ‘What?What? What are you doing? You can’t not do this\, man\, ”Broom says with a laugh. Who turns down an opportunity to go on the road withlegends? With McCraven’s help\, Broom spun through their lists looking for a worthy candidate. \nWhen Paterson’s name came up\, it stuck. Broom had never worked with the Philadelphia native\,but he had heard him a few times (Paterson was a longtime regular in Chicago tenor great VonFreeman’s band) and liked what he heard. As he had done in drafting key boardist Justin Dillard for his2022 album\, Keyed Up\, the guitarist went with his hunch. The timing was perfect. Paterson\, who had moved to New York\, was returning to the Windy City for a gig and would be able to rehearse with the new trio. McCraven and Kobie Watkins\, a long time musical partner of Broom’s\, would alternate on drums (depending on the needs of their pregnant wives). \n“Ben was a perfect fit for me\, exactly what I was looking for in a new organ trio\, which was freedom\, ”says Broom. “He has a background in jazz organ tradition\, but his sensibility also leans toward pop music\, popular song\, from past eras\, the Great American Songbook as well as rhythm and blues and soul music. His melodic sense is really personal. As much as I love the blues\, I don’t want to just hear someone play bluesand that’s it. Ben plays melodies.” \n“Performing with Bobby is always an exciting proposition\, ”says Paterson.“He always puts his whole self fully behind every tune and every note. He never dials it in or simply plays something. Sitting between Bobby’s lead and Kobie or Makaya’s incredible groove\, at the heart of the band\, is one of my absolute favorite places to be.” \nBobby Broom was born in Harlem\, New York\, on January 18\, 1961\, and raised on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. He had what he calls “intimate relationships” with the tunes that came on his radio. “When my favorite songs came on\, they were like friends knocking on my door\,” he says. He aspired to one day play some of those great songs\, but not until he was ready. \nHe began studying the guitar at age 12\,concentrating on jazz under the aegis of Harlem-based guitar instructor Jimmy Carter. A 16-year-old prodigy at the High School of Music and Art(now known as the LaGuardia High School of Performing Arts)\,Broom played in the jazz ensemble and was awarded for Outstanding Jazz Improvisation during his senior year. \nChaperoned by Weldon Irvine (an early mentor of his\, composer for Freddie Hubbard and Horace Silver\, bandleader for Nina Simone\, and lyricist of “To Be Young\, Gifted and Black”)\,the 16-year-old Broom found himself in an East Side NYC jazz club for the purpose of being taught to sit in. That lesson became a reality for Broom when Al Haig\, pianist for Charlie Parker\, invited him to join in for a couple of tunes. Impressed by the youngster’s playing\, Haig offered him the chance to play with him at Gregory’s on the Upper East Side whenever he wanted. Broom ended up playing two or three times a week there\, and also got to play\, with great awe\, with another notable Bird keyboardist\, Walter Bishop\, Jr. \nHis albums with the Deep Blue Organ Trio\, featuring organist Chris Foreman\, included the Stevie Wonder salute\, Wonderful! The Organi-Sation made its recorded debut in 2018 with Soul Fingers\, which included Curtis Mayfield’s “Get Ready” and the Beatles’ “Come Together.”Of all his achievements\, Broom is prouder of none more than his appointment as a tenured Associate Professor of Jazz Guitar and Jazz Studies at Northern Illinois University. Awarded a B.A. in music from Columbia College and an M.A. in jazz pedagogy from Northwestern University\, he has long been involved in music education\, previously teaching at the University of Hartford’s Hartt School of Music\, DePaul University\, Roosevelt University\, and the American Conservatory of Music. He also has instructed music students in public high schools throughout Chicago as part of a jazz mentoring program sponsored by the Ravinia Festival Organization and has been an instructor and mentor with the Herbie Hancock Institute.“I had to let the dust settle on these Steely Dan tour recordings but after ten years\, the power and excitement of them\, and the connectedness of this group\, is something that I want to share with my audience\,” says Broom. “I’m eager for them to compare and contrast the concert and club stage performances for similarities and differences\, feel the depth of the grooves\, dance\, hum along\, and essentially come on the road with us for the hour of this music.”•
URL:https://hartfordjazzsociety.com/event/bobby-broom-eastern-standard-trio/
LOCATION:Side Door Jazz Club\, 85 Lyme Street\, Old Lyme\, CT\, United States
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260206T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260206T223000
DTSTAMP:20260424T083437
CREATED:20260125T190535Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260125T190535Z
UID:10007578-1770408000-1770417000@hartfordjazzsociety.com
SUMMARY:Christopher McBride & The Whole Proof
DESCRIPTION:Join us for a special night of jazz with Saxophonist Christopher McBride and his Quartet! \n\n\n\n\nChristopher McBride – Saxophone \nJon Thomas – Piano \nBarry Stephenson – Bass \nMichael Piolet – Drums \nSaxophonist Christopher McBride is based in New York City. His work includes education\, arranging and composition in addition to performance. He has been slowly but steadily turning heads with his ubiquitous work as an invaluable sideman since the mid-2000’s. Now Christopher is gaining respect amongst fans\, critics\, and his peers as one of the most versatile saxophonists in the world. His 2012 debut album Quatuor de Force certainly establishes his ability to front a group and write his own soulful\, melodically indelible tunes. Applauded for his ability to play in all musical situations\, McBride has the ability to unleash a fiery attack and serrated tone\, but on his first album he explores a more measured\, mellow sound heavily influenced by contemporary R&B—with a strong shot of Cannonball Adderley’s post-bop sensuality—but his improvising is very rigorous and cogent. As a composer\, McBride was selected as the 2022 Make Jazz Fellowship artist at The 18th Street Arts Center in Santa Monica\, California. \nBorn in Chicago\, and starting his professional career there in 2007\, Christopher made the move to NYC in 2013. His group\,The Whole Proof\, has played venues all over New York. Christopher ran his ‘Singer Meets Saxophonist’ series at the famed Minton’s Playhouse in Harlem from 2017-2019. The musicians he has performed with over the years span many genres sharing the stage with Billy Preston\, Percy Gray\, Roy Hargrove\, Pete Rock\, Rakim\, Big Daddy Kane\, Talib Kweli\, Lupe Fiasco\, Guy Sebastian\, Solange\, Ne-Yo\, Jennifer Hudson\, Alice Smith\, Brandon Flowers\, Lea DeLaria\, 88 Keys\, Milton Mustafa\, Winard Harper\, and the Marquis Hill’s Blacktet. \nAs a recording artist\, McBride’s February 2023 release ‘Ramon’ made the Top 25 on the JazzWeek Charts and stayed on the charts for 14 weeks as well as making the JazzWeek Top 100 albums for 2023. The sophomore release has received critical acclaim. All About Jazz called the album “a sonic marvel that showcases a robust grasp of bebop and contemporary jazz idioms.” As a performing artist he has received a Grammy certificate for his work as a collaborator/soloist on Steven Feifke and Bijon Watson’s 2022 album “Generation Gap Jazz Orchestra.” \nAs an educator\, McBride has served as the Director of Education for the Second Line Arts Collective\, a non-for-profit organization based out of New Orleans. His primary duties included writing curriculum for the Little Stompers division and teacher development. He also teaches for Jazz at Lincoln Center regularly\, as well as touring nationally with various educational programs. \nAs a journalist and consultant\, McBride has worked with Forbes Ignite\, the innovation coalition of Forbes.
URL:https://hartfordjazzsociety.com/event/christopher-mcbride-the-whole-proof/
LOCATION:Side Door Jazz Club\, 85 Lyme Street\, Old Lyme\, CT\, United States
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260131T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260131T223000
DTSTAMP:20260424T083437
CREATED:20251229T160932Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251229T160932Z
UID:10007512-1769889600-1769898600@hartfordjazzsociety.com
SUMMARY:Jazzmeia Horn
DESCRIPTION:As Grammy-nominated vocalist Jazzmeia Horn looks out the window of her 11th-floor hotel room in Tokyo\, she describes the surrounding skyscrapers\, the yellow and pink clouds floating by and Messages — her fourth leader date\, which is set to release October 25\, 2024\, via Empress Legacy Records. \nIn part\, Messages\, is intended to be a word of encouragement to anyone making tough choices — a reminder that we all make sacrifices. Sometimes\, the difficulties encountered along the way are worth it\, though. \nOne of those hardships\, for Horn\, is being on the road as much as she is. It leaves less time to be with her family. But touring the world also granted Horn\, a product of Dallas’ Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts\, space to ruminate on her relationships — both familial and romantic — how they’ve changed and how they inform her art. \n“If you want to sing your own song\, if you have a mission\, if you have a lyric\,” she began\, looking out that window in Japan. “Whatever that voice is\, that love\, that light\, that grit — whatever that is inside of you\, you have to do that.” \nIn contrast to 2021’s Dear Love\, the bandleader pared back her ensemble\, eschewing the personnel of a big band\, but retaining the avant-playfulness of the Sun Ra Arkestra — especially on the interstellar “Submit to the Unknown.” Ruminations on family\, friendship\, and love all circulate among the 10 original compositions on the album. \nAs much as those connections are mined for recurring lyrical motifs\, Horn’s writing — her messages — readily reassures listeners to focus and pursue their ambitions. It’s also the bandleader bolstering herself against the world. \nOn “Sing Your Own Song\,” she sings: “Some things may not be fair/ Gloom and misery everywhere/ But I think it’s amazing/ what life can bring to you.” \nHorn said she wrote the tune for her mother\, who gave up a career in music to raise her. The singer didn’t make the same choice for herself. \n“I miss them when I’m on tour — and when I’m with them\, I miss them\, too\,” Horn said about being away from her children. It’s a sentiment explored further on her composition “Mother’s Love\,” an uplifting and comforting tune that changes meter while Horn lands its melody in unpredictable places. “They’re growing up\, you know. I come back from tour and the youngest one lost a tooth and the other one won an award at school.” \nAs new generations engage the history of the music\, it’s already been built into Messages: Horn interprets the 1932 composition “You’re Getting to Be a Habit with Me”; and her own tune “Tip” sounds as if it could have been recorded in the ’50s — the band in a casual groove as the bandleader displays her seemingly boundless vocal range. \nHorn is among the vanguard in jazz\, using her knowledge of the canon to inform decisions firmly rooted in traditional parts of the genre\, while still adding in contemporary ideas\, themes and music. The 21st century comes to bear on the album through the singer splicing in voice recordings and voicemails — literal messages — into a few songs. “Voicemail Blues” is a whimsical trip through Horn’s inbox as listeners get to hear from bassist Reggie Workman\, the singer’s friends and family. \nAlbum closer “Flip D Switch” features some Herbie-esque electric keys and a recording of an unhinged tirade delivered by Horn’s ex. After that piece of tape rolls — when the unnamed man tells Horn she has issues with\, among a litany of other nonsense\, obedience — the vocalist summarizes their relationship\, dismissing his fits and tantrums. \nShe sings: “Flip the switch\, I don’t play with kids\, we grown/ Flip the switch\, time for me to move on.” \nThe inverse of that song and sentiment arrives on “Mysteries of Us\,” a compositionally complex\, extended piece delving into the fullness of love Horn feels for her current partner — and their decision to be together. \n“I’ve prayed about it\, I’ve fasted about it\, and I’ve asked God for guidance and wisdom\,” she said about the relationship. “I’ve made my decision.” \nThe song’s comprised of a traditional lyric section\, an instrumental portion — led by Chicago-bred trumpeter Marquis Hill — and an emotionally dense poem\, where Horn guides listeners through the love and hardships of her long-term partnership. \n“I love his sound\,” Horn said about why she asked Hill to contribute to the tune. “And I felt like he was probably the only one who could really give me exactly what I wanted.” \nWhile the bandleader again doesn’t explicitly say who she’s addressing in the lyric\, it traces the couple’s dovetailing spirituality\, and knowledge of literature and scripture. \n“Listening to the lyrics\, you can’t help but reflect on your own past relationships. I just used those thoughts and feelings\, and poured it into the music\,” Hill said about working with Horn and her ensemble\, which here includes pianists Keith Brown and Victor Gould\, bassist Eric Wheeler\, percussionist Kahlil Kwame Bell and drummer Anwar Marshall. “When you hear Jazzmeia sing the melody and sing these lyrics\, you can sense the rawness in her voice\, and the realness in the music. I just tried to piggyback off her energy and tap into that same space.” \nThe openness Hill heard on that single song is evident across each of Horn’s Messages. She’s written this collection for herself\, for her family\, and for listeners and fans who might need a reminder to believe in themselves. \n“When I write\, I don’t really care what people think. I don’t ask\, ‘Is this gonna fit?’ I don’t care\,” Horn said. “My messages are for healing. My messages are for reconciliation. My messages are for exposing\, for movement. My messages are for freedom — the freedom of expression. That’s what the record is really\, truly about.”
URL:https://hartfordjazzsociety.com/event/jazzmeia-horn-2/
LOCATION:Side Door Jazz Club\, 85 Lyme Street\, Old Lyme\, CT\, United States
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260130T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260130T223000
DTSTAMP:20260424T083437
CREATED:20251229T160817Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251229T160817Z
UID:10007511-1769803200-1769812200@hartfordjazzsociety.com
SUMMARY:Jazzmeia Horn
DESCRIPTION:As Grammy-nominated vocalist Jazzmeia Horn looks out the window of her 11th-floor hotel room in Tokyo\, she describes the surrounding skyscrapers\, the yellow and pink clouds floating by and Messages — her fourth leader date\, which is set to release October 25\, 2024\, via Empress Legacy Records. \nIn part\, Messages\, is intended to be a word of encouragement to anyone making tough choices — a reminder that we all make sacrifices. Sometimes\, the difficulties encountered along the way are worth it\, though. \nOne of those hardships\, for Horn\, is being on the road as much as she is. It leaves less time to be with her family. But touring the world also granted Horn\, a product of Dallas’ Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts\, space to ruminate on her relationships — both familial and romantic — how they’ve changed and how they inform her art. \n“If you want to sing your own song\, if you have a mission\, if you have a lyric\,” she began\, looking out that window in Japan. “Whatever that voice is\, that love\, that light\, that grit — whatever that is inside of you\, you have to do that.” \nIn contrast to 2021’s Dear Love\, the bandleader pared back her ensemble\, eschewing the personnel of a big band\, but retaining the avant-playfulness of the Sun Ra Arkestra — especially on the interstellar “Submit to the Unknown.” Ruminations on family\, friendship\, and love all circulate among the 10 original compositions on the album. \nAs much as those connections are mined for recurring lyrical motifs\, Horn’s writing — her messages — readily reassures listeners to focus and pursue their ambitions. It’s also the bandleader bolstering herself against the world. \nOn “Sing Your Own Song\,” she sings: “Some things may not be fair/ Gloom and misery everywhere/ But I think it’s amazing/ what life can bring to you.” \nHorn said she wrote the tune for her mother\, who gave up a career in music to raise her. The singer didn’t make the same choice for herself. \n“I miss them when I’m on tour — and when I’m with them\, I miss them\, too\,” Horn said about being away from her children. It’s a sentiment explored further on her composition “Mother’s Love\,” an uplifting and comforting tune that changes meter while Horn lands its melody in unpredictable places. “They’re growing up\, you know. I come back from tour and the youngest one lost a tooth and the other one won an award at school.” \nAs new generations engage the history of the music\, it’s already been built into Messages: Horn interprets the 1932 composition “You’re Getting to Be a Habit with Me”; and her own tune “Tip” sounds as if it could have been recorded in the ’50s — the band in a casual groove as the bandleader displays her seemingly boundless vocal range. \nHorn is among the vanguard in jazz\, using her knowledge of the canon to inform decisions firmly rooted in traditional parts of the genre\, while still adding in contemporary ideas\, themes and music. The 21st century comes to bear on the album through the singer splicing in voice recordings and voicemails — literal messages — into a few songs. “Voicemail Blues” is a whimsical trip through Horn’s inbox as listeners get to hear from bassist Reggie Workman\, the singer’s friends and family. \nAlbum closer “Flip D Switch” features some Herbie-esque electric keys and a recording of an unhinged tirade delivered by Horn’s ex. After that piece of tape rolls — when the unnamed man tells Horn she has issues with\, among a litany of other nonsense\, obedience — the vocalist summarizes their relationship\, dismissing his fits and tantrums. \nShe sings: “Flip the switch\, I don’t play with kids\, we grown/ Flip the switch\, time for me to move on.” \nThe inverse of that song and sentiment arrives on “Mysteries of Us\,” a compositionally complex\, extended piece delving into the fullness of love Horn feels for her current partner — and their decision to be together. \n“I’ve prayed about it\, I’ve fasted about it\, and I’ve asked God for guidance and wisdom\,” she said about the relationship. “I’ve made my decision.” \nThe song’s comprised of a traditional lyric section\, an instrumental portion — led by Chicago-bred trumpeter Marquis Hill — and an emotionally dense poem\, where Horn guides listeners through the love and hardships of her long-term partnership. \n“I love his sound\,” Horn said about why she asked Hill to contribute to the tune. “And I felt like he was probably the only one who could really give me exactly what I wanted.” \nWhile the bandleader again doesn’t explicitly say who she’s addressing in the lyric\, it traces the couple’s dovetailing spirituality\, and knowledge of literature and scripture. \n“Listening to the lyrics\, you can’t help but reflect on your own past relationships. I just used those thoughts and feelings\, and poured it into the music\,” Hill said about working with Horn and her ensemble\, which here includes pianists Keith Brown and Victor Gould\, bassist Eric Wheeler\, percussionist Kahlil Kwame Bell and drummer Anwar Marshall. “When you hear Jazzmeia sing the melody and sing these lyrics\, you can sense the rawness in her voice\, and the realness in the music. I just tried to piggyback off her energy and tap into that same space.” \nThe openness Hill heard on that single song is evident across each of Horn’s Messages. She’s written this collection for herself\, for her family\, and for listeners and fans who might need a reminder to believe in themselves. \n“When I write\, I don’t really care what people think. I don’t ask\, ‘Is this gonna fit?’ I don’t care\,” Horn said. “My messages are for healing. My messages are for reconciliation. My messages are for exposing\, for movement. My messages are for freedom — the freedom of expression. That’s what the record is really\, truly about.”
URL:https://hartfordjazzsociety.com/event/jazzmeia-horn/
LOCATION:Side Door Jazz Club\, 85 Lyme Street\, Old Lyme\, CT\, United States
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260124T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260124T223000
DTSTAMP:20260424T083437
CREATED:20251229T160612Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251229T160612Z
UID:10007510-1769284800-1769293800@hartfordjazzsociety.com
SUMMARY:Tyreek McDole Quintet
DESCRIPTION:Tyreek McDole – Vocals & Keys \nDylan Band – Tenor & Soprano Saxophones \nJoe Block – Piano/Keys \nDan Finn – Bass \nGary Jones III – Drums \nTyreek McDole\, a 25-year-old Haitian-American vocalist from Florida\, is making waves on the New York and international music scenes. His artistry is rooted in the belief that music is the highest form of communication a powerful tool for healing\, reflection\, and collective dreaming. \nHe first gained attention at Jazz at Lincoln Centers 2018 Essentially Ellington Competition\, where he was awarded Outstanding Vocalist by Wynton Marsalis. Since then\, he’s performed alongside an impressive roster of artists including Rodney Whitaker\, Theo Croker\, Gary Bartz\, Maurice Brown\, Joey Alexander\, Terri Lyne Carrington\, Nicholas Payton\, and many others. \nTyreek has appeared at many of the world’s most hallowed stages such as Blue Note New York\, Salle Pleyel\, Nublu\, Dizzy’s Jazz Club\, Ronnie Scott’s\, Birdland Jazz Club\, Jazz at Lincoln Center\, Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier\, and major international festivals such as the Newport Jazz Festival\, Monterey Jazz Festival\, Jazz in Marciac\, and the Nice Jazz Festival. \nIn 2023\, he won the Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition\, joining the ranks of standout vocalists like Cyrille Aimee\, Lucia Gutierrez Rebolloso\, and Samara Joy. \nHis debut album\, Open Up Your Senses\, released in June 2025 on Artwork Records\, is #1 on Jazz Week\, received 4 stars in DownBeat Magazine\, and is being celebrated as one of the most thoughtful and spiritually resonant jazz debuts in years. He hopes you enjoy.
URL:https://hartfordjazzsociety.com/event/tyreek-mcdole-quintet-2/
LOCATION:Side Door Jazz Club\, 85 Lyme Street\, Old Lyme\, CT\, United States
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260123T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260123T223000
DTSTAMP:20260424T083437
CREATED:20251229T160233Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251229T160233Z
UID:10007509-1769198400-1769207400@hartfordjazzsociety.com
SUMMARY:Tyreek McDole Quintet
DESCRIPTION:Tyreek McDole – Vocals & Keys \nDylan Band – Tenor & Soprano Saxophones \nJoe Block – Piano/Keys \nDan Finn – Bass \nGary Jones III – Drums \nTyreek McDole\, a 25-year-old Haitian-American vocalist from Florida\, is making waves on the New York and international music scenes. His artistry is rooted in the belief that music is the highest form of communication a powerful tool for healing\, reflection\, and collective dreaming. \nHe first gained attention at Jazz at Lincoln Centers 2018 Essentially Ellington Competition\, where he was awarded Outstanding Vocalist by Wynton Marsalis. Since then\, he’s performed alongside an impressive roster of artists including Rodney Whitaker\, Theo Croker\, Gary Bartz\, Maurice Brown\, Joey Alexander\, Terri Lyne Carrington\, Nicholas Payton\, and many others. \nTyreek has appeared at many of the world’s most hallowed stages such as Blue Note New York\, Salle Pleyel\, Nublu\, Dizzy’s Jazz Club\, Ronnie Scott’s\, Birdland Jazz Club\, Jazz at Lincoln Center\, Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier\, and major international festivals such as the Newport Jazz Festival\, Monterey Jazz Festival\, Jazz in Marciac\, and the Nice Jazz Festival. \nIn 2023\, he won the Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition\, joining the ranks of standout vocalists like Cyrille Aimee\, Lucia Gutierrez Rebolloso\, and Samara Joy. \nHis debut album\, Open Up Your Senses\, released in June 2025 on Artwork Records\, is #1 on Jazz Week\, received 4 stars in DownBeat Magazine\, and is being celebrated as one of the most thoughtful and spiritually resonant jazz debuts in years. He hopes you enjoy.
URL:https://hartfordjazzsociety.com/event/tyreek-mcdole-quintet/
LOCATION:Side Door Jazz Club\, 85 Lyme Street\, Old Lyme\, CT\, United States
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260117T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260117T223000
DTSTAMP:20260424T083437
CREATED:20251229T160037Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251229T160037Z
UID:10007508-1768680000-1768689000@hartfordjazzsociety.com
SUMMARY:Pat Bianchi Trio
DESCRIPTION:Pat Bianchi – Organ \nTroy Roberts – Saxophone \nColin Stranahan – Drums \nGrammy nominated organist Pat Bianchi has established himself as one of the premier organists on the international scene today. Bianchi is the winner of Downbeat Magazine’s 2016 rising star poll\, Hot House 2019 poll and nominee of the 2024 Jazz Journalists Association as Keyboardist of the year. Known for fearlessly taking the jazz organ into new and exciting directions\, Pat’s playing blends tradition with forward-thinking creativity\, drawing inspiration from legends like Dr. Lonnie Smith and Joey DeFrancesco. With a career that includes touring with Steely Dan\, performing alongside icons like Pat Martino and Lou Donaldson\, and leading his own acclaimed trio\, Pat’s artistry is unmatched! \nJoining Bianchi is three-time GRAMMY nominated saxophonist\, Troy Roberts who is quickly becoming one of the most widely recorded touring artists of his time. As a go-to first call saxophonist\, his name adorns several essential recordings ranging from the legendary Joey DeFrancesco\, to Van Morrison\, Jeff “Tain” Watts\, Kurt Elling and Veronica Swift as well as numerous others. Drummer Colin Stranahan was one of the winners of the 2012 Thelonious Monk Drum Competition. Colin is among the most sought-after drummers in the world having worked with such artist as Kurt Rosenwinkel\, Jonathan Kreisberg\, Dr. Lonnie Smith\, Fred Hersch\, Terence Blanchard\, Dave Kikoski\, Kevin Hays\, Herbie Hancock\, Wayne Shorter and many others. \nBianchi\, Roberts and Stranahan have defined their voices as individual artists and when they come together\, the musical result sets this group apart from most\, if not all of the organ trios on the scene today.
URL:https://hartfordjazzsociety.com/event/pat-bianchi-trio/
LOCATION:Side Door Jazz Club\, 85 Lyme Street\, Old Lyme\, CT\, United States
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR