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WBGO's Doug Doyle chats with the five finalists of NJPAC's Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition

Legendary pianist, composer, arranger, and contemporary jazz giant Bob James joins Milestones as we delve into his experimental CTI debut, One, for its 50th anniversary.

Ronald Bell, along with his brother, Robert "Kool" Bell, brought generations of music fans together on the dancefloor with hits like "Celebration," "Get Down On It" and "Jungle Boogie."

Singer Sheila Jordan chats with JNIA host and bassist Christian McBride about her early days in jazz

Willard Jenkins talks with Herb Scott of Capitol Hill Jazz Foundation about thinking outside the box, to foster continued live entertainment in his home city of Washington D.C.

Trumpeter and composer Markus Rutz brings a melodious pen to his original compositions and plays with a tone that has been called gorgeous. For this trio performance at The SoapBox Gallery he leads the trio along with Amina Figarova and Keala Kaumeheiwa in the band and ready to present music representing standards, original music and tunes from an album that is scheduled for release in early 2023.  

Markus released two volumes of Blueprints on Origin Records from his last studio recording project along with Chicago contemporaries and guest saxophonist Brice Winston.  This project organically evolved into his most recent project as Composer-in-Residence for The Rose Theatre based out of Washington DC.  The collaboration features music arrangement and performances on monthly episodes of The Rose Rhapsody.  

Pianist Amina Figarova is in the band for this engagement. Amina is an Azerbaijani jazz pianist. Trained as a classical pianist in Baku, she became interested in the local folk music, later specializing in jazz. Since the late 1980s, together with her husband, the flutist Bart Platteau, she has performed in jazz festivals around the world.

Keala Kaumeheiwa is bassist contributing his pulse and groove to round out the ensemble. Keala is active on the Boston scene. His formal music education took him from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he studied both jazz and classical music with renowned bassist Richard Davis to New York City, where he performed with the New York String Orchestra at Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center. Keala later also studied with legendary bassist Ron Carter as part of the inaugural class of the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Performance at New England Conservatory.

Acclaimed jazz guitarists Peter Bernstein & Paul Bollenback bring their formidable quartet to Zinc jazz club on Monday, June 13. They are supported by bassist Jason Clotter and drummer Joe Farnsworth.

Jazz guitarist Peter Bernstein has been a part of the jazz scene in New York and abroad since 1989. During that time he has participated in numerous recordings and performances with musicians from all generations. As a leader, Peter has released nine albums and a DVD. As a sideman, Peter has appeared in groups led by Sonny Rollins, Bobby Hutcherson, George Coleman, Lou Donaldson, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Fathead Newman, Joshua Redman, Brad Mehldau, Diana Krall, Lee Konitz, Jimmy Cobb, and many more. Current projects include his album, Monk, with Doug Weiss and Bill Stewart, a recently released solo record, Solo Guitar—Live at Smalls, and the highly acclaimed organ trio with organist Larry Goldings and drummer Bill Stewart.

Paul Bollenback, a thinking person’s jazz guitarist with a clean ‘n’ fat tone and a barrel full of chops, has been impressing listeners as a sideman and, increasingly, as a leader in recent years. But inquisitive minds want to know: Is he mainstream? Left-of-mainstream? Or a work-in-progress? Probably all of the above. Bollenback has been heard alongside saxophonists Gary Thomas, Gary Bartz, and especially as a commanding, critical 1/3 of Joey DeFrancesco’s organ trio.

Showtimes are at 7:00 pm & 8:30 pm. Tickets: $25 in advance / $30 day of show. For more info, visit https://www.zincjazz.com.

“The best guitar player I’ve heard in maybe my entire life is floating around now, Pasquale Grasso.” — Pat Metheny

Acclaimed jazz guitarist Pasquale Grasso brings his formidable trio to Zinc on Monday, November 7. He’s supported by Ari Rolland on bass and Keith Balla on drums.

One of the most strikingly unique artists of his generation, Pasquale Grasso has undoubtedly changed the way the world views jazz guitar. Born in Ariano Irpino, Pasquale began playing guitar at a very young age. By the summer of 1997, his parents, who recognized the depth of their young son’s talent, sought out the instruction of jazz innovator, Agostino Di Giorgio. A former pupil of Chuck Wayne, Di Giorgio immediately took an interest in Pasquale, whose prodigious aptitude for the instrument flourished as the young guitarist quickly became his closest pupil. From that point, it wouldn’t be long before news of this talent spread.

Barry Harris, the world-renowned jazz educator, and bebop piano master, became an extraordinary influence when Pasquale attended his jazz workshop in Switzerland during the summer of 1998. Harris, a contemporary of Miles Davis, Sonny Stitt, and Cannonball Adderley, took Pasquale and his brother, Luigi, under his wing. Over the span of the next 5 years, the Grasso brothers became pillars of Harris’ international workshops and were quickly promoted from mere attendees to instructors for the other students. Pasquale was named Harris’ guitar teaching assistant and for the last ten years, he has conducted workshops in Italy, Switzerland, France, Spain, Holland, and Slovenia.

Showtimes are at 7:00 pm & 8:30 pm. Tickets: $25 in advance / $30 at the door. For more info, visit https://www.zincjazz.com.

“The best guitar player I’ve heard in maybe my entire life is floating around now, Pasquale Grasso.” — Pat Metheny

Acclaimed jazz guitarist Pasquale Grasso brings his formidable trio to Zinc on Monday, November 7. He’s supported by Ari Rolland on bass and Keith Balla on drums.

One of the most strikingly unique artists of his generation, Pasquale Grasso has undoubtedly changed the way the world views jazz guitar. Born in Ariano Irpino, Pasquale began playing guitar at a very young age. By the summer of 1997, his parents, who recognized the depth of their young son’s talent, sought out the instruction of jazz innovator, Agostino Di Giorgio. A former pupil of Chuck Wayne, Di Giorgio immediately took an interest in Pasquale, whose prodigious aptitude for the instrument flourished as the young guitarist quickly became his closest pupil. From that point, it wouldn’t be long before news of this talent spread.

Barry Harris, the world-renowned jazz educator, and bebop piano master, became an extraordinary influence when Pasquale attended his jazz workshop in Switzerland during the summer of 1998. Harris, a contemporary of Miles Davis, Sonny Stitt, and Cannonball Adderley, took Pasquale and his brother, Luigi, under his wing. Over the span of the next 5 years, the Grasso brothers became pillars of Harris’ international workshops and were quickly promoted from mere attendees to instructors for the other students. Pasquale was named Harris’ guitar teaching assistant and for the last ten years, he has conducted workshops in Italy, Switzerland, France, Spain, Holland, and Slovenia.

Showtimes are at 7:00 pm & 8:30 pm. Tickets: $25 in advance / $30 at the door. For more info, visit https://www.zincjazz.com.

Pianist and composer Christian Sands goes back quite a ways with WBGO — and with Gary Walker, who recalls first seeing him as a 12-year-old protégé of Dr.…