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"Olatuja possesses a special instrument: a full-bodied tone, precise pitch and personal engagement at the lowest whisper or highest wail." (Downbeat) Focusing on the rich contributions of a diverse selection of female composers, Alicia Olatuja's performance entitled "Intuition: From the Minds of Women" celebrates the achievements of a long list of esteemed female composers. Material includes songs of Brenda Russell, Sade, Tracy Chapman, Kate Bush, Angela Bofill and Linda Creed, and offers a musical perspective unique to Olatuja. Praised by the New York Times as “a singer with a strong and luscious tone and an amiably regal presence on stage”, Alicia Olatuja has been astounding audiences with her exquisite vocals, artistic versatility and captivating demeanor. She first came into the national spotlight in 2013, whilst performing as the featured soloist with the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir at President Barack Obama’s Second Inauguration. Shortly thereafter, she assembled her own jazz based ensemble and recorded her first solo album, Timeless (2014). Originally from St. Louis, Missouri, Alicia grew up immersed in a wide range of musical styles, including gospel, soul, jazz and classical. These influences have informed her artistic journey and she later graduated with a Masters degree in Classical Voice/Opera from the Manhattan School of Music. After appearing in numerous operatic and musical theater productions she started to perform more regularly in gospel and jazz concerts and worked with such esteemed artists as Chaka Khan, BeBe Winans and Christian McBride.

Zoom Tunes- February 27, 2022 session presented by the Vermont Jazz Center Last Sunday of each month, 7:00-8:30 pm EST ON-LINE; $15 per session https://vtjazz.org/zoom-tunes-2/ Because indoor jam sessions with horn players and vocalists are unfeasible at this time, the Jazz Center is hosting Zoom Tunes, an online version of a jam session that is as inclusive as possible. The format was devised & is run by VJC’s junior faculty. Zoom Tunes will take place on the last Sunday of each month. For each session, participants individually play the “tune of the month” using an inexpensive app (iReal Pro) as accompaniment. The app is a digital play-along system with a library of jazz tunes that gives musicians access to backing tracks with easy adjustments in tempo, key & feel. The Zoom Tune for February 27 is ‘It Don’t Mean a Thing’ by Duke Ellington. https://vtjazz.org/it-dont-mean-a-thing-2-27-22-lead-sheets-backing-tracks/ During a Zoom Tunes jam, participants divide into breakout rooms supervised by one of the coaches. Each participant plays their own version of the given tune, either solo or with a backing track. After playing their interpretation, players receive guidance and support from the other attendees & Zoom Tunes coaches Malik McLaurine (bass), Ben Barnett (trombone) & Franz Robert (piano). Playing the same composition and hearing well-considered advice creates a bonding experience among participants. Listening to others play the same repertoire can be inspiring & fun & leads to a fruitful learning experience. Singers are more than welcomed & are encouraged to use iReal Pro’s transpose feature to adjust the song’s key to suit their vocal range.

Zoom Tunes- January 30, 2022 session presented by the Vermont Jazz Center Last Sunday of each month, 7:00-8:30 pm EST ON-LINE; $15 per session https://vtjazz.org/zoom-tunes-2/ Because indoor jam sessions with horn players and vocalists are unfeasible at this time, the Jazz Center will utilize Zoom Tunes, an online version of a jam session that is as inclusive as possible. The format was devised and is run by VJC’s junior faculty. Zoom Tunes will take place on the last Sunday of each month. For each session, participants will individually play the “tune of the month” using an inexpensive app (iReal Pro) as a source of accompaniment. The app is a digital, play-along system with an enormous library of jazz tunes that gives musicians access to backing tracks with easy adjustments in tempo, key and feel. The Zoom Tune for January 30, 2022 My Little boat (Barquino) by Roberto Menescal https://vtjazz.org/my-little-boat-barquinho-1-30-22-lead-sheets-backing-tracks/ During the Zoom Tunes jam, participants will divide into breakout rooms supervised by one of the coaches. Each participant will play their own version of the given tune, either solo or along with a backing track. After playing their interpretation of the tune, players will receive guidance and support from the other attendees and Zoom Tunes coaches, Malik McLaurine (bass), Ben Barnett (trombone) and Franz Robert (piano). Playing the same composition and hearing the well-considered advice of friends and coaches creates a bonding experience amongst the participants. Listening to others playing the same repertoire can be inspiring and fun and leads to a fruitful learning experience. Singers are more than welcomed and are encouraged to use iReal Pro’s transpose feature to adjust the song’s key to suit their vocal range.

“Rodney Jones is a legend among musicians especially guitarists. He is worthy of the ears of any music listener.” —George Benson

Acclaimed jazz guitarist Rodney Jones brings his formidable quartet to Zinc jazz club on Monday, July 18. He's supported by pianist Dabin Ryu, bassist Lonnie Plaxico, and drummer EJ Strickland.

Rodney started playing the guitar at age 6. He has recorded two records for the Blue Note label, “The Undiscovered Few” and “Soul Manifesto”. He has toured worldwide, performed, and recorded with a who’s who of music including Dizzy Gillespie, James Brown, Lena Horne, Quincy Jones, Christian McBride, Stevie Wonder, Elvin Jones, Kenny Burrell, Stan Getz, and countless others. He was the house guitarist for the Apollo Theatre for 9 years, and the staff guitarist for the Rosie O’Donnell Show for 6 years. He has written commercials and has more than 125 compositions recorded. He recently scored a documentary film for PBS about African American GIs in WW2. He served as Musical Director/Producer for Lena Horne, Ruth Brown, Gloria Lynne, Ernestine Anderson, and others. He has been a professor of Jazz Guitar Studies at The Juilliard School for 12 years and at The Manhattan School of Music for more than 20 years and has conducted clinics and workshops worldwide.

Showtimes are at 7 pm & 8:30 pm. Tickets: $20 in advance / $25 at the door. For more info, call (212) 477-9462 or visit https://www.zincjazz.com.

Jazz vocalist Vicki Burns debuts with a trio of fantastic musicians, Art Hirahara on piano, Sam Bevan on bass and Curtis Nowosad on drums in the Birdland Theater on Thursday, February 2nd at 8:30pm. She will be presenting material from her critically acclaimed album, Lotus Blossom Days featuring arrangements from Bassist, Sam Bevan.

When Composer and guitarist Paul Abler suddenly passed away in March of 2017, his wife discovered many songs not yet recorded. "The Last Goodbye" is comprised of unpublished and reimagined compositions of Paul Abler performed by the NJ based jazz group, "The Joe Rizzolution Trio", with Nat Jannof on Guitar, Jose Rodriguez on Bass, Joe Rizzolo on Drums and acting as musical director and pianist for the album is Tomoko Ohno, Paul's friend and collaborator. With Tomoko's guidance, Paul's memory, spirit, and style come through each song.

The Puffin Cultural Forum celebrates the reopening of the Teaneck Creek Conservancy with a FREE Jazz concert in our park(ing lot)! Art Dillard’s Blue Heaven Swing Sextet performs favorites from the Great American Songbook as well as swinging original compositions. Led by drummer Art Lillard, the band features Cecila Coleman (keyboard), Ralph Hamperian (bass), Kate Anderson (tenor sax), Chris Persad (trumpet), and Noah Bless (trombone).

Saxophonist Braxton Cook talks with Leo Sidran about his evolution from soloist to singer, sideman to leader, and child to parent.

Last March, the jazz capital of the world became a ghost town. The Checkout attempts to bring some joy as we look back on a certifiably frightening year, with highlights from Nduduzo Mahkatini, Thana Alexa, Brad Mehldau, Dan Tepfer and more.

Dave Popkin chats with Mississippi-born blues artist Christone “Kingfish” Ingram.