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An evening with the Freddie Hendrix Organ Group and the Davis Whitfield Trio, presented by Nimbus Arts Center and Riverview Jazz. Freddie Hendrix, one of the "most in-demand trumpeters in Jazz" boasts performance credits with the legendary Count Basie Orchestra and The Christian McBride Big Band, and with superstars Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, and Alicia Keys. Davis Whitfield, whose sound has been compared to McCoy Tyner and Thelonius Monk, is an emerging presence in the NYC Jazz scene.

In this episode of The Third Story podcast, Leo Sidran talks with musicians at the 2023 Montreal International Jazz Festival.

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Pianist, educator, and longtime jazz advocate Eli Yamin got his first job in jazz at WBGO as an 18-year-old board operator. Now, nearly four decades later, Yamin’s Jazz Power Initiative is partnering with WBGO as the organization prepares for its annual Syncopated Celebration at Symphony Space, honoring WBGO CEO Steve Williams alongside Lakecia Benjamin and Council Member Carmen De La Rosa.

To most of us, the adventures of trailblazing trumpeter, vocalist and songwriter Bria Skonberg are borderline unbelievable. “I play jazz because it’s the closest I can get to flying.…spreading joy, relating the human experience, and putting good into the world to counteract the negative. I want to make music that makes people feel, and think.”– Bria Skonberg Described as “one of the most versatile and imposing musicians of her generation” (Wall Street Journal) she recently sang the music of Aretha Franklin alongside Michelle Williams of Destiny’s Child, played with U2 at the Apollo, sat in with the Dave Matthews band, was a featured guest with Jon Batiste and performed the Star Spangled Banner at Madison Square Garden for a NY Rangers game. A bandleader since her teens, Bria has performed festivals and stages the world over, including New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, Monterey Jazz Festival, Newport Jazz Festival, Montreal Jazz Festival, and over a hundred more. In 2016 Bria released her debut LP on Sony Masterworks which won a Canadian JUNO award and made the Top 5 on Billboard jazz charts; her music has over 10 million streams on Spotify. A 6x Downbeat Rising Star, further accolades include the Jazz at Lincoln Center Swing Award, Best Vocal and Best Trumpet from Hot House Jazz Magazine and Outstanding Jazz Artist at the Bistro Awards. The “shining hope of hot jazz” (NY Times) has been at the forefront of a revival of classic American music as both a performer and educator, programming concerts and workshops for students of all ages. She has been on faculty at the Teagarden Jazz Camp (2008-present) and Centrum Jazz Camp, performs outreach on behalf of Jazz at Lincoln Center, is currently developing educational activities for the Louis Armstrong House Museum and co-directs the New York Hot Jazz Camp she co-founded in 2015. In 2018 Lincoln Center sought out her leadership for a tribute to the first integrated all female big band, the International Sweethearts of Rhythm, which launched her acclaimed group Sisterhood of Swing. In 2019 she was a featured member of Monterey Jazz Festival on Tour for 26 dates alongside Cecile McLorin Salvant, Christian Sands, Melissa Aldana and Jamison Ross. Bria is a member of the Town Hall Ensemble, an all star cast directed by Steven Bernstein that celebrates the cultural and musical history of New York city. She tours constantly bringing her own signature sound of fiery trumpet playing and smoky vocals together with storytelling and adventurous concoctions of classic and new.

Flat 9 Entertainment presents the Phoenix Amplified Jazz Experience featuring Gail Jhonson/Jazz in Pink and Saxophonist/Flutist Paula Atherton. This will an exciting night of contemporary and smooth jazz music featuring two chart-topping artists. Gail and Paula have performed nationally and internationally over the years on various jazz festivals and concert tours. This will be an amazing night of music performed by two influential women in Jazz! Gail Jhonson...piano, vocals, music director, composer, educator, and author... What an extensive journey this lady has traversed thus far in her career in the music industry! Hailing from Philadelphia, PA, Gail is a Berklee College of Music alumni and in 2020, she received a master's degree from Southern New Hampshire University in conjunction with Berklee College of Music, in Music Business. Her national break in the industry stemmed from her landing her first major gig with Morris Day of The Time. She relocated to Los Angeles, where she also taught for many years at Hollywood's famed Musicians Institute. As a musician, she has worked with some of the top artists in the business, like Brenda Russell, Jermaine Jackson, Pink, Norman Brown, Patti Austin, Jeff Lorber, Bobby Womack, and Jonathan Butler. And this is just the shortlist! Saxophonist, flutist Paula Atherton has enjoyed a long and varied career in contemporary and mainstream jazz. Her acumen on her instruments are poised and adept. Her full-length album Can You Feel It has already begun to garner real accolades with her single also titled "Can You Feel It," landing a #1 hit, three weeks in a row on Billboard. What is even more cementing about this accolade is she also landed #1 slots on Mediabase and #1 on the Smooth Jazz Network. New York-based sax player/vocalist and songwriter Paula Atherton has shared the stage with such contemporary jazz notables as The Rippingtons, Nick Colionne, Chuck Loeb, Cindy Bradley, Brian Simpson, Althea Renee, Four80East, David Sanborn, Bob James, Marc Antoine, Hiroshima, Gerald Albright, and Chieli Minucci. Paula has also worked in the traditional jazz field; one of the notable performances being a week-long engagement at the Blue Note NYC with pianist and jazz legend, Hank Jones. . Paula also performed with Grammy award-winning singer Dee Dee Bridgewater at the Annenberg Theater, for the Palm Springs Women's Jazz Festival.

Last year, The Checkout and Jazz Night In America attempted to make a little jazz history. We asked the legendary pianist Abdullah Ibrahim to reimagine,…

On this episode of AOS, LaGuardia HS Jazz Orchestra band director Kevin Blancq and student Deanna Sherman talk about their trip to Denmark

WBGO's Willard Jenkins sat down with D.C. based vocalist Heidi Martin to chat about one of her heroes Abbey Lincoln, as well as the importance of jazz education and the D.C. Jazz Fest.

Willard Jenkins talks with D.C. Jazz Festival President and CEO Sunny Sumter about the origins of the festival and the musical "crossroads" it embodies and represents.