A Shakespearean Jazz Celebration — YouTube Premiere
Presented by The Duke Ellington Center for the Arts — Sun, Apr 19 2pm
A digital premiere that brings jazz into conversation with Shakespeare, this program draws on Duke Ellington’s long-standing engagement with theatrical form, language, and narrative. The performance moves between music and text, exploring character, rhythm, and interpretation through a contemporary lens. Framed as an online event, it extends the weekend beyond the club circuit, offering a different kind of access point—one rooted in storytelling, tradition, and the continued relevance of Ellington’s vision across disciplines. MORE INFO YOUTUBE Link
MUST SEE THIS WEEK
Brad Mehldau Trio — Village Vanguard — Tue–Sun, Apr 21–26 — Village Vanguard
Joel Ross's Good Vibes — Smoke — Wed–Sun, Apr 22–26 — Tickets
Cyrus Chestnut — Riverside Church — Sun, Apr 26, 3pm — Riverside
South African Freedom Day series — Dizzy's — Fri–Sun, Apr 24–26 (Sisonke Xonti "UKHOLO" Apr 24 · McCoy Mrubata/Siyabulela w/ Steve Turre Apr 25 · Keenan Ahrends Quartet Apr 26) — Tickets
Nat Adderley Jr. — The Jazz Club at Aman — Tue, Apr 21, 9pm — Aman
Vanessa Rubin Trio — Birdland Theater — Fri–Sun, Apr 24–26 — Birdland
Lonnie Plaxico Group feat. N'Kenge — Zinc Bar — Fri, Apr 24 — Zinc
Tia Fuller — South Jazz Club (Philly) — Fri–Sun, Apr 24–26 — South Jazz Kitchen
Fay Victor presents Faith, The Gift — Jazz Gallery — Fri–Sat, Apr 24–25 — Jazz Gallery
Neil Clarke — Tribute to Randy Weston — Sista's Place — Sat, Apr 25 — Sista's
ELEW piano trio — Jazz Genius — Thu–Sat, Apr 23–25 — Tickets
Boundary-Pushers
Across the week, Boundary Pushers take shape in a network of rooms where structure stays open and the music evolves in real time. Vijay Iyer’s quartet at Smoke Jazz Club brings a composed yet elastic approach to rhythm and form, while William Parker’s residency at Loove Annex centers collective improvisation and process. At the same time, artists like T.K. Blue and Bobby Sanabria extend Afro-diasporic traditions into new contexts, linking history with forward motion.
Vijay Iyer Quartet | Smoke Jazz Club | Apr 18 & 19 | Upper West Side | Iyer brings a quartet language that moves between structure and rupture—precise writing, open improvisation, and a rhythmic sensibility that rarely settles. It’s one of the clearest statements of where modern jazz composition is heading right now. MORE INFO
William Parker Pocketwatch Residency (w/ Kyoko Kitamura's Siren Xypher + Ellen Christi's Flux In Chaos) | Loove Annex | Wed, Apr 22 | East Village $3–$25 sliding | Parker’s Pocketwatch residency operates less like a gig and more like a living workshop—improvisers rotating through a space built on listening, risk, and collective memory. It’s downtown practice in real time. MORE INFO
Kazemde George Quartet — Ruth on Flatbush — Mon, Apr 20, 8–11pm — PLG [Jazz] — Event
T.K. Blue — Randy Weston Centennial Tribute — Blues Alley — Sun, Apr 19 (5:30/8pm) — Washington DC [Alto Sax/Tribute] More info
Shayna Steele: The Wilshire Project — Downtown NYC JazzFest @ The Django — Wed, Apr 22 — Schedule
Keepers of the Flame
From Newark to Midtown to Harlem, the week’s Keepers of the Flame trace the living line of the tradition—music carried forward not by preservation alone, but by continued mastery on the bandstand. At the center is Joe Lovano’s Coltrane Centennial program at New Jersey Performing Arts Center, a multi-generational quintet engaging both the early and late languages of John Coltrane. That sense of lineage continues through Bill Charlap’s trio with Dee Dee Bridgewater, where song, phrasing, and orchestration meet at a high level of refinement. Back in the clubs, Benny Green at Dizzy’s Club and Philip Harper with Winard Harper at Jazz Cultural bring hard-bop language into sharp focus—direct, swinging, and deeply rooted. Alongside them, players like Gilad Hekselman, Buster Williams, Justin Robinson, and David Gibson extend the tradition across guitar trios, late sets, and small-group formats. By midweek, the David Sánchez-led SFJAZZ Collective at Birdland Jazz Club reinforces the through line: a repertory-minded ensemble pushing forward through arrangement, composition, and ensemble interplay. Across these stages, the message is consistent—this is the music’s core language, still evolving, still being played at the highest level.
Joe Lovano — Coltrane 100: Both Directions at Once (w/ Melissa Aldana, Nduduzo Makhathini, John Patitucci, Jeff "Tain" Watts) | NJPAC | Apr 18 | Newark NJ | A large-scale centennial program that situates Coltrane’s music within a broader historical frame, bringing multiple artists into a shared interpretation of his work. MORE INFO
An Evening with Benny Green | Dizzy's Club | Apr 18 & 19 |
At Dizzy’s, Green leans fully into the hard-bop lineage—blues language, drive, and clarity. It’s direct, unapologetic, and anchored in the core vocabulary of the music. MORE INFO
Philip Harper feat. Winard Harper | Jazz Cultural | Apr 19, 7pm & 9pm | The Harper brothers lead a straight-ahead set at Jazz Cultural, with two shows centered on hard-bop repertoire and small-group interplay. A direct bandstand date—no theme, just a working quintet approach built on time, phrasing, and interaction. MORE INFO
Gilad Hekselman — Village Vanguard — Sat–Sun, Apr 18–19, 8pm — West Village — Village Vanguard
Tommaso Perazzo – Buster Williams – Marcello Cardillo — Close Up — Sat, Apr 18 — LES — Close Up
Justin Robinson Quartet — Jazz Cultural — Sat, Apr 18, 10:30pm — Harlem — Jazz Cultural
John Weber Trio — Five Spot Jazz — Mon, Apr 20, 7pm — LES — Five Spot
David Gibson Quartet feat. Paul Bollenback — Jazz Cultural — Thu, Apr 23, 10:30pm — MidTown — SmallsLIVE
SFJAZZ Collective (feat. David Sánchez, Chris Potter, Kendrick Scott, Edward Simon, Warren Wolf, Matt Brewer, Michael Rodriguez) — Birdland — Tue–Sat, Apr 21–25, 7pm & 9:30pm — Midtown [All-Star Ensemble] — Birdland
Voices of Resistance
This week’s Voices of Resistance centers artists working from lineage, community, and cultural memory. Ahmed Abdullah and Alex Harding anchor the Brooklyn-based tradition, while Donald Harrison brings New Orleans history into the present. Ronnie Burrage and Dwayne Dolphin extend that across regional scenes, with additional programs from Arturo O’Farrill and Craig Harris. The focus throughout is continuity—music tied to place, history, and community practice.
Big Chief Donald Harrison Quartet | Jazz Forum Arts | Apr 18 & 19 Tarrytown |
Harrison bridges New Orleans tradition with contemporary expression, bringing cultural context into every performance. His work consistently links lineage with present-day urgency. Jazz Forum
Dwayne Dolphin Fo'Tet | Con Alma | Apr 19 | Pittsburgh |
Dolphin's quartet at Pittsburgh's essential jazz room — our Western PA anchor for the week. Con Alma
Alex Harding | Mount Morris Ascension Presbyterian (Fri, Apr 24, 7pm — Harlem Jazz Series) | Two nights, two communities: Harding's bari sax at Sista's to open the week, then across the river at Mount Morris in Harlem. Sista's Place · Harlem Jazz Series
Ronnie Burrage & Holographic Principle | The Green Room (Brooklyn) | Sat, Apr 25, 7pm — Brooklyn |
Burrage's Holographic Principle at the Green Room — spiritual-jazz drumming in a room built for it. Tickets
Ahmed Abdullah — "Sun Ra: Do the Impossible" Film + Q&A | Sista's Place | Fri, Apr 24, 7:30pm Bed-Stuy [Jazz/Film] | Alfreda's Cinema and Sista's Place present the Sun Ra documentary with Ahmed Abdullah in conversation — essential for the Arkestra faithful. Tickets
Arturo O'Farrill & Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra — City Winery NYC — Sun, Apr 19 & Sun, Apr 26 — West Village [Afro-Latin Big Band] — City Winery
Craig Harris & Harlem Nightsongs Big Band — Mount Morris Ascension Presbyterian — Thu, Apr 23, 7pm — Harlem [Big Band] — Harlem Jazz Series
Akua Allrich & The Tribe — Nina Simone & Miriam Makeba Tribute — South Jazz Club (Philly) — Sat–Sun, Apr 18–19 — Philadelphia [Vocal] — South Jazz Kitchen
Farid Barron — The Father Quest — Philadelphia Clef Club — Sun, Apr 19, 3pm — Philadelphia [Piano] — Clef Club
Winard Harper — Jazzcultural — Sun, Apr 19 (7/9pm) w/ Philip Harper — Harlem [Drums] — Jazzcultural; weekly Sunday residency at Moore's Lounge (NJ) — Moore's Lounge
Ronnie Burrage — Dog House Saloon (Washington Twp, NJ) — Thu, Apr 23 (weekly)
SPECIAL
James Carter Presents: TRANE — A CENTENNIAL SUPREME! — Blue Note — Wed, Apr 22, 8pm — Greenwich Village [Centennial]
Carter's Coltrane Centennial statement at the Blue Note — the midweek companion to NJPAC's opener. Blue Note
A Tribute to Ray Mantilla (Cucho Martinez & Ray Mantilla Legacy Band) — Bronx Music Hall Plaza — Sun, Apr 19, 3pm — South Bronx [Tribute/Free]
Free afternoon concert on the new Bronx Music Hall plaza honoring the late percussion master. Bronx Music Hall
The Nikki Giovanni Project — Schomburg Center — Wed, Apr 22, 5:30pm — Harlem [Poetry/Jazz]
"Black Women and the Harlem Renaissance" program centering Nikki Giovanni's legacy at the Schomburg. Schomburg
A Shakespearean Jazz Holiday Celebration / YouTube Premiere — Duke Ellington Center for the Arts — Sun, Apr 19, 2pm — Harlem [Hybrid] — DECFA
Duke Jones — National Jazz Museum in Harlem — Thu, Apr 23 — Harlem [Jazz] — NJMH
Saint Peter's Jazz Vespers: Tyler Bassett — Sun, Apr 19, 5pm — Midtown — Saint Peter's
Saint Peter's Jazz Vespers: Harvie S, Rale Micic, Matt Wilson, Jack Glottman — Sun, Apr 26, 5pm — Midtown — Saint Peter's
LoveTrane – John Coltrane Tribute — Silvana — Wed, Apr 22, 8pm — Harlem [Tribute] — Silvana
🎭 OTHER HOTSPOT EVENTS
Ben Sherman — Close Up — Sun, Apr 19 — LES [Jazz] — Close Up
Marilyn Maye — 54 Below — Sat–Sun, Apr 18–19 — Midtown [Vocal/Cabaret] — 54 Below
Brian Newman — Café Carlyle — Fri–Sat, Apr 24–25 — Upper East Side [Trumpet/Vocal] — Café Carlyle
Grace Kelly — Joe's Pub — Sun, Apr 19 — NoHo [Alto Sax/Vocal] — Joe's Pub
Trombocalist Big Band — Birdland — Sun, Apr 19 — Midtown [Big Band] — Birdland
Oz Noy (Andrew Synowiec Band) — The Bitter End — Thu, Apr 23, 9:30pm — Greenwich Village [Guitar] — Bitter End; also Bar LunÀtico — Sun, Apr 26, 9pm & 10:15pm — Bed-Stuy $10 — LunÀtico
WEDNESDAY JAZZ HANG - April 22
Mariel Bildsten Septet: Bangers and Ballads — Dizzy's Club — 7pm — Columbus Circle — Tickets
Nick Hempton Organ Band — Jazz Cultural — 10:30pm — Harlem — Jazz Cultural
Akiko's Organ Night – Jerry Weldon — Jazz Cultural — 7pm — Harlem — SmallsLIVE
Verena McBee — "Bird(S)wing" CD Release — Pangea — 7pm — East Village — Pangea
Cannonball/Nat Adderley Ensemble — The New School — 8pm — Greenwich Village — New School
Leslie Harrison / Jazz Café Nights — Triumph Brewing — New Hope NJ — Triumph
Duane Eubanks Celebrates Lee Morgan — Chris' Jazz Cafe — Philadelphia — Chris'
Jams newly confirmed from carryover pass
Jazz Generation Wednesday Jam — Close Up (LES) — 11pm, no cover — Event
Capitol Hill Jazz Jam — Mr. Henry's (DC) — 8–11pm, $10 — Mr. Henry's
JazzMob / Abe Mamet w/ S.E.M. Ensemble "Many Many Women" — Bohemian National Hall — 7pm — Upper East Side — Event; also Lost Generation Brewing (weekly) Sat, Apr 18 & Sat, Apr 25, 8–11pm
🎪 FESTIVALS
Gotham Jazz Festival — Sun, Apr 19 — Gotham Jazz Fest
Carnegie Hall Spring Jazz Festival — Mon–Thu, Apr 20–23 — Carnegie Hall
Downtown NYC JazzFest — Wed–Sun, Apr 22–26 (The Django / Roxy) — Schedule
PODCAST
