CATHERINE RUSSELL
Catherine Russell stands as one of the era’s great interpreters of American song—a vocalist whose authenticity bridges the elegance of swing with the emotional clarity of blues and early rhythm & blues. Featured in the March issue of Hot House Jazz, Russell continues to illuminate the lineage of artists like her father, the legendary bandleader Luis Russell, and her mentor, Louis Armstrong. Her upcoming performance at Caffè Lena on March 28 promises a luminous evening of timeless storytelling, where every lyric feels both classic and freshly unearthed. Backed by a stellar ensemble, she brings warmth, wit, and effortless phrasing to repertoire that spans from vintage standards to sly, soulful gems. In Russell’s hands, the Great American Songbook lives not as nostalgia but as revelation—a living conversation between history and heart. READ MORE
Boundary-Pushers
Boundary Pushers spotlight the artists redefining the edges of jazz this week—from the Bronx to Baltimore. Arturo O’Farrill’s Quinteto at Pregones Theater fuses Afro‑Latin fire with modern invention, while Emmet Cohen honors Miles & Trane at Birdland with fresh vitality. At the Blue Note, Tiana Major9 blurs soul and improvisation, and a Buena Vista Social Club Tribute revives Cuban elegance. Smalls and Five Spot host bop innovators Jesse Davis and Lew Tabackin, balancing deep tradition with fearless swing. Brooklyn’s John Pizzarelli charms with urbane artistry, Mala Waldron brings introspective grace to Peekskill’s Beanrunner Café, and the powerhouse Artemis ignites Keystone Korner in Baltimore. Together, they reveal jazz’s boundless terrain—where heritage meets experiment and every note carries discovery.
Emmet Cohen: Miles & Trane Centennial — Birdland (Mar 27–28, 8:30pm) — Midtown
Arturo O’Farrill Quinteto — Pregones Theater (Mar 28, 7pm) — Bronx
Artemis — Keystone Korner (Mar 28, 7pm) — Baltimore
Lew Tabackin — Five Spot Jazz (Mar 27–28, 7pm) — East Village
Buena Vista Social Club Tribute — Blue Note (Mar 28, 8pm) — Greenwich Village
Jesse Davis Quartet — Smalls Jazz Club (Mar 27–28, 2pm) — West Village
John Pizzarelli — Williamsburg Music Center (Mar 29, 3pm) — Brooklyn
Mala Waldron Quartet — Beanrunner Café (Mar 28, 7pm) — Peekskill
Tiana Major9 — Blue Note (Mar 31, 8pm) — Greenwich Village
Keepers of the Flame
Keepers of the Flame honors the artists preserving jazz’s lineage while keeping its spirit vividly alive. Birdland Theater shines with Flying High: Still Soaring, a salute to timeless swing, followed by Vince Giordano & the Nighthawks, reviving the dance‑band era with unmatched authenticity. At Dizzy’s and Jazz at Lincoln Center, the DIVA Jazz Orchestra and Bill Frisell’s 75th Birthday Celebration bridge tradition and evolution—Frisell’s lyricism standing as proof of music’s endless renewal. Midtown warms to Lynette Washington’s elegance, while Wayne Tucker at Cellar Dog and Gillian Margot & Geoffrey Keezer at Mezzrow bring the Village its soulful glow. Kevin Hays Trios at the Vanguard, Ed Jackson’s Quartet in Queens, and Karrin Allyson in Tarrytown each kindle the essence of jazz storytelling. From John Pizzarelli in New Jersey to Emily Braden in Philadelphia, Keepers of the Flame celebrates those who transform reverence into reinvention.
DIVA Jazz Orchestra — Dizzy’s Club (Mar 27–29, 7pm) — Columbus Circle
Kevin Hays Trio — Village Vanguard (Mar 27–29, 8pm) — Greenwich Village
Karrin Allyson Quartet — Jazz Forum (Mar 27–28, 7pm) — Tarrytown
John Pizzarelli — William Paterson University (Mar 29, 3pm) — New Jersey
Flying High: Still Soaring — Birdland Theater (Mar 27–29, 7pm) — Midtown
Vince Giordano & the Nighthawks — Birdland Theater (Mar 30–31, 7pm) — Midtown
Bill Frisell: 75th Birthday Celebration — Jazz at Lincoln Center (Mar 27–28, 7pm) — Columbus Circle
Lynette Washington — Aman - The Jazz Club (Mar 28, 6:30pm) — Midtown
Wayne Tucker Quintet — Cellar Dog (Mar 28, 7pm) — West Village
Gillian Margot & Geoffrey Keezer — Mezzrow (Mar 27–28, 9pm) — West Village
Ed Jackson Quartet — Jackson Room (Mar 28, 7:30pm) — Queens
Emily Braden — South Jazz Kitchen (Mar 27–29, 7pm) — Philadelphia
Voices of Resistance
Voices of Resistance amplifies artists who use sound as conviction—transforming rhythm into resilience and melody into meaning. At Smoke Jazz Club, the Kenny Barron Trio reaffirms the power of beauty as quiet defiance, while Unlimited Miles: Miles Davis at 100 at Birdland salutes the master whose innovations forever challenged boundaries. Zahili Gonzalez Zamora ignites Hell’s Kitchen with Cuban‑infused urgency, and at The Django, Ed Cherry and Richard Cortez channel resistance through groove and grace. In Brooklyn, Eric Person fuses spiritual fire with modern edge, and Meshell Ndegeocello turns Pioneer Works into a sanctuary of sonic activism. Pete Rodriguez Quartet, Catherine Russell, and T.K. Blue Quintet carry the torch from Mt. Kisco to Saratoga Springs to Newark—each exploring heritage as protest, and truth as song. Together, these artists remind us that jazz remains a voice of endurance: ever‑questioning, ever‑moving, and ever‑free.
Kenny Barron Trio — Smoke Jazz Club (Mar 27–29) — Upper West Side
Zahili Gonzalez Zamora — So & So’s (Mar 28, 6pm) — Hell’s Kitchen
Richard Cortez Band — The Django (Mar 28, 7:30pm) — Tribeca
Catherine Russell — Caffè Lena (Mar 28, 5pm) — Saratoga Springs
Meshell Ndegeocello — Pioneer Works (Mar 29, 8pm) — Brooklyn
Unlimited Miles: Miles Davis at 100 — Birdland (Apr 1–3, 8:30pm) — Midtown
Zahili Gonzalez Zamora — So & So’s (Mar 28, 6pm) — Hell’s Kitchen
Ed Cherry Quartet — The Django (Mar 28, 7:30pm) — Tribeca
Eric Person — Sista’s Place (Mar 28, 8pm) — Brooklyn
Pete Rodriguez Quartet — Jazz on Main (Mar 27, 7pm) — Mt. Kisco
T.K. Blue Quintet — Clement’s Place (Mar 29, 7:30pm) — Newark
More Events
Lisa Gay w/ Gina Eckstine — Sugar Bar (Mar 28, 8pm) — Upper West Side
Sinatra Fridays / Saturdays — Carnegie Club (Mar 27–28, 8pm) — Midtown [Vocal]
Eli Hershiser w/ Payton Kerkes — New York Jazz Workshop (Mar 28, 7pm) — Midtown [Workshop]
Isaac Mizrahi — Enlow Recital Hall (Mar 29, 7pm) — New Jersey
FESTIVALS
/
Dee Dee Bridgewater — 2026 Women’s Jazz Festival @ Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture (Mar 30) — Harlem
SPECIAL
Over the Rainbow: Randy and Marvin — National Jazz Museum in Harlem (Mar 27) — Harlem
Pioneers of Jazz: Celebrating Toshiko Akiyoshi — National Jazz Museum in Harlem (Mar 31) — Harlem
Jazz Vespers: Sunday of the Passion and Procession with Palms – Emi Makabe — Saint Peter’s Church (Mar 29) — Midtown
Duduka da Fonseca Quartet: 75th Birthday Celebration — Zinc Bar (Mar 31) — Greenwich Village $40
Vinyl Listening Series: Jaleel Shaw + Donny McCaslin — The Jazz Gallery (Mar 30) — Flatiron $30–40
The Fat Cats 15th Anniversary Afternoon Concert Series — ShapeShifter Lab (Mar 29) — Brooklyn
MUST SEE NEXT WEEK
After Hours — Adelaide’s Salon (Apr 1) — Chelsea
April Varner Quartet — Mezzrow (Mar 31) — West Village
Bill Cunliffe Trio — Mezzrow (Apr 3) — West Village
Centennial Piano Tribute to Randy Weston — Dizzy’s Club (Apr 2) — Columbus Circle
Eric Person Quartet — The Django (Apr 3) — Tribeca
Gary Smulyan @ 70! — Jazz Forum (Apr 3) — Tarrytown
Jakob Bro Septet — Village Vanguard (Mar 31, Apr 1, 2, 3) — Greenwich Village
JC Hopkins’ Biggish Band: Billie Holiday Birthday Celebration — City Winery NYC (Apr 3) — Chelsea
JC Hopkins’ Biggish Band: Billie Holiday Birthday Celebration — City Winery Philadelphia (Apr 3) — Philadelphia
Kassa Overall — Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture (Apr 2) — Harlem
Marta Sanchez — Bar Bayeux (Apr 3) — Brooklyn
Monty Alexander: Jamaica to Jazz — Blue Note (Apr 2, 3) — Greenwich Village
New Jazz Underground — Birdland Theater (Apr 3) — Midtown
Oliver Nelson’s Afro American Sketches & The Jazzhattan Suite — The Jazz Loft (Apr 2, 3) — Stony Brook
Philip Harper Quintet — Cellar Dog (Apr 2) — West Village
Randy Weston Centennial Celebration: African Rhythms Alumni Band — Dizzy’s Club (Apr 3) — Columbus Circle
Ricky Alexander Trio — The Rum House (Mar 31) — Midtown
Roy Hargrove Big Band Monthly Residency — The Jazz Gallery (Apr 2) — Flatiron
Sullivan Fortner — Salon 58 (Apr 3) — Midtown
Thomas Gooding Collective — Room 623 (Apr 1) — Harlem
Tony Davis Trio — Mezzrow (Apr 2) — West Village
Vanisha Gould — Tilles Center (Apr 2) — Brookville
Victor and the Vipers — Adelaide’s Salon (Apr 2) — Chelsea
Wayne Escoffery w/ ELEW Trio — Smoke Jazz Club (Apr 1, 2, 3) — Upper West Side
