The Django, downtown Manhattan’s premier jazz club, celebrates Jazz Appreciation Month with a spectacular April line-up. To commemorate what would have been the 100th birthday (April 22, 2022) of iconic jazz composer/bandleader/bassist Charles Mingus (1922-2022), The Django hosts performances by the Grammy Award-winning Mingus Big Band (April 1, April 11, April 18) and Mingus Orchestra (April 25), as well as special concerts led by Mingus band members including Tatum Greenblatt April 2, Jason Marshall Organ Quartet April 7, Boris Kozlov’s Electric Mingus Project April 9, a preview of Conrad Herwig’s Latin Side of Mingus April 14-15 before heading into the recording studio, Philip Harper Quartet April 16, Scott Robinson Quartet April 23, and Helen Sung Quartet April 28.
The Ken Fowser Quintet returns for its weekly show (April 1, April 8, April 16, April 22, and April 29). On April 20, pianist Orrin Evans brings back his Brazilian project “Terreno Comum” followed by the Sachal Vasandani vocal showcase during the later set. The Django’s popular Tuesday Latin Jazz nights returns Apr 2, 12, and 26) with a special 10th anniversary concert celebrating the Cuban ensemble Los Habeneros (April 12). Guitar hero Mark Whitfield returns April 21 for his monthly gig on The Django stage. Be¬low is a complete schedule of April performances at The Django.
Ken Fowser is the Music Director of The Django, and performs every Friday night on our stage with special guests each week. Since his arrival on the New York scene in 2005, Ken Fowser has continued to steer traditional harmony in uncharted directions. His lyrical approach to line construction and depth of harmonic sensibility allows him to record and play all over the world. A prolific composer, Fowser has celebrated four cooperative releases on Posi-tone Records, co-led with vibraphone virtuoso, Behn Gillece. His debut release as a leader, Standing Tall earned him the #1 spot on Jazz Week Radio Chart seven weeks in a row. Fowser enjoyed both downtown and uptown residencies at iconic New York venues, hosting the session at Smalls Jazz Club every Tuesday for four years and playing the late set at Smoke Jazz and Supper Club every Friday for two years.
Grammy Award-winning tenor saxophonist Wayne Escoffery is one of the jazz world’s most talented rising stars and in-demand sidemen. For over a decade, Escoffery was mostly associated with trumpet master Tom Harrell’s working quintet, recording seven CDs and touring the world. He has also been a member of the Mingus Dynasty, Big Band, and Orchestra since 2000. Over the years he has recorded and performed with Ron Carter, Ben Riley, Eric Reed, Carl Allen, Al Foster, and Billy Hart to name just a few.
David Gibson spent his quarantine time composing much new music and he's thrilled to be able to once again share his handiwork with live audiences. His quartet, which includes Mike King(piano), Joseph Lepore(bass), and Anwar Marshall(drums), is an exciting brigade of like-minded musicians who aim to provide an evening of compelling music for all comers.
Recognized by The New York Times as “a trumpeter of versatility and poise”, Tatum Greenblatt is widely regarded as one of New York City’s most in-demand musicians across a wide range of styles and genres. He has been a member of the Grammy-Award Winning Mingus Big Band for over 15 years, performing regularly in New York and touring internationally. Tatum also appears frequently with The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, in performances at Rose Hall, touring domestically, and having recently recorded on The 50’s: a Prism, Big Band Holidays Vol 2, and Ted Nash and Glenn Close’s Transformation. From 2010-16, Tatum toured with the legendary bassist and singer Richard Bona, traveling to over 60 countries across six continents, and has also performed and/or recorded with Blood Sweat & Tears, George Gruntz, Dr. John, Christian McBride’s Big Band, Jimmy Heath, Sachal Vasandani, Christian Sands, Ulysses Owens, Emmet Cohen, Macklemore, Bastille, Grizzly Bear, Shaina Taub, Orrin Evans, Roy Hargrove’s Big Band, Toshiko Akiyoshi, and The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, among many others. Tatum is also active on Broadway, having played on more than a dozen productions, including holding the trumpet chair for three years on Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. As a bandleader Tatum has released three albums to critical acclaim. His most recent, Imprints, was awarded “Critic’s Pick” by DownBeat Magazine. Outside of his performance career, Tatum is a dedicated educator. He currently serves on faculty in the Jazz Departments at The Juilliard School and Rutgers University, as well as many roles within the Education Department at Jazz at Lincoln Center.
The Django welcomes the Grammy award-winning Mingus Big Band to its stage every Monday night. The “city’s hardest big band (Time Out New York),” celebrates the music of composer/bassist Charles Mingus, who died in 1979. Under the artistic direction of Sue Mingus, this 14-piece band performed Thursday nights from 1991 to 2004 at Fez under Time Cafe in New York City. It maintained weekly performances in the city from May 2004 until October 2008, when it began “Mingus Mondays" at Jazz Standard where it alternated with the Mingus Orchestra and Mingus Dynasty. Mingus Mondays became a NYC institution and Monday night stronghold for over 12 years, halted only by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Mingus Big Band tours extensively in the United States and abroad, and has 11 recordings to its credit, six of which have been nominated for Grammys.
7:00pm “Tango at the Django” featuring Pedro Giraudo Tango Quartet
Latin GRAMMY winner Pedro Giraudo Tango Quartet is a virtuoso quartet that elegantly brings the beauty and passion of the tango repertoire into the world of chamber music.
The Pedro Giraudo Tango Quartet is widely acknowledged as one of the most compelling tango ensembles today, moving forward from the giant footsteps of Astor Piazzolla, and continuing to take this musical genre into new territories. With immense respect for its roots and rich musical past, the ensemble effectively serves as an active ambassador of tango and a proponent of its evolution. The quartet’s fervent and virtuosic musical style takes elements from Argentine tango, European classical music, and American jazz, and combines them gracefully and organically, bringing something new and exciting to the form while retaining all the lushness and beauty that characterizes the genre.
10:00pm Chino Pons
Singer, bandleader, composer, dancer and record producer Chino Pons is considered one of the leading New York City-based Cuban musicians. Growing up in an environment of traditional and Afro-Cuban music, among musicians and legendary dancers from 1940's and 1950's, had a great influence on him and inspired him to create music. Chino's relatives gave him a solid foundation in Son Cubano music, and absorbing their knowledge of Rumba Guaguanco, Yambu, Columbia, Cha Cha Cha, Danzon, and Bolero gave him the desire to create a new, more modern, sound while still maintaining many elements of traditional Cuban music.
In 1997, Chino Pons began working as a band boy with the band Tropical Sound in Miami. In 1998, he moved to New York City to pursue music, performing in the subway and on the streets, then enrolling in Ramon Rodriguez's workshop at the Boys Harbor (El Museo del Barrio). Chino worked with different groups, including Cafe con Crema, Many Puventud and Conjunto Classico (as a band boy). In 2007, he formed Grupo Irek with Hensy Perez, Tosso Hettinger and Heriberto Valentin, and made his first recording as a bandleader with them in 2008. It was during this period that Grupo Irek became one of the best-known and most respected Salsa acts on the New York City circuit, performing alongside the runway at fashion shows, playing regularly at The Socialista Club while it was open; and at Gala events for Sting's Rainforest Foundation. Chino also began playing every year at the Vanidades Magazine anniversary party- previously honoring such classic entertainers as Gloria Estefan, Paquito de Rivera, Ruben Blades and Juan Luis Guerra. In 2013, Chino toured in Japan, playing at the Cuban Japan festival. Since then, he has built up quite a following among Japanese fans of Salsa music.
Vocalist John Dokes has stepped into the spotlight using his wryly smooth baritone to delight audiences weekly at jazz clubs throughout New York City. Singing a mixture of blues, ballads and jazz standards, his unmistakable swinging delivery is entirely his own while harkening back to greats like Nat King Cole and Joe Williams.
A native of eastern Pennsylvania, JD Walter’s past, present, and future has always embodied music. From church Boy choirs at the age of six to the American Boy choir school in Princeton to the University of North Texas on a vocal jazz scholarship, Walter has become a pioneer of improvisation and electronic innovations in the world of jazz. His recording career spans 20 years and his purist progressive approach to jazz music has been recognized worldwide.
After extended studies in Amsterdam with jazz vocal icon, Deborah Brown, Walter returned to the U.S. and embedded himself in the New York jazz scene. It was in New York, surrounded by visionaries of jazz, where he began to organically develop his liberated, vibrant style that turned him from straight-ahead to progressive jazz singing. While recording his most recent album, Dressed in a Song, a life-threatening health scare and subsequent heart and vocal cord surgeries kept Walter out of the studio and off the road for several years. The latest album, released on February 7, 2020, testifies to his personal progression as an evolving artisan and provides an intimate, inventive collection of standards and originals.
Vibraphonist, composer, and bandleader, Simon Moullier has distinguished himself as one of the leading voices of his generation on the instrument. After being mentored by Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Quincy Jones & Jimmy Heath at the Thelonious Monk Institute he is now based in New York and has released two albums as a leader. In the fall 2020, he releases his debut album “Spirit Song” on the New York City label Outside In Music. He follows up less than a year after, in June 2021, with his standards Trio Album “Countdown” on Fresh Sound Records. “Moullier’s finesse on vibraphone is fully apparent, instilling the music with elegance.” (Downbeat)
Jason Marshall’s 2003 arrival in New York City signified the continuation of hard swinging, forward thinking baritone saxophone playing. With early encouragement to appreciate all types of music, Jason has developed a style that encompasses with whole of African-American music. A special interest is given to the amalgamation of soul, R and B, and funk with straight-ahead jazz. Years of dedication and perseverance have resulted in a giant, soulful sound and instantly appealing concept. Influences such as Leo Parker, Nick Brignola and Bruce Johnstone have coalesced to ensure an open perception of the baritone sax and a “take-no-prisoners” approach to playing jazz music. Marshall’s powerful saxophone sounds support Mingus ensembles and can be heard every Monday night at The Django with The Mingus Big Band.
Ken Fowser is the Music Director of The Django, and performs every Friday night on our stage with special guests each week. Since his arrival on the New York scene in 2005, Ken Fowser has continued to steer traditional harmony in uncharted directions. His lyrical approach to line construction and depth of harmonic sensibility allows him to record and play all over the world. A prolific composer, Fowser has celebrated four cooperative releases on Posi-tone Records, co-led with vibraphone virtuoso, Behn Gillece. His debut release as a leader, Standing Tall earned him the #1 spot on Jazz Week Radio Chart seven weeks in a row. Fowser enjoyed both downtown and uptown residencies at iconic New York venues, hosting the session at Smalls Jazz Club every Tuesday for four years and playing the late set at Smoke Jazz and Supper Club every Friday for two years.
Known for his soulful blues and rock & roll saxophone sound, Freddy DeBoe has traveled the world with some of the greatest soul singers of our time. He continues to tour worldwide with many artists while also performing locally in NYC as a bandleader. You can expect lots of feel-good music made for good times! Freddy has appeared on stage & in the studio with Charles Bradley, Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, Lee Fields & the Expressions, the James Hunter Six, Peter Gabriel, Macy Gray, Mary J Blige, George Clinton, George Duke, Scone Cash Players, Ian Hendrickson Smith, and Lonnie Smith to name a few.
Alex Pope Norris is one of the most in-demand trumpeters on the New York Jazz Scene. A regular member of the Mingus Big Band and Ron Carter's Great Big Band, Alex has also worked with Pat Martino, The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, Slide Hampton, Joshua Redman, Betty Carter, Chris Potter, and so many others. As a veteran of New York's Latin Music scene, his credits include Eddie Palmieri, Andy and Jerry Gonzalez, Poncho Sanchez, and the Spanish Harlem Orchestra, among others. Norris is very excited to make his debut as a leader at The Django. Alex is celebrating the release of his third CD as a leader: Alex Norris, Fleet From the Heat, on the Steeplechase Label.
Boris Kozlov takes a fresh look at Mingus's legacy by Mingus Big Band veterans through the use of electric Instruments and modern grooves with a different soundscape aesthetic. Moscow born, three-time Grammy Award-winning acoustic and electric bassist, composer and arranger, Boris Kozlov has been on New York and international jazz scenes for the past 35 years. In addition to his own projects and co-leading OPUS 5, he has been serving as a Bassist, Arranger and Musical Director for Mingus Big Band, Mingus Dynasty and The Orchestra for 22 years. Boris has also been a first-call bassist for important jazz acts such as Michael Brecker, John Blake, Ray Barretto's 'New World Spirit', Lew Tabackin, David Kikoski, Alex Sipiagin, Jean-Michel Pilc, Brian Lynch, Jaleel Shaw, John DiMartino, The Manhattan Transfer, Take 6, New Cuban Express and many others.
The Django welcomes the Grammy award-winning Mingus Big Band to its stage every Monday night. The “city’s hardest big band (Time Out New York),” celebrates the music of composer/bassist Charles Mingus, who died in 1979. Under the artistic direction of Sue Mingus, this 14-piece band performed Thursday nights from 1991 to 2004 at Fez under Time Cafe in New York City. It maintained weekly performances in the city from May 2004 until October 2008, when it began “Mingus Mondays" at Jazz Standard where it alternated with the Mingus Orchestra and Mingus Dynasty. Mingus Mondays became a NYC institution and Monday night stronghold for over 12 years, halted only by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Mingus Big Band tours extensively in the United States and abroad, and has 11 recordings to its credit, six of which have been nominated for Grammys.
Cesar Orozco and Kamarata Jazz Trio 7:00pm
César Orozco is a Cuban born pianist, violinist, composer, arranger, producer, and educator based in the NYC Tri-State area. In 1997, Orozco traveled from Cuba to Venezuela, where he spent 14 years and developed an important and prolific career. In 2012, Orozco moved to the United States and enrolled with a full tuition Assistantship to The Peabody Institute of John Hopkins University in Baltimore, where he earned a Graduate Performance Diploma (GPD) in Jazz Piano. He also holds a degree in Violin Performance and Ensemble Conducting from the National School of Arts in Havana, Cuba. Since relocating to New York in 2015, Mr. Orozco has become an in-demand pianist. Some of the artists he has worked with include Paquito D’Rivera, Pedrito Martinez, Gary Thomas, Alex Norris, Troy Roberts, Paul Bollenback, Itai Kriss & Telavana, Albita Rodriguez, Guaco, Gilberto Santa Rosa, Luis Enrique, and Giovanni Hidalgo just to name a few. Orozco is a 2-times Latin Grammy nominated artist and has seven albums as a leader, including “Son con Pajarillo” (2007, self-release), “Orozcojam” (Guataca, 2010, awarded for Best vocal/Instrumental album at Cubadisco 2012), “No Limits for Tumbao” (Alfi Records, 2015) and the latest one “Rooted Forward", which was released in October, 2020. With his project Kamarata Jazz, Orozco has developed an innovative approach to a fusion of Venezuelan and Cuban traditional music with Jazz and other genres such as flamenco, tango, and bossa nova.
Gerardo Contino and Los Habeneros 10th Anniversary 10:00pm
The explosive Los Habaneros are a force to behold on stage. Mixing musical styles from their home in Cuba with the diversity of sounds they encountered when they made New York City their home, Los Habaneros transcend traditional musical genres to create a real fusion that provokes fans into hip-shaking abandon. The band is comprised of a young generation of Havana-trained musicians, including director and singer Gerardo Contino, artistic director and pianist Axel Tosca Laugart, and percussionist Yusnier Sanchez Bustamante.
The band's first album, Somos Latinos (2013), was released to very high critical acclaim. It was produced by Latin Grammy-nominated Luisito Quintero, and included five-time Grammy-award winning bassist John Benitez. Los Habaneros have toured in Peru, Canada, Qatar, and all throughout the United States. They have played at the Kennedy Center for the Arts as official performers for TEDMED, the American Folk Festival, Brooklyn Academy of Music, BB King Blues Club, Subrosa, BAMCafe, The Green Space, Sounds of Brazil (SOBs), Le Poisson Rouge, The Bronx Museum, the American Museum of Natural History, Live at the Gantries, Roulette, Gonzalez y Gonzalez, Taj, and many others.
Naama Gheber is a New York-based jazz vocalist inspired by the emotionally direct compositions of Rodgers and Hart, Fields and Hugh, Cole Porter and other great composers and lyricist of the 1930’s and ‘40’s. Possessed with an urbane and elegant voice, Gheber’s sensitive interpretation and crisp phrasing have become recognizable elements of her signature style and timeless appeal. Gheber has performed across Europe in celebrated festivals and jazz clubs. In NYC Gheber has performed at acclaimed jazz venues such as Birdland Jazz Club, Smalls Jazz Club, Mezzrow Jazz Club in which she currently holds a monthly residency. Gheber recorded her debut album featuring vibraphonist Steve Nelson, pianist Ray Gallon, bassist David Wong and drummer Aaron Kimmel. According to Downbeat, it is “...a promising debut... which augurs well for future releases."
In 1991, New York-based vocalists and songwriters Lucy Yeghiazaryan and Vanisha Gould presented their debut collaborative album In Her Words. A collection of original compositions and carefully curated standards, this unabashedly intimate recording offered a glimpse into the private lives of women, told from their unique perspective. These two singers reunite on The Django stage for one-night only. Vanisha Gould came to New York in 2015 from Simi Valley, California. Inspired by artists like Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan, Joni Mitchell, Carmen McRae and Ella Fitzgerald- she has successfully curated her own sound as a composer and band leader. Performing originals and music from the Great American Songbook on several groundbreaking stages both in New York and overseas, she aspires to continue sharing her voice with audiences in New York and beyond.
Lucy Yeghiazaryan has established herself as a leading voice in the world of straight-ahead vocal jazz in and outside of New York City. She tours domestically and internationally and is a recipient of grants from the Doris Duke Foundation, Chamber Music and the New York Foundation for the Arts. She has shared the stage with Grant Stewart, Harold Mabern, Houston Person, Bernadette Peters, Rodney Whitaker, Arto Tuncboyaijian, Steve Williams and many more. She was a top ten finalist in the 2015 Thelonious Monk Competition and holds a degree in World History in addition to being a skilled classical violinist.
David Kikoski is a world-renowned jazz pianist. After graduating Berklee School of Music, Roy Haynes invited him to join Roy’s all-star lineup including Dave Holland, Roy Hargrove, and Kenny Garrett to record and tour. Their band, “Birds of a Feather,” went on tour extensively with Christian McBride and Nicholas Payton. Birds of a Feather received a Grammy nomination in 2004. He is also a long-time member of the Charles Mingus Big Band and won the 2010 Grammy Award Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album for “Mingus Big Band Live At Jazz Standard.” Over the years, he is on over 120 recordings and has performed with the Brecker Brothers, Joe Henderson, Al Foster, John Scofield, Chick Corea, Pat Metheny, Jeff “Tain” Watts, Kurt Rosenwinkel, and many others.
New York jazz trombonist Conrad Herwig has recorded 25 albums as a leader, receiving four Grammy nominations. He has also been voted #1 Jazz Trombonist three times in the DownBeat “Jazz Critic’s Poll.” and nominated for “Trombonist of the Year” by the Jazz Journalists Association on numerous occasions. In constant demand as a sideman, Herwig has performed with Joe Henderson, Horace Silver, McCoy Tyner, Max Roach, and Joe Lovano (featured as a soloist on Lovano’s GRAMMY Award winning 52nd St. Themes CD). In the Afro-Caribbean genre he has toured with legends such as Eddie Palmieri, Tito Puente, Paquito D'Rivera, and Michel Camilo. He is a longtime member of the Mingus Big Band (where he has served as musical director and arranger including on the 2011 GRAMMY Award-winning Live at the Jazz Standard CD). In other big band settings Herwig has also performed and recorded with Clark Terry, Buddy Rich, Frank Sinatra, Miles Davis & Quincy Jones, and the Gil Evans Orchestra. All told Herwig has appeared on more than 250 albums in what is now a 40-plus-year career. Conrad Herwig performs exclusively on Michael Rath Trombones, England.
New York jazz trombonist Conrad Herwig has recorded 25 albums as a leader, receiving four Grammy nominations. He has also been voted #1 Jazz Trombonist three times in the DownBeat “Jazz Critic’s Poll.” and nominated for “Trombonist of the Year” by the Jazz Journalists Association on numerous occasions.
In constant demand as a sideman, Herwig has performed with Joe Henderson, Horace Silver, McCoy Tyner, Max Roach, and Joe Lovano (featured as a soloist on Lovano’s GRAMMY Award winning 52nd St. Themes CD). In the Afro-Caribbean genre he has toured with legends such as Eddie Palmieri, Tito Puente, Paquito D'Rivera, and Michel Camilo. He is a longtime member of the Mingus Big Band (where he has served as musical director and arranger including on the 2011 GRAMMY Award-winning Live at the Jazz Standard CD). In other big band settings Herwig has also performed and recorded with Clark Terry, Buddy Rich, Frank Sinatra, Miles Davis & Quincy Jones, and the Gil Evans Orchestra. All told Herwig has appeared on more than 250 albums in what is now a 40-plus-year career. Conrad Herwig performs exclusively on Michael Rath Trombones, England.
Gotham Kings is a high energy immersive jazz experience! Two-time Grammy nominated trumpeter, Alphonso Horne has put together a band that weaves the sound of New Orleans into a rich musical fabric that demonstrates the history of the trumpet and the story of jazz. Inspired by the music of King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band, Gotham Kings uses the virtuosity of the young Louis Armstrong and innovative genius of King Oliver to take you on a journey of sound that encompasses rags, stomps, shouts and funk! The band has played in venues including Caramoor Jazz Festival, Louis Armstrong House Museum, Jazz at Lincoln Center and many more! Individually, members of the Gotham Kings have compiled a diverse resume of collaborations with top artists such as Wynton Marsalis, Michael Feinstein, Rihanna, Lady Gaga, The Colbert Show and more!
Ken Fowser is the Music Director of The Django, and performs every Friday night on our stage with special guests each week. Since his arrival on the New York scene in 2005, Ken Fowser has continued to steer traditional harmony in uncharted directions. His lyrical approach to line construction and depth of harmonic sensibility allows him to record and play all over the world. A prolific composer, Fowser has celebrated four cooperative releases on Posi-tone Records, co-led with vibraphone virtuoso, Behn Gillece. His debut release as a leader, Standing Tall earned him the #1 spot on Jazz Week Radio Chart seven weeks in a row. Fowser enjoyed both downtown and uptown residencies at iconic New York venues, hosting the session at Smalls Jazz Club every Tuesday for four years and playing the late set at Smoke Jazz and Supper Club every Friday for two years.
Philip Harper (Baltimore, 1965) started playing trumpet when he was 10 years old under tutorage of his older brother, Danny. Later he studied at Hartt School of Music with Jackie McLean. At the age of 18 Philip moved to New York, where he started working and recording extensively, with such musicians as “Little” Jimmy Scott, Jimmy McGriff, Betty Carter, Etta Jones, Harry “Sweets” Edison, Bill Cosby and Cedar Walton. Between the years 1986 and 1988 he was a member of Art Blakey´s Jazz Messengers, with whom he made several live recordings. After leaving the Messengers he formed a group with his brother, drummer Winard Harper. The Harper Brothers toured throughout the world and made several successful albums for Polygram/Verve. Philip Harper has made over 50 recordings, both as leader – his solo albums Soulful Sin and The Thirteenth Moon on Muse Records – and as a sideman, which has earned him number one position on numerous jazz play lists and critic polls. In the past years Philip has been living in Europe as well as in the USA, playing with Benny Golson, Cedar Walton and the Mingus Big Band. With the latter he is currently touring the globe and can be found often on The Django stage.
The Django welcomes the Grammy award-winning Mingus Big Band to its stage every Monday night. The “city’s hardest big band (Time Out New York),” celebrates the music of composer/bassist Charles Mingus, who died in 1979. Under the artistic direction of Sue Mingus, this 14-piece band performed Thursday nights from 1991 to 2004 at Fez under Time Cafe in New York City. It maintained weekly performances in the city from May 2004 until October 2008, when it began “Mingus Mondays" at Jazz Standard where it alternated with the Mingus Orchestra and Mingus Dynasty. Mingus Mondays became a NYC institution and Monday night stronghold for over 12 years, halted only by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Mingus Big Band tours extensively in the United States and abroad, and has 11 recordings to its credit, six of which have been nominated for Grammys.
Omnivorous artist ELEW hosts a double-header on The Django stage tonight. First, he wears he jazz hat joined by his Trio and then showcases his DJ skills for the second set. A native of Camden, New Jersey, Eric Lewis began his musical studies at two years old and would ultimately receive the Rodger's and Hammerstein full merit scholarship to the Manhattan School of Music. A Dean's List student, upon graduation, he toured the world, recorded and performed with Wynton Marsalis & the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Elvin Jones, Cassandra Wilson, Roy Hargrove, and John Hendricks among others. In 1999, Eric won the Thelonious Monk International Piano Competition, at the time, the most coveted prize in all of jazz.
A decade into his career, he reemerged as ELEW and began fusing his piano techniques with rock guitar-based ideas and experimental prepared piano methods, generating a powerful crossover brand he coined “Rockjazz". Over the course of multiple award winning, critically acclaimed albums, ELEW has re-imagined songs by The Killers, Nirvana, Coldplay and Michael Jackson to name a few. Throughout his career he has built an elite fanbase of some of the most distinguished leaders and celebrities such as Leonardo DiCaprio, Gerard Butler, Barack and Michele Obama, Prince Albert I1, Will Smith, Eli Roth, Al Pacino and the list goes on..
Inspired by the European masters of Baroque Counterpoint, ELEW has innovated the technique of simultaneously executing two independent melodies which precisely detail harmonic forms bursting with idiomatic verisimilitude and wide ranging historical references while flawlessly maintaining the idiosyncratic Afrocentric timing at the core of Jazz improvisation. He has named this technique Counterbop. His album Cubism- ELEW plays Rosenwinkel, a solo piano exploration of contemporary jazz legend Kurt Rosenwinkel provides perspective an insight into the nature of what Counterbop is and how it may be implemented.
In addition to piano performance, appearing in and scoring for film, ELEW is a prominent international DJ. He has created disco infernos for multiple events such as The World Economic Forum, TED, Art Basel, A-list Oscar parties, the Monte-Carlo Gala, the Cannes Film Festival and multiple celebrity birthdays and weddings. In some cases, ELEW places the turntables within the piano, seamlessly executing transitions and improvisations all while generating a pleasing frenzy on the dance floor. This has lead to him creating yet another brilliant innovation he calls Piano Turntablism. He literally plays two different yet recognizable songs simultaneously as a DJ would but on the Piano. All while maintaining the type of euphoric festival.
Pianist-composer Orrin Evans, who is also appearing at the Exit Zero Jazz Festival with his Captain Black Big Band, unveils his new Brazilian project for the first time in Cape May. Born out of a commissioned project by The August Wilson African American Cultural Center, Terreno Comum is a powerful collective comprised of some of the most acclaimed musicians in modern jazz and Brazilian music. With Evans as musical director, this new quintet features Brazilian-American singer-songwriter Alexia Bomtempo, bassist Luques Curtis, drummer Clarence Penn and São Paulo-born guitarist Leandro Pellegrino. The song list includes beautiful arrangements of Brazilian standards giving an opportunity for all to shine. Their debut album will be released on Evans’ label, Imani Records, later in 2021. While the members of Terreno Comum may come from disparate backgrounds — Alexia from Rio de Janeiro, Leandro from São Paulo, Luques from Hartford, Clarence from Detroit, Orrin from Trenton — they share a musical “common ground” (the English translation of the band name). Hear their masterful interpretations of soothing bossa novas and alluring sambas in their Exit Zero Jazz Festival debut.
Mike LeDonne is a world-renowned jazz pianist and Hammond organist. Oscar Peterson named him as one of his favorite pianists of this era. Since moving to New York City in 1978 he has worked with a wide spectrum of jazz greats from Benny Goodman to Sonny Rollins, Bobby Hutcherson and many others. He spent 11 years as pianist and musical director for vibes legend Milt Jackson, and has been working with Benny Golson since 1997. He was nominated for “Best Keyboards” 2012 by the Jazz Journalists Association and won the Downbeat Critic’s Poll as “Rising Star” on organ that same year. Mike’s on over 150 recordings and has 22 out under his own name. He co-authored a piano comping book as part of Jim Snidero’s Jazz Conception series on Advance Music and spent four years at Juilliard and is presently on the faculty at William Patterson University.
Guitar powerhouse Mark Whitfield returns to The Django for his monthly concert series. After graduating from Berklee College of Music, Whitfield returned to his to his native New York to embark on a career that afforded him the opportunity to collaborate with legendary artists including Dizzy Gillespie, Art Blakey, Quincy Jones, Ray Charles, Herbie Hancock, Carmen McRae, Gladys Knight, Burt Bacharach, Jimmy Smith, Clark Terry, Shirley Horn, Wynton Marsalis, Branford Marsalis, Joe Williams, Stanley Turrentine and his greatest teacher and mentor George Benson.
In 1990 The New York Times dubbed Whitfield “The Best Young Guitarist in the Business”. Later that year, Warner Bros. released his debut album The Marksman. The success of his debut release led to a recording career that has produced a total of 14 solo recordings and a myriad of collaborative efforts with some of the most important artists in recent years; Sting, Steven Tyler, D’Angelo, Mary J. Blige, John Mayer, Chaka Khan, Jill Scott, Diana Krall, Christian McBride, Chris Botti, Roy Hargrove and Nicholas Payton.
Ken Fowser is the Music Director of The Django, and performs every Friday night on our stage with special guests each week. Since his arrival on the New York scene in 2005, Ken Fowser has continued to steer traditional harmony in uncharted directions. His lyrical approach to line construction and depth of harmonic sensibility allows him to record and play all over the world. A prolific composer, Fowser has celebrated four cooperative releases on Posi-tone Records, co-led with vibraphone virtuoso, Behn Gillece. His debut release as a leader, Standing Tall earned him the #1 spot on Jazz Week Radio Chart seven weeks in a row. Fowser enjoyed both downtown and uptown residencies at iconic New York venues, hosting the session at Smalls Jazz Club every Tuesday for four years and playing the late set at Smoke Jazz and Supper Club every Friday for two years.
Joe Saylor is a percussionist, educator, and jazz artist based in New York City. Saylor plays percussion in Jonathan Batiste's Stay Human, the house band for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. He also performs at various jazz clubs, festivals, and venues around the world. He has conducted jazz workshops at various educational institutions including Stanford University. He has performed at such places as the Howard Theater, the White House, Lincoln Center, Rockwood Music Hall, Webster Hall, and the Great GoogaMooga. He has performed or recorded with Roy Hargrove, Wynton Marsalis, Dwayne Dolphin, Steve Wilson, Joe Lovano, Jon Faddis, Slide Hampton, and Ellis Marsalis.
Multi-instrumentalist/composer Scott Robinson has been a highly active presence on the New York-based jazz scene for more than 35 years, appearing on some 280 CDs. He has been heard on tenor sax with Buck Clayton, on alto clarinet with Paquito D’Rivera, on trumpet with Lionel Hampton, and on bass sax with the New York City Opera, along with performances alongside as diverse a group of artists as Anthony Braxton, Ruby Braff, Ella Fitzgerald, Clark Terry, Elton John, Bob Brookmeyer, Frank Wess and Roscoe Mitchell. In 2001 he performed in 11 West African nations during an 8-week tour as a U.S. Jazz Ambassador. Scott has been the winner of a number of Critics/Readers Polls and Jazz Journalists Association awards in recent years, and has been profiled in The Wall Street Journal, DownBeat magazine, The Encyclopedia of Jazz and many other publications. In 2010, Scott formed ScienSonic Laboratories, an outlet for many exciting and far-reaching projects encompassing what he likes to call “Experiential Music for adventurous listeners.” This label has released a dozen collaborative efforts with Roscoe Mitchell, Marshall Allen, Henry Grimes, Milford Graves, and many others, as well as Bronze Nemesis, Scott’s suite of original compositions based on pulp adventure novels of the 1930s. The Scott Robinson Quartet recently released Tenormore on Arbors Records, which won the distinction of “Best New Release of 2019” in JazzTimes, as well as appearing in numerous other best-of-year lists.
Lincoln Center’s emerging artist of 2019 and Detroit native Endea Owens, is a vibrant up and coming bassist. She has been mentored by the likes of Marcus Belgrave, Rodney Whitaker, and Ron Carter. She has toured and performed with Jennifer Holliday, Rhonda and Diana Ross, Jazzmeia Horn, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Steve Turre, and Lea Delaria from the Netflix original series “Orange is the New Black”. Endea is the bassist for Jon Batiste’s Stay Human and the house bassist for the Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
The Charles Mingus Orchestra began alternating performances with its older sibling, the Mingus Big Band, during a 14-year tenure at New York's Fez Under Time Cafe. In March and April of 2005, the Mingus Orchestra performed across the street from Fez for a series of extraordinary late-night performances at Joe's Pub. More recently, Mingus Mondays celebration ran at Jazz Standard for nearly 12 years rotating the the Orchestra, the Dynasty, and the Big Band, becoming a local culture institution halted only by the COVID-19 worldwide pandemic. Now the Charles Mingus Orchestra marks its triumphant return to the live stage. Assembled in 1999 by Sue Mingus, the 10-piece Mingus Orchestra plays with the intensity of Mingus Big Band, with a focus on composition and exploration of Mingus’ more diverse works. Its distinctive sound and textures emerge from an expanded repertory and more exotic instrumentation including bassoon, bass clarinet, French horn, and guitar—instruments not heard in the Big Band, and mostly non-traditional to jazz and modern improvisational music. The other six instruments are chaired by musicians that also perform in Mingus Big Band, and include drums, bass, trombone, trumpet, alto and tenor saxophone, with additional doublings on flute, soprano and clarinet.
7:00pm Pedro Cortes Flamenco Ensemble
Pedro Cortes comes from a family of Spanish Gypsy guitarists and began his studies with his father and the esteemed Flamenco guitarist Sabicas. Having toured professionally since the age of 17, he is gaining international recognition as a soloist and composer. He has premiered his work En la oscuridad de las minas at the Teatro Albeniz in Madrid, he had works premiered by the Carlota Santana Spanish Dance Company at the Joyce Theater in New York. Cortes was commissioned by the Cohen Brothers to compose music for the film Paris Je T'Aime. He also wrote music for a children’s program on HBO called Fairy Tale for Every Child.
10:00pm Los Hacheros
Brooklyn’s Los Hacheros are modern day torchbearers of the Golden Age of Latin music. Their beat revives folkloric styles like Son Montuno, Guaracha and Salsa, and often combines them with Bomba, a fiery rhythm from the mountains of Puerto Rico.
At the age of 27, Pittsburgh-born, New York-based jazz trumpeter & singer Benny Benack III has quickly established himself as one of the most versatile and virtuosic voices of his generation. Hailed by The New York Times as “a charismatic young trumpeter who maintains an earnest sideline as a singer”, Benack has a knack for delighting audiences with panache, in the spirit of classic crooners like Sinatra & Mel Tormé, with a nod to legendary trumpet showmen Louis Armstrong & Dizzy Gillespie.
Big, bad beauty from Boise, Idaho, Emily Braden covers a lot of ground. Whether she’s fronting an orchestra or leading a world-class trio in the heart of Manhattan, Braden has the innate ability to win the heart of any audience with her powerhouse vocals and striking stage presence. Winner of New York City’s prestigious “Best of the Best" Jazzmobile Vocal Competition, Braden’s signature sound is an effortless blend of jazz and soul. She is currently completing her sophomore release “Cannon & Sparrow." Her debut album Soul Walk is composed of high-energy originals, bilingual improvisations (Braden is fluent in Spanish and received her Masters degree in Latin American Studies) and “flipped-out" jazz standards. Producer Misha Piatigorsky says, “As a singer, Emily has no boundaries. She gives me goosebumps.” Before the COVID-19 global pandemic, Braden toured regularly and could be seen every first Friday at NYC’s famed 55 Bar. She has performed at NYC's Blue Note Jazz Club, Birdland Jazz Club and Minton’s Playhouse as well as on international festival circuits. She has been a featured vocalist with Postmodern Jukebox and is the front woman for NYC's Sketchy Orkestra.
Helen Sung is an acclaimed jazz pianist and composer, and a 2021 Guggenheim Fellow. A native of Houston, Texas, and graduate of its High School for the Performing and Visual Arts (HSPVA), she eschewed her classical piano upbringing after a jazz epiphany during undergraduate studies at UT Austin. Helen went on to become part of the inaugural class of the Thelonious Monk Institute (now the Herbie Hancock Institute) at the New England Conservatory of Music. Her recent releases Sung With Words (Stricker Street), a collaborative project with renowned poet Dana Gioia, and Anthem For A New Day (Concord Jazz) topped the jazz charts. Quartet+ (Sunnyside Records), her latest release, followed suit, garnering a 4.5 star DownBeat review and inclusion in its “Best of 2021 Albums" list and a JazzTimes cover story (January 2022 issue). Helen and her band have performed at major American festivals and venues including Newport, Monterey, Disney Hall, SFJAZZ, and Carnegie Hall. Internationally, her “NuGenerations" Project toured southern Africa as a U.S. State Department Jazz Ambassador, and recent engagements include debuts at the London Jazz Festival, Jazz at Lincoln Center Shanghai, Blue Note Beijing, and the Sydney International Women's Jazz Festival. She has performed with such luminaries as the late Clark Terry, Wayne Shorter, Ron Carter, Wynton Marsalis (who named her as one of his “Who's Got Next: Jazz Musicians to Watch!"), MacArthur Fellow Regina Carter, and Grammy-winning artists including Terri Lyne Carrington, Cecile McLorin Salvant, and the Mingus Big Band. Helen is a Steinway Artist and has served on the jazz faculties at Berklee College of Music, the Juilliard School, and Columbia University, where she also was the inaugural jazz artist-in- residence at Columbia's prestigious Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute.
New York City-based saxophonist and flutist Ian Hendrickson-Smith is mostly noted for his remarkable tone, soulful approach and blues-driven melodies. Currently, you can find Ian playing on the road with The Roots or on The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon. Hendrickson-Smith’s extensive recording experience includes the release of 12 jazz records as a leader. His most recent, The Lowdown (Cellar Music 2020) is currently charting at #18 on the national jazz charts.
Ken Fowser is the Music Director of The Django, and performs every Friday night on our stage with special guests each week. Since his arrival on the New York scene in 2005, Ken Fowser has continued to steer traditional harmony in uncharted directions. His lyrical approach to line construction and depth of harmonic sensibility allows him to record and play all over the world. A prolific composer, Fowser has celebrated four cooperative releases on Posi-tone Records, co-led with vibraphone virtuoso, Behn Gillece. His debut release as a leader, Standing Tall earned him the #1 spot on Jazz Week Radio Chart seven weeks in a row. Fowser enjoyed both downtown and uptown residencies at iconic New York venues, hosting the session at Smalls Jazz Club every Tuesday for four years and playing the late set at Smoke Jazz and Supper Club every Friday for two years.
Saxophonist Craig Handy began his career performing with jazz masters such as Art Blakey, Roy Haynes, Abdullah Ibrahim, and the Mingus Dynasty Band. By his late 20s, Handy was already known for his technical mastery and prodigious post-bop talent, as well as the versatility demonstrated by performing with vocalists like Betty Carter and Dee Dee Bridgewater. Handy has since toured and performed with numerous jazz masters, including Herbie Hancock, Cedar Walton, Wynton Marsalis, and The Cookers. Handy now leads a new project entitled Craig Handy & 2nd Line Smith, drawing on New Orleans music and the groove-filled re- imaginings of originals and standards by the late, great organist Jimmy Smith.
Oz Noy, Ray Marchica and Ugonna Okegwo are pleased to present Riverside, out on January 21, 2022, via Outside in Music. Their first release as a trio, Riverside is a fresh, life-affirming collection of standards that stems from the group’s spontaneously assembled outdoor jams held in Riverside Park, New York City during lockdown. As individuals, this dynamic trio has a wide range of performing credits – Okegwo as a celebrated sideman with Jacky Terrasson and Tom Harrell, Marchica as a Broadway and session player (plus two albums as a leader) and Noy as one of fusion’s most sought after individual voices. All three have worked on the New York scene for the past two decades, so when the COVID-19 lockdown hit, it was a huge blow to both their livelihoods and their creative spirits. Then, summer came around, and the chance presented itself for housebound musicians to meet up and play outdoors. Oz called upon his neighbors Ugonna and Ray and invited them down to the park for a jam session – Ugonna on upright, Marchica with a small drum set, and Noy on electric guitar, with a battery-powered amp. The sessions went on through the summer months until the weather turned in October. But instead of packing up entirely, the group went into the studio, satisfied that they had created a sound, and a feeling amongst the group. The result is Riverside.
Lezlie Harrison is her own personal renaissance. Her constant state of evolution and growth brings with it, gifts for those paying attention. As a vocalist both bold and subtle, her vulnerability attends to the fragile matters of our collective human affairs while her optimistic momentum inspires us to rise above any tribulation to rejoice. Be it Jazz, Blues, Gospel, Soul, The American Song Form, original compositions, or any song in ANY form, Ms. Harrison will imbue it with her distinctive stamp and make a very personal delivery. On the planet's premier jazz radio station, WBGO, her voice as a regular curator and presenter reveal the love and pride with which she regards America's classical music. Hyper-active on the New York and global jazz scenes, Lezlie is also, along with the late Dale Fitzgerald and trumpeter Roy Hargrove, a member of the triumvirate responsible for launching New York's world-renowned JAZZ GALLERY. On occasion Lezlie lends her regal presence to the stage as an actress, bringing to those endeavors, the same sense of organic elegance that she brought to the runways and photo studios of Paris some years ago. By way of her childhood in New York and North Carolina or her maturation in New York, Boston or on stages throughout Asia, Russia, Europe, and elsewhere, Ms. Lezlie Harrison shows aesthetic evidence that she is a recipient of the lessons of dignity, integrity, and grace bestowed upon her by her elders and fine-tuned by her own history.
The Django
2 Avenue of the Americas
(Cellar Level at The Roxy Hotel)
New York, NY
Trains: A/C/N/Q/R/W to Canal, 2/3 to Franklin, 1 to Chambers
$20 Cover Charge per person (not including two-drink minimum). To reserve, visit TheDjangoNYC.com or call 212.519.6649.
Health + Safety Protocols: The Django regularly updates its COVID protocols and procedures based on CDC, federal, state, city and other scientific data. At this time, COVID vaccination cards are required.
The Ken Fowser Quintet returns for its weekly show (April 1, April 8, April 16, April 22, and April 29). On April 20, pianist Orrin Evans brings back his Brazilian project “Terreno Comum” followed by the Sachal Vasandani vocal showcase during the later set. The Django’s popular Tuesday Latin Jazz nights returns Apr 2, 12, and 26) with a special 10th anniversary concert celebrating the Cuban ensemble Los Habeneros (April 12). Guitar hero Mark Whitfield returns April 21 for his monthly gig on The Django stage. Be¬low is a complete schedule of April performances at The Django.
April 2022 Schedule
April 1 | Ken Fowser Quintet
7:00pmKen Fowser is the Music Director of The Django, and performs every Friday night on our stage with special guests each week. Since his arrival on the New York scene in 2005, Ken Fowser has continued to steer traditional harmony in uncharted directions. His lyrical approach to line construction and depth of harmonic sensibility allows him to record and play all over the world. A prolific composer, Fowser has celebrated four cooperative releases on Posi-tone Records, co-led with vibraphone virtuoso, Behn Gillece. His debut release as a leader, Standing Tall earned him the #1 spot on Jazz Week Radio Chart seven weeks in a row. Fowser enjoyed both downtown and uptown residencies at iconic New York venues, hosting the session at Smalls Jazz Club every Tuesday for four years and playing the late set at Smoke Jazz and Supper Club every Friday for two years.
April 1 | Mingus Celebration: Wayne Escoffery Quartet
10:00pmGrammy Award-winning tenor saxophonist Wayne Escoffery is one of the jazz world’s most talented rising stars and in-demand sidemen. For over a decade, Escoffery was mostly associated with trumpet master Tom Harrell’s working quintet, recording seven CDs and touring the world. He has also been a member of the Mingus Dynasty, Big Band, and Orchestra since 2000. Over the years he has recorded and performed with Ron Carter, Ben Riley, Eric Reed, Carl Allen, Al Foster, and Billy Hart to name just a few.
April 2 | David Gibson Quartet
7:00pmDavid Gibson spent his quarantine time composing much new music and he's thrilled to be able to once again share his handiwork with live audiences. His quartet, which includes Mike King(piano), Joseph Lepore(bass), and Anwar Marshall(drums), is an exciting brigade of like-minded musicians who aim to provide an evening of compelling music for all comers.
April 2 | Mingus Celebration: Tatum Greenblatt Quintet
10:00pmRecognized by The New York Times as “a trumpeter of versatility and poise”, Tatum Greenblatt is widely regarded as one of New York City’s most in-demand musicians across a wide range of styles and genres. He has been a member of the Grammy-Award Winning Mingus Big Band for over 15 years, performing regularly in New York and touring internationally. Tatum also appears frequently with The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, in performances at Rose Hall, touring domestically, and having recently recorded on The 50’s: a Prism, Big Band Holidays Vol 2, and Ted Nash and Glenn Close’s Transformation. From 2010-16, Tatum toured with the legendary bassist and singer Richard Bona, traveling to over 60 countries across six continents, and has also performed and/or recorded with Blood Sweat & Tears, George Gruntz, Dr. John, Christian McBride’s Big Band, Jimmy Heath, Sachal Vasandani, Christian Sands, Ulysses Owens, Emmet Cohen, Macklemore, Bastille, Grizzly Bear, Shaina Taub, Orrin Evans, Roy Hargrove’s Big Band, Toshiko Akiyoshi, and The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, among many others. Tatum is also active on Broadway, having played on more than a dozen productions, including holding the trumpet chair for three years on Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. As a bandleader Tatum has released three albums to critical acclaim. His most recent, Imprints, was awarded “Critic’s Pick” by DownBeat Magazine. Outside of his performance career, Tatum is a dedicated educator. He currently serves on faculty in the Jazz Departments at The Juilliard School and Rutgers University, as well as many roles within the Education Department at Jazz at Lincoln Center.
April 4 | Mingus Celebration: Mingus Mondays: Mingus Big Band
7:30 + 9:30pmThe Django welcomes the Grammy award-winning Mingus Big Band to its stage every Monday night. The “city’s hardest big band (Time Out New York),” celebrates the music of composer/bassist Charles Mingus, who died in 1979. Under the artistic direction of Sue Mingus, this 14-piece band performed Thursday nights from 1991 to 2004 at Fez under Time Cafe in New York City. It maintained weekly performances in the city from May 2004 until October 2008, when it began “Mingus Mondays" at Jazz Standard where it alternated with the Mingus Orchestra and Mingus Dynasty. Mingus Mondays became a NYC institution and Monday night stronghold for over 12 years, halted only by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Mingus Big Band tours extensively in the United States and abroad, and has 11 recordings to its credit, six of which have been nominated for Grammys.
April 5 | Martes Latinos
The Django brings back its popular Tuesday Latin jazz concert series each month.7:00pm “Tango at the Django” featuring Pedro Giraudo Tango Quartet
Latin GRAMMY winner Pedro Giraudo Tango Quartet is a virtuoso quartet that elegantly brings the beauty and passion of the tango repertoire into the world of chamber music.
The Pedro Giraudo Tango Quartet is widely acknowledged as one of the most compelling tango ensembles today, moving forward from the giant footsteps of Astor Piazzolla, and continuing to take this musical genre into new territories. With immense respect for its roots and rich musical past, the ensemble effectively serves as an active ambassador of tango and a proponent of its evolution. The quartet’s fervent and virtuosic musical style takes elements from Argentine tango, European classical music, and American jazz, and combines them gracefully and organically, bringing something new and exciting to the form while retaining all the lushness and beauty that characterizes the genre.
10:00pm Chino Pons
Singer, bandleader, composer, dancer and record producer Chino Pons is considered one of the leading New York City-based Cuban musicians. Growing up in an environment of traditional and Afro-Cuban music, among musicians and legendary dancers from 1940's and 1950's, had a great influence on him and inspired him to create music. Chino's relatives gave him a solid foundation in Son Cubano music, and absorbing their knowledge of Rumba Guaguanco, Yambu, Columbia, Cha Cha Cha, Danzon, and Bolero gave him the desire to create a new, more modern, sound while still maintaining many elements of traditional Cuban music.
In 1997, Chino Pons began working as a band boy with the band Tropical Sound in Miami. In 1998, he moved to New York City to pursue music, performing in the subway and on the streets, then enrolling in Ramon Rodriguez's workshop at the Boys Harbor (El Museo del Barrio). Chino worked with different groups, including Cafe con Crema, Many Puventud and Conjunto Classico (as a band boy). In 2007, he formed Grupo Irek with Hensy Perez, Tosso Hettinger and Heriberto Valentin, and made his first recording as a bandleader with them in 2008. It was during this period that Grupo Irek became one of the best-known and most respected Salsa acts on the New York City circuit, performing alongside the runway at fashion shows, playing regularly at The Socialista Club while it was open; and at Gala events for Sting's Rainforest Foundation. Chino also began playing every year at the Vanidades Magazine anniversary party- previously honoring such classic entertainers as Gloria Estefan, Paquito de Rivera, Ruben Blades and Juan Luis Guerra. In 2013, Chino toured in Japan, playing at the Cuban Japan festival. Since then, he has built up quite a following among Japanese fans of Salsa music.
April 6 | John Dokes
7:00pmVocalist John Dokes has stepped into the spotlight using his wryly smooth baritone to delight audiences weekly at jazz clubs throughout New York City. Singing a mixture of blues, ballads and jazz standards, his unmistakable swinging delivery is entirely his own while harkening back to greats like Nat King Cole and Joe Williams.
April 6 | JD Walter Quartet
10:00pmA native of eastern Pennsylvania, JD Walter’s past, present, and future has always embodied music. From church Boy choirs at the age of six to the American Boy choir school in Princeton to the University of North Texas on a vocal jazz scholarship, Walter has become a pioneer of improvisation and electronic innovations in the world of jazz. His recording career spans 20 years and his purist progressive approach to jazz music has been recognized worldwide.
After extended studies in Amsterdam with jazz vocal icon, Deborah Brown, Walter returned to the U.S. and embedded himself in the New York jazz scene. It was in New York, surrounded by visionaries of jazz, where he began to organically develop his liberated, vibrant style that turned him from straight-ahead to progressive jazz singing. While recording his most recent album, Dressed in a Song, a life-threatening health scare and subsequent heart and vocal cord surgeries kept Walter out of the studio and off the road for several years. The latest album, released on February 7, 2020, testifies to his personal progression as an evolving artisan and provides an intimate, inventive collection of standards and originals.
April 7 | Simon Moullier Quartet
7:00pmVibraphonist, composer, and bandleader, Simon Moullier has distinguished himself as one of the leading voices of his generation on the instrument. After being mentored by Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Quincy Jones & Jimmy Heath at the Thelonious Monk Institute he is now based in New York and has released two albums as a leader. In the fall 2020, he releases his debut album “Spirit Song” on the New York City label Outside In Music. He follows up less than a year after, in June 2021, with his standards Trio Album “Countdown” on Fresh Sound Records. “Moullier’s finesse on vibraphone is fully apparent, instilling the music with elegance.” (Downbeat)
April 7 | Mingus Celebration: Jason Marshall Organ Quartet Plays Mingus
10:00pmJason Marshall’s 2003 arrival in New York City signified the continuation of hard swinging, forward thinking baritone saxophone playing. With early encouragement to appreciate all types of music, Jason has developed a style that encompasses with whole of African-American music. A special interest is given to the amalgamation of soul, R and B, and funk with straight-ahead jazz. Years of dedication and perseverance have resulted in a giant, soulful sound and instantly appealing concept. Influences such as Leo Parker, Nick Brignola and Bruce Johnstone have coalesced to ensure an open perception of the baritone sax and a “take-no-prisoners” approach to playing jazz music. Marshall’s powerful saxophone sounds support Mingus ensembles and can be heard every Monday night at The Django with The Mingus Big Band.
April 8 | Ken Fowser Quintet
7:00pmKen Fowser is the Music Director of The Django, and performs every Friday night on our stage with special guests each week. Since his arrival on the New York scene in 2005, Ken Fowser has continued to steer traditional harmony in uncharted directions. His lyrical approach to line construction and depth of harmonic sensibility allows him to record and play all over the world. A prolific composer, Fowser has celebrated four cooperative releases on Posi-tone Records, co-led with vibraphone virtuoso, Behn Gillece. His debut release as a leader, Standing Tall earned him the #1 spot on Jazz Week Radio Chart seven weeks in a row. Fowser enjoyed both downtown and uptown residencies at iconic New York venues, hosting the session at Smalls Jazz Club every Tuesday for four years and playing the late set at Smoke Jazz and Supper Club every Friday for two years.
April 8 | Freddy Deboe Band
10:00pmKnown for his soulful blues and rock & roll saxophone sound, Freddy DeBoe has traveled the world with some of the greatest soul singers of our time. He continues to tour worldwide with many artists while also performing locally in NYC as a bandleader. You can expect lots of feel-good music made for good times! Freddy has appeared on stage & in the studio with Charles Bradley, Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, Lee Fields & the Expressions, the James Hunter Six, Peter Gabriel, Macy Gray, Mary J Blige, George Clinton, George Duke, Scone Cash Players, Ian Hendrickson Smith, and Lonnie Smith to name a few.
April 9 | Mingus Celebration: Alex Norris Quintet
Alex Pope Norris is one of the most in-demand trumpeters on the New York Jazz Scene. A regular member of the Mingus Big Band and Ron Carter's Great Big Band, Alex has also worked with Pat Martino, The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, Slide Hampton, Joshua Redman, Betty Carter, Chris Potter, and so many others. As a veteran of New York's Latin Music scene, his credits include Eddie Palmieri, Andy and Jerry Gonzalez, Poncho Sanchez, and the Spanish Harlem Orchestra, among others. Norris is very excited to make his debut as a leader at The Django. Alex is celebrating the release of his third CD as a leader: Alex Norris, Fleet From the Heat, on the Steeplechase Label.
April 9 | Mingus Celebration: Boris Kozlov’s “Electric Mingus Project”
10:00pmBoris Kozlov takes a fresh look at Mingus's legacy by Mingus Big Band veterans through the use of electric Instruments and modern grooves with a different soundscape aesthetic. Moscow born, three-time Grammy Award-winning acoustic and electric bassist, composer and arranger, Boris Kozlov has been on New York and international jazz scenes for the past 35 years. In addition to his own projects and co-leading OPUS 5, he has been serving as a Bassist, Arranger and Musical Director for Mingus Big Band, Mingus Dynasty and The Orchestra for 22 years. Boris has also been a first-call bassist for important jazz acts such as Michael Brecker, John Blake, Ray Barretto's 'New World Spirit', Lew Tabackin, David Kikoski, Alex Sipiagin, Jean-Michel Pilc, Brian Lynch, Jaleel Shaw, John DiMartino, The Manhattan Transfer, Take 6, New Cuban Express and many others.
April 11 | Mingus Celebration: Mingus Mondays: Mingus Big Band
7:30 + 9:30pmThe Django welcomes the Grammy award-winning Mingus Big Band to its stage every Monday night. The “city’s hardest big band (Time Out New York),” celebrates the music of composer/bassist Charles Mingus, who died in 1979. Under the artistic direction of Sue Mingus, this 14-piece band performed Thursday nights from 1991 to 2004 at Fez under Time Cafe in New York City. It maintained weekly performances in the city from May 2004 until October 2008, when it began “Mingus Mondays" at Jazz Standard where it alternated with the Mingus Orchestra and Mingus Dynasty. Mingus Mondays became a NYC institution and Monday night stronghold for over 12 years, halted only by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Mingus Big Band tours extensively in the United States and abroad, and has 11 recordings to its credit, six of which have been nominated for Grammys.
April 12 | Martes Latinos
The Django brings back its popular Tuesday Latin jazz concert series each month.Cesar Orozco and Kamarata Jazz Trio 7:00pm
César Orozco is a Cuban born pianist, violinist, composer, arranger, producer, and educator based in the NYC Tri-State area. In 1997, Orozco traveled from Cuba to Venezuela, where he spent 14 years and developed an important and prolific career. In 2012, Orozco moved to the United States and enrolled with a full tuition Assistantship to The Peabody Institute of John Hopkins University in Baltimore, where he earned a Graduate Performance Diploma (GPD) in Jazz Piano. He also holds a degree in Violin Performance and Ensemble Conducting from the National School of Arts in Havana, Cuba. Since relocating to New York in 2015, Mr. Orozco has become an in-demand pianist. Some of the artists he has worked with include Paquito D’Rivera, Pedrito Martinez, Gary Thomas, Alex Norris, Troy Roberts, Paul Bollenback, Itai Kriss & Telavana, Albita Rodriguez, Guaco, Gilberto Santa Rosa, Luis Enrique, and Giovanni Hidalgo just to name a few. Orozco is a 2-times Latin Grammy nominated artist and has seven albums as a leader, including “Son con Pajarillo” (2007, self-release), “Orozcojam” (Guataca, 2010, awarded for Best vocal/Instrumental album at Cubadisco 2012), “No Limits for Tumbao” (Alfi Records, 2015) and the latest one “Rooted Forward", which was released in October, 2020. With his project Kamarata Jazz, Orozco has developed an innovative approach to a fusion of Venezuelan and Cuban traditional music with Jazz and other genres such as flamenco, tango, and bossa nova.
Gerardo Contino and Los Habeneros 10th Anniversary 10:00pm
The explosive Los Habaneros are a force to behold on stage. Mixing musical styles from their home in Cuba with the diversity of sounds they encountered when they made New York City their home, Los Habaneros transcend traditional musical genres to create a real fusion that provokes fans into hip-shaking abandon. The band is comprised of a young generation of Havana-trained musicians, including director and singer Gerardo Contino, artistic director and pianist Axel Tosca Laugart, and percussionist Yusnier Sanchez Bustamante.
The band's first album, Somos Latinos (2013), was released to very high critical acclaim. It was produced by Latin Grammy-nominated Luisito Quintero, and included five-time Grammy-award winning bassist John Benitez. Los Habaneros have toured in Peru, Canada, Qatar, and all throughout the United States. They have played at the Kennedy Center for the Arts as official performers for TEDMED, the American Folk Festival, Brooklyn Academy of Music, BB King Blues Club, Subrosa, BAMCafe, The Green Space, Sounds of Brazil (SOBs), Le Poisson Rouge, The Bronx Museum, the American Museum of Natural History, Live at the Gantries, Roulette, Gonzalez y Gonzalez, Taj, and many others.
April 13 | Naama Gheber
7:00pmNaama Gheber is a New York-based jazz vocalist inspired by the emotionally direct compositions of Rodgers and Hart, Fields and Hugh, Cole Porter and other great composers and lyricist of the 1930’s and ‘40’s. Possessed with an urbane and elegant voice, Gheber’s sensitive interpretation and crisp phrasing have become recognizable elements of her signature style and timeless appeal. Gheber has performed across Europe in celebrated festivals and jazz clubs. In NYC Gheber has performed at acclaimed jazz venues such as Birdland Jazz Club, Smalls Jazz Club, Mezzrow Jazz Club in which she currently holds a monthly residency. Gheber recorded her debut album featuring vibraphonist Steve Nelson, pianist Ray Gallon, bassist David Wong and drummer Aaron Kimmel. According to Downbeat, it is “...a promising debut... which augurs well for future releases."
April 13 | Vanisha Gould and Lucy Yeghiazaryan “Together Again”
10:00pmIn 1991, New York-based vocalists and songwriters Lucy Yeghiazaryan and Vanisha Gould presented their debut collaborative album In Her Words. A collection of original compositions and carefully curated standards, this unabashedly intimate recording offered a glimpse into the private lives of women, told from their unique perspective. These two singers reunite on The Django stage for one-night only. Vanisha Gould came to New York in 2015 from Simi Valley, California. Inspired by artists like Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan, Joni Mitchell, Carmen McRae and Ella Fitzgerald- she has successfully curated her own sound as a composer and band leader. Performing originals and music from the Great American Songbook on several groundbreaking stages both in New York and overseas, she aspires to continue sharing her voice with audiences in New York and beyond.
Lucy Yeghiazaryan has established herself as a leading voice in the world of straight-ahead vocal jazz in and outside of New York City. She tours domestically and internationally and is a recipient of grants from the Doris Duke Foundation, Chamber Music and the New York Foundation for the Arts. She has shared the stage with Grant Stewart, Harold Mabern, Houston Person, Bernadette Peters, Rodney Whitaker, Arto Tuncboyaijian, Steve Williams and many more. She was a top ten finalist in the 2015 Thelonious Monk Competition and holds a degree in World History in addition to being a skilled classical violinist.
April 14 | Mingus Celebration: David Kikoski Trio
7:00pmDavid Kikoski is a world-renowned jazz pianist. After graduating Berklee School of Music, Roy Haynes invited him to join Roy’s all-star lineup including Dave Holland, Roy Hargrove, and Kenny Garrett to record and tour. Their band, “Birds of a Feather,” went on tour extensively with Christian McBride and Nicholas Payton. Birds of a Feather received a Grammy nomination in 2004. He is also a long-time member of the Charles Mingus Big Band and won the 2010 Grammy Award Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album for “Mingus Big Band Live At Jazz Standard.” Over the years, he is on over 120 recordings and has performed with the Brecker Brothers, Joe Henderson, Al Foster, John Scofield, Chick Corea, Pat Metheny, Jeff “Tain” Watts, Kurt Rosenwinkel, and many others.
April 14 | Mingus Celebration: Conrad Herwig presents “The Latin Side of Mingus”
10:00pmNew York jazz trombonist Conrad Herwig has recorded 25 albums as a leader, receiving four Grammy nominations. He has also been voted #1 Jazz Trombonist three times in the DownBeat “Jazz Critic’s Poll.” and nominated for “Trombonist of the Year” by the Jazz Journalists Association on numerous occasions. In constant demand as a sideman, Herwig has performed with Joe Henderson, Horace Silver, McCoy Tyner, Max Roach, and Joe Lovano (featured as a soloist on Lovano’s GRAMMY Award winning 52nd St. Themes CD). In the Afro-Caribbean genre he has toured with legends such as Eddie Palmieri, Tito Puente, Paquito D'Rivera, and Michel Camilo. He is a longtime member of the Mingus Big Band (where he has served as musical director and arranger including on the 2011 GRAMMY Award-winning Live at the Jazz Standard CD). In other big band settings Herwig has also performed and recorded with Clark Terry, Buddy Rich, Frank Sinatra, Miles Davis & Quincy Jones, and the Gil Evans Orchestra. All told Herwig has appeared on more than 250 albums in what is now a 40-plus-year career. Conrad Herwig performs exclusively on Michael Rath Trombones, England.
April 15 | Mingus Celebration: Conrad Herwig presents “The Latin Side of Mingus”
7:00pmNew York jazz trombonist Conrad Herwig has recorded 25 albums as a leader, receiving four Grammy nominations. He has also been voted #1 Jazz Trombonist three times in the DownBeat “Jazz Critic’s Poll.” and nominated for “Trombonist of the Year” by the Jazz Journalists Association on numerous occasions.
In constant demand as a sideman, Herwig has performed with Joe Henderson, Horace Silver, McCoy Tyner, Max Roach, and Joe Lovano (featured as a soloist on Lovano’s GRAMMY Award winning 52nd St. Themes CD). In the Afro-Caribbean genre he has toured with legends such as Eddie Palmieri, Tito Puente, Paquito D'Rivera, and Michel Camilo. He is a longtime member of the Mingus Big Band (where he has served as musical director and arranger including on the 2011 GRAMMY Award-winning Live at the Jazz Standard CD). In other big band settings Herwig has also performed and recorded with Clark Terry, Buddy Rich, Frank Sinatra, Miles Davis & Quincy Jones, and the Gil Evans Orchestra. All told Herwig has appeared on more than 250 albums in what is now a 40-plus-year career. Conrad Herwig performs exclusively on Michael Rath Trombones, England.
April 15 | Alphonso Horne and The Gotham Kings
10:00pmGotham Kings is a high energy immersive jazz experience! Two-time Grammy nominated trumpeter, Alphonso Horne has put together a band that weaves the sound of New Orleans into a rich musical fabric that demonstrates the history of the trumpet and the story of jazz. Inspired by the music of King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band, Gotham Kings uses the virtuosity of the young Louis Armstrong and innovative genius of King Oliver to take you on a journey of sound that encompasses rags, stomps, shouts and funk! The band has played in venues including Caramoor Jazz Festival, Louis Armstrong House Museum, Jazz at Lincoln Center and many more! Individually, members of the Gotham Kings have compiled a diverse resume of collaborations with top artists such as Wynton Marsalis, Michael Feinstein, Rihanna, Lady Gaga, The Colbert Show and more!
April 16 | Ken Fowser Quintet
7:00pmKen Fowser is the Music Director of The Django, and performs every Friday night on our stage with special guests each week. Since his arrival on the New York scene in 2005, Ken Fowser has continued to steer traditional harmony in uncharted directions. His lyrical approach to line construction and depth of harmonic sensibility allows him to record and play all over the world. A prolific composer, Fowser has celebrated four cooperative releases on Posi-tone Records, co-led with vibraphone virtuoso, Behn Gillece. His debut release as a leader, Standing Tall earned him the #1 spot on Jazz Week Radio Chart seven weeks in a row. Fowser enjoyed both downtown and uptown residencies at iconic New York venues, hosting the session at Smalls Jazz Club every Tuesday for four years and playing the late set at Smoke Jazz and Supper Club every Friday for two years.
April 16 | Mingus Celebration: Philip Harper Quintet
10:00pmPhilip Harper (Baltimore, 1965) started playing trumpet when he was 10 years old under tutorage of his older brother, Danny. Later he studied at Hartt School of Music with Jackie McLean. At the age of 18 Philip moved to New York, where he started working and recording extensively, with such musicians as “Little” Jimmy Scott, Jimmy McGriff, Betty Carter, Etta Jones, Harry “Sweets” Edison, Bill Cosby and Cedar Walton. Between the years 1986 and 1988 he was a member of Art Blakey´s Jazz Messengers, with whom he made several live recordings. After leaving the Messengers he formed a group with his brother, drummer Winard Harper. The Harper Brothers toured throughout the world and made several successful albums for Polygram/Verve. Philip Harper has made over 50 recordings, both as leader – his solo albums Soulful Sin and The Thirteenth Moon on Muse Records – and as a sideman, which has earned him number one position on numerous jazz play lists and critic polls. In the past years Philip has been living in Europe as well as in the USA, playing with Benny Golson, Cedar Walton and the Mingus Big Band. With the latter he is currently touring the globe and can be found often on The Django stage.
April 18 | Mingus Celebration: Mingus Mondays: Mingus Big Band
7:30 + 9:30pmThe Django welcomes the Grammy award-winning Mingus Big Band to its stage every Monday night. The “city’s hardest big band (Time Out New York),” celebrates the music of composer/bassist Charles Mingus, who died in 1979. Under the artistic direction of Sue Mingus, this 14-piece band performed Thursday nights from 1991 to 2004 at Fez under Time Cafe in New York City. It maintained weekly performances in the city from May 2004 until October 2008, when it began “Mingus Mondays" at Jazz Standard where it alternated with the Mingus Orchestra and Mingus Dynasty. Mingus Mondays became a NYC institution and Monday night stronghold for over 12 years, halted only by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Mingus Big Band tours extensively in the United States and abroad, and has 11 recordings to its credit, six of which have been nominated for Grammys.
April 19 | ELEW
7:00 Elew Trio | 10:00pm Elew Trio and Dance PartyOmnivorous artist ELEW hosts a double-header on The Django stage tonight. First, he wears he jazz hat joined by his Trio and then showcases his DJ skills for the second set. A native of Camden, New Jersey, Eric Lewis began his musical studies at two years old and would ultimately receive the Rodger's and Hammerstein full merit scholarship to the Manhattan School of Music. A Dean's List student, upon graduation, he toured the world, recorded and performed with Wynton Marsalis & the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Elvin Jones, Cassandra Wilson, Roy Hargrove, and John Hendricks among others. In 1999, Eric won the Thelonious Monk International Piano Competition, at the time, the most coveted prize in all of jazz.
A decade into his career, he reemerged as ELEW and began fusing his piano techniques with rock guitar-based ideas and experimental prepared piano methods, generating a powerful crossover brand he coined “Rockjazz". Over the course of multiple award winning, critically acclaimed albums, ELEW has re-imagined songs by The Killers, Nirvana, Coldplay and Michael Jackson to name a few. Throughout his career he has built an elite fanbase of some of the most distinguished leaders and celebrities such as Leonardo DiCaprio, Gerard Butler, Barack and Michele Obama, Prince Albert I1, Will Smith, Eli Roth, Al Pacino and the list goes on..
Inspired by the European masters of Baroque Counterpoint, ELEW has innovated the technique of simultaneously executing two independent melodies which precisely detail harmonic forms bursting with idiomatic verisimilitude and wide ranging historical references while flawlessly maintaining the idiosyncratic Afrocentric timing at the core of Jazz improvisation. He has named this technique Counterbop. His album Cubism- ELEW plays Rosenwinkel, a solo piano exploration of contemporary jazz legend Kurt Rosenwinkel provides perspective an insight into the nature of what Counterbop is and how it may be implemented.
In addition to piano performance, appearing in and scoring for film, ELEW is a prominent international DJ. He has created disco infernos for multiple events such as The World Economic Forum, TED, Art Basel, A-list Oscar parties, the Monte-Carlo Gala, the Cannes Film Festival and multiple celebrity birthdays and weddings. In some cases, ELEW places the turntables within the piano, seamlessly executing transitions and improvisations all while generating a pleasing frenzy on the dance floor. This has lead to him creating yet another brilliant innovation he calls Piano Turntablism. He literally plays two different yet recognizable songs simultaneously as a DJ would but on the Piano. All while maintaining the type of euphoric festival.
April 20 | “Terreno Comum” featuring Alexia Bomtempo
7:00pmPianist-composer Orrin Evans, who is also appearing at the Exit Zero Jazz Festival with his Captain Black Big Band, unveils his new Brazilian project for the first time in Cape May. Born out of a commissioned project by The August Wilson African American Cultural Center, Terreno Comum is a powerful collective comprised of some of the most acclaimed musicians in modern jazz and Brazilian music. With Evans as musical director, this new quintet features Brazilian-American singer-songwriter Alexia Bomtempo, bassist Luques Curtis, drummer Clarence Penn and São Paulo-born guitarist Leandro Pellegrino. The song list includes beautiful arrangements of Brazilian standards giving an opportunity for all to shine. Their debut album will be released on Evans’ label, Imani Records, later in 2021. While the members of Terreno Comum may come from disparate backgrounds — Alexia from Rio de Janeiro, Leandro from São Paulo, Luques from Hartford, Clarence from Detroit, Orrin from Trenton — they share a musical “common ground” (the English translation of the band name). Hear their masterful interpretations of soothing bossa novas and alluring sambas in their Exit Zero Jazz Festival debut.
April 20 | Sachal Vasandani Presents...
Singer Sachal Vasandani presents a monthly series at The Django celebrating New York's prominent jazz vocal scene. At the helm is Sachal Vasandani welcoming a rotating cast of singers each month plus the ‘house band’ featuring Victor Gould on Piano, Alex Claffy on Bass, and Domo Branch on Drums. Each singer will be highlighted exploring, improvising and having fun with the band and the audience. The Django is proud to bring the jazz community together with a space and a regular event for singers, instrumentalists, and their fans to swing and celebrate each other.April 21 | Mike LeDonne Trio
7:00pmMike LeDonne is a world-renowned jazz pianist and Hammond organist. Oscar Peterson named him as one of his favorite pianists of this era. Since moving to New York City in 1978 he has worked with a wide spectrum of jazz greats from Benny Goodman to Sonny Rollins, Bobby Hutcherson and many others. He spent 11 years as pianist and musical director for vibes legend Milt Jackson, and has been working with Benny Golson since 1997. He was nominated for “Best Keyboards” 2012 by the Jazz Journalists Association and won the Downbeat Critic’s Poll as “Rising Star” on organ that same year. Mike’s on over 150 recordings and has 22 out under his own name. He co-authored a piano comping book as part of Jim Snidero’s Jazz Conception series on Advance Music and spent four years at Juilliard and is presently on the faculty at William Patterson University.
April 21 | Mark Whitfield
10:00pmGuitar powerhouse Mark Whitfield returns to The Django for his monthly concert series. After graduating from Berklee College of Music, Whitfield returned to his to his native New York to embark on a career that afforded him the opportunity to collaborate with legendary artists including Dizzy Gillespie, Art Blakey, Quincy Jones, Ray Charles, Herbie Hancock, Carmen McRae, Gladys Knight, Burt Bacharach, Jimmy Smith, Clark Terry, Shirley Horn, Wynton Marsalis, Branford Marsalis, Joe Williams, Stanley Turrentine and his greatest teacher and mentor George Benson.
In 1990 The New York Times dubbed Whitfield “The Best Young Guitarist in the Business”. Later that year, Warner Bros. released his debut album The Marksman. The success of his debut release led to a recording career that has produced a total of 14 solo recordings and a myriad of collaborative efforts with some of the most important artists in recent years; Sting, Steven Tyler, D’Angelo, Mary J. Blige, John Mayer, Chaka Khan, Jill Scott, Diana Krall, Christian McBride, Chris Botti, Roy Hargrove and Nicholas Payton.
April 22 | Ken Fowser Quintet
7:00pmKen Fowser is the Music Director of The Django, and performs every Friday night on our stage with special guests each week. Since his arrival on the New York scene in 2005, Ken Fowser has continued to steer traditional harmony in uncharted directions. His lyrical approach to line construction and depth of harmonic sensibility allows him to record and play all over the world. A prolific composer, Fowser has celebrated four cooperative releases on Posi-tone Records, co-led with vibraphone virtuoso, Behn Gillece. His debut release as a leader, Standing Tall earned him the #1 spot on Jazz Week Radio Chart seven weeks in a row. Fowser enjoyed both downtown and uptown residencies at iconic New York venues, hosting the session at Smalls Jazz Club every Tuesday for four years and playing the late set at Smoke Jazz and Supper Club every Friday for two years.
April 22 | Joe Saylor and “The Kingdom”
10:00pmJoe Saylor is a percussionist, educator, and jazz artist based in New York City. Saylor plays percussion in Jonathan Batiste's Stay Human, the house band for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. He also performs at various jazz clubs, festivals, and venues around the world. He has conducted jazz workshops at various educational institutions including Stanford University. He has performed at such places as the Howard Theater, the White House, Lincoln Center, Rockwood Music Hall, Webster Hall, and the Great GoogaMooga. He has performed or recorded with Roy Hargrove, Wynton Marsalis, Dwayne Dolphin, Steve Wilson, Joe Lovano, Jon Faddis, Slide Hampton, and Ellis Marsalis.
April 23 | Mingus Celebration: Scott Robinson Quartet
7:00pmMulti-instrumentalist/composer Scott Robinson has been a highly active presence on the New York-based jazz scene for more than 35 years, appearing on some 280 CDs. He has been heard on tenor sax with Buck Clayton, on alto clarinet with Paquito D’Rivera, on trumpet with Lionel Hampton, and on bass sax with the New York City Opera, along with performances alongside as diverse a group of artists as Anthony Braxton, Ruby Braff, Ella Fitzgerald, Clark Terry, Elton John, Bob Brookmeyer, Frank Wess and Roscoe Mitchell. In 2001 he performed in 11 West African nations during an 8-week tour as a U.S. Jazz Ambassador. Scott has been the winner of a number of Critics/Readers Polls and Jazz Journalists Association awards in recent years, and has been profiled in The Wall Street Journal, DownBeat magazine, The Encyclopedia of Jazz and many other publications. In 2010, Scott formed ScienSonic Laboratories, an outlet for many exciting and far-reaching projects encompassing what he likes to call “Experiential Music for adventurous listeners.” This label has released a dozen collaborative efforts with Roscoe Mitchell, Marshall Allen, Henry Grimes, Milford Graves, and many others, as well as Bronze Nemesis, Scott’s suite of original compositions based on pulp adventure novels of the 1930s. The Scott Robinson Quartet recently released Tenormore on Arbors Records, which won the distinction of “Best New Release of 2019” in JazzTimes, as well as appearing in numerous other best-of-year lists.
April 23 | Endea Owens and The Cookout
10:00pmLincoln Center’s emerging artist of 2019 and Detroit native Endea Owens, is a vibrant up and coming bassist. She has been mentored by the likes of Marcus Belgrave, Rodney Whitaker, and Ron Carter. She has toured and performed with Jennifer Holliday, Rhonda and Diana Ross, Jazzmeia Horn, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Steve Turre, and Lea Delaria from the Netflix original series “Orange is the New Black”. Endea is the bassist for Jon Batiste’s Stay Human and the house bassist for the Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
April 25 | Mingus Celebration: Mingus Orchestra
7:30pm + 9:30pmThe Charles Mingus Orchestra began alternating performances with its older sibling, the Mingus Big Band, during a 14-year tenure at New York's Fez Under Time Cafe. In March and April of 2005, the Mingus Orchestra performed across the street from Fez for a series of extraordinary late-night performances at Joe's Pub. More recently, Mingus Mondays celebration ran at Jazz Standard for nearly 12 years rotating the the Orchestra, the Dynasty, and the Big Band, becoming a local culture institution halted only by the COVID-19 worldwide pandemic. Now the Charles Mingus Orchestra marks its triumphant return to the live stage. Assembled in 1999 by Sue Mingus, the 10-piece Mingus Orchestra plays with the intensity of Mingus Big Band, with a focus on composition and exploration of Mingus’ more diverse works. Its distinctive sound and textures emerge from an expanded repertory and more exotic instrumentation including bassoon, bass clarinet, French horn, and guitar—instruments not heard in the Big Band, and mostly non-traditional to jazz and modern improvisational music. The other six instruments are chaired by musicians that also perform in Mingus Big Band, and include drums, bass, trombone, trumpet, alto and tenor saxophone, with additional doublings on flute, soprano and clarinet.
April 26 | Martes Latinos
The Django brings back its popular Tuesday Latin jazz concert series each month.7:00pm Pedro Cortes Flamenco Ensemble
Pedro Cortes comes from a family of Spanish Gypsy guitarists and began his studies with his father and the esteemed Flamenco guitarist Sabicas. Having toured professionally since the age of 17, he is gaining international recognition as a soloist and composer. He has premiered his work En la oscuridad de las minas at the Teatro Albeniz in Madrid, he had works premiered by the Carlota Santana Spanish Dance Company at the Joyce Theater in New York. Cortes was commissioned by the Cohen Brothers to compose music for the film Paris Je T'Aime. He also wrote music for a children’s program on HBO called Fairy Tale for Every Child.
10:00pm Los Hacheros
Brooklyn’s Los Hacheros are modern day torchbearers of the Golden Age of Latin music. Their beat revives folkloric styles like Son Montuno, Guaracha and Salsa, and often combines them with Bomba, a fiery rhythm from the mountains of Puerto Rico.
April 27 | Benny Benack III
7:00pmAt the age of 27, Pittsburgh-born, New York-based jazz trumpeter & singer Benny Benack III has quickly established himself as one of the most versatile and virtuosic voices of his generation. Hailed by The New York Times as “a charismatic young trumpeter who maintains an earnest sideline as a singer”, Benack has a knack for delighting audiences with panache, in the spirit of classic crooners like Sinatra & Mel Tormé, with a nod to legendary trumpet showmen Louis Armstrong & Dizzy Gillespie.
April 27 | Emily Braden
10:00pmBig, bad beauty from Boise, Idaho, Emily Braden covers a lot of ground. Whether she’s fronting an orchestra or leading a world-class trio in the heart of Manhattan, Braden has the innate ability to win the heart of any audience with her powerhouse vocals and striking stage presence. Winner of New York City’s prestigious “Best of the Best" Jazzmobile Vocal Competition, Braden’s signature sound is an effortless blend of jazz and soul. She is currently completing her sophomore release “Cannon & Sparrow." Her debut album Soul Walk is composed of high-energy originals, bilingual improvisations (Braden is fluent in Spanish and received her Masters degree in Latin American Studies) and “flipped-out" jazz standards. Producer Misha Piatigorsky says, “As a singer, Emily has no boundaries. She gives me goosebumps.” Before the COVID-19 global pandemic, Braden toured regularly and could be seen every first Friday at NYC’s famed 55 Bar. She has performed at NYC's Blue Note Jazz Club, Birdland Jazz Club and Minton’s Playhouse as well as on international festival circuits. She has been a featured vocalist with Postmodern Jukebox and is the front woman for NYC's Sketchy Orkestra.
April 28 | Mingus Celebration: Helen Sung Quartet
7:00pmHelen Sung is an acclaimed jazz pianist and composer, and a 2021 Guggenheim Fellow. A native of Houston, Texas, and graduate of its High School for the Performing and Visual Arts (HSPVA), she eschewed her classical piano upbringing after a jazz epiphany during undergraduate studies at UT Austin. Helen went on to become part of the inaugural class of the Thelonious Monk Institute (now the Herbie Hancock Institute) at the New England Conservatory of Music. Her recent releases Sung With Words (Stricker Street), a collaborative project with renowned poet Dana Gioia, and Anthem For A New Day (Concord Jazz) topped the jazz charts. Quartet+ (Sunnyside Records), her latest release, followed suit, garnering a 4.5 star DownBeat review and inclusion in its “Best of 2021 Albums" list and a JazzTimes cover story (January 2022 issue). Helen and her band have performed at major American festivals and venues including Newport, Monterey, Disney Hall, SFJAZZ, and Carnegie Hall. Internationally, her “NuGenerations" Project toured southern Africa as a U.S. State Department Jazz Ambassador, and recent engagements include debuts at the London Jazz Festival, Jazz at Lincoln Center Shanghai, Blue Note Beijing, and the Sydney International Women's Jazz Festival. She has performed with such luminaries as the late Clark Terry, Wayne Shorter, Ron Carter, Wynton Marsalis (who named her as one of his “Who's Got Next: Jazz Musicians to Watch!"), MacArthur Fellow Regina Carter, and Grammy-winning artists including Terri Lyne Carrington, Cecile McLorin Salvant, and the Mingus Big Band. Helen is a Steinway Artist and has served on the jazz faculties at Berklee College of Music, the Juilliard School, and Columbia University, where she also was the inaugural jazz artist-in- residence at Columbia's prestigious Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute.
April 28 | Ian Hendrick-Smith
10:00pmNew York City-based saxophonist and flutist Ian Hendrickson-Smith is mostly noted for his remarkable tone, soulful approach and blues-driven melodies. Currently, you can find Ian playing on the road with The Roots or on The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon. Hendrickson-Smith’s extensive recording experience includes the release of 12 jazz records as a leader. His most recent, The Lowdown (Cellar Music 2020) is currently charting at #18 on the national jazz charts.
April 29 | Ken Fowser Quintet
7:00pmKen Fowser is the Music Director of The Django, and performs every Friday night on our stage with special guests each week. Since his arrival on the New York scene in 2005, Ken Fowser has continued to steer traditional harmony in uncharted directions. His lyrical approach to line construction and depth of harmonic sensibility allows him to record and play all over the world. A prolific composer, Fowser has celebrated four cooperative releases on Posi-tone Records, co-led with vibraphone virtuoso, Behn Gillece. His debut release as a leader, Standing Tall earned him the #1 spot on Jazz Week Radio Chart seven weeks in a row. Fowser enjoyed both downtown and uptown residencies at iconic New York venues, hosting the session at Smalls Jazz Club every Tuesday for four years and playing the late set at Smoke Jazz and Supper Club every Friday for two years.
April 29 | Craig Handy Smith
10:00pmSaxophonist Craig Handy began his career performing with jazz masters such as Art Blakey, Roy Haynes, Abdullah Ibrahim, and the Mingus Dynasty Band. By his late 20s, Handy was already known for his technical mastery and prodigious post-bop talent, as well as the versatility demonstrated by performing with vocalists like Betty Carter and Dee Dee Bridgewater. Handy has since toured and performed with numerous jazz masters, including Herbie Hancock, Cedar Walton, Wynton Marsalis, and The Cookers. Handy now leads a new project entitled Craig Handy & 2nd Line Smith, drawing on New Orleans music and the groove-filled re- imaginings of originals and standards by the late, great organist Jimmy Smith.
April 30 | International Jazz Day: Riverside featuring Oz Noy, Ugonna Okegwo, Ray Marchica
album release 7:00pmOz Noy, Ray Marchica and Ugonna Okegwo are pleased to present Riverside, out on January 21, 2022, via Outside in Music. Their first release as a trio, Riverside is a fresh, life-affirming collection of standards that stems from the group’s spontaneously assembled outdoor jams held in Riverside Park, New York City during lockdown. As individuals, this dynamic trio has a wide range of performing credits – Okegwo as a celebrated sideman with Jacky Terrasson and Tom Harrell, Marchica as a Broadway and session player (plus two albums as a leader) and Noy as one of fusion’s most sought after individual voices. All three have worked on the New York scene for the past two decades, so when the COVID-19 lockdown hit, it was a huge blow to both their livelihoods and their creative spirits. Then, summer came around, and the chance presented itself for housebound musicians to meet up and play outdoors. Oz called upon his neighbors Ugonna and Ray and invited them down to the park for a jam session – Ugonna on upright, Marchica with a small drum set, and Noy on electric guitar, with a battery-powered amp. The sessions went on through the summer months until the weather turned in October. But instead of packing up entirely, the group went into the studio, satisfied that they had created a sound, and a feeling amongst the group. The result is Riverside.
April 30 | International Jazz Day: Lezlie Harrison
10:00pmLezlie Harrison is her own personal renaissance. Her constant state of evolution and growth brings with it, gifts for those paying attention. As a vocalist both bold and subtle, her vulnerability attends to the fragile matters of our collective human affairs while her optimistic momentum inspires us to rise above any tribulation to rejoice. Be it Jazz, Blues, Gospel, Soul, The American Song Form, original compositions, or any song in ANY form, Ms. Harrison will imbue it with her distinctive stamp and make a very personal delivery. On the planet's premier jazz radio station, WBGO, her voice as a regular curator and presenter reveal the love and pride with which she regards America's classical music. Hyper-active on the New York and global jazz scenes, Lezlie is also, along with the late Dale Fitzgerald and trumpeter Roy Hargrove, a member of the triumvirate responsible for launching New York's world-renowned JAZZ GALLERY. On occasion Lezlie lends her regal presence to the stage as an actress, bringing to those endeavors, the same sense of organic elegance that she brought to the runways and photo studios of Paris some years ago. By way of her childhood in New York and North Carolina or her maturation in New York, Boston or on stages throughout Asia, Russia, Europe, and elsewhere, Ms. Lezlie Harrison shows aesthetic evidence that she is a recipient of the lessons of dignity, integrity, and grace bestowed upon her by her elders and fine-tuned by her own history.
About The Django
Located in the cellar of The Roxy Hotel, The Django is downtown Manhattan’s premier jazz club. With its vaulted ceilings and exposed brick walls, it is a subterranean den for dinner, craft cocktails and live jazz in the heart of Tribeca. Created by GrandLife Hotel’s Tony Fant, The Django is modeled after the eponymous musician’s boites of Paris. The Django is home to the weekly Mingus Big Band residency, monthly Mark Whitfield residency, and some of today’s top jazz artists and emerging musicians.The Django
2 Avenue of the Americas
(Cellar Level at The Roxy Hotel)
New York, NY
Trains: A/C/N/Q/R/W to Canal, 2/3 to Franklin, 1 to Chambers
$20 Cover Charge per person (not including two-drink minimum). To reserve, visit TheDjangoNYC.com or call 212.519.6649.
Health + Safety Protocols: The Django regularly updates its COVID protocols and procedures based on CDC, federal, state, city and other scientific data. At this time, COVID vaccination cards are required.
For more information contact AMT Public Relations.
