Mike LeDonne · Organ
Vince Herring · Saxophone
Paul Bollenback · Guitar

Mike Clark · Drums

Mike LeDonne launched the Groover Quartet in 2000, built around the classic organ-guitar-tenor-drums lineup, and it’s been one of the most in-demand soul jazz bands in the country ever since, with a run of acclaimed Savant Records releases and a residency history that started at Smoke Jazz Club in New York. LeDonne himself is a New England Conservatory graduate who studied under Jaki Byard, spent over a decade as musical director for vibraphone legend Milt Jackson, and has shared stages with Sonny Rollins, Charles McPherson, and James Moody over a career now spanning five decades.

He’s joined by a band of genuine heavyweights. Saxophonist Vince Herring built his reputation over a nine-year run with cornetist Nat Adderley before co-founding the Cannonball Adderley Legacy Band, and has recorded more than 20 albums as a leader and 250-plus as a sideman alongside names like Freddie Hubbard, Dizzy Gillespie, and Art Blakey. Guitarist Paul Bollenback, known for his sophisticated quartal harmony, spent nearly two decades as organist Joey DeFrancesco’s guitarist of choice and has appeared on The Tonight Show and Today Show. And drummer Jason Brown, an Oberlin Conservatory graduate who came up under Billy Hart, has powered bands led by Carmen Lundy, Pat Martino, Kurt Rosenwinkel, and Cedar Walton. Together, this is a band that has spent decades in the pocket, and two nights with them is a rare chance to hear a group this tight, this loose, and this loud.

The Side Door Jazz Club is a dedicated jazz listening room located inside the historic Old Lyme Inn, 85 Lyme Street, Old Lyme, CT.

Organist Mike LeDonne brings his Groover Quartet, one of the tightest organ-guitar-sax-drums units on the scene, for two nights.

Mike LeDonne · Organ
Vince Herring · Saxophone
Paul Bollenback · Guitar
Mike Clark · Drums

Mike LeDonne launched the Groover Quartet in 2000, built around the classic organ-guitar-tenor-drums lineup, and it’s been one of the most in-demand soul jazz bands in the country ever since, with a run of acclaimed Savant Records releases and a residency history that started at Smoke Jazz Club in New York. LeDonne himself is a New England Conservatory graduate who studied under Jaki Byard, spent over a decade as musical director for vibraphone legend Milt Jackson, and has shared stages with Sonny Rollins, Charles McPherson, and James Moody over a career now spanning five decades.

He’s joined by a band of genuine heavyweights. Saxophonist Vince Herring built his reputation over a nine-year run with cornetist Nat Adderley before co-founding the Cannonball Adderley Legacy Band, and has recorded more than 20 albums as a leader and 250-plus as a sideman alongside names like Freddie Hubbard, Dizzy Gillespie, and Art Blakey. Guitarist Paul Bollenback, known for his sophisticated quartal harmony, spent nearly two decades as organist Joey DeFrancesco’s guitarist of choice and has appeared on The Tonight Show and Today Show. And drummer Jason Brown, an Oberlin Conservatory graduate who came up under Billy Hart, has powered bands led by Carmen Lundy, Pat Martino, Kurt Rosenwinkel, and Cedar Walton. Together, this is a band that has spent decades in the pocket, and two nights with them is a rare chance to hear a group this tight, this loose, and this loud.

The Side Door Jazz Club is a dedicated jazz listening room located inside the historic Old Lyme Inn, 85 Lyme Street, Old Lyme, CT.