Rick Germanson Trio

April 24, 2026 By Craig OConnell

Rick Germanson Trio

Friday, Apr 24 from 8 pm to 10:30 pm at The Side Door, 85 Lyme St, Old Lyme, CT 06371

Join us for a special night of jazz with Pianist Rick Germanson and his Trio!

RICK GERMANSON has been a highly in-demand pianist on the New York City Jazz scene for well over a decade. A native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Rick relocated to New York City in 1998. Rick won the GRAND PRIZE at The American Pianists’ Association Jazz Piano Competition in 1996. He was awarded “Best of New Talent” in 2004 by All About Jazz NYC.

Rick has four recordings out as a leader: The first two are on Fresh Sound New Talent: “HEIGHTS” and “YOU TELL ME”. His recording “OFF THE CUFF” on Owl Studios reached #15 on the Jazz Radio Play Charts. The latest is on SmallsLive “RICK GERMANSON: LIVE AT SMALL’S”. Downbeat and JazzTimes magazines have given Rick’s recordings rave reviews. Rick has also been documented on over forty recordings as a sideman with many of the top musicians in jazz today.

Since 2001 to the present, Rick has been touring and recording with The Cannonball Legacy Band featuring Louis Hayes. From 2003-2008 Rick also toured with master guitarist Pat Martino. Currently, Rick is also the pianist for guitarist Russell Malone, bassist Nat Reeves, vibraphonist Steve Nelson, trombonist Papo Vazquez’s Mighty Pirates Troubadours among many others.

Rick has performed throughout the world, at the top festivals, concert halls and clubs with the following jazz artists: Elvin Jones’ Jazz Machine; Louis Hayes; Jimmy Cobb; Grady Tate; Pat Martino; Russell Malone; Dr. Eddie Henderson; Kyle Eastwood; Tom Harrell; Brian Lynch; Jeremy Pelt; Jim Rotondi; Duane Eubanks; Curtis Fuller; Slide Hampton; Papo Vazquez; Frank Lacy; Steve Davis; Delfeayo Marsalis; Cecil Payne; Charles Davis; Frank Morgan; Charles MacPherson; Donald Harrison; Vincent Herring; Sherman Irby; George Coleman; Javon Jackson; Eric Alexander; Craig Handy; Wayne Escoffrey; Steve Nelson; Marlena Shaw; Kevin Mohagany; Carolyn Leonhart; Regina Carter; Gerald Cannon; Jay Leonhart; Mingus Dynasty; Ray Mantilla and Space Station.

Rick is also an experienced educator, having given clinics and master classes at such institutes as New York University; The Julliard School; Jazz at Lincoln Center. He is currently on faculty at The Jackie McLean Institute at The Hartt School of Music at The University of Hartford.

Sean Nelson Jazz Orchestra with Guest Vocalist Leala Cyr

April 22, 2026 By Craig OConnell

Sean Nelson Jazz Orchestra with Guest Vocalist Leala Cyr

Wednesday, Apr 22 from 7:30 pm to 10 pm at The Side Door, 85 Lyme St, Old Lyme, CT 06371

The Side Door Old Lyme, CT

The Sean Nelson Jazz Orchestra returns to the Side Door as part of their monthly residency with Guest Vocalist Leala Cyr

Saxes

Erik Elligers
Matt Parker
Josh Thomas
Lisa LaDone

Trombones
Sean Nelson
Leroy Loomer
Vince Yanovitch
Wes Mayhew

Trumpets
Don Clough
Seth Bailey
Luke Wingfield
Haneef Nelson

Rhythm
Earl MacDonald
Gianni Gardner
Lou Bocciarelli
Nathan Lassell

The Sean Nelson Jazz Orchestra is a “full bodied and polished brassy big band” (Jazz Weekly) made up of 17 of the finest musicians in New England. Formed in 2016 as the New London Big Band, for the past nine years they have played monthly for sold out crowds at the Social Bar + Kitchen in New London CT. The band has performed all over the country, including the Kennedy Center (Washington DC), the Birdland Jazz Club (NYC), Monks Jazz Club (Austin TX), and Hallowed Halls (Portland OR). The band has released three albums, the most recent of which, “Don’t Stop Now: the lost music of Thad Jones for Harry James,” reached #29 on the jazz radio charts.

The band’s sound is rooted in the Kansas City swing of Count Basie, “swinging high, hard, and hot” (All About Jazz.) “Nelson…has assembled a youthful, sharp, hip 17-piece ensemble as dedicated as he is to the belief that big band sounds can provide a fine musical experience — one best served up live, where the groove and excitement of the arrangements and instrumental interplay can energize and pack a dance floor across generations.” (The Day of New London)

Sean Nelson is the leader and founder of the band. By day, he is enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard, where he plays trombone with the Coast Guard Band’s concert band and jazz ensembles, serves as staff arranger, and is music director for the Guardians Big Band.

Nelson was music director and arranger for the 2024 National Christmas Tree Lighting with the Coast Guard’s Guardians Big Band, creating over 500 pages of arrangements. This was performed in front of the White House and seen nationally on CBS. Sean was one of two composers that co-created the official song of the Space Force, Semper Supra, which is now part of every Armed Forces Medley. He also composed the official song for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration officer corps (one of the eight federal uniformed services). He has won the National Band Association Young Composers Jazz Composition Contest and is a two time winner of Downbeat Magazine’s jazz arranging award. He currently works as the arranger for Sam Houston State University Bearkat Marching Band. Sean’s big band arrangements are published at iJazzmusic.com.

A native of Dallas, Texas, Sean received a Bachelor of Music degree from Sam Houston State University and a Master of Music degree from the University of North Texas. While at North Texas, he was trombonist and composer for the One O’Clock Lab Band and sang with the Jazz Singers I. Sean’s trombone quartet won the International Trombone Association Quartet Contest. He spent his summers and winter breaks playing in house bands on cruise ships for Princess Cruises and Cunard Cruises.

Sean lives in Quaker Hill, Connecticut, with his wife Megan and children Lucinda, Giles, McCoy, and Cab.

Sean is a performing artist for S.E. Shires trombones and Denis Wick mouthpieces and mutes.

Leala Cyr Bio:

Leala Cyr is fast becoming one of the most sought-after jazz vocalists of her generation. A rare “double threat,” Cyr complements her impeccable vocals with a warm, golden tone on the trumpet. As a member of Esperanza Spalding’s “Radio Music and Chamber Music Societies,” she has performed around the world and has appeared on The Late Show, The Tonight Show, The View, The Daily Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live, Austin City Limits, and more.A native of Pulaski, WI, Leala now resides in CT, where she is actively involved in a number of music scenes and is adjunct faculty at the Hartt School of Music and UConn.

Halie Loren Quartet

April 18, 2026 By Craig OConnell

Saturday, Apr 18 from 8 pm to 10:30 pm at The Side Door, 85 Lyme St, Old Lyme, CT 06371

The Side Door Old Lyme, CT

Join us for a special night of jazz with Vocalist Halie Loren and her Quartet!

Halie Loren is an international, award-winning jazz singer/songwriter. She brings a fresh and original perspective to time-honored musical paths, channeling her innate understanding of connectedness across musical boundaries to forge bonds with diverse audiences in North America, Asia, and Europe. Her multi-genre and multi-lingual musical blend across her ten albums to-date has earned several national and international awards in multiple genres as well as significant critical and chart success along the way, with her albums consistently reaching #1 on the Billboard Japan, iTunes (Canada and Japan) and Amazon jazz charts.

An award-winning songwriter since her early teens, Halie began garnering international acclaim as a recording artist when her debut jazz album They Oughta Write a Song was named the Best Vocal Jazz Album of the year at the 2009 JPF Independent Music Awards. She was subsequently signed for distribution in Asia by JVC/Victor Entertainment and in North America with Canadian-based jazz label Justin Time Records. Loren’s accolades in more recent years include an Independent Music Award for her original song “Thirsty” in 2011, a Best Vocal Jazz Album 2012 award in Japan’s Jazz Critique Magazine for her album Heart First, (which also reached #1 on Canada’s iTunes Jazz chart), and a total of four Billboard #1 albums on Japan’s jazz charts since 2013. Her video for “Noah”, the 2nd single from her 2018 release From the Wild Sky album produced by UK tour-de-force Troy Miller (Amy Winehouse, Gregory Porter, Diana Ross), won an Emmy in 2019 for Best Music Video as presented by The National Academy Of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) Southeast Chapter.

Along with recording and songwriting successes, Halie’s live performances have brought her around the world several times, with performances on 4 continents thus far, including tours across the U.S., Canada, France, the U.K., Japan, Italy, Egypt, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, Egypt, and Haiti. Her concerts range from intimate clubs to grand halls to festivals, from solo to classic jazz trio to lush orchestral collaborations.

Halie’s newest record, Dreams Lost and Found, was recorded in Montreal, Canada in collaboration with fellow artists from the Justin Time Records family, and released on April 12, 2024. This collection of songs explores themes of longing, seeking, and seeing with new eyes — the falling away of old illusions and outgrown desires, finding new visions for love and life, allowing some dreams to die to make space for new dreams to be born. The album captures the live essence of her music, that has led to tours and performances for audiences worldwide. The 14-song effort sees Halie lend her take on standards, originals, and her personal favorites.

Halie adds: “This album marks my return to a more jazz-oriented musical sound, but forged in a completely new environment of creativity (quite literally, in that I traveled to Montreal to record for the first time) that brought my improvisational spirit to the forefront—in no small part inspired by collaborating with masterful musicians Taurey Butler on piano, Morgan Moore on bass, Sam Kirmayer on Guitar, and Jim Doxas on drums. Though I have performed for years with most of these amazingly talented people, we’ve never before recorded together… to me, it was like we were dancing on the edge of the unknown when creating these songs. It felt very alive in the moment, and I think that comes through the music”

Brandon Goldberg Trio

April 17, 2026 By Craig OConnell

Brandon Goldberg Trio

Friday, Apr 17 from 8 pm to 10:30 pm

The Side Door, 85 Lyme St, Old Lyme, CT 06371

The Side Door Old Lyme, CT

Join us for a special night of jazz with Pianist Brandon Goldberg and his Trio!

Award-winning pianist and composer Brandon Goldberg has been playing piano and making music since he was three years old. Critics have praised his “unassailable technique, advanced harmonic understanding, a deep sense of swing and, most impressively, a clarity and plethora of ideas executed to near-perfection.” – Downbeat Magazine

Goldberg has performed at renowned jazz festivals worldwide, including the Newport Jazz Festival, SFJazz, PDX Jazz, Litchfield, Twin Cities, Caramoor, NCPA Mumbai Jazz Festival, Santander Jazz in Spain, and Ystad Jazz in Sweden. He has also graced the stages of prestigious jazz clubs, such as Dizzy’s Club, Smoke Jazz Club, Mezzrow, and Birdland Theater in New York, as well as The Side Door Jazz Club in Connecticut, and Marian’s Jazz Room in Switzerland, just to name a few.

Goldberg released his third album, “Brandon Goldberg Trio: Live at Dizzy’s” in 2024. The album is described as a “prodigious work, wrapped in tradition and steered with refreshing contemporaneity. A testament to shared musical vision, this album showcases Goldberg’s musicianship” – Lydia Liebman PR. The “song selection and sequencing are exquisite…Impeccable sense of time, spotless communication with the accompaniment, unhurriedness, fidelity to melody and harmonic structure.” – Dark Blue Notes. Goldberg has released two other albums which also received critical acclaim – “In Good Time” (2021) and “LET’S PLAY!” (2019) – both were recognized as top albums of the year, earning four-star reviews from Downbeat Magazine.

Goldberg often collaborates with David Foster, recently playing at the iconic Hollywood Bowl alongside Chris Botti and making memorable appearances with Katharine McPhee on Good Morning America and Live with Kelly and Mark accompanying as she performed songs from her new album with David Foster, Christmas Songs. Goldberg has also written original music for television and his compositions were featured in 1923 and Lawmen: Bass Reeves.

Goldberg is a 2024 YoungArts Winner with Distinction, the youngest semifinalist in the 2023 Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz International Piano Competition and youngest recipient of the 2022 ASCAP Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Award.

In connection to his South Florida roots, Goldberg has been a featured performer at the South Beach Jazz Festival, Jazz Roots Series at the Adrienne Arsht Center, the Miami International Piano Festival, FAENA Summer Jazz Series. He was also commissioned by The Miami Symphony Orchestra to write two original compositions for piano and orchestra, “Surroundings” and “Rhapsody in f minor”, which were both performed live and recorded by MISO and received high praise and accolades.

Goldberg was a featured performer at TEDxYouthMiami, TEDxBocaRaton and TEDxCoconutGrove conferences. He also works closely with the Jazz Foundation of America (JFA) and performed at their annual Gala at the famous Apollo Theater where he presented McCoy Tyner with the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016.

At a young age, Goldberg appeared on national television in Seasons 1 and 2 of NBC’s Little Big Shots, The Steve Harvey Show and the Harry Connick, Jr. Show.

Steve Slagle Quartet

April 11, 2026 By Craig OConnell

Steve Slagle Quartet

Saturday, Apr 11 from 8 pm to 10:30 pm at The Side Door

85 Lyme St, Old Lyme, CT 06371

The Side Door Old Lyme, CT

Join us for a special night of jazz with Saxophonist Steve Slagle and his Quartet!

Steve Slagle – Saxophone

Matthew Rotger-Lynn – Guitar

Dezron Douglas – Bass

Byron ‘Wookie’ Landham – Drums

Saxophonist, flutist and composer Steve Slagle makes his home in New York City. He has released 20 CD’s as a leader, and performed on countless others. His many original compositions are published by Slagle Music, BMI worldwide. Steve was musical director of the Mingus Big Band for many years, and wrote many of the bands arrangements as well with Joe Lovano’s Nonet, of which he is a member. He has received two Grammy Awards for recordings with each of those groups and continues his association with them. As a leader, Steve concentrates on new sounds and new compositions as a performer, bandleader and recording artist.

Steve attended Berklee College of Music in Boston on a Downbeat scholarship at age 18 and subsequently received his Masters in Music at MSM in NYC.

He has played with Stevie Wonder, Machito’s Afro-Cuban Orchestra, Steve Kuhn, Lionel Hampton, Jack McDuff, Charlie Haden’s Liberation Music Orchestra, Brazil’s Milton Nascimento and band, Carla Bley Orchestra, Ray Barretto, Beastie Boys, and many others.

Steve’s last two recordings ‘Alto Manhattan’ ( 2016) and ‘Dedication’ ( 2017) – on Panorama Records – have both reached top ten in Jazz radio play nationwide. He is co-leader of the Stryker / Slagle Band and their last release in 2015 ‘Routes’ (which features an expanded band line-up and four horn arrangements), was nominated for a Grammy in 2016. Steve’s 2013 recording ‘Evensong’ was chosen top recordings of 2013 by Jazz Times.

“Scenes, Songs and Solo’s” (Schaffner Press) is Steve’s first book on composition and improvisation and was released in 2012. This book points his direction for young players as well as containing many of his compositions and ideas on music.

Steve’s first recording as a leader was on Japans Polydor Label and he continues that relationship as endorser of Yanagisawa saxophones from Japan, as well as a long time endorser of Vandoren (Dansr) Reeds.

Steves extensive discography is listed on this site under ‘Recordings’.

His arrangements for Mingus Big Band are published internationally by Hal Leonard Publishing. Several of his Sax Quartet compositions and arrangements are published by Advance Music,but many others he owns privately.

Steve served on the faculty of Manhattan School of Music for 20 years as well as associations with Rutgers University, NYU, New School in NYC, William Paterson, NJ and Suny Purchase as well as master classes and clinics world wide.

Blues on the Corner: McCoy Tyner Legacy Band

April 10, 2026 By Craig OConnell

Blues on the Corner: McCoy Tyner Legacy Band

Friday, Apr 10 from 8 pm to 10:30 pm at The Side Door

85 Lyme St, Old Lyme, CT 06371

The Side Door Old Lyme, CT

Join us for a special night of jazz with the McCoy Tyner Legacy Band!

Francisco Mela – Drums and bandleader

Nat Reeves – Bass

Benito Gonzalez – Piano

George Garzone (special guest) – Tenor Saxophone

Blues on the Corner: McCoy Tyner Legacy BandDon’t miss world-renowned drummer and former McCoy Tyner sideman Francisco Mela as he leads this all-star tribute to his legendary mentor and former bandleader.Joining him is Venezuelan-American pianist Benito Gonzalez, widely hailed as the torchbearer for McCoy’s hard-driving yet lyrical style. Acclaimed bassist and Hartt School Professor Nat Reeves anchors the rhythm section. Tenor saxophone titan George Garzone will be a featured guest, heard here like never before.Produced by New England Jazz Collaborative, whose work has been featured on NPR’s Morning Edition and in The Boston Globe.“[Francisco] Mela is just a fantastic player. He has his own style and his own sound, which is what I look for in a drummer.”— McCoy Tyner“Fans and critics of pianist Benito Gonzalez agree: He’s a Latin McCoy Tyner.”— Michael J. West, JazzTimes“I’m not the master of the sax, George Garzone is.”— Michael Brecker

Michelle Walker Quartet

April 4, 2026 By Craig OConnell

Michelle Walker Quartet

Saturday, Apr 4 from 8 pm to 10:30 pm at The Side Door

85 Lyme St, Old Lyme, CT 06371

The Side Door Jazz Club

Join us for a special night of jazz with Vocalist Michelle Walker and her Quartet!

Armed with a provocative, whiskey-soaked tone, jazz vocalist Michelle Walker is a charismatic singer that uses an artful blend of blues, bebop, swing and soul with playful rhythmic expressiveness. Based in New York City, she bends the lines and pushes the boundaries of jazz vocal art. With rich colors and adventurous flexibility, she moves easily from a dark, deep tone to a mid-range, swinging lilt. Michelle is very versatile and blessed with a beautifully distinctive voice. Her artful arrangements are garnishing her critical praise. In her upcoming release, Love Misery, Michelle brings together a collection of jazz standards, original songs and her arrangements of pop tunes that thematically chronicles a love affair. This latest recording project features Joel Frahm on sax, Ron Affif on guitar, Toru Dodo on piano, Michael O’Brien on bass and Willard Dyson on drums. Additional highlights of her career include multiple tours in Europe, performing in the Lincoln Center Women in Jazz Festival, touring with jazz vocal legend Mark Murphy and performing at the White House for the lighting of the National Christmas Tree. Dave Nathan at AllAboutJazz.com says, “Walker demonstrates an extraordinary degree of musicality…” Michelle is often compared to Cassandra Wilson, Nina Simone and Betty Carter in style and tone but has develop her own unique sound and singular voice.

It is easy to see why this is looking to become a breakout year for Walker. In early 2016, she performed at the JAVA JAZZ FESTIVAL in Jakarta, Indonesia headlining the festival with Kurt Elling, Monty Alexander, Patti Austin, Chris Botti, Sting, Robin Thicke and more. She then went on to tour in Asia which included performing debut concerts in Kazakhstan and Thailand. Michelle has also headlined the Belarus International Jazz Festival in the city of Minsk on the same bill as Vocal group TAKE 6, The Silver Spring Jazz Festival with Wynton Marsalis and Spyro Gyro, The Lincoln Center Women in Jazz Festival and the Rehoboth Beach Jazz Festival which featured George Benson. Throughout 2015 & 2016, she completed a 30 city extraordinary tour in Russia performing at many Philharmonic Concert Halls around the country. The uniqueness of Walker is found her shifting, rhythmic, lyrical phrasing and her revived, unexpected arrangements of standard songs. Mike Joyce of the Washington Post says, “[Walker]…has a soul-comforting allure.” Michelle has performed in concert with noted jazz musicians Joel Frahm, Ron Affif, Dan Tepfer, Robert Rodriguez, Benito Gonzales, Matt Wilson, Klaus Mueller, Boris Kozlov, E.J. Strickland, Helen Sung, Ben Monder and Yotam Silberstein.

Michelle studied classical voice at the University of Maryland and also studied at the Amsterdam Music Conservatory in Holland and the Stanford Jazz in Palo Alto, CA. Michelle was the first vocalist asked to perform at the “Hot Jazz” Concert Series which featured jazz veterans Kenny Werner, Eric Alexander, Peter Bernstein, David Hazeltine and Jimmy Greene. Walker has performed throughout US, Canada, Russia, Israel England, Holland and most recently at Blues Alley and The Black Rock Performing Arts Center outside Washington, DC where she helped kick off the jazz concert season which has featured Russell Malone, Cyrus Chestnut and Ravi Coltrane.

Her debut recording, Slow Down, was released with critical acclaim. The recording received a Washington Area Musician Association (WAMA) Award nomination for Best Jazz and Debut Album of the year and also a national nomination for Best Independent Jazz Vocal album of the year. Walker spent the first years of her career working as a full-time vocalist in the Washington, DC area before she moved to New York City, where she currently resides and performs. While living in the DC area, the Washington Post placed her several times on its Top Ten Area Performers to see perform live. Michelle served on the 2003-2005 Executive Board for the DC Chapter of the International Association of Jazz Educators (IAJE).

Greg Abate Quartet

March 28, 2026 By Craig OConnell

Greg Abate Quartet

Saturday, Mar 28 from 8 pm to 10:30 pm at the Side Door Jazz Club, 85 Lyme St, Old Lyme, CT 06371

Join us for a special night of jazz with Saxophonist Greg Abate and his Quartet!

Greg Abate – Saxophone

Chuck Lamb – Piano

John Lockwood – Bass

Gary Johnson – Drums

Greg Abate jazz saxophonist, flutist, composer continues as an International Jazz/Recording Artist with 225 days a year touring the globe.

In the mid 70’s after finishing a four year program at Berklee College Of Music, Greg played lead alto for the Ray Charles Orchestra for 2 years.

In 1978 Greg formed his group Channel One which was a favorite in the New England area and from there had the opportunity to play tenor sax with the revived Artie Shaw Orchestra under leadership of Dick Johnson from 1986 to ’87.

Following this experience Greg ventured out as post hard bop soloist playing Jazz Festivals, Jazz Societies and Jazz Clubs throughout the U.S. Canada and abroad, including most of Europe, UK, and Moscow and Georgia Russia.

Greg’s newest release Gratitude, with the Tim Ray Trio has received glowing reviews and a lot of international airplay. Also, check out Greg’s other recordings including special guests Phil Woods and other notable artists.

Greg is currently a Whaling City Sound recording artist.

Greg recorded his first CD Live At Birdland NYC in 1991 on the Candid Jazz Label with the trio of James Williams, Rufus Reid and Kenny Washington.

To this date Greg has recorded over 17 other recordings as leader.

Greg is also an adjunct professor of Jazz Studies at Rhode Island College and is also a very active jazz clinician with co. sponsorship from the Conn-Selmer Instrument Co., conducting workshops and master classes through the U.S and abroad.

Greg has been inducted into the RI MUSIC HALL OF FAME 2016

Amina Figarova Sextet

March 27, 2026 By Craig OConnell

Join us for a special night of jazz with Pianist Amina Figarova and her Sextet!

Amina Figarova – Piano

Charlie Porter – Trumpet

Bart Platteau – Flutes

Wayne Escoffery– Tenor sax

Luques Curtis – Bass

Donald Edwards – Drums

Amina Figarova was born in Baku, Azerbaijan, and as a child studied to be a classical concert pianist. Graduated from the Baku Conservatory as classical concert pianist. In 1990, she entered Rotterdam Conservatory (where she met Bart Platteau, a fellow student from Belgium) to pursue jazz, coming to the United States in 1992 to complete her formal education at Boston’s Berklee College of Music. In 1998 she was invited to the Thelonious Monk Institute’s summer jazz colony in Aspen, and after more than a decade of bookings in major U.S. jazz clubs, concert halls and festivals, the couple gained legal immigrant status in 2013, and became US citizen in 2020. They currently live in Harlem, NY and tour constantly.

“Among the most important composers to come into jazz in the new millennium” – JazzTime

Hailing from Azerbaijan, the New York-based Amina Figarova is an internationally influenced—and recognized—composer, pianist, and bandleader. Those three roles come to the forefront in Figarova’s sextets, bands with a remarkable chemistry that brings her detailed arrangements to life. Every member of the group stands out as a first-rate individual, but their dedication to Figarova’s eclectic and powerful compositions gives this group its depth of feeling and elite status. The Amina Figarova Sextet has been a hit at major festivals like the Newport Jazz Festival and New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival

Suite for Africa is Amina’s 18th album, all with original compositions by Amina. Other compositions for Symphonic orchestra, Musical Diana, a ballad book for Trio Del Norte, brass ensemble, flute duo and quartet, and many more.

The Side Door

85 Lyme St

Old Lyme, CT 06371

Chembo Corniel Quintet

March 21, 2026 By Craig OConnell

Chembo Corniel Quintet

ByThe Side Door Jazz Club

The Side Door Old Lyme, CT

Saturday, Mar 21 from 8 pm to 10:30 pm EDT

Join us for a special night of jazz with Conga Player Chembo Corniel and his Quintet!

Evan Francis – Saxophone/Flute

Gabriel Chakarji – Piano

Carlos Mena – Bass

Joel E. Mateo – Drums

Chembo Corniel – Tumbadoras

Wilson “Chembo” Corniel, Jr. Born in Manhattan on November 22, 1953 of proud Puerto Rican parents, Chembo was raised in the humble streets of Red Hook, Brooklyn. It was during these years, as a quick-witted youngster, that he had the privilege and honor to study with such percussion luminaries as, Tommy Lopez Sr., “Little Ray” Romero, Louie Bauza, and Cachete Maldonado. Chembo honed his skills at The Harbor Conservatory for the Performing Arts in New York, and also at the prestigious La Escuela Nacional de Arte in Havana, Cuba under the direction of the great Chucho Valdés. His intense studies with such legends noted above channeled his energy onto a path where Wilson “Chembo” Corniel has now created a reputation for himself among musicians and the public.

Today, he is considered as one of the best hard-hitting, versatile percussionists around. Chembo teaches percussion to students at the SUNY Purchase Conservatory of Music a also at The Collective and leads numerous clinics throughout the United States where he brings awareness to others of the rich Afro-Caribbean traditions. Among his credits, Chembo was chosen to create his own instructional DVD called, “An Introduction to Hand Percussion: Volume I—Congas”. It was released in December of 2000 and with distribution by Warner Brothers it has been a success.

He’s been a vital endorser of Latin Percussion instruments since 1982 as he is currently for Remo drum heads, Vic Firth sticks and Sabian cymbals. His touring credits are as long as his performing credits.

Chembo has toured with many major artists throughout Europe, Asia, North & South America, and the Caribbean. Television credits include an appearance on the “Bill Cosby Show” and a recurring recording gig on Nickelodeon’s children show, “Dora the Explorer”. Chembo continues to perform and/or record with many artists of different genres. He is currently concentrating on leading his own Latin Jazz quintet, “Chembo & Grupo Chaworó”. This is a well-balanced Latin Jazz group that incorporates many rich traditions, such as writer Aurora Flores states: “a sprinkling of be-bop, a touch of swing with a dollop of bomba, rumba, tango and danzón topped with ‘un chin’ de charanga.

Location

The Side Door

85 Lyme St

Old Lyme, CT 06371

Greater New Haven's community
resource for Jazz since 1996!