Jazz Haven

Greater New Haven's Community Resource for Jazz since 1996

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

Chembo Corniel Quintet

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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

Matt Dwonszyk Quintet Album Release Celebration

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Matt Dwonszyk Quintet Album Release Celebration

ByThe Side Door Jazz Club

The Side Door Old Lyme, CT

Saturday, Mar 14 from 8 pm to 10:30 pm EDT

Join us for a special night of jazz with Bassist Matt Dwonszyk and his Quintet, to celebrate the release of his new album!

Matt Dwonszyk is a Connecticut-born, New York-based, bassist, composer, arranger, bandleader and educator.

He can regularly be found with drummer Jonathan Barber’s Vision Ahead, trios by pianist Jon Davis Trio and saxophonist Julieta Eugenio, and saxophonist Sarah Hanahan’s quartet. He also leads his namesake ensemble, the Dwonztet.

Dwonszyk began playing the electric bass at age eleven. At the Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts High School, he switched to upright bass.

Dwonszyk then continued his studies at the Jackie McLean Institute of Jazz at the University of Hartford. There, Dwonszyk developed a profound rapport with trombonist Steve Davis and bassist Nat Reeves, whose insight led to a career as a top-call bassist in his native Connecticut.

After graduating with a Bachelor’s of Music in Jazz Studies from UHart, Dwonszyk obtained a Master’s of Music at SUNY Purchase College in New York. He soon was performing at legendary jazz venues like Smalls, Smoke, Minton’s, Zinc Bar, Birdland, and the Jazz Standard.

In 2018 — the year he released his debut album, Wonderful World, — Dwonszyk toured Russia as part of the Rainy Days Jazz Festival. In 2019, he toured through Canada with the Oleg Butman Trio and in 2020 with Jonathan Barber and Vision Ahead through the West Coast.

In 2022, he released A Year and a Day, recorded with his versatile, namesake ensemble, the Dwonztet. That year, with the Julieta Eugenio Trio, Dwonszyk won the 2022 DC JazzPrix Competition at the Washington, DC Jazz Festival.

In 2023, the Dwonztet performed at the Hartford Baby Grand Jazz Series, The Northampton Jazz Strut, Smalls Jazz Club, The Side Door Jazz Club, and the Poli Club. The following year, they performed at the Clifford Brown Jazz Festival, Hartford Jazz Festival, and Springfield Jazz and Roots Festival.

True to his roots, Dwonszyk’s latest album was 2024’s Donny Time: The Music of Don DePalma, an album-length tribute to Hartford’s late, great pianist — with 100 percent of the proceeds going to the DePalma Roy Scholarship.

Since 2020, he has taught jazz bass at Manchester Community College and Central Connecticut State College; at the latter, Dwonszyk also teaches jazz history. In 2024 Dwonszyk he taught jazz bass at the University of Hartford and in 2025 at UMass Amherst. He also teaches privately.

This year Dwonszyk’s performed and recorded in Buenos Aires, Argentina; His next album “Live at the Side Door” is scheduled to release in the fall of 2025.

Location

The Side Door

85 Lyme St

Old Lyme, CT 06371

Matt Parker Quartet

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Matt Parker Quartet

Friday, Mar 13 from 8 pm to 10:30 pm

The Side Door Jazz Club

85 Lyme St, Old Lyme, CT 06371

Join us for a special night of jazz with Saxophonist Matt Parker and his Quartet!

Matt Parker – Saxophones

Chris Cheek – Saxophones

Matt Dwonszyk – Acoustic Bass

Dan Pugach – Drums and Cymbals

Matt Parker is a tenor and soprano saxophone player, born and raised in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. After seeing trumpeter Maynard Ferguson in concert, he fell in love with jazz and was mentored by the legendary South Florida saxophonist Jimmy Cavallo. Parker played professionally as a teenager in New Orleans before moving to New York to study with Jane Ira Bloom, Barry Harris, and Junior Mance. Later, Parker would go on to play in Maynard’s band Big Bop Nouveau for two years and is on the album “MF Horn VI: Live At Ronnie’s” (2006).

Parker’s career has been wildly eclectic, showcasing his tireless explorative spirit and chameleon-like style. He has paid tribute to both avant-garde players and straight-ahead stalwarts on his albums “Worlds Put Together” (2014) and “Present Time” (2016), and has collaborated with a wide range of musicians, including Reggie Watkins, Ariana Grande, Orrin Evans, Hess is More, and the Mingus Big Band. He is also a member of the viral ensemble Postmodern Jukebox and has made appearances (both musical and on-screen) in the hit action film “John Wick”. The Dorrance Dance company features Parker in “45th and 8th” premiering nationally (2022-23). He is also a featured performer with comedian, and renowned entertainer Murray Hill and Bridget Everrett (“Somebody, Somewhere”). Parker’s experience with the Cape Town Youth Choir, where he learned the importance of blending and the beauty of collaboration, has had a profound impact on his music.

Charles Mingus’ previously unrecorded “Song To Keki” makes its first appearance on Parker’s album, which the Ottawa Citizen called “a warmly swinging showcase for his breathy, Ben Webster-esque flow.” The same publication noted that Parker’s playing on the tune builds momentum until his tenor seems like it will come apart in his hands. The Ottawa Citizen also described the album as having an overall compositional and improvisational contrast that catches the listener by surprise.

DownBeat Magazine praised Parker’s “own tireless explorative spirit,” while JAZZIZ Magazine described Parker as someone who “welcomes listeners with warmth and wit.” Hot House noted that Parker’s playing can recall the gruff-yet-sensuous lines of Ben Webster, while Outside-Inside-Out said, “Parker can do anything…he swings his ass off.” Something Else Reviews called Parker “restlessly inventive” and “showed off his resourcefulness and playfulness,” while The Village Voice praised him as a “Tenor and soprano sax whiz.” All About Jazz said Parker “can’t be pigeonholed into just one tradition” and that “he has arrived on the creative music scene a fully formed artist – one with his own unique voice and singular vision.”

Parker is also a prolific composer and musical director. He has written music for various ensembles, including big bands, small groups, and studio orchestras for film. Parker’s compositions often blend elements of woodwind instrumentation with more adventurous, avant-garde approaches. Complex harmonies, intricate rhythms, and bold, imaginative melodies characterize his music.

Parker has featured his compositions on several albums, including “Worlds Put Together” (2014), “One for Miles, One for Maynard” (2014), and “Present Time” (2016). He has also composed for the Immersive theater show “MidSummer – A Shakespearience” (Variety Life Productions), the original audio drama series “Brother, Mine” (Hand Forged Fiction 2020) and the immersive sound walk experience “Kierkbride” (Hand Forged Fiction 2022). Critics have praised his music for its originality, energy, and emotional depth.

In addition to his work as a saxophonist, composer, and musical director, Matt Parker is also a passionate educator. He teaches saxophone, composition, and improvisation at several universities and music schools, inspiring young musicians to develop their own unique voices.

New Years Eve with Michelle Lordi/Matthew Parrish Quartet

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New Years Eve with Michelle Lordi/Matthew Parrish Quartet

By The Side Door Jazz Club
2 sets, each set is 1.3 hours long:  8:30pm and 10:45pm, $89.93 per set
Celebrate New Years Eve with an amazing Jazz Quartet featuring Vocalist Michelle Lordi and Bassist Matthew Parrish!

This show will have a 1 drink minimum per person

Michelle Lordi – Vocals

Matthew Parrish – Bass

Vincent Bourgeyx – Piano

Byron Landham – Drums

Jazz bassist, Matthew Parrish, has ‘come into his own’ as a sought after performer, arranger, composer, producer and instructor. Matthew brings skills and s wing as he puts his heart into every note he plays. He has a genuine warmth and loyalty to the music that transcends into every note, every tune, and every interaction with his fellow musicians.Born in central California to hard-working, music-loving parents of four children, Matthew is the youngest to his next sibling by eleven years. With a variety of jazz, rock, and classical music being played around him since birth, whether live or recorded, and a father who played acoustic bass early in his military career, Matt was destined for a life dedicated to music. Although he started on trumpet in middle school, he switched from that instrument for the acoustic bass in a last minute decision of the heart right before his Rutgers Mason Gross School of the Arts music program audition. He was accepted as an acoustic bass student in jazz studies and he has never stopped learning his craft.

Matt’s young bass career is grounded in Philadelphia, PA. He had the blessing, in his late teens and early twenties, of performing with Shirley Scott, Mickey Roker, Bobby Durham, Cecil Payne, Johnny Coles, Harry ‘Sweets’ Edison, Sylvia Simms, Danny Turner, and fellow young musicians, Orrin Evans and Byron Landham. Matthew went on to have the unforgettable experience of touring with legendary trombonist, Al Grey. This era also included performing with Clark Terry, Marion McPartland, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Lou Donaldson, Joe Cohn, Savion Glover, and Bill Charlap.

After the sad passing of Al, an important mentor and friend, Matthew continued to tour with the bands of Greg Osby, Jon Jang, James Newton, Stefon Harris, and Regina Carter. Matt came to be relied upon as a gifted composer and arranger in addition to his steady performing. His own works, as played by Matt on bass, are on his debut CD, ‘Circles’ (Hipnotic Records), as well as on recordings from Regina Carter and Dave Leonhardt, Denise Montana, and Ben Schachter.

Matthew also has recorded with musicians such as Wynton Marsalis, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Paquito D’Rivera, Clark Terry, Etta Jones, James Williams, Harry ‘Sweets’ Edison, James Newton, Miri Ben-Ari, Gary Thomas, Vana Gierig, Orrin Evans, and Houston Person

Vocalist Michelle Lordi has received international accolades and heavy rotation on jazz radio stations in the US and abroad for her recording projects, “Drive” (2015) and “Dream A Little Dream” ( 2017),“Break Up With The Sound“(2019) and “ Two Moons” ( 2023)

Whether she’s performing with bebop jazz legends, exploring experimental soundscapes in her original music or delivering her taut, mesmerizing jazz interpretations of pop ballads, Lordi’s profound love of the music she chooses to sing and the musicians she creates with is evident in every note of her vividly expressive and elegantly communicative voice.

Michelle has performed in performance venues, jazz clubs and festivals across the US such as the Mann Music Center, The Kimmel Center, The Deer Head Inn, Chris’ Jazz Café, Philadelphia Museum of Art, South, Zlock Performing Arts Center (PA), 55 Bar, Birdland, Cornelia Street Café, Jazz Forum, Maureen’s, Mezzrow, Minton’s, SMOKE Jazz & Supper Club, Smalls,(NY), DazzleJazz (CO) , BluJazz, Bop Stop (OH) The Drake (MA) Cliff Bell’s, Dirty Dog Jazz Café, (MI) The Jazz Cruise (FL) & Le Duc Des Lombards (France)

In 2019 Michelle Lordi was nominated in three categories ( Best Band, Rising Star & Female Jazz Vocalist) in the Hot House New York City Readers Jazz Awards. She has performed and/or recorded with musical luminaries such as Orrin Evans, Sumi Tonooka, Eric Wortham II, JD Allen, Rudresh Mahanthappa, Larry McKenna, Greg Osby, Houston Person, Matthew Parrish, Buster Williams, Eric Revis, Ben Wolfe, Matt Davis, Nir Felder, Steve Cardenas, Ian Macaulay, Tim Motzer, Miles Okazaki, Sonny Troy, Nasheet Waits, Gene Jackson, Jerome Jennings, Donald Edwards, Wayne Smith, Jr. EJ Strickland, Rudy Royston and many others. Lordi has also collaborated with producer/guitarist Warren Defever ( His Name Is Alive).

Nat Reeves Trio with Jordan Williams and Jeff “Tain” Watts

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Nat Reeves Trio with Jordan Williams and Jeff “Tain” Watts

By The Side Door Jazz Club
Join us for a special night of jazz with Bassist Nat Reeves and his Trio!

Nat Reeves – Bass

Jordan Williams – Piano

Jeff “Tain” Watts – Drums

For over 40 years, Nat Reeves has been one of the top bassists in jazz. His supportive and stimulating playing has uplifted a countless number of sessions and recording dates (most notably with the great altoists Jackie McLean and Kenny Garrett). He has lead his own CDs State of Emergency and Blue Ridge. Both as a performer and an educator, he has made a strong impact on the jazz world.

Nat Reeves was born and raised in Lynchburg, Virginia. “My grandfather played the banjo, mandolin and guitar. One day I picked up his guitar and started playing the bass part. He noticed and, for my 16th birthday, he bought me an electric bass.” Nat had grown up hearing bluegrass, rock and soul records but did not get an opportunity to listen to jazz until he was already a bassist. “As a teenager, I listened closely to the radio, learning everything by ear. Originally I gravitated towards soul artists such as Marvin Gaye and the music of the time. In high school, I worked for a time with a band called the Dynatones. We learned all of the top 40 songs as soon as they came out. Whenever a new hit record was released, we would purchase the recording, go in the basement, put it on the turntable, and learn the song. Quite often the same day we would play the song for dances.”

Nat admired Stanley Clarke, Jaco Pastorius and all of the top electric bassists of the time, being interested in all of the styles. “As a bassist it is my function to concentrate on the foundation of the band and make everybody else sound good. To become a better bass player and learn more about the instrument, I started listening to jazz. In jazz there is much more freedom to create one’s own bass part and to develop my own bass sound. It is my job to always learn and not merely play the bass but be a bass player, projecting more than just my notes and always sounding fresh and alive.”

When he was 22 and living in Richmond, Virginia, Nat joined a band led by trumpeter Tom Mitchell and guitarist Randy Johnston. Johnny Coles, trumpeter for Ray Charles who frequently sat in with the band, convinced Nat to switch to acoustic bass. Without taking a lesson, Nat taught himself the new instrument and quickly developed his own individual voice.

In 1979, Nat Reeves moved to New York City. “I listened, played on the streets, listened some more, and learned. It was at the same time that Kenny Garrett, Mulgrew Miller, Tony Reedus and James Williams also came to New York. We were all friends and played together.” He first toured with Sonny Stitt in 1982 during what would be the great saxophonist’s last tour. That year he met Jackie McLean, who became his mentor.

Duke Robillard Quartet

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Duke Robillard Quartet

By The Side Door Jazz Club
Join us for a special night of jazz with Guitarist Duke Robbilard and his Quartet!

Duke Robillard – Guitar

Doug James – Saxophone

TBD – Bass

TBD – Drums

Michael John “Duke” Robillard is a distinguished American blues guitarist, vocalist, songwriter, producer, and educator, renowned for his versatility across blues, jazz, swing, and R&B. Born on October 4, 1948, in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, he co-founded the influential band Roomful of Blues in 1967, which played a pivotal role in reviving jump blues and R&B.

Robillard’s career spans over five decades, during which he has released numerous solo albums, collaborated with iconic artists, and earned multiple accolades.

His Grammy nominations include Best Contemporary Blues Album for Guitar Groove-a-Rama (2007) and Best Traditional Blues Album for Stomp! The Blues Tonight (2010).

He has been honored with the W.C. Handy Award (now Blues Music Award) for Best Blues Guitarist in 2000, 2001, 2003, and 2004, and received the Keeping the Blues Alive Award for Producer of the Year in 2004.

Robillard’s collaborations are extensive and diverse. He has recorded and performed with legends such as Bob Dylan (appearing on Time Out of Mind), Tom Waits, Ruth Brown, Jay McShann, Pinetop Perkins, and Jimmy Witherspoon.

Additionally, he has worked with Maria Muldaur, John Hammond, and produced albums for artists like Joe Louis Walker, Billy Boy Arnold, and Otis Clay.

In 1990, Robillard replaced Jimmie Vaughan in The Fabulous Thunderbirds, further showcasing his adaptability and skill. He has also been a member of The Legendary Blues Band, which included former members of Muddy Waters’ bands, and has led his own group, The Duke Robillard Band, later known as The Pleasure Kings.

Beyond performing, Robillard is a respected producer and educator. He has produced albums for various artists and has been involved in music education, sharing his knowledge and passion for blues and jazz.

Robillard’s contributions to music have been recognized with multiple awards, including Grammy nominations and Blues Music Awards. His influence continues to resonate in the blues community, and he remains an active performer and recording artist.

Eddie Allen’s Jazzy Brass for the Holidays

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Eddie Allen's Jazzy Brass for the Holidays

Eddie Allen’s Jazzy Brass for the Holidays

By The Side Door Jazz Club
Join us for a special night of jazz with Trumpeter Eddie Allen and his band, which will be spreading the Holiday Cheer!

Eddie Allen – Trumpet

Mark McGowan – Trumpet

Amie Amis – French Horn

Jerrick Matthews – Trombone

Oscar Perez – Piano

Richie Goods – Bass

Jerome Jennings – Drums

– CRITIC’S REVIEW –

A smart holiday set that might have some fat playing but certainly doesn’t show any schmaltz- CHRIS SPECTOR MIDWEST RECORD

New Yorker Eddie Allen has assembled a sassy brass quartet (plus acoustic bass and some percussion), generating white heat and a slow burn for the holidays. ChristmasReviews.com–Carol Swanson

Trumpeter Allen has conviction in what he’s doing. Refusing to stoop to weak sentiment, he communicates his sense of uplift when refurbishing “We Three Kings”, “O Holy Night” and a dozen more classics. Downbeat MagazineFrank Hadley

Here, Allen has chosen to go the jazzy route from the outset on the pop material. For the carols, he makes use of the brass quartet to state the melody, but then allows the individual horn players to follow their improvisational imagination. It makes for an interesting mix that is a pleasant and lively change of pace from most jazz Christmas albums.Jersey Jazz.Joe Lang

Camille Thurman with the Darrell Green Quartet

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Camille Thurman with the Darrell Green Quartet

Camille Thurman with the Darrell Green Quartet

By The Side Door Jazz Club
Join us for a special night of jazz with Saxophonist/Vocalist Camille Thurman, performing with Drummer Darrell Green and his Quartet!

As a composer, multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, and unique interpreter of the jazz tradition, she is quickly becoming one of the standard bearers for the form, making a considerable and dynamic contribution to the legacy of jazz while paying tribute to its heroes. Fluid and powerful on the tenor saxophone and highly inventive as a vocalist, she also plays bass clarinet, flute, and piccolo. Her rich sax sound has been compared to Joe Henderson and Dexter Gordon, while her vocal approach—including an impressive scatting ability—has been classified alongside those of Ella Fitzgerald and Betty Carter.

In a few short years, Thurman has shared stages with Janelle Monáe, Alicia Keys, Lalah Hathaway, Jill Scott, Erykah Badu, Roy Haynes, Dianne Reeves, Kenny Barron, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Terri Lyne Carrington, Jon Batiste, Diana Krall, Patti LaBelle, Gladys Knight, Chaka Khan, Nicholas Payton, The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra (JALCO) featuring Wynton Marsalis, and Buster Williams, among many others.

The New York City native has already amassed several distinctive honors for her musicianship: runner up in the 2013 Sarah Vaughan International Vocal Competition, two-time winner of the ASCAP Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composers Award and a winner of the Fulbright Scholars Cultural Ambassador Grant, The Chamber Music of America Performance Plus Grant (Sponsored by the Dorris Duke Charitable Foundation) and the Jazz Coalition Composers Grant among others. Thurman also has four full-length recordings as a leader to her credit.

Her compositions were featured and performed by her quartet in the ASCAP/The Kennedy Center Songwriters: The Next Generation showcase as well as the Greenwich School of Music’s Uncharted Series. Camille has appeared on BET’s Black Girls Rock as the saxophonist and flutist in the All-Star Band. Equally adept as a player and a singer, and recognized for her compositional abilities as well, Thurman has also earned accolades from the media, from JazzTimes to Downbeat, All About Jazz to the New York Times, NPR to Sirius XM Satellite Radio, BET to Jazz Night In America.

Thurman was chosen by the State Department under the Fulbright Scholarship grant to perform in Paraguay and Nicaragua with her band. She and Darrell Green were selected by American Music Aboard to travel and perform in various African nations including Cameroon, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, and Mauritania.

Eric Mintel Quartet: Charlie Brown Jazz Eric Mintel Quartet: Charlie Brown Jazz

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Eric Mintel Quartet: Charlie Brown Jazz

Eric Mintel Quartet: Charlie Brown Jazz

By The Side Door Jazz Club
Join us for a special evening/night with the Eric Mintel Quartet performing the music of Charlie Brown Holiday Music!

No Refunds or Exchanges

Nelson Hill – Saxophone

Eric Mintel – Piano

Jack Hegyi – Bass

Dave Mohn – Drums

Eric Mintel has played the piano all his life. Career highlights include two performances by invitation at the White House, several concerts at the Kennedy Center and a special concert at the United Nations. Eric was a featured guest on Marian McPartland’s award winning program Piano Jazz on NPR and his music is regularly played on XM and Sirius radio. Jazz legend Dave Brubeck has said “As long as the music attracts dedicated young musicians like Eric Mintel, jazz will
continue to thrive and progress as a voice of freedom”. Eric Mintel continues to thrill audiences of all ages and continues to connect with people all over the world.

Benny Benack III Quartet: Season’s Swingin’ Greetings

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Benny Benack III Quartet: Season's Swingin' Greetings

Benny Benack III Quartet: Season’s Swingin’ Greetings

By The Side Door Jazz Club
Join us for a special night of jazz with Trumpeter/Vocalist Benny Benack III and his Quartet!

Benny Benack III – Trumpet/Vocals

Tyler Henderson – Piano

Alex Claffy – Bass

Elio Coppola – Drums

Emmy-nominated Trumpeter and Vocalist Benny Benack III (BBIII) has quickly become a leading voice in Jazz for his generation, headlining clubs and festivals around the world on the heels of his latest critically acclaimed live album “This Is The Life,” which has been garnering thousands of streams and topping the JazzWeek Radio Charts. He is the rare talent who is formidable as a fiery trumpeter — ranging from Freddie Hubbard to Louis Armstrong and everyone in between — while as a singer he delivers sly, mature, naturally expressive post-Sinatra vocal stylings.

His sophomore album “A Lot of Livin’ to Do” (2020) featured the likes of bass luminary Christian McBride, achieving viral online fame w/his vocalese rendition of “Social Call,” ft. Veronica Swift, which has been transcribed and covered by singers around the world. He has crooned his way to millions more listeners alongside groups such as the Grammy-winning “8-Bit Big Band” and YouTube sensation “Postmodern Jukebox”. His 2023 album “Third Time’s the Charm” went all the way to #2 on the charts, and featured a notable line-up of special guests such as Peter Bernstein, Bria Skonberg, Chad LB, and more.

Benny’s double-threat credentials were first apparent when he was a finalist in the 2014 Thelonius Monk Competition on trumpet, before going on to win Third Place in the 2021 Sarah Vaughan Vocal Competition. His resume for both was recently bolstered by Downbeat Magazine’s Readers Poll for 2025, where he placed #1 for Rising Star Male Vocalist, and was also #8 for Rising Star Trumpet.

BBIII’s global recognition has been bolstered by his collaborations with the GRAMMY-award winning “8-Bit Big Band,” as well as touring with Postmodern Jukebox. The recent advent of live-streaming concerts has also proved a boon, both through his residency at Smalls Jazz Club, and frequent appearances at fellow superstar Emmet Cohen’s “Emmet’s Place” online series. Benny has established himself as one of the most in-demand touring artists and music educators in the Jazz world, with a seemingly unending intercontinental schedule reflecting his indefatigable love for the music, and with his smile and panache ever on display wherever he goes.

Musicians

A big THANK YOU to all the amazing musicians who performed during Jazz Week in New Haven's Restaurants, Bars & Venues.

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Jazz Haven, Inc.
P.O. Box 3011
New Haven, CT 06515
info@jazzhaven.org