Thursday, April 11 at 7:30pm
The TowneBank Jazz Series celebrates one of the world’s greatest composers and jazz saxophonists of all time – Wayne Shorter. As equally renowned for his compositions as his saxophone playing, Shorter contributed many songs to the jazz canon while participating in some of the major changes in jazz music for more than 50 years. He received 12 GRAMMY awards for his recordings and was recognized with a lifetime achievement honor from the Recording Academy in 2015. Shorter was a seminal member of Mile Davis’ famous quintet of the 1960s and co-founded one of the most successful jazz fusion bands ever, Weather Report. In 2023, Netflix released Zero Gravity, a moving documentary on his life, produced by Brad Pitt.

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Thursday, May 16 at 7:30pm
Giacomo Gates does more than sing “a bunch of songs.” He is truly an entertainer for all ages and styles. Audiences will enjoy his music, his interaction on the bandstand with his musicians, his spontaneity and humor, the stories about the music and composers and their relation to everyday life. Everyone will be smiling and having a good time, while thoroughly enjoying the music. What often lacks in many of today’s performances will be obviously present… fun!

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Thursday, June 20 at 7:30pm
Unassumingly virtuosic and emotionally genuine, New York-based, London-born vocalist Tessa Souter has recorded five critically acclaimed CDs - Listen Love (Nara, 2004), Nights of Key Largo (Venus, 2008), Obsession (Motema, 2009), Beyond the Blue (Motema-Venus, 2012), and her latest, Picture in Black and White (NOA, 2018). “There are many singers who can wow us with vocal prowess, yet there’s something raw and real about hearing Tessa Souter sing,” wrote John Payne in the LA Weekly. “Basically a self-taught musician, she is not afraid to take big risks in her performances with surprising takes on often just as surprisingly un-standard repertoire, from jazz arrangements of ‘Eleanor Rigby,’ Cream’s ‘White Room’ and Nick Drake’s ‘River Man’ to covers of Brazilian compositions by Milton Nascimento and Dori Caymmi, modern jazz tunes by Wayne Shorter and Kenny Barron, originals such as her own mesmerizing ‘Usha’s Wedding’ and superb arrangements of classical stuff by Chopin, Beethoven, Debussy and others. Picture in Black and White explores the tangled roots of her biracial heritage. It’s the sound of an artist doing things her own way.”

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Thursday, July 18 at 7:30pm
The TowneBank Jazz Series remembers David Crosby, who died in 2023. Crosby was a singer, songwriter and guitarist who helped create two of the most influential and beloved American bands of the classic-rock era of the 1960s and ’70s – the Byrds and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. Mr. Crosby was inducted twice into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, as both a founding member of the Byrds and a founder of Crosby, Stills & Nash. He brought jazz influences to both groups, and in the process, broadened the possibilities of vocally driven folk-rock.

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Featuring Nate Najar & Daniela Soledade
Thursday, August 15 at 7:30pm
International Brazilian music star Daniela Soledade and virtuoso jazz guitarist Nate Najar transport you to tropical Rio de Janeiro, Brazil with "Love & Bossa Nova" – an intimate performance of Bossa Nova music. Partners in life and music, Soledade and Najar travel the world doing what they love most – sharing their passion for Brazilian music. 

"Following in her father’s and grandfather’s footsteps, vocalist Daniela Soledade is making her mark on the Brazilian jazz world... the singer evinces the quiet, intimate style of João Gilberto as she caresses the lyric — in English and Portuguese — with apparent affection.” 

Of Nate Najar: “Nate’s playing is quietly spectacular and the sound he gets out of his unamplified guitar is a gorgeous song itself.”  – Jazz Lives

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Thursday, September 19 at 7:30pm
Chuck Redd is an accomplished performer on both drums and vibraphone. Chuck began performing and recording internationally when he joined the Charlie Byrd Trio at the age of 21. He also joined the Great Guitars (Barney Kessel, Charlie Byrd and Herb Ellis.) To his credit are 22 European tours and five tours of Japan, with the Barney Kessel Trio, Ken Peplowski, Terry Gibbs and Conte Candoli. He served as Artist-In-Residence at The Smithsonian Jazz Café in Washington, DC from 2004-2008. In addition to leading his own groups, Chuck was a member of the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra for 15 years. He frequently performs in New York City and headlines nationally at festivals and clubs. Chuck is on the faculty at The University of Maryland School of Music and presents master classes, workshops and lectures around the country. Jazz Times has Redd’s vibes playing as, “Exquisite!” The Washington Post admired his “melodic sparkle.”

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