BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//Vermont Jazz Center - ECPv6.16.3//NONSGML v1.0//EN
CALSCALE:GREGORIAN
METHOD:PUBLISH
X-WR-CALNAME:Vermont Jazz Center
X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://vtjazz.org
X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Vermont Jazz Center
REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H
X-Robots-Tag:noindex
X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H
BEGIN:VTIMEZONE
TZID:America/Halifax
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0300
TZNAME:ADT
DTSTART:20250309T060000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0300
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:AST
DTSTART:20251102T050000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0300
TZNAME:ADT
DTSTART:20260308T060000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0300
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:AST
DTSTART:20261101T050000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0300
TZNAME:ADT
DTSTART:20270314T060000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0300
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:AST
DTSTART:20271107T050000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0300
TZNAME:ADT
DTSTART:20280312T060000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0300
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:AST
DTSTART:20281105T050000
END:STANDARD
END:VTIMEZONE
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Halifax:20260919T193000
DTEND;TZID=America/Halifax:20260919T220000
DTSTAMP:20260812T152306
CREATED:20260803T220835Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260811T230516Z
UID:10000142-1789846200-1789855200@vtjazz.org
SUMMARY:Gonzalo Rubalcaba
DESCRIPTION:Pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba was already a young phenom with a budding career in his native Cuba when he was discovered by Dizzy Gillespie in 1985. Since then\, Piano & Keyboard Magazine selected him in 1999 as one of the great pianists of the 20th century\, alongside figures such as Glenn Gould and Bill Evans. To date\, Rubalcaba has won  five Grammy Awards (for a total of 21 Grammy and Latin Grammy nominations) and four Latin Grammys. At this writing he has also been nominated for a 2026 Best Latin Jazz Album of the Year Grammy Award for his recent release:   A Tribute to Benny Moré and Nat King Cole.  \nRubalcaba was born in 1963 in a musical family in Havana. His father\, pianist\, composer and bandleader Guillermo Rubalcaba\, had also played in the orchestra of Enrique Jorrín\, the creator of cha-cha-cha; his grandfather Jacobo Rubalcaba was the composer of classic danzones\, and his two brothers are also musicians. Gonzalo\, a child prodigy who by the age of 6 was playing drums in his father’s orchestra\, started his formal training two years later\, with piano as his main instrument. He graduated from the Institute of Fine Arts in Havana\,  and by his mid–teens he was working steadily in  Havana. Following graduation he stepped right into the life of the popular musician\, touring Cuba\, Europe\, Africa and Asia with the fabled Orquesta Aragón and also as a sideman in jazz groups and\, beginning in 1984\, leading his own Afro-Cuban jazz rock fusion band\, Grupo Proyecto. \nEncounters with Dizzy Gillespie and\, in 1986\, with Charlie Haden and then Blue Note Records president\, Bruce Lundvall\, set the stage for him to perform and record in the United States and Europe. Rubalcaba moved to the Dominican Republic in 1991 and settled in Miami in 1996. \nRubalcaba joined the faculty of the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music in 2015. In 2020\, he founded his own academy Rubalcademy\, offering remote Masterclasses to musicians across the world.
URL:https://vtjazz.org/calendar/gonzalo-rubalcaba/
CATEGORIES:Concert
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://vtjazz.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/images-5-1.jpeg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Halifax:20261017T193000
DTEND;TZID=America/Halifax:20261017T220000
DTSTAMP:20260812T152306
CREATED:20260803T222458Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260809T163642Z
UID:10000143-1792265400-1792274400@vtjazz.org
SUMMARY:African Rhythms Sextet with Billy Hart
DESCRIPTION:The African Rhythm Sextet\, with special guest NEA Jazz Master Billy Hart\, celebrates the enduring legacy of legendary pianist\, composer\, and NEA Jazz Master Dr. Randy Weston. Weston championed the deep African roots of jazz. After visiting the continent in 1961\, Weston created a groundbreaking musical vision that fused West African rhythms and traditions with the innovations of jazz icons such as Duke Ellington and Thelonious Monk. \nThis group is led by Weston’s long-time musical director\, saxophonist\, flautist\, and composer T.K. Blue. For this performance\, Blue reunites many of the musicians who performed alongside Weston for decades—he will be joined by Chief Baba Neal Clark on African percussion; Alex Blake\, bass; Ku-Umba Frank Lacey\, trombone; Sharp Radway\, piano; and special guest Billy Hart\, drums.  \nRandy Weston was a pioneer in recognizing the importance of African culture as the seed and root of American Jazz Music. This became clear in the early 1960s with the  formation of his ensemble Randy Weston’s African Rhythms and the release of the pivotal recording Uhuru Afrika (Roulette\, 1960).   \nAccording to Giovanni Russonello New York Time’s Obituary\, Weston “visited Nigeria [in 1961]  as part of a delegation of the American Society for African Culture\, beginning a lifelong trans-Atlantic exchange…After two more trips to Africa\, he moved to Morocco\, in 1968\, having first arrived there on a trip sponsored by the State Department. He stayed for five years…where he ran the African Rhythms Cultural Center.”  \nOn the cusp of the centennial birthday of the late NEA Jazz Master Randy Weston\,  members of his “African Rhythms” band have rejoined forces to pay tribute. The sonic foundations of Weston’s style include the dynamic drum polyrhythms of West Africa and Weston’s orchestral and highly rhythmic approach to the piano. \nBy bringing Weston’s compositions and arrangements to the stage\, the African Rhythms Sextet transmits the very spirit of his person. This is made possible by the world-class musicianship of the group’s  members as well as their close and long-term working relationships with Weston.
URL:https://vtjazz.org/calendar/african-rhythms/
CATEGORIES:Concert
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://vtjazz.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/tk-collage-1474x1158-white-only-border-002.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Halifax:20261106T193000
DTEND;TZID=America/Halifax:20261107T100000
DTSTAMP:20260812T152306
CREATED:20260803T230016Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260809T160328Z
UID:10000144-1793993400-1794045600@vtjazz.org
SUMMARY:2026-2027 Season Emerging Artist Festival feat. Elena Ayodele Pinderhughes
DESCRIPTION:Friday evening: VJC joins with the 118 Elliot Art Gallery to present a showcase of high school and college jazz ensembles.  \nSaturday daytime: VJC teams up with area schools to feature student groups from area high schools and colleges. Daytime activities will culminate in a no-cost clinic offered by Elena Pinderhughes \nSaturday evening: Headliner Concert: Elena Pinderhughes \nBio: \nElena Pinderhughes is expanding the possibilities of what the flute can do in contemporary music. As an award-winning flutist\, vocalist\, and composer\, this Manhattan School of Music graduate moves between genres like jazz\, R&B\, hip-hop\, and orchestral music effortlessly. Jazz critic John Fordham of The Guardian has praised her as “the most exciting and creatively assured jazz flautist to have emerged in years”.  \nHer versatility has led to collaborations with a range of artists including Herbie Hancock\, Chief Adjuah\, Robert Glasper\, Esperanza Spalding\, Terrace Martin\, Common\, Kenny Barron\, Vijay Iyer\, Terri Lyne Carrington\, Ambrose Akinmusire\, and Future\, while also working with Victoria Monet\, Cynthia Erivo\, Childish Gambino\,  and Jordan Ward. She has performed at Carnegie Hall\, the Kennedy Center\, the White House\, Coachella\, Monterey Jazz Festival\, Montreux\, Newport\, and North Sea Jazz. An example of some the noteworthy recordings she has been heard on include Chief Adjuah’s Stretch Music and Diaspora\, Terrance Martin’s Impendance and Nintendo Soul\, Common’s Black America Again\, and Ambrose Akinmusire’s the Imagined Savior.  \nBelow is Elena’s Tiny Desk performance with Common —
URL:https://vtjazz.org/calendar/elena-pinderhughes/
CATEGORIES:Concert
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://vtjazz.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/092025_ElenaPinderhughes_web1.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Halifax:20261204T193000
DTEND;TZID=America/Halifax:20261204T220000
DTSTAMP:20260812T152306
CREATED:20260806T011023Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260807T173809Z
UID:10000145-1796412600-1796421600@vtjazz.org
SUMMARY:VJC Big Band Celebrates its 22nd Year w/ Vocalist Charenee Wade
DESCRIPTION:A gala dance to support the VJC’s Scholarship Fund!\nThe 18-piece Vermont Jazz Center is excited to celebrate 22 years performing big band jazz. For this concert\, the VJC Big Band will celebrate the legacies of Sarah Vaughan and Ella Fitzgerald\, and in a swing-dance performance featuring acclaimed vocalist Charenée Wade. All profits from this concert will subsidize VJC’s educational programs. \nVocalist Charenee Wade is renowned for her deep grooves and uncanny ability to bring energy and excitement to every performance. She was the first runner-up in the 2010 Thelonious Monk International Vocal Competition and has performed at venues and festivals around the world\, including Jazz at Lincoln Center\, The Apollo\, and The Jazz Standard\, Montreux Jazz Festival\, Copenhagen Jazz Festival\, Istanbul Jazz Festival\, Spoleto Festival\, Savannah Music Festival\, Bern Jazz Festival\, and Charlie Parker Jazz Festival. She currently serves on the faculty at the Aaron Copland School of Music\, the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University\, and The Juilliard School.  \nThe VJC Big Band is made up of area professional musicians who come together to enjoy the rewards of playing invigorating\, challenging and historically significant repertoire while raising money for the VJC’s Scholarship Fund. Past headliners have included Carmen Bradford\, Evan Arntzen\, Alexis Cole\, Amanda Carr\, Houston Person\, Dave Stryker\, Samirah Evans\, Rich Greenblatt\, Mark Anagnostopulos\, Rebecca (Bella) Holtz\, Kevin Mahogany\, Miles Griffith\, Peter Eldridge\, Wanda Houston and timbalero Eguie Castrillo. \n2026 Members of the VJC Big Band \nRob Freeberg\, Music Director \nSherm Fox\, Band Manager \nCharenée Wade\, guest vocalist \n\nSaxophones: Matt Steckler\, Donna Morse\, alto; Michael Zsoldos\, Bruce Diehl\, tenor; Sherm Fox\, baritone\nTrumpets: Rick Anderson\, Donald Anderson\, Haneef Nelson\, Bunny Saranita \nTrombones: Dave Sporny\, Tim Atherton\, Taylor Hughey\, Amaranth Cole\nRhythm Section: Eugene Uman\, piano; Wes Brown\, bass; Steve Rice\, drums.
URL:https://vtjazz.org/calendar/big-band-charenee-wade/
CATEGORIES:Concert
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://vtjazz.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Charenee_Wade.webp
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Halifax:20270116T193000
DTEND;TZID=America/Halifax:20270116T220000
DTSTAMP:20260812T152306
CREATED:20260808T131802Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260808T151929Z
UID:10000146-1800127800-1800136800@vtjazz.org
SUMMARY:David Sánchez
DESCRIPTION:Grammy Award-winning saxophonist David Sanchez is widely recognized as one of the most distinguished saxophonists of his generation. Renowned for his unmistakable sound and remarkable command of the instrument\, Sánchez brings together a deep understanding on jazz and Latin music with the rich traditions that shaped both genres. The result is a distinctive and compelling musical voice.  \nWorld-renowned jazz writer and critic Howard Reich has praised Sánchez’s artistry\, noting that his “prowess on saxophone is matched by the intellectual depth of his concept and compositions.” Reich has also observed\, “Technically\, tonally and creatively\, he seems to have it all.” Throughout his career\, recordings including The Departure (1994)\, Sketches of Dreams (1995)\, Obsesión (1998)\, and Cultural Survival (2008) have demonstrated Sánchez’s ability to blend the language of jazz with the musical traditions of his native Puerto Rico and influences from across the Caribbean and Latin America.  \nPuerto Rican folkloric traditions are especially prominent throughout Sánchez’s discography. The influence of Bomba and plena can be heard on his debut album\, The Departure (1994)\, and Street Scenes (1996). These traditions are further explored on Obsesión (1998) and Melaza (2000)\, both produced by acclaimed saxophonist Branford Marsalis\, and on Travesía (2001)\, Sánchez’s first entirely self-produced recording. 
URL:https://vtjazz.org/calendar/david-sanchez/
CATEGORIES:Concert
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://vtjazz.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/ds-22.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Halifax:20270213T193000
DTEND;TZID=America/Halifax:20270213T220000
DTSTAMP:20260812T152306
CREATED:20260808T152618Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260808T152618Z
UID:10000147-1802547000-1802556000@vtjazz.org
SUMMARY:Joe Lovano
DESCRIPTION:Grammy-winning saxophonist\, composer and producer Joe Lovano is fearless in finding new modes of artistic expression. With a Grammy Win for his 52nd Street Themes and 14 other nominations\, he has won DownBeat Magazine’s Critics and Readers Polls countless times as Tenor Saxophonist\, Musician of the Year\, Jazz Album of the Year and Triple Crowns from DownBeat. He has also received numerous awards from Jazz Times and the Jazz Journalists Association for Tenor Saxophone\, Album of the Year and Musician of the Year. \nBorn in Cleveland\, Ohio\, on December 29\, 1952\, he attended the famed Berklee College of Music in Boston\, where years later he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate. Since 2001\, he has held the Gary Burton Chair in Jazz Performance and has been a founding faculty member of the Global Jazz Institute at Berklee\, directed by Danilo Pérez\, since 2009. He is a guest lecturer at New York University’s Jazz Program\, Juilliard and Manhattan School of Music\, as well as a clinician at Universities around the globe. \nFrom 1991 through 2016\, Lovano released an unprecedented 25 records as a leader for the historic Blue Note Records. Joe Lovano Quartet: Classic! Live at Newport featuring Hank Jones was recorded in 2005 and released in 2016 to critical acclaim. In 2019\, Lovano released his debut album as a bandleader on ECM Records\, Trio Tapestry\, with Marilyn Crispell and Carmen Castaldi. Over the next few years\, Lovano saw the release of three additional ECM Records albums: ROMA\, a collaboration with Enrico Rava; Arctic Riff\, a special guest appearance with the Marcin Wasilewski Trio; and the sophomore release from Lovano’s Trio Tapestry\, Garden of Expression. In 2021\, Lovano released Other Worlds\, his third album with Sound Prints\, a quintet he co-leads with trumpeter Dave Douglas. The next year brought a collaboration with guitarist Jakob Bro\, Once Around the Room: A Tribute to Paul Motian. In 2023\, Lovano released his third Trio Tapestry recording entitled Our Daily Bread. In 2025\, Lovano released Homage\, a follow-up recording with the Marcin Wasilewski Trio. Most recently\, Lovano released Paramount Quartet\, with his ensemble of the same name featuring Julian Lage on guitar\, Asante Santi Debriano on bass\, and Will Calhoun on drums. \nIn addition\, composer Mark Anthony Turnage wrote a Concerto for Saxophone and Chamber Orchestra for Joe called “A Man Descending\,” which has been performed globally and Maestro Michael Abene orchestrated an album of all-Lovano originals called Symphonica for the WDR Symphonic Orchestra and Big Band\, which was released on Blue Note and received a Grammy nomination. Douglas Cuomo composed the saxophone concerto A Raft\, The Sky\, and the Wild Sea for Lovano and Lovano was featured on a live recording of the piece with the Winston-Salem Symphony conducted by Michelle Merrill. \nJoe has performed and recorded with a long list of jazz greats including Woody Herman\, Dr. Lonnie Smith\, Mel Lewis\, Bob Brookmeyer\, Paul Motian\, Bill Frisell\, Tony Bennett\, Abbey Lincoln\, Charlie Haden\, John Scofield\, Gunther Schuller\, Elvin Jones\, McCoy Tyner\, Ed Blackwell\, Herbie Hancock\, Dave Holland\, Hank Jones\, Dave Liebman\, Michael Brecker\, Dave Douglas\, Judi Silvano\, Ravi Coltrane\, Chucho Valdés\, Ornette Coleman\, Diana Krall\, and many others. Joe has created an extensive body of work for his own ensembles\, including strings\, woodwinds\, his horn-rich Nonet\, the Classic Quartet\, Trio Tapestry\, and more. \nJoe Lovano continues to explore new horizons within the world of music as a soloist\, bandleader\, and composer.
URL:https://vtjazz.org/calendar/joe-lovano/
CATEGORIES:Concert
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://vtjazz.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/JL1_Aquapio_-Films_Ltd.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Halifax:20270320T193000
DTEND;TZID=America/Halifax:20270320T220000
DTSTAMP:20260812T152306
CREATED:20260809T135927Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260809T135927Z
UID:10000148-1805571000-1805580000@vtjazz.org
SUMMARY:Aaron Parks Little Big
DESCRIPTION:Grammy-winning saxophonist\, composer and producer Joe Lovano is fearless in finding new modes of artistic expression. With a Grammy Win for his 52nd Street Themes and 14 other nominations\, he has won DownBeat Magazine’s Critics and Readers Polls countless times as Tenor Saxophonist\, Musician of the Year\, Jazz Album of the Year and Triple Crowns from DownBeat. He has also received numerous awards from Jazz Times and the Jazz Journalists Association for Tenor Saxophone\, Album of the Year and Musician of the Year. \nBorn in Cleveland\, Ohio\, on December 29\, 1952\, he attended the famed Berklee College of Music in Boston\, where years later he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate. Since 2001\, he has held the Gary Burton Chair in Jazz Performance and has been a founding faculty member of the Global Jazz Institute at Berklee\, directed by Danilo Pérez\, since 2009. He is a guest lecturer at New York University’s Jazz Program\, Juilliard and Manhattan School of Music\, as well as a clinician at Universities around the globe. \nFrom 1991 through 2016\, Lovano released an unprecedented 25 records as a leader for the historic Blue Note Records. Joe Lovano Quartet: Classic! Live at Newport featuring Hank Jones was recorded in 2005 and released in 2016 to critical acclaim. In 2019\, Lovano released his debut album as a bandleader on ECM Records\, Trio Tapestry\, with Marilyn Crispell and Carmen Castaldi. Over the next few years\, Lovano saw the release of three additional ECM Records albums: ROMA\, a collaboration with Enrico Rava; Arctic Riff\, a special guest appearance with the Marcin Wasilewski Trio; and the sophomore release from Lovano’s Trio Tapestry\, Garden of Expression. In 2021\, Lovano released Other Worlds\, his third album with Sound Prints\, a quintet he co-leads with trumpeter Dave Douglas. The next year brought a collaboration with guitarist Jakob Bro\, Once Around the Room: A Tribute to Paul Motian. In 2023\, Lovano released his third Trio Tapestry recording entitled Our Daily Bread. In 2025\, Lovano released Homage\, a follow-up recording with the Marcin Wasilewski Trio. Most recently\, Lovano released Paramount Quartet\, with his ensemble of the same name featuring Julian Lage on guitar\, Asante Santi Debriano on bass\, and Will Calhoun on drums. \nIn addition\, composer Mark Anthony Turnage wrote a Concerto for Saxophone and Chamber Orchestra for Joe called “A Man Descending\,” which has been performed globally and Maestro Michael Abene orchestrated an album of all-Lovano originals called Symphonica for the WDR Symphonic Orchestra and Big Band\, which was released on Blue Note and received a Grammy nomination. Douglas Cuomo composed the saxophone concerto A Raft\, The Sky\, and the Wild Sea for Lovano and Lovano was featured on a live recording of the piece with the Winston-Salem Symphony conducted by Michelle Merrill. \nJoe has performed and recorded with a long list of jazz greats including Woody Herman\, Dr. Lonnie Smith\, Mel Lewis\, Bob Brookmeyer\, Paul Motian\, Bill Frisell\, Tony Bennett\, Abbey Lincoln\, Charlie Haden\, John Scofield\, Gunther Schuller\, Elvin Jones\, McCoy Tyner\, Ed Blackwell\, Herbie Hancock\, Dave Holland\, Hank Jones\, Dave Liebman\, Michael Brecker\, Dave Douglas\, Judi Silvano\, Ravi Coltrane\, Chucho Valdés\, Ornette Coleman\, Diana Krall\, and many others. Joe has created an extensive body of work for his own ensembles\, including strings\, woodwinds\, his horn-rich Nonet\, the Classic Quartet\, Trio Tapestry\, and more. \nJoe Lovano continues to explore new horizons within the world of music as a soloist\, bandleader\, and composer.
URL:https://vtjazz.org/calendar/aaron-parks/
CATEGORIES:Concert
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://vtjazz.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/AaronParks_LittleBig_4_byAnnaYatskevich-compressed-768x512-1.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Halifax:20270403T193000
DTEND;TZID=America/Halifax:20270403T220000
DTSTAMP:20260812T152306
CREATED:20260809T143824Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260809T151626Z
UID:10000149-1806780600-1806789600@vtjazz.org
SUMMARY:Stéphane Wrembel
DESCRIPTION:Stéphane Wrembel is quite simply one of the finest guitarists of his generation. Renowned for his unparalleled breadth and depth as a musician\, composer\, and educator\, Wrembel has spent over two decades shaping a sound that transcends genre and borders. Since his debut in 2002\, he has released a steady stream of acclaimed recordings\, establishing himself as one of the most distinctive and original guitar voices in contemporary music. \nHis live performances are celebrated worldwide for their virtuosity and emotional range. Wrembel has headlined stages at Jazz at Lincoln Center\, Carnegie Hall\, The Town Hall in New York City\, and the Lyon Opera House in France. He has performed and collaborated with musical luminaries including Jean-Michel Pilc\, Sam Bush\, Stochelo Rosenberg\, Esperanza Spalding\, and Al Di Meola. His festival appearances span the globe\, from the Montreal and Monterey Jazz Festivals to the Django Reinhardt Festival in France\, the Ellnora Guitar Festival\, and Caramoor Jazz Festival. Internationally\, he has toured across Canada\, France\, Israel\, the UK\, India\, and Nigeria. \nBorn in Paris and raised in Fontainebleau—the birthplace of Impressionism and home of legendary guitarist Django Reinhardt—Wrembel began his musical journey on classical piano at age four. As a teenager\, he discovered the guitar and became immersed in rock\, particularly inspired by David Gilmour of Pink Floyd. “I had a classical background\, a passion for rock music\, and then I found out about Django\,” he recalls. “I fell in love with the very strong impressionist feel in his music.” \nCaptivated by Reinhardt’s artistry\, Wrembel immersed himself in Sinti culture\, spending years learning from the masters of this living musical tradition. “I spent six or seven years going to the camps\,” he says. “That’s how you learn this music—it’s specific to a culture. Music is not only the notes. Without the culture\, something is missing.” He studied with renowned Sinti guitarists including Angelo Debarre and Serge Krief before moving to the United States to attend Berklee College of Music\, where he graduated summa cum laude in 2002. \nThat same year\, he released his debut album\, Introducing Stéphane Wrembel\, hailed by Vintage Guitar Magazine as “pure dazzle and dash\, a stunning storm of notes that blankets the melody in a rain of arpeggiated tones.” After relocating to New York City in 2003\, his reputation quickly spread among musicians and audiences alike. His early albums Gypsy Rumble (2005)—featuring mandolin legend David Grisman—and Barbes-Brooklyn (2006) drew critical acclaim. Woody Allen later selected Wrembel’s “Big Brother\,” from Gypsy Rumble\, for the 2008 film Vicky Cristina Barcelona. His fourth release\, Terre Des Hommes (2008)\, further cemented his growing influence. \nIn 2003\, Wrembel founded Django à Gogo\, an annual music festival and guitar camp celebrating the art\, culture\, and evolution of Sinti-inspired guitar. The event has grown into a weeklong international celebration\, bringing together some of the world’s finest musicians to perform at venues such as Carnegie Hall\, The Town Hall and Symphony Space. Based in Maplewood\, New Jersey and New York City\, the festival has recently expanded with editions in Los Angeles\, Canada\, and beyond. Wrembel serves as its artistic director and driving force\, nurturing the next generation of musicians through performance and education. \nWrembel’s global breakthrough came with his composition “Bistro Fada\,” the charming waltz that became the theme for Woody Allen’s 2011 Oscar®-winning film Midnight in Paris. The song appeared on his fifth album Origins and on the film’s Grammy®-winning soundtrack. In 2012\, Wrembel performed “Bistro Fada” live at the Academy Awards® alongside Hans Zimmer and an all-star ensemble. \nHe has continued to expand his artistic reach with each project. Dreamers of Dreams (2014) showcased his dynamic quartet\, while two live recordings—Live in India and Live in Rochester (2016)—captured his deep rapport with audiences around the world. From 2017 to 2021\, Wrembel released six volumes of The Django Experiment\, recorded live in-studio with longtime collaborators Thor Jensen (guitar)\, Ari Folman-Cohen (bass)\, Nick Anderson (drums)\, and Nick Driscoll (saxophone/clarinet). These albums reimagined the music of Django Reinhardt and other composers through a modern lens\, earning acclaim from DownBeat\, JazzTimes\, Acoustic Guitar Magazine\, Guitar World\, The New York City Jazz Record\, and more. \nIn 2019\, Wrembel produced Les Yeux Noirs\, the debut album by Django’s great-grandson Simba Baumgartner\, and released Django L’Impressionniste\, a groundbreaking recording of 17 rarely heard solo guitar preludes composed by Reinhardt between 1937 and 1950. Wrembel spent four years transcribing and mastering these works\, publishing them in a beautifully bound book of sheet music in 2021—the first complete collection of its kind. \nWrembel also composed the original score for Woody Allen’s 2020 film Rifkin’s Festival\, starring Gina Gershon\, Christoph Waltz\, and Wallace Shawn. In November 2021\, he introduced Django New Orleans\, a nine-piece ensemble that fuses New Orleans brass and rhythms with the intricate guitar style rooted in his French heritage. The group’s debut at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Dizzy’s Club sold out eight consecutive nights\, followed by Shades of Django in Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Rose Theater\, which also sold out multiple performances. In May 2023\, Wrembel released Django New Orleans in conjunction with the Django à Gogo Festival. \nIn 2024\, he unveiled Triptych—a three-part recording (Phases I\, II\, and III) with celebrated pianist Jean-Michel Pilc—earning glowing reviews in DownBeat\, Guitar Player\, and Acoustic Guitar Magazine. His forthcoming album\, Django New Orleans II: Hors-Série\, will be released on November 14\, 2025\, offering fresh interpretations of timeless classics alongside two new original compositions\, including Wrembel’s debut as a vocalist. \nToday\, Stéphane Wrembel is recognized as one of the world’s preeminent guitarists and composers—an artist who transcends genre while honoring tradition. His music draws from jazz\, classical\, blues\, flamenco\, and rock\, yet it coalesces into a singular sound: unmistakably\, and only\, Stéphane Wrembel.\n“I just play my own music\,” he says. “I like to believe that it is beyond any one genre and that there is something in it for everyone. It’s not only for Django lovers or jazz lovers—it’s for the music lover.”
URL:https://vtjazz.org/calendar/stephane-wrembel/
CATEGORIES:Concert
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/avif:https://vtjazz.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/stephane_wrembel_lawrence-sumulong-1.avif
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20270416
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20270418
DTSTAMP:20260812T152306
CREATED:20260809T155907Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260809T163355Z
UID:10000150-1807833600-1808006399@vtjazz.org
SUMMARY:2026-2027 Season Solo Jazz Piano Festival
DESCRIPTION:2027 Solo Jazz Piano Festival\n2026 Headliners: Rachel Z\, Donald Vega\, Danny Grissett\, Sylvia Courvoisier\n \n2026 Emerging Artists: TBD \nFOR ALL MUSIC LOVERS interested in the development of piano styles and techniques throughout the evolution of jazz. Together we will hear six brilliant pianists perform and discuss their musical aspirations and the expansion of their approaches to the instrument. The VJC invites you to participate in a festival that showcases artists who have invested their lives in the pursuit of creativity using the piano as their medium.  \nA Weekend of Concerts and Educational Opportunities that Celebrates the Distinct Practices and Vocabularies of Solo Piano in Jazz Music\nSchedule:\nFRIDAY\, April 16 \n7:30 pm Headliner performances: Danny Grissett\, Sylvia Courvoisier \nSATURDAY\, April 17 \n10:00 – 2:00 pm Masterclasses – accessible to all audience members \n10:00 am Danny Grissett\n \n11:00 am Sylvia Courvoisier\n \n12:00 am Donald Vega\n \n1:00 pm Rachel Z\n \n3:30 – 4:30 pm Emerging Artist presentations  \n4:45 – 5:45 pm Panel discussion based on juried questions from the audience \n7:30 pm Headliner performance:  \nDonald Vega\, Rachel Z \nREAD MORE ON THE ARTISTS
URL:https://vtjazz.org/calendar/2026-2027-solo-jazz-piano-fest/
CATEGORIES:Concert
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://vtjazz.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/2026-2027-SPF-Collage.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Halifax:20270515T193000
DTEND;TZID=America/Halifax:20270515T220000
DTSTAMP:20260812T152306
CREATED:20260808T140904Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260809T144536Z
UID:10000151-1810409400-1810418400@vtjazz.org
SUMMARY:Kenny Barron
DESCRIPTION:Honored by The National Endowment for the Arts as a 2010 Jazz Master\, Kenny Barron has an unmatched ability to mesmerize audiences with his elegant playing\, sensitive melodies and infectious rhythms. The Los Angeles Times named him “one of the top jazz pianists in the world\,” and Jazz Weekly calls him “The most lyrical piano player of our time.” \nPhiladelphia is the birthplace of many great musicians\, including one of the undisputed masters of the jazz piano: Kenny Barron. Kenny was born in 1943 and\, while a teenager\, started playing professionally with Mel Melvin’s orchestra. This local band also featured Barron’s brother Bill\, the late tenor saxophonist. \nWhile still in high school. Kenny worked with drummer Philly Joe Jones and at age 19\, he moved to New York City and freelanced with Roy Haynes\, Lee Morgan and James Moody\, after the tenor saxophonist heard him play at the Five Spot. Upon Moody’s recommendation\, Dizzy Gillespie hired Barron in 1962 without even hearing him play a note. It was in Dizzy’s band where Kenny developed an appreciation for Latin and Caribbean rhythms. After five years with Dizzy\, Barron played with Freddie Hubbard\, Stanley Turrentine\, Milt Jackson\, and Buddy Rich. The early seventies found Kenny working with Yusef Lateef\, whom Kenny credits as a key influence in his art for improvisation. Encouraged by Lateef to pursue a college education\, Barron balanced touring with studies and earned his B.A. in Music from Empire State College. By 1973\, Kenny joined the faculty at Rutgers University as professor of music. He held this tenure until 2000\, mentoring many of today’s young talents including David Sanchez\, Terence Blanchard and Regina Bell. In 1974 Kenny recorded his first album as a leader for the Muse label\, entitled “Sunset To Dawn.” This was to be the first in over 40 recordings (and still counting!) as a leader. \nFollowing stints with Ron Carter in the late seventies\, Kenny formed a trio with Buster Williams and Ben Riley\, which also worked alongside of Eddie Lockjaw” Davis\, Eddie Harris\, Sonny Stitt and Harry “Sweets” Edison. Throughout the 80’s\, Barron collaborated with the great tenor saxophonist Stan Getz\, touring with his quartet and recording several legendary albums including “Anniversary”\, “Serenity” and the Grammy-nominated “People Time”. Also during the 80’s\, he co-founded the quartet “Sphere\,”\nalong with Buster Williams\, Ben Riley and Charlie Rouse. This band focused on the music of Thelonious Monk and original compositions inspired by him. Sphere recorded several outstanding projects for the Polygram label\, among them “Four For All” and “Bird Songs.” After the death of Charlie Rouse\, the band took a 15-year hiatus and reunited\, replacing Rouse with alto saxophonist Gary Bartz. This reunion made its debut recording for Verve Records in 1998. \nKenny Barron’s own recordings for Verve have earned him nine Grammy nominations beginning in 1992 with “People Time\,” an outstanding duet with Stan Getz\, followed by the Brazilian-influenced “Sambao and most recently for “Freefall” in 2002. Other Grammy nominations went to “Spirit Song”\, “Night and the City” (a duet recording with Charlie Haden) and “Wanton Spirit\,” a trio recording with Roy Haynes and Haden. It is important to note that these three recordings each received double Grammy nominations (for album and solo performance) His CD\, “Canta Brasil” (Universal France) linked Barron with Trio de Paz in a fest of original Brazilian jazz\, and was named Critics’ Choice Top Ten CDs of 2003 by JazzIz Magazine. His 2004 release\, Images (Universal France) was inspired by a suite originally commissioned by The Wharton Center at Michigan State University and features multi-Grammy nominated vibraphonist Stefon Harris. The long-awaited trio sequel featuring Ray Drummond and Ben Riley\, The Perfect Set\, Live At Bradley’s\, Part Two (Universal France/Sunnyside) was released in October 2005. \nIn Spring 2008\, Mr. Barron released The Traveler (Universal France)\, an intoxicating mix of favorite Barron tunes set to lyrics and newly penned compositions. For his first vocal-based recording\, Barron invited Grady Tate (who sheds his drumsticks for this special appearance)\, Tony Award winner Ann Hampton Calloway and the young phenom Gretchen Parlato\, winner of the Thelonious Monk International Competition for Jazz. On “Um Beijo”\, Mr. Tate’s warm\, leathery voice balanced by Mr. Barron’s poignant touch make for a beautifully textured conversation\, underscoring their longtime on-stage collaboration. Another Barron original\, “Clouds” is a lush vehicle for Ann Hampton Calloway’s romantic pitch-perfect yearnings matched with Barron’s trademark mastery of subtlety. The dramatic “Phantoms” intertwines Parlato’s ephemeral intimacy and syncopatic rhythms in an emotional escapade between Barron’s haunting notes\, the West African stylings of guitarist Lionel Loueké\, drummer Francisco Mela (who also adds a Cuban flavor to the vocals)\, and the driving bass of Kiyoshi Kitagawa. The journey continues with the aptly named “Duet\,” an improvisation with Benin-born Loueké who also joins the trio for a rousing version of Barron’s “Calypso”. A composer who relishes in the moment\, Barron’s modern approach is highlighted by alto saxophonist Steve Wilson’s open musings on “Illusion” and “The Traveler\,” who also brings an urgency to the fun-paced “Speed Trap”. \nAfter a successful musical meeting of the minds with bassist Dave Holland\, the two masters decided to collaborate on a duet project to be released on Impulse/Universal Records in 2014\, followed by a tour. \nBarron consistently wins the jazz critics’ and readers’ polls\, including Downbeat\, Jazz Times and Jazziz magazines. The famed Spanish ceramist Lladro honored Mr. Barron with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012\, and he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from his alma mater SUNY Empire State in 2013 and from Berklee College of Music in 2011. In 2009 he received the Living Legacy Award from Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation and was inducted into the American Jazz Hall of Fame and won a MAC Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005. He is a six-time recipient of Best Pianist by the Jazz Journalists Association. \nWhether he is playing solo\, trio or quintet\, Kenny Barron is recognized the world over as a master of performance and composition.
URL:https://vtjazz.org/calendar/kenny-barron/
CATEGORIES:Concert
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://vtjazz.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/KennyBarron__KATZ_D8C1123a_2022_MED-1-scaled-1.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Halifax:20270612T193000
DTEND;TZID=America/Halifax:20270612T220000
DTSTAMP:20260812T152306
CREATED:20260809T150406Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260809T150809Z
UID:10000152-1812828600-1812837600@vtjazz.org
SUMMARY:2026-2027 Season: Convergence Project
DESCRIPTION:Eugene Uman is the director of the Vermont Jazz Center and performs as a pianist in numerous projects. His annual June concert is a representation of a year’s worth of composing and collaborating with various musicians and an opportunity for him to assemble a dream band that manifests his vision and unites his musical influences. Uman’s energetic playing and writing style is flavored with the Latin rhythms that he has absorbed during his tenure living in Colombia\, where he initiated the jazz studies programs at la Universidad de EAFIT and el Colegio de Música de Medellín. Several of his compositions employ forms and grooves adapted from Colombian music such as cumbia\, pasillo\, puya\, bambuco\, and currulao. They are also strongly influenced by his bebop mentors: Sheila Jordan\, Howard Brofsky\, Mike Longo and Jimmy Heath\, as well as by the sounds of his youth when he played in rock and blues bands. Uman’s compositions draw from a vocabulary of modern jazz\, hard bop\, rock\, soul\, Latin American rhythms and gospel; listeners can expect a “convergence” of the music he loves in a mash-up of styles where groove is king. \nThis presentation of the Convergence Project is the last show of the Vermont Jazz Center’s 2026-27 season.
URL:https://vtjazz.org/calendar/2026-2027-season-convergence-project/
CATEGORIES:Concert
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://vtjazz.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Eugene-w-mic.jpg
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR