HotSpots - This Weekend

Weekend Jazz Hang (Curated by Hot House Jazz Magazine)

August 21, 2025

🚀 Boundary-Pushers

Our Boundary Pushers run favors small-group focus and clear ideas over volume. At the Village Vanguard (Aug 20–24), Bill Frisell’s trio with Ambrose Akinmusire plays late sets that lean on space, counter-melody, and patient development. Alto saxophonist Darius Jones appears at Bar Bayeux (Aug 22) with Chris Lightcap and Allan Mednard in a trio format that leaves room for close interaction. Isaiah Collier & The Chosen Few bring a modal, Coltrane-aware quartet to Dizzy’s (Aug 20–21). Trumpeter David Weiss leads a sextet at Smalls (Aug 22–23), using tight charts as a frame for improvisation. The strand closes Sun (Aug 24) at the Charlie Parker Jazz Festival with The Jazz Gallery All-Stars, a collective that treats new material as working language rather than showcase.

Bill Frisell Trio + Ambrose Akinmusire — Aug 20–24 @ Village Vanguard Guitarist Frisell’s lyric minimalism meets Akinmusire’s angular trumpet language; small-group interplay is the point, not volume. MORE INFO

Darius Jones w/ Chris Lightcap & Allan Mednard — Aug 22 @ Bar Bayeux (Brooklyn) Jones brings a raw alto sound and structured freedom; Lightcap/Mednard keep it grounded without dulling the edges. MORE INFO

Isaiah Collier & The Chosen Few — Aug 20–21 @ Dizzy’s Club Coltrane-lineage intensity with a young band that treats modality as a living thing, not a museum piece. MORE INFO

David Weiss Sextet — Aug 22–23 @ Smalls | Weiss curates hard-hitting post-bop with modern voicings; expect tight charts and solo space without drift. MORE INFO

🎷 Keepers of the Flame

Our Keepers of the Flame week centers on straight-ahead voices and working bands: at Smoke (Aug 20–24), vocalist Tierney Sutton and tenor Houston Person appear with Lenny White on drums (7:00 pm nightly). The Dizzy Gillespie All-Star Band holds court at Blue Note (Aug 20–24), while Birdland Theater marks a Wayne Shorter birthday program with Wayne Escoffery (Aug 22–24, 5:30 pm) and follows with Vince Giordano & The Nighthawks on Mon, Aug 25. At Dizzy’s Club, bassist Nilson Matta leads Brazilian Voyage (Aug 22–24, 7:00 pm), with Nick Finzer Big Band on Mon, Aug 25. Community and church stages add range: Carla Cook at the Harlem Jazz Series (Mt. Morris Ascension, Fri Aug 22, 7:00 pm), Jasper Shogo Dutz for St. Peter’s free Jazz on the Plaza (Thu Aug 21, 12:30 pm), and Megumi Yonezawa at St. Peter’s Jazz Vespers (Sun Aug 24, 12:30 pm). Sunday also includes Lew Tabackin at Michiko (3:00 pm) and Nanami Haruta Quintet at Five Spot (5:00 pm); pianist Kelly Green plays the Flatiron Room on Fri Aug 22, and Mala Waldron & James Cammack appear at Grasso’s on Sun. Beyond the city, Stanley Clarke plays Keystone Korner Baltimore (Sat–Sun Aug 23–24, 7:00 pm), and in Red Bank, NJ, Winard Harper & Jeli Posse perform for Jazz Arts Project’s Westside Concerts (Sun Aug 24, 3:00 pm).

Tierney Sutton & Houston Person ft. Lenny White — Aug 20–24 @ Smoke | A straight-ahead singer and a jazz legend with an economy of phrase; White’s feel keeps the pocket honest. MORE INFO

Dizzy Gillespie All-Star Big Band — Aug 20–24 @ Blue Note | Repertoire forward, not nostalgia: modern section work and bop vocabulary scaled up for a full brass engine. MORE INFO

Wayne Shorter Birthday Celebration ft. Wayne Escoffery — Aug 22–24 @ Birdland Theater | Shorter’s songbook parsed by a tenor built for long lines and clean articulation; focus on composition over theatrics. MORE INFO

Carla Cook — Harlem Jazz Boxx Series — Aug 22 Mt. Morris Ascension Church | Unforced swing and precise diction; material choices serve the tune first, the vocalist second. MORE INFO

✊ Voices of Resistance

Our Voices of Resistance slate threads club, community, and park stages across the weekend: Thu, Aug 21 brings tenor/soprano explorer Ravi Coltrane to Lowlands Bar in Brooklyn and Vincent Herring’s Jazz Under the Stars set in New Rochelle at 6pm. Fri, Aug 22 leans small-room and street-level—Sonny Step Quartet at Club Room, Wayne Tucker Quartet at Django, and a Cellar Dog run featuring Chris Beck Quartet and Carol Morgan & Morganix (with additional Cellar Dog sets on Sat for Wayne Tucker Quintet and Matt Martinez Quartet). Pianist Spike Wilner holds court at Jazz Forum Fri–Sat (Aug 22–23), while Sat, Aug 23 also features the AC Lincoln Quartet at Django and the Hot House Latin Jazz Ensemble at Beanrunner Café. Sun, Aug 24 closes with Reginald Chapman’s Chaphouse at Barbès in Brooklyn. Featured event: pianist Sharp Radway leads the Malcolm X Centennial Tribute Band at Sistas’ Place on Sat, Aug 23 (doors 7:30pm; shows 8:00 & 9:30pm), centering message, repertoire, and community in one room.

Ravi Coltrane — Aug 21 @ Lowlands Bar (Brooklyn) A measured tenor/ soprano approach: clear tone, long-form ideas, and no rush to the cadence. MORE INFO

Vincent Herring — Jazz Under the Stars — Aug 21 @ Anderson Plaza (New Rochelle) Herring’s alto is direct and blues-aware; this outdoor set favors groove and line over ornament. MORE INFO

Reginald Chapman’s Chaphouse — Aug 24 @ Barbès (Brooklyn) Bass trombone leads are uncommon; Chapman leans into timbre and pocket, blurring funk colors with small-group jazz. MORE INFO

Hot House Latin Jazz Ensemble — Aug 23 @ Beanrunner Café (Westchester) Community-facing Latin jazz: percussion forward, melody uncluttered, arrangements built to move air, not just notes. MORE INFO

More Shows

FESTIVALS

Festival week spreads across Harlem, the East Village, and the region. Thu, Aug 21 features T.K. Blue and Planet Bluu at 6:30pm in Jackie Robinson Park, plus “Jazz in the Garden” at Edward Hopper House (7:00pm). Fri, Aug 22 opens the Charlie Parker Jazz Festival at Marcus Garvey Park (7:00pm: Ron Carter’s Great Big Band with April May Webb) alongside a 6:00pm Rakiem Walker Project set in St. Nicholas Park; Bryant Park’s lunchtime series runs this week as well (Aug 20: Joel Forrester; Aug 22: Belongó with Arturo O’Farrill & the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra; Aug 25: Larry Ham). Sat, Aug 23 continues at Marcus Garvey Park with Nicholas Payton, Bertha Hope Quintet, and Georgia Heers, with additional evening options at Jamesport Vineyards and Day 2 of the Northwest Jazz Festival in Lewiston (Day 1 on Fri features the Dan Wilson Organ Trio). Sun, Aug 24 closes with Tompkins Square Park’s CPJF program—Dee Dee Bridgewater & Bill Charlap, Gary Bartz, The Jazz Gallery All-Stars, and Lucia—and a 2:00pm “Jazz in the Park” set at Ralph Ellison Park.

Charlie Parker Jazz Festival — Ron Carter’s Great Big Band + April May Webb + S.O.A.R. — Aug 22 @ Marcus Garvey Park Large-ensemble Carter emphasizes pulse clarity and voicings; vocals are integrated, not ornamental. MORE INFO

Charlie Parker Jazz Festival — Nicholas Payton + Bertha Hope Quintet + Georgia Heers — Aug 23 @ Marcus Garvey Park Trumpet modernism, a veteran pianist’s perspective, and a younger vocal voice—three angles on swing time. MORE INFO

Charlie Parker Jazz Festival — The Jazz Gallery All-Stars — Aug 24 @ Tompkins Square Park Songcraft, alto history, and a collective of current scene leaders; varied textures without filler.

Miguel Zenón - alto saxophone Melissa Aldana - tenor saxophone Joel Ross - vibraphone Charles Altura - guitar Dabin Ryu - piano Ryoma Takenaga - bass Kendrick Scott - drums Renee Neufville - voice

T.K. Blue & Planet Bluu (film tie-in: A Soundtrack to a Coup D’État) — Aug 21 @ Jackie Robinson Park Bandshell Program links music to political context; arrangements are there to inform, not preach.

Festivals / Special Events

Aug 21 Jackie Robinson Park Bandshell: 116 Bradhurst Ave, New York, NY 10039. 212-639-9675. Aug 21: 6:30pm T.K.Blue and Planet Bluu celebrate the film A Soundtrack to a Coup D’Etat;

Aug 22 Marcus Garvey Park: 18 Mt. Morris Park W, New York, NY 10027. . http://www.jazzmobile.org . Aug 22: 7:00pm Charlie Parker Jazz Festival ft. Ron Carter’s Great Big Band + April May Webb;

Aug 23 Marcus Garvey Park: 18 Mt. Morris Park W, New York, NY 10027. . http://www.jazzmobile.org . 23: 7:00pm Charlie Parker Jazz Festival ft. Nicholas Payton + Bertha Hope Quintet + Georgia Heers;

Aug 22 St. Nicholas Park: 128th & 141st St, New York, NY 10027. 917-583-4109. https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/st-nicholas-park . Aug 22: 6:00pm Rakiem Walker Project;

Aug 24 Ralph Ellison Park: Riverside Dr & W 150th St, Manhattan. . www.nycgovparks.org . Aug 24: 2:00pm Jazz in the Park at Ralph Ellison;

Aug 20, 22 Bryant Park: 6th Ave, New York, NY 10018. 212-768-4242. http://www.bryantpark.org . Aug 20: 12:30pm Joel Forrester;22: 12:30pm Belongó with Arturo O’Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra;25: 12:30pm Larry Ham;

Aug 24 Tompkins Square Park: 500 E 9th St, New York, NY 10009. . http://www.summerstage.org . Aug 24: 3:00pm Charlie Parker Jazz Festival ft. Dee Dee Bridgewater & Bill Charlap + Gary Bartz + The Jazz Gallery All-Stars + Lucia;

Aug 21 Edward Hopper House: 82 N B'way, Nyack, NY 10960. 845-358-0774. http://www.edwardhopperhouse.org . Aug 21: 7:00pm Jazz in the Garden: Marya Lawrence Quartet with Eric Person, Cameron Brown, and Ben Perowsky, $20;

Aug 23 Jamesport Vineyards: 1216 Main Rd, NY-25, Jamesport, NY 11947, United States. +16317225256. Aug 23: 7:00pm Jazz in the Vines: Brian Simpson & Matt Marshak;

Aug 22-23 Northwest Jazz Festival: Center St, Lewiston, NY 14092. 716-754-9500. http://www.lewistonjazz.com . Aug 22: 5:00pm Northwest Jazz Festival: Dan Wilson Organ Trio;23: 5:00pm Northwest Jazz Festival: Tony Monaco's House Party and Jumaane Smith;

🎯 MUST SEE NEXT WEEK

Next week tilts toward big ensembles and clear line-leaders: Mon, Aug 25 features the Nick Finzer Big Band at Dizzy’s Club (7:00 & 9:00 pm). Tue, Aug 26 brings Conrad Herwig and The Latin Side All-Stars to The Django (7:30 & 9:00 pm). Wed–Fri, Aug 27–29 host Arturo Sandoval at Blue Note (8:00 & 10:30 pm nightly). On Thu, Aug 28, vocalist Marianne Solivan plays The Jazz Club at Aman (8:00 pm); Mingus Big Band appears for the Queens Jazz Trail at Kupferberg Center (7:00 pm); and Dr. Eddie Henderson leads Jazz Under the Stars at Anderson Plaza in New Rochelle (6:00 pm). Fri, Aug 29 closes with the Harlem Jazz Boxx Series at Mount Morris Ascension Presbyterian Church, Warren Smith at 7:00 pm ($25).