News

The 30th Annual Vail Jazz Party kicks off on Friday, August 30, at its new Manor Vail location on the east side of town. Along with the legendary (and perennial) instructors of the Vail Jazz Workshop and other renowned jazz stars taking the stage throughout the weekend are two alumni of the Vail Jazz Workshop: bassist Matt Brewer from the 2000 class, and drummer Obed Calvaire from the 1998 class.

 

Brewer, born in Oklahoma City and raised in Albuquerque, is featured on dozens of recordings (including three as a leader). He performed at the Grammy Awards as a 16-year-old and is an adjunct professor at The New School in NYC and at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Calvaire, who is of Haitian descent from Miami, holds bachelor and master degrees in music from the Manhattan School of Music. He currently plays with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and in 2003 was the first Workshop alum to return to Vail as a professional musician.  Calvaire’s new album is 150 Million Gold Francs; listen here to “Just Friends.”  

 

Brewer and Calvaire are scheduled to perform under the tent in Manor Vail at the VJP as follows:

 

Friday, August 30

9:30 pm – Calvaire with saxophonist Curtis Stigers, pianist Matthew Fries, and bassist/Workshop Musical Director John Clayton.

 

Saturday, August 31

3:25 pm – Calvaire and Brewer with multi-instrumentalist James Morrison and pianist Konrad Paszkudzki.

7:00 pm – Calvaire with guitarist Diego Figueiredo, bassist/Workshop Musical Director John Clayton, and saxophonist/clarinetist Adrian Cunningham.

9:30 pm – Calvaire and Brewer with pianist Konrad Padszkudzki and multi-instrumentalist James Morrison.

 

Sunday, September 1

1:00 pm – Calvaire and Brewer with the Konrad Padszkudzki Trio and multi-instrumentalist Drew Zaremba.

3:35 pm – Calvaire and Brewer with a bevy of musical stars for the “VJP Extravaganza” closing performance.

 

Performances (around the country by other VJW alumni)

 

Trumpeter Benny Benack III takes the stage at Mezzrow in NYC on August 27 with pianist/vocalist Maria Kim. On August 28 and 29 he records a live album at the Blue Llama in Ann Arbor. Then Benack performs at the Grand Hotel in Mackinac Island MI during its Labor Day Weekend Jazz Concert Series on August 31, and on September 4 and 5 he is part of a Broadway’s Best show at Dizzy’s in NYC. Benack then leads a sextet, featuring vocalist Kate Kortum, at Chris’s Jazz Café in Philadelphia on September 6 and 7, and caps this period off with two additional quartet performances in NYC: September 8 at Minton’s and September 9 at The Django.

 

1998 alum Jumaane Smith (trumpet) performs on August 28 at the Urban Artist Exchange in Wilmington DE.

 

Keyon Harrold (1997 trumpet) appears with keyboardist Corey Henry at the Aretha Franklin Amphitheatre in Detroit on August 28.

 

Pianist Brandon Goldberg leads a trio performance at Smoke Jazz Club in NYC on August 28.

 

Saxophonist Lakecia Benjamin takes her band Phoenix to the DC Jazz Fest on August 28 in Washington DC. Then she headlines the Fox Jazz Fest at Jefferson Park in Menasha WI on August 31.

 

2004 alum Khris Royal (saxophone) performs with The Point at d.b.a. in New Orleans on August 29 and September 5.

 

2004 trumpet alum Alphonso Horne appears at the Jessie Ball duPont Center in Jacksonville FL on August 30.

 

Owen Broader (2007 saxophone) is in Portland OR on August 30, at the Mount Tabor Amphitheater.

 

Maurice “Mobetta” Brown (1999 trumpet) headlines the Orlando Jazz Series on August 31 at Judson’s Live at Dr. Phillips Center, Orlando FL.

 

Singer Kurt Elling and his band SuperBlue, which features Corey Fonville (2006) on drums, performs on August 31 at The Alluvion in Traverse City MI.

 

Robert Glasper (1997 piano) headlines and curates the Blue Note Jazz Festival’s Black Radio Experience, August 31 – September 1 at The Meritage Resort & Spa in Napa Valley CA, and his 1997 classmate Terrace Martin (saxophone) performs with him.

 

2014 trumpet alum Anthony Hervey is part of a Salsa Meets Jazz celebration with bassist Carlos Henriquez and percussionist Bobby Allende, September 3 at Dizzy’s in NYC. The next night, September 4, Hervey performs at Somewhere Nowhere in NYC, and on September 7 he’s with the Sean Mason Quartet in Fayetteville AR.

 

Drummer Jonathan Blake performs with the Terell Stafford Quintet, featuring David Wong (1999) on bass, at the South Kitchen & Jazz Parlor in Philadelphia on September 7.

 

Recordings

 

The new album Bigger. Messier. by singer Danny Elfman is due out on August 29, and it features horns by 1998 trumpet alum Leron Thomas. 

 

Trumpeter Marquis Hill releases Composers Collective: Beyond the Jukebox on August 30, celebrating compositions of others. Corey Fonville (see Performances, above) is in the core quintet, and 2002 piano alum Gerald Clayton special guests on “Pretty for the People.” Here is “I Promise to Listen.”

 

August 30 is the release date of saxophonist Wayne Escoffery’s Alone album, with Gerald Clayton (see above) on piano. Here is the title track.

 

Comedian/actor/musician Tim Heidecker has released “Like I Do,” from his forthcoming (October 18) album Slipping Away. The album features Heidecker’s band, The Very Good Band, and has Eliana Athayde (2007) on bass. Listen to the song here.

 

Trumpeter Bria Skonberg’s new album, What It Means, includes Rex Gregory (2001) on saxophone and bass clarinet, as well as Ethan Santos (2015) on trombone. Listen to “Elbow Bump.”

 

2005 alum Eddie Barbash plays saxophone here on “If You Dare,” a newly-released track from a forthcoming album, Dear Life, by singer/banjo player Brenna MacMillan.

 

Keyon Harrold (see Performances, above) and Maurice Brown (see Performances, above) are featured on singer Cimafunk’s Pa Tu Cuerpa. Listen to “Dime.”

 

Recognitions, Awards & Other Items of Note

 

Robert Glasper (see Performances, above) has scored a new documentary about the late singer Luther Vandross, titled Luther: Never Too Much, which will be released on select streaming services this fall. Vandross tragically died about 20 years ago, from complications of a stroke, at age 54.

 

[If you’re a Vail Jazz Workshop alum, do you know about the communication channel we created exclusively for alumni? It’s free on Slack and is a great way to keep in touch with your alumni colleagues and stay current on what’s happening with them. To join, contact Alan Tanenbaum at alumni@vailjazz.org and he’ll send you the link!] 

 

Click here to donate, or contact us at 970.477.0866. Your generosity will make a meaningful difference in our ability to bring jazz to audiences young and old in 2024. Thank you for being an important part of the Vail Jazz Foundation family. We appreciate your continued support, and we look forward to sharing memorable jazz moments with you this summer!

 

Tickets and passes are on sale NOW for the 30th Annual Vail Jazz Party, this Labor Day Weekend. Click here to learn more!