Starrlight Jazz Club is back this season with six impressive and dynamic jazz acts. Each show is held in the intimate Starr Theater, getting you up close to some of the hottest musicians on the scene today. Each jazz show is immersive and imaginative, each artist putting their own unique spin on jazz. You won’t want to miss the individuality each quintet, trio and band has to offer.
Tim Armacost Quintet
Saturday, Sept. 30 at 7:30 pm
Unique, electric and melodic are three words to describe this year’s Starrlight Jazz Club season opener. Jazz saxophonist and composer, Tim Armacost makes his second appearance in the Starrlight Jazz Club with a brand new quintet of veteran jazz luminaries. Armacost is accompanied by Joe Locke (vibraphone), Jim Ridl (piano), Kenny Davis (bass) and Rudy Royston (percussion). Robert Ginsburg, jazz curator at Walton Arts Center and host of KUAF's “Shades of Jazz,” described the Tim Armacost Quintet as “mainstream jazz at its very best, the music they create together is incredibly organic, purposeful and sumptuously evocative and swinging. Armacost is best known for his hard-edged tone and melodic figures that never quite travel where one might think, this thrilling concert is brimming with harmonic tension and release.
Jeff Lorber FUSION Trio
Friday, Oct. 13 at 7:30 pm
Starrlight Jazz Club is hosting Jeff Lorber, a fusion jazz super-star who has an impressive four-decade career as a Grammy®-winning pianist, composer and producer. Lorber transcends musical boundaries and hones his own uniquely identifiable sound by infusing his music with blues, funk, soul and R&B while still carrying the mantle of “adult contemporary jazz.” Curating the season, Ginsburg said the trio, “is an acknowledged pioneer of what would later become known as ‘smooth jazz’ and ‘urban jazz’, weaving together elements of funk, R&B, rock and electric jazz into an appealing hybrid that has consistently won over listeners.”
Tierney Sutton
Saturday, dec. 2 at 7:30 pm
In high demand as both a studio producer and vocal coach, the nine-time Grammy nominee Tierney Sutton will be taking the stage at Starrlight Jazz Club on Saturday, Dec. 2 at 7:30 pm. Sutton is heralded for her impeccable voice, superbly imaginative arrangements and ability to transform even the most familiar song into a revelation. Her elaborate arrangements will be complemented onstage by pianist Mitch Foreman and guitarist Serge Merlaud. Sutton’s scatting boasts a clean airborne quality, and most important of all – she can swing!
Loston Harris TRIO
Saturday, jan. 13 at 7:30 pm
Loston Harris is an improvisational musician doing his part to continue a musical legacy, blending traditional jazz, gospel and blues with his own unique stylings. His piano playing has been described as “percussive” and “incredibly fluid.” His vocals noted as “suave” as he takes early inspiration from artists like Stevie Wonder, Carole King and other pop and R&B bands. Currently, Harris and his Trio are living every jazz artist’s dream, playing the music closest to their hearts while ensuring jazz remains hip, complex and limitless.
Brian Blade & The Fellowship Band
Friday, feb. 2 at 7:30 pm
This stellar group features Brian Blade & The Fellowship Band who introduced a magnetic new musical synthesis in the late ‘90s. Since then, they have continued adding a jazz-inflected, gospel-rooted take to the jazz genre, Blade being known as “a peerless drummer with a gift for subtle shading and flowing undertow.” The electric Fellowship Band features two saxophonists, Myron Walden on alto and Melvin Butler on tenor, along with Christopher Thomas on bass and guitarist Kurt.
Aubrey logan BAND
Saturday, April 27 at 7:30 pm
Aubrey Logan is known best as one of the most brilliant contemporary jazz artists on the scene, moving between jazz, funk, love songs, Calypso-infused rhythms and traditionally inspired fusions, her vocals and trombone playing sway between the tender caress of a long-lost love and triumphant powerhouse performances. Logan is an inspiring singer-songwriter and trombonist who uses music to touch the deepest parts of the human experience. Working with some incredible names, including Quincy Jones, Burt Bacharach, Josh Groban, Smokey Robinson and Pharrell Williams, Logan’s work is accessible, fresh and dynamic.
You won’t want to miss this all-star lineup so make sure to purchase your tickets and dust off those dancing shoes to join us at the Starrlight Jazz Club. Cabaret seating costs $53 per ticket and theater seating costs $33 per ticket. Subscribe to see all six shows and receive 10% off single ticket prices for cabaret tables or in theater seating. Subscriptions and single tickets are available now at waltonartscenter.org, by calling 479.443.5600 or by visiting the box office weekdays 10 am until 2 pm.