Uptown’s Smoke Jazz Club celebrates February, Black History Month with roster of club favorites, jazz legends and special appearances, such as octogenarian Eddie Henderson the release of his eponymous PBS-TV documentary film Uncommon Genius. The month ends with the return of former artist-in-resident Emmet Cohen at the helm of his Trio.
February 2024 Concert Schedule (subject to change):
Wed-Sun Jan 31-Feb 4 Tierney Sutton with special guest Lenny White
Tierney Sutton – vocals
Christian Jacob – piano
Ricky Rodriguez – bass
Lenny White – drums
Tierney Sutton, the nine-time GRAMMY-nominated jazz vocalist is renowned for her impeccable voice and imaginative treatments of standards. She has received GRAMMY nominations for every project she has released in the last decade.
Wed Feb 7 PBS Documentary World Premiere | Dr. Eddie Henderson: Uncommon Genius
Eddie Henderson – trumpet
George Cables – piano
Mark Rabideau – film producer
Henderson’s remarkable story includes a childhood immersed among Harlem’s elite: Duke Ellington, Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holiday and Louis Armstrong, among many others. He honorably served our country out of Denver’s Lowry Air Force Base and fought racism to become our nation’s first Black professional figure skater. He subsequently earned a medical degree, planning a life as a doctor, but ended up becoming one of the greatest jazz artists in the history of the art form. After the screening, Rabideau will lead a Q&A and discussion with Henderson before Henderson performs in a duo with a longtime collaborator, pianist George Cables.
Thu-Sun Feb 8-11 Eddie Henderson Quintet Uncommon Genius Celebration
Eddie Henderson – trumpet
Donald Harrison – alto saxophone
George Cables – piano
Gerald Cannon – bass
Lenny White – drums
White. Henderson’s proves again that he is still making some of the most important music of his careerinto his 80s.
Wed Feb 14 Abena Koomson-Davis Quintet featuring Steve Davis
Abena Koomson-Davis – vocals
Steve Davis – trombone
Rick Germanson – piano
Nat Reeves – bass
Willie Jones III – drums
Husband and wife team of vocalist Abena Koomson-Davis and trombonist Steve Davis celebrate Valentine’s Day with music from jazz to afrobeat to acapella choral singing. Koomson-Davis spans a colorful range of musical genres, was an original cast member of Broadway’s Fela and musical director of the Resistance Revival Chorus.
Thu-Sun Feb 15-18 A Jazz Messengers Tribute to Art Blakey
Brian Lynch – trumpet
Bobby Watson – alto saxophone
Robin Eubanks – trombone
Geoff Keezer – piano
Peter Washington – bass
Carl Allen – drums
Master drummer Carl Allen leads a special sextet of Messengers’ alumni in celebration of the musical legacy of the great Art Blakey. Allen grew up idolizing Blakey’s hard-driving swing, and after he started playing with trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, a former member of Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, the drummer named Allen an honorary Messenger.
Wed-Sun Feb 21-25 Something Else!
Jeremy Pelt – trumpet
Vincent Herring – alto saxophone
Wayne Escoffery – tenor saxophone
David Kikoski – piano
Paul Bollenbeck – guitar
Essiet Essiet – bass
Lewis Nash – drums
Alto saxophonist Vincent Herring is the impetus behind this collective supergroup whom Herring describes as “‘the best musicians playing great music and enjoying it thoroughly.” Their repertoire reimagines with new arrangements of some of the classics of soul jazz but also includes some of their own new additions to this genre.
Thu-Sun Feb 28-Mar 3 Emmet Cohen Trio
Emmet Cohen – piano
Joe Ranieri – bass
Joe Farnsworth – drums
Emmet Cohenhas earned a dedicated and passionate following and has attracted new audiences to jazz. He has accompanied numerous jazz luminaries and fronts a trio that melds all styles of jazz: stride, swing, bebop, free, and contemporary, with an emphasis on the Great American Songbook.
For further information, reservations and the most updated schedule, please visit SMOKEjazz.com.
Smoke Jazz Club is located at 2751 Broadway, New York, NY
