JOE LOVANO AND US FIVE
6:15pm - 7:30pm
Unlike other artists who consistently repeat themselves and stay within the confines of their own self-imposed parameters, the secret to Grammy-winning saxophonist/composer Joe Lovano's success is his fearless ability to push his thematic and conceptual ideas in a quest for new modes of expression and new takes on what defines the jazz idiom. Since beginning his professional career over 30 years ago, Lovano has released 21 albums for legendary jazz label Blue Note, garnered nearly a dozen Grammy nominations and multiple wins as Downbeat Magazine's Jazz Artist of the Year, and collaborated with an illustrious group of jazz icons, including John Scofield, Herbie Hancock, McCoy Tyner and Ornette Coleman. As Ben Ratliffe opined in the New York Times, "It's fair to say that (Lovano's) one of the greatest musicians in jazz history." With Folk Art, his 21st recording for Blue Note, Lovano debuts Us Five, a dynamic new ensemble that collectively breathes a youthful exuberance into the first-ever Lovano album to be comprised entirely of his own original compositions. Us Five  features James Weidman on piano, Cameron Brown on bass, and Matt Wilson and Francisco Mela on drums. They'll explore a wide spectrum of "colors, sounds and feelings", exploiting to the fullest the various rhythm section possibilities afforded by the two-drummer format.

LIZZ WRIGHT
4:45pm - 5:45pm
Lizz Wright's first two Verve releases, Salt and Dreaming Wide Awake, established her as one of the jazz world's most celebrated rising stars, both as an accomplished songwriter and a versatile, deeply expressive singer. On her third album, The Orchard, the Georgia-bred, New York-based artist takes a substantial leap forward, transcending genre distinctions to deliver a vibrant, intensely creative milestone. The New York Times' Stephen Holden praised Wright's "astonishing maturity and poise", wrote that she "stirs jazz, gospel and rhythm and blues into a reflective, flowing style that elongates songs into prayerful meditations that never wander into vagueness," and described her singing as "pitch-perfect, with a smoky, full-bodied texture... impressive in its steadiness, control and rhythmic subtlety."

THE DIRTY DOZEN BRASS BAND
3:15pm - 4:15pm
The Dirty Dozen Brass Band made a name for itself with its bracing, innovative blend of New Orleans sounds and modern jazz sensibilities. The ensemble has recorded with artists from Dizzy Gillespie (one of the band's heroes and inspirations) to Elvis Costello, taken on the music of jazz innovator Jelly Roll Morton and soul legend Marvin Gaye and reinterpreted the hymns and parade songs of the Crescent City for 2004's Funeral For a Friend album, dedicated to the memory of co-founding Dirty Dozen member Tuba Fats. They've mixed intriguing approaches to traditional and familiar material, but in a context emphasizing challenging original composed by the Dozen members themselves. In the course, the band resurrected, revitalized and put distinctly personal stamps on what was a dying tradition of New Orleans brass bands when the group formed in the late '70s, inspiring a full-on revival that's flourished with several new generations of young brass bands, each bringing their own twists to the form.  

DAN LOOMIS QUARTET
1:45pm - 2:45pm
A new presence on the New York jazz scene, Dan Loomis has already become one of the most in-demand bassists of his generation. Called a "forceful and creative bass player" (Cadence), Dan has created a stir with both his powerful bass playing and his vision as a composer/band leader. Dan has toured extensively through the U.S., Canada and Europe with his groups the Dan Loomis Quartet, The Wee Trio, Spoke, and as a sideman, winning new audiences and bringing enthuiastic praise from critics. Alternate biography: Dan Loomis plays a mean bass. We're not sure where he learned how. But he does have a master's degree... in jazz.

LEE SHAW TRIO
12:30pm - 1:15pm
Albany's Lee Shaw has been playing piano for the better part of eight decades and is considered one of the most influential female jazz pianists of all time. A native of Ada, OK, Shaw was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in 1993. She has shared the stage with jazz greats like Sara Vaughan and Billie Holiday and has performed around the world with her Lee Shaw Trio (Rich Syracuse, bass and Jeff "Siege" Siegel, drums), most recently in Vienna and Germany. A reviewer in Darmstadt wrote, "at the piano, (Shaw's) like a lioness refusing to give up her prey," describing Syracuse and Siegel as "equal partners at the drums and bass who support her and who also contribute numerous solos," adding "the three instrumentalists show how a top-class trio can communicate. The bass seems to sing and the drums to practically explode."

Photo credit: Luanne M. Ferris, Times Union