Live Jazz in New York

Showtimes: 7:00 PM & 8:30 PM | Tickets: $35 at the door Reservations: Not necessary — we recommend arriving 20–30 minutes before showtime. Seating: Available throughout the shows. Bar Hours: Open from 5:00 PM to midnight — no cover charge to enjoy cocktails and the vibe! Julia Danielle is a dynamic vocalist, arranger, educator, and composer making her mark in the vibrant jazz scenes of Chicago and New York. A 2022 International Ella Fitzgerald Jazz Vocal Competition winner, Julia earned widespread acclaim performing alongside The Tierney Sutton Band at Washington D.C.’s renowned Blues Alley Jazz Club, where she has since headlined her own shows. Her debut album, Julia Danielle, released in November 2024, garnered praise as “a fresh voice” with “a folksy wisp that floats with a bohemian glide” (Jazz Weekly). Julia has collaborated with celebrated artists, including Ben Paterson, Clark Sommers, Dennis Carroll, Kris Funn, Dana Hall, Ernie Adams, George Fludas, Jeremy Kahn, Lenard Simpson, Geof Bradfield, Chris Madsen, Sharel Cassity, Brandon Woody, and Isaiah Collier. She is also a 2024 Luminarts Winner and was named DownBeat Magazine’s “Outstanding Vocal Soloist” in its 46th annual Student Music Awards, featured in the publication’s June 2023 issue. Currently pursuing a Master of Music in Jazz Studies at The Juilliard School, Julia is mentored by world-renowned artists Charenee Wade, Marc Cary, Gerald Cannon, Kenny Washington, Isaiah J. Thompson, and Donald Vega. Her studies continue to refine her artistry and shape her distinctive voice in vocal interpretation, composition, and improvisation. Julia has performed at esteemed venues and festivals, including Chris’ Jazz Café, Blues Alley Jazz Club, Winter’s Jazz Club, The Jazz Showcase, Andy’s Jazz Club, Room 623, Bop Stop, Merriman’s Playhouse, The Logan Square Arts Festival, The Hyde Park Jazz Festival, and The Winnetka Music Festival.

Showtimes: 7:00 PM & 8:30 PM | Tickets: $35 at the door Reservations: Not necessary — just arrive 20–30 minutes before showtime. Seating: Available throughout the shows. Bar Hours: Open from 5:00 PM to midnight — no cover charge to enjoy cocktails and the vibe! A tribute to Miles Davis on his 100th birthday Michael Cruse is an American artist and composer whose music has captivated audiences around the world. A native of Lexington, Kentucky, Cruse is especially known for his distinctive, contemporary interpretation of the musical legacy of Louis Armstrong , blending tradition with his own expressive voice. His musical roots run deep, spanning more than a century through a family lineage that includes gospel groups such as the Brooks Sisters and the Raglin Brothers of Kentucky. A formative influence was his uncle, Charles Quillings —mentor to legendary pianist Les McCann—who introduced Cruse to piano and trumpet and guided his early development as a composer and arranger. Cruse studied Jazz Performance and Composition at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music , and later released his debut album Unbridled with the Michael Cruse Quintet. His original compositions and arrangements have been featured in television, film, and national advertising campaigns, while his single You (2020) is available on major streaming platforms. Based in Atlanta, Cruse performs throughout the U.S. at jazz clubs, festivals, and concert halls, and currently serves as an Artist Affiliate and Brass Instructor in the Jazz Studies Department at Emory University .

Showtimes: 7:00 PM & 8:30 PM | Tickets: $35 at the door Reservations: Not necessary — we recommend arriving 20–30 minutes before showtime. Seating: Available throughout the shows. Bar Hours: Open from 5:00 PM to midnight never a cover to enjoy cocktails. Tyler Bullock II is a dynamic pianist and composer located in New York City. Since moving from Nashville to attend the Juilliard School in 2021, Tyler has already established himself as one of the most promising pianists of his generation, having worked with Samara Joy, Sean Jones, Dee Dee Bridgewater, The Baylor Project, Herlin Riley, Willie Jones III, Sherman Irby, Ulysses Owens Jr., Bruce Williams, Curtis Lundy, Roy Hargrove Crisol and The Roy Hargrove Big Band – where he has been the regular pianist since 2022. In 2023, Tyler recorded an album with Ulysses Owens Jr.’s Gen Y Band at Rudy Van Gelder studio that spent 8 weeks at #1 on the Jazz Radio Charts. Tyler has toured internationally and played at top festivals and venues like Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, Jazz at Lincoln Center, The Newport Jazz Festival, Monterey Jazz Festival, The Jacksonville Jazz Festival, Caramoor Jazz Festival, The Vancouver Jazz Festival, Blue Note NYC, Dizzy’s Club NYC, and The Cotton Club in Tokyo. Regularly leading his own band, Tyler often plays in venues around New York City such as The Jazz Gallery, Smalls, Dizzy’s, and Ornithology. While his trio serves as the foundation for most of Tyler’s performances, he frequently collaborates with horn players and vocalists to bring into fruition the full range of color that he hears while writing his original compositions. Intending to combine the lineage of jazz with his own fresh perspective, Tyler weaves powerful musical narratives in his compositions that serve as a framework for his group to unleash their creativity. In 2022, Tyler was honored at the National Young Arts top winner in jazz piano. He was also chosen for Carnegie Hall’s National Youth Orchestra Jazz in 2021 and for the NYO Jazz All-Stars in 2023. In 2024, he was selected to participate in the acclaimed Betty Carter Jazz Ahead program at The Kennedy Center.

“Axel Tosca Trio and the Legendary Xiomara Laugart Rock “The Cuban Jam” Every Thursday at Zinc Bar: A Must-See Event in NYC!”—Kaju Roberto, Village View Showtimes: 9PM & 11pm Tickets: $35 at the door Reservations: Not necessary — we recommend arriving 20–30 minutes before showtime. Seating: Available throughout the shows. Bar Hours: Open from 5:00 PM to midnight — no cover charge to enjoy cocktails and the vibe! Experience a night of electrifying music with 3x Grammy-nominated Cuban pianist Axel Tosca. Blending jazz, classical, hip-hop, and Afro-Cuban rhythms, Tosca creates a genre-defying soundscape that captivates audiences. Born into a prestigious musical family, he was a prodigy on stage by age seven, learning under jazz greats like Miriam Valdez. Tosca has performed with legends such as Roy Hargrove, The Roots, and George Clinton. His weekly “Jam” features collaborations with jazz icons and showcases his virtuosic talent. Xiomara Laugart has performed Cuban Nueva trova, jazz standards, and Broadway numbers on local and international stages. She joins her son Axel and combines the beloved Cuban sounds of home from the 1950s to today with Tosca’s eclectic take on modern jazz, swing, and bebop.

Showtimes: 7:00 PM & 8:30 PM | Tickets: $40 at the door Reservations: Not necessary — we recommend arriving 20–30 minutes before showtime. Seating: Available throughout the shows. Bar Hours: Open from 5:00 PM to midnight — no cover charge to enjoy cocktails and the vibe! “He’s a careful craftsman, a fearless improviser, one of the most fluent and engaging saxophonists on the scene today…” – Joshua Redman Tivon Pennicott has long captivated audiences with his deeply spiritual and soulful sound. On his latest album Roots to Branches (Dox Records, 2024), the GRAMMY-winning saxophonist, composer, and vocalist embraces the power of his Jamaican heritage, offering fiery instrumentals and his vocal debut on tracks like “Tell Me Again,” “Celery Juice,” and “Fermented Grapes.” The album highlights his versatility and authenticity as an artist. A Georgia native now based in New York City, Pennicott is a key contributor to three GRAMMY-winning albums: Esperanza Spalding’s Radio Music Society , and Gregory Porter’s Liquid Spirit and Take Me to the Alley . He also appeared regularly on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert as part of Jon Batiste’s Stay Human Band, and recorded on Batiste’s live albums Chronology of a Dream and Anatomy of Angels . Rooted in gospel and grounded in jazz, Pennicott’s expressive tone and harmonic freedom have made him a sought-after collaborator. He has toured and recorded with Roy Hargrove’s RH Factor and jazz legend Kenny Burrell, performing at venues like Royal Albert Hall, the Berliner Philharmonie, and Carnegie Hall. As a leader, Pennicott released his debut Lover of Nature in 2014, followed by the lush and ambitious Spirit Garden (2020), which featured a 26-piece string orchestra. Whether in intimate quartets or sweeping orchestrations, his music is unified by a spirit of joy, communion, and nature-infused wonder.

Acclaimed Brazilian percussionist Valtinho Anastácio brings the sounds of Brazil to the Zinc every Sunday evening. Showtimes: 7:30 PM & 9:00 PM | Tickets: $35 at the door Reservations: Not necessary — we recommend arriving 20–30 minutes before showtime. Seating: Available throughout the shows. Bar Hours: Open from 5:00 PM to midnight — no cover charge to enjoy cocktails and the vibe! Born in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Valtinho’s journey as a musician started as a child, inspired by the very streets he grew up on. This young musician soon realized that his love was with the many percussion instruments that pervaded the music of one of the richest musical cultures on the planet, and slowly, he learned to master the congas, the pandeiro, the berimbau, the agogos, the abes, the caixas and more. His voice then became the bridge upon which his craft took form. He went on to play and learn from some of Brazil’s top musicians, including Elis Regina, Wilson Simonal, Djavan, Milton Nascimento, Egberto Gismonti. Valtinho’s time in Tokyo led him to work with Japanese legends such as Terumasa Hino, Kazumi Watanabe. Toki Hidefumi and the luminous Ryuichi Sakamoto, with whom he toured in 1994 on the unforgettable ‘Sweet Revenge’ ticket. A live concert in Nihon Budokan also sealed his potential as a sessionist and accompanist extraordinaire, and meeting and playing with the great Jaco Pastorius was a moment that he would never forget. His next stop, New York City, turned out to be a career move that continued to help hone his craft and extended his experience and repertoire beyond his wildest dreams. Gigs with diverse musicians like Victor Bailey, Omar Hakim, Mongo Santamaria, Charlie Palmieri, Eddie Gomez, Kenny Barron, Toshiko Akiyoshi, Bill Cosby, Astrud Gilberto, Alex and Eddie Van Halen, and the Grammy-winning McCoy Tyner gave this Brazilian musician all the breaks he would ever need, leading him to spend part of his life in a city that lived and breathed music. He once said, “From then on, there were no more u-turns, I was dreaming with eyes wide open.”

Showtimes: 7:00 PM & Vando Jam 9:00 PM| Tickets: $35 at the door. Reservations: Not necessary. We recommend arriving 20-30 minutes before showtime to secure your seat. Seating: Available throughout the shows. Bar Hours: Open from 5:00 PM to midnight — no cover charge to enjoy cocktails and the vibe! Hailed by Pitchfork as “jaw-dropping… one of the finest saxophonists going,” alto saxophonist, composer and educator Rudresh Mahanthappa is widely known as one of the premier voices in jazz of the 21st century. He has over a dozen albums to his credit, including the acclaimed Bird Calls, which topped many critics’ best-of-year lists for 2015 and was hailed by PopMatters as “complex, rhythmically vital, free in spirit while still criss-crossed with mutating structures.” His most recent release, Hero Trio, was considered to be one of the best jazz albums of 2020 by critics and fans alike. Rudresh has been named alto saxophonist of the year for nine of the last eleven years running in Downbeat Magazine’s International Critics’ Polls (2011-2013, 2015-2018, 2020-1), and for five consecutive years by the Jazz Journalists’ Association (2009-2013) and again in 2016. He won alto saxophonist of the year in the 2015-2018 & 2020 JazzTimes Magazine Critics’ Polls and was named the Village Voice’s “Best Jazz Artist” in 2015. He has also received the Guggenheim Fellowship and the Doris Duke Performing Artist Award, among other honors, and is currently the Anthony H. P. Lee ’79 Director of Jazz at Princeton University. Rudresh Mahanthappa1 credit Ethan Levitas.jpg With an astonishing facility and power on the horn, and an inspired array of ensembles he’s led or played in since his emergence in the late ’90s-early ’00s, Mahanthappa continues to create music alive with rhythmic urgency, steeped in the lineage of jazz saxophone and responsive to traditions and practices of the wider musical world. Born in Trieste, Italy to Indian émigrés in 1971, Mahanthappa was brought up in Boulder, Colorado and gained proficiency playing everything from current pop to Dixieland. He went on to studies at North Texas, Berklee and DePaul University (as well as the Stanford Jazz Workshop) and came to settle in Chicago. Soon after moving to New York in 1997 he formed his own quartet featuring pianist Vijay Iyer. The band recorded an enduring sequence of albums, Black Water, Mother Tongue and Codebook, each highlighting Mahanthappa’s inventive methodologies and deeply personal approach to composition. He and Iyer also formed the duo Raw Materials. Coming deeper into contact with the Carnatic music of his parents’ native southern India, Mahanthappa partnered in 2008 with fellow altoist Kadri Gopalnath and the Dakshina Ensemble for Kinsmen, garnering wide acclaim. Apti, the first outing by Mahanthappa’s Indo-Pak Coalition (with Pakistani-born Rez Abbasi on guitar and Dan Weiss on tabla), saw release the same year; Agrima followed nine years later and considerably expanded the trio’s sonic ambitions. In 2020, Rudresh released Hero Trio, an album of “covers” paying tribute to his musical heroes followed by the digital EP Animal Crossing in 2022 with the same trio. He also co-led a project celebrating the centenary of Charlie Parker with the blessing of the Parker estate. Mahanthappa has also worked with Jack DeJohnette, Mark Dresser, Danilo Pérez, Arturo O’Farrill’s Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra, the collaborative trios MSG and Mauger, the co-led quintet Dual Identity with fellow altoist Steve Lehman, and another co-led quintet with fellow altoist and Chicago stalwart Bunky Green (Apex). His exploratory guitar-driven quartets on Samdhi and Gamak featured David Gilmore and Dave “Fuze” Fiuczynski, respectively. In 2015 he was commissioned by Ragamala Dance to create Song of the Jasmine for dancers and a hybrid jazz/South Indian ensemble. He was also commissioned by the PRISM Saxophone Quartet to compose a chamber piece, “I Will Not Apologize for My Tone Tonight,” which can be heard on the quartet’s 2015 double-disc release Heritage/Evolution, Volume 1. He was recently commissioned by the AACM’s Great Black Music Ensemble to compose “Finding Our Voice” which premiered in 2021.

Showtimes: 7:00 & 8:30 PM | Tickets: $35 at the door Reservations: Not necessary — just arrive 20–30 minutes before showtime. Seating: Available throughout the shows. Bar Hours: Open from 5:00 PM to midnight — no cover charge to enjoy cocktails and the vibe! Jihee Heo is a jazz pianist and composer based in New York City. Heo has showcased her talents at renowned festivals and venues, including Smalls, Mezzrow, Birdland, Guggenheim Museum, Dizzy’s at Jazz at Lincoln Center, Zinc, Django, Sunset Sunside in Paris, and Jacques Pelzer in Belgium, as well as prominent events such as The Washington D.C. Jazz Festival, Leverkusen Jazz Festival, The International African Arts Festival, The Jersey Shore Festival, Bergen PAC, and Harlem Stage, among others. She has also played with many jazz legends, including Vincent Herring, Eric Alexander, Joe Farnsworth, Steve Davis, Lonnie Plaxico, Todd Coleman and more. Her nonet album, “Passion” (2015, self-released), along with “Are You Ready?” (2020, featuring Marty Kenny and Rodney Green, Origin Records), has garnered attention in esteemed publications such as DownBeat Magazine, All About Jazz, France Musique, MM Jazz Korea, Jazz at Lincoln Center’s monthly jazz album roundup, and New York City Jazz Record. Heo’s latest album was recorded on September 21, 2023, at the historic Rudy Van Gelder Studio, featuring distinguished jazz musicians Joe Farnsworth on drums, Alexander Claffy on bass, and Vincent Herring on saxophone. This album is scheduled for release through Origin Records on June 21, 2024. Her music has been highlighted in various magazines and radio stations, and she is currently touring internationally to promote her recent work. Heo holds a master’s degree from the Manhattan School of Music and a bachelor’s degree from the Conservatorium van Amsterdam. “Pianist Jihee Heo has a beautiful legato touch that builds on sturdy lyricism and lustrous harmonies but her work also is filled with delicate, detailed figures”-Downbeat “Fluid single note runs join colorful chordal voicings, as Heo establishes where this unit fits into the great tradition of the jazz trio”- All About Jazz Moving the art of the piano trio forward, Heo has a great touch and feel for the keys and knows just how to put it all together in a nonstop show of effervescence that never loses its fizz. -Midwest Record “What makes this debut so refreshing are its ambitious environs and cohesive approach”-New York City Jazz Record “Jihee is a rising star. and A great band leader” -Joe Farnsworth “ Jihee Heo done for me that rare and beautiful thing I value and cherish most about incredible music, She has inspired me.” -Kirk Whalum “ Jihee Heo has absorbed the history and tradition of Jazz. She is promising voice at the piano pointing to the future of jazz”- Vincent Herring