*Livestreams are Available for 48 Hours in Every Time Zone Chief Adjuah – trumpet & harp Morgan Guerin – saxophone & EWI Lawrence Fields – piano Ryoma Takenada – bass Brian Richburg – drums Trumpeter Chief Xian aTunde Adjuah (formerly Christian Scott) makes his highly anticipated SMOKE debut, leading an exciting group of fellow innovators, including multi-instrumentalist Morgan Guerin, pianist Lawrence Fields, bassist Ryoma Takenada, and drummer Brian Richburg. A sonic architect, trumpeter, multi-instrumentalist, composer, producer, designer of innovative technologies and musical instruments, Adjuah is “jazz’s young style God,” according to JazzTimes, who “ushers in a new era of jazz,” adds NPR. He is also the heir to a rich heritage and a member of an extended family central to New Orleans music and culture. He is the grandson of Louisiana luminary and legend, the late Big Chief Donald Harrison Sr., founder of the Guardians Institute and Grand Griot, Herreast Harrison. And is the nephew of jazz innovator and NEA Jazz Master saxophonist, Big Chief Donald Harrison Jr. Adjuah (and his twin brother Kiel) joined his grandfather’s Guardians of the Flame banner in 1989 at the age of 5. Since 2002, Adjuah has released twelve critically acclaimed studio recordings, three live albums, and one greatest hits collection. Around the globe, fans and critics alike herald Adjuah’s live performance prowess. Notable highlights include a sold-out Carnegie Hall concert and NPR’s Jazz Night in America global broadcast. He is the recipient of numerous Grammy nominations and has collaborated with artists such as Prince, Thom Yorke, McCoy Tyner, Marcus Miller, Eddie Palmieri, and Mos Def, among many others. A progenitor of Stretch music, a jazz-rooted, genre blind musical form that attempts to “stretch” jazz’s rhythmic, melodic, and harmonic conventions to encompass multiple musical forms, languages, and cultures, Adjuah is one of the artists leading jazz in the 21 st century. 

*Livestreams are Available for 48 Hours in Every Time Zone Melissa Aldana – tenor saxophone Walter Smith III – tenor saxophone George Garzone – tenor saxophone Glenn Zaleski – piano Linda May Han Oh – bass Bill Stewart – drums Smoke’s 13th Annual Coltrane Festival, Countdown 2026, opens with an incredible all-star sextet featuring three (!) great tenor saxophone masters: Melissa Aldana, Walter Smith III, and the legendary George Garzone. This tenor trio will be joined by the equally impressive rhythm section of pianist Glenn Zaleski, bassist Linda May Han Oh, and drummer Bill Stewart. Aldana, who assembled this sextet, originally from Chile, is one of the new stars in jazz who embodies “a new sense of possibility and direction in jazz,” according to The Washington Post. Since arriving in New York from Boston in 2009, she won the 2013 Monk Competition and numerous accolades for her music. The New York Times calls her “one of the more exciting young tenor saxophonists today.” Since his debut nearly two decades ago, Walter Smith II has become a cornerstone of the jazz scene, contributing to legendary groups such as Roy Haynes’ Fountain of Youth Band, the Terence Blanchard Quintet, Eric Harland’s Voyager, and the Ambrose Akinmusire Quintet, as well as collaborations with Jason Moran, Christian McBride, Gerald Clayton, and the Sean Jones Quintet, among many others. Both Aldana and Smith, as well as legions of saxophonists, count George Garzone as a primary influence, mentor, and teacher. A mainstay of the Boston scene for over half a century, Garzone has performed with his legendary trio, The Fringe, since 1972. Michael Brecker said, “I’m not the master of the saxophone, George Garzone is.” And, All About Jazz reports, “Few can play John Coltrane's music with such verve. I don't believe that anyone has dissected, analyzed, and understands Coltrane's music with the broad scope and finite level of Garzone.” Coincidentally (cosmically?), Garzone and Coltrane also share a September 23rd birthday. 

*Livestreams are Available for 48 Hours in Every Time Zone Ravi Coltrane – tenor saxophone Jonathan Finlayson – trumpet Adam Rogers – guitar Chris Lightcap – bass Elé Howell – drums “A worthy heir to his father, jazz legend John Coltrane.”
 – The Telegraph (UK) Critically acclaimed, Grammy-nominated saxophonist and composer Ravi Coltrane makes a highly anticipated encore appearance to elevate the festival dedicated to his father once again, with an inspired quintet featuring trumpeter Jonathan Finlayson, guitarist Adam Rogers, bassist Chris Lightcap, and drummer Elé Howell. An artist whose career occupies a singular niche in modern jazz, Ravi Coltrane has established a sound and concepts that stand undeniably on their own, extending far beyond the shadow of his iconic name. Over a twenty-plus-year career, Coltrane has worked as a sideman to many and recorded noteworthy albums for himself and others, including McCoy Tyner, Elvin Jones, Dave Liebman, Joe Lovano, Terence Blanchard, Geri Allen, and many more. All About Jazz reviewed his group, saying, “The band is dynamite. Coltrane mainly played tenor, on which his sound is massive but softer-edged and less biting than that of his father.” The New York Times adds, "There are few saxophonists in jazz today as silvery and deft as Ravi Coltrane."