*Livestreams are available for 48 hours in every time zone Brad Mehldau – piano Alex Claffy – bass Marcus Gilmore – drums “Universally admired as one of the most adventurous pianists to arrive on the jazz scene in years,” writes The Los Angeles Times. Brad Mehldau returns to Smoke, leading an adventurous piano trio featuring bassist Alexander Claffy and drummer Marcus Gilmore. Mehldau has been A transformative artist since the early 1990s. Mehldau has had a powerful influence on a generation of musicians and has attracted a large and devoted audience. One of the most lyrical and intimate voices of contemporary jazz piano, Brad Mehldau has forged a unique path, which embodies the essence of jazz exploration, classical romanticism, and pop allure. From critical acclaim as a bandleader to major international exposure in collaborations with Pat Metheny, Renee Fleming, and Joshua Redman, Mehldau continues to garner numerous awards and admiration from both jazz purists and music enthusiasts alike. His forays into melding musical idioms, in both trio and solo settings, have yielded brilliant reworkings of songs by contemporary songwriters like The Beatles, Cole Porter, Radiohead, Paul Simon, Gershwin, and Nick Drake, alongside the ever-evolving breadth of his own significant catalogue of original compositions. With his self-proclaimed affection for popular music and classical training, “Mehldau is the most influential jazz pianist of the last 20 years,” writes The New York Times 

*Livestreams are available for 48 hours in every timezone Cyrus Chestnut – piano Special guest Carla Cook – vocals “The best jazz pianist of his generation.”
– Time Pianist Cyrus Chestnut, a virtuoso renowned for his soulful brilliance, celebrates his birthday by leading this exceptional trio featuring guest vocalist Carla Cook. Chestnut’s playing, deeply rooted in gospel and blues, infuses each performance with profound emotional depth. As The New York Times notes, his “crisp articulation and blues-inflected harmony evoke another era… multifaceted and dynamic,” seamlessly blending tradition with fresh innovation to captivate audiences. Chestnut’s artistry has earned him widespread acclaim as one of the most distinctive and compelling jazz pianists of his generation. As The New York Daily News aptly describes him, he is “the rightful heir to Bud Powell, Art Tatum, and Erroll Garner.” 

*Livestreams are available for 48 hours in every time zone Nicholas Payton – trumpet, piano & keyboards Buster Williams – bass Lenny White – drums “Payton dazzled the audience, simultaneously playing his trumpet and a Fender Rhodes. It's his signature, resonant sound… Payton's genius virtuosity captivated both faithful fans and anyone in the NPR crowd just discovering his music for the first time. -- NPR Multi-instrumental virtuoso and visionary Nicholas Payton reunites the group from his Couch Sessions album, featuring two of the greatest ever: bassist Buster Williams and drummer Lenny White. Based in his hometown, New Orleans, Payton is a master trumpeter and pianist steeped in acoustic jazz, post-bop, and the music of his hometown, but who also explores other lanes encompassing the entirety of Black American Music. He has recorded and performed with Wynton Marsalis, Dr. Michael White, Christian McBride, Joshua Redman, Roy Hargrove, Doc Cheatham, and Joe Henderson, among many others, and is widely considered one of the most important artists of our time. In a review, the Chicago Tribune reports, “No descriptive label or category could be affixed to Payton’s solos, which were as brashly original as they were technically imposing.”