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Joel Ross – vibraphone

James Francies – piano

Luca Alemanno – bass

Jeremy Dutton – drums

“A pianist with liquid dynamism in his touch.” — The New York Times

Pianist James Francies makes his Smoke leader debut with his trio plus special guest Joel Ross, as the second half of Smoke’s annual two-week celebration of Thelonious Monk.

At 30, Francies has already built an extraordinary résumé, working across jazz, hip-hop, and R&B with artists including Pat Metheny, Chris Potter, Jeff “Tain” Watts, Eric Harland, Terrace Martin, Common, Ms. Lauryn Hill, and The Roots. A Houston native and Blue Note recording artist, he has developed a sound that draws freely from the jazz tradition while embracing the possibilities of contemporary music. Writing about his most recent album, Purest Form, the Houston Chronicle noted that Francies “finds modern ways to take the familiar and make it new.”

Ross is a distinctive new voice on the vibraphone and, like Francies, a Blue Note recording artist. Together, Francies and Ross are leaders of a new generation of jazz musicians, deeply engaged with the tradition while pushing the music forward.

*Livestreams are Available for 48 Hours in Every Time Zone

Eddie Henderson – trumpet

David Weiss – trumpet

Donald Harrison – alto saxophone

Azar Lawrence – tenor saxophone

George Cables – piano

Cecil McBee – bass

Billy Hart – drums

“Player for player, there’s no better working band in jazz than The Cookers.” - The Boston Globe

The Cookers are a powerhouse, collaborative septet uniting some of the most revered jazz masters of the past six decades. Legendary figures like Eddie Henderson, Azar Lawrence, Cecil McBee, George Cables, and Billy Hart channel the bold, exploratory spirit of the 1960s—a transformative era they helped shape through their groundbreaking work with some of jazz’s most influential ensembles. Since then, each has emerged as a leading voice in their own right. David Weiss and Donald Harrison are the youngest members of the group, but they share many of the same formative experiences, having worked most notably with Art Blakey, Bobby Hutcherson, Freddie Hubbard, Charles Tolliver, Roy Haynes, and Herbie Hancock.

The band’s repertoire spans iconic jazz anthems and rare gems from their incredible catalogs. The Los Angeles Times notes, “This hard-hitting septet wears its name like a mission statement. Rich with a mix of classic elegance and exploration, the group might reference the past by name, but it never sounds less than current.” The New York Times calls them “a dream team of forward-leaning hard bop.”