BLU Jazz+'s Upcoming Shows
Fri, Jul 31
Friday, July 31st, jazz guitarist, Andy Bianco returns to Akron via New York City with his heavy hitting trio!
Doors: 7:00pm
Show: 8:00pm
Tickets: $20 General Admission
About:
Andy Bianco, a jazz artist, composer, educator, and advocate hailing from New York City, boasts an impressive career that spans performances with renowned artists such as Angie Stone, Deborah Cox, Kandace Springs, Ray Chew, Elle Varner, and Bob Moses. His musical journey has graced esteemed venues worldwide, including ABC Television's Good Morning America, Billboard Live Osaka/Tokyo, The Howard Theater, Blues Alley, and The Blue Note, among others.
As the guitarist for Grammy-winning R&B artist Elle Varner, Andy has toured extensively across the USA and Japan, leaving an indelible mark on stages like the Essence Festivals in New Orleans, the BET Awards, and the Richmond Jazz Festival. His prowess as a performer extends to prestigious jazz hotspots, including Chris' Jazz Cafe, Smoke Jazz Club, and The Zinc Bar.
Highlighted by press reviews praising his "deliciously dynamic jazz" and the triumph-over-adversity theme in "NYC Stories," Andy continues to craft stories through his music. His guitar work has been described as having a "fantastic sound & boundless imagination & fire" by jazz guitar masters Peter Bernstein and Ben Monder.
Sat, Aug 01
Premier Jazz French Hornist, Will Schneider, returns to BLU Jazz with his trio, on Saturday, August 1st!
Doors: 7:00pm
Show: 8:00pm
Tickets: General Admission ($20 in advance, $25 at the door)
Featuring:
Will Schneider - Horn
Zakk Jones - Guitar
Norm Damshroder - Bass
Brad Billmaier - Drums
About:
Will Schneider is an in-demand hornist, performer, improvisationalist, composer, and educator based in Northwest Ohio, actively performing in modern jazz settings as both a bandleader and sideman. He has garnered international acclaim in the horn community as one of the prominent new faces for its niche use in jazz and improvised music.
Will is the founder and a performing member of the Third Shore Collective in 2021: a forward-thinking instrumental quintet dedicated to creating new sonic spaces, pushing musical boundaries, and challenging listeners' perspectives. Though the members share a background in jazz, the group draws from a wide range of musical influences such as rock, hip-hop, swing, classical, and folk music, resulting in an eclectic range of songs and improvisations. In the summer of that year, Will presented the Third Shore Collective at the International Horn Symposium.
Over the years, Will has become a named fixture in the local music community of Toledo, Ohio, taking part in maintaining a jam session currently hosted at The Golden Road (previously Ottawa Tavern) since 2021 as a tenured hornist. Will has also performed and recorded with the late Kimathi Asante (founding member of the Pyramids) known for his pioneering of afro-futurism and free jazz music. Outside of the jazz sphere, he has been frequently called to make appearances with local bands such as NuAudio, Arctic Clam, Katie’s Randy Cat and the Klondike Steamboat Band.
Tue, Aug 04
Starting this upcoming Tuesday, June 23rd, local bassist and producer, SmokeFace, brings his jam session to the stage at BLU! Bring your axe, share your sound, and be apart of creating original music real time. All ages welcome! This jam session will be EVERY OTHER TUESDAY!
Doors: 7:00pm
Show: 8:00pm-10:30pm
Tickets: FREE ADMISSION
Under 18 needs to be accompanied by legal guardian.
SmokeFace is a professional bassist, guitarist, and recording artist from Akron, Ohio, known for blending soulful grooves with modern, genre-bending sound. Having toured both nationally and internationally with major artists as well as leading his own projects, SmokeFace brings a high-level musical experience to every stage.
Wed, Aug 05
Join us every Wednesday for the Jazz Heritage Orchestra! This is a FREE event!
Under the musical direction of Dennis Reynolds, the JHO will assemble every Wednesday in August for a reading band format where we'll perform a series of new and exciting tunes throughout the summer. You'll also see some new faces on the bandstand as we'll be welcoming in some talented young musicians who will be sharpening their large ensemble skills alongside us. Bring your friends and enjoy some big band tunes at BLU!
Doors: 7:00pm
Show: 8:00pm
Tickets: FREE ADMISSION!!!
About:
The Jazz Heritage Orchestra was formed in 1998 in residence with the Cleveland State University Black Studies department. Under the artistic direction of Dennis Bradley Reynolds, the mission of the JHO was to preserve and perpetuate the heritage of the great African American jazz masters through educational programming coupled with elite performance. This mission carries on today through a new partnership with OpenTone Music. From our new home base in Akron, The JHO visits public and private schools to hold open rehearsals, master classes as well as jazz history lectures and performs throughout the Northeast Ohio community. The JHO has performed with many local, national and international artists such as Clark Terry, Benny Golson, Nancy Wilson, John Morton, Evelyn Wright and Vanessa Rubin.
"In a thoroughly contemporary twist on the classic jazz lore tradition of the territory band, the Jazz Heritage Orchestra reflects the contributions of an impressive range of musicians from several points on the midwestern map."
Willard Jenkins, Journalist (Jazz Times, Downbeat, BET on Jazz, WPFW)
Fri, Aug 07
Join us Friday, August 7th, as we welcome tenor and soprano saxophonist, Bill McRae to BLU! The night will feature Jennifer James (keyboards), Chris Hovan (percussion), Art Jensen (bass), and Tommy Lehman (trumpet)!
Doors: 7:00pm
Show: 8:00pm
Tickets: General Admission ($20 in advance, $25 day of show)
About:
Bill McRae is a United States Military Academy graduate, and retired Army Colonel, who never lost his love of music. A Music Settlement student at a young age, he’s performed with, and found fellowship with musicians from Nashville, to Savannah, to South Korea. He’s honored to have played with Bassist Ben Tucker, Pianist Doug Carn, and myriad Army musicians who’ve embraced him even though music wasn’t his “day job.” Bill is honored to join some of N.E. Ohio’s finest musicians to present evocative works by Marcus Miller, Don Grolnick, Bob Reynolds, Hal Galper, Michael Brecker, Mike Stern, Steps Ahead, and David Sanborn.
