BLU Jazz+'s Upcoming Shows

Join us on Saturday, August 22nd, for the return of saxophonist, Sam Ross, with his jazz quartet!

Featuring:

Sam Ross - Tenor Sax

Andru Denis - Keys

Oscar Lacombe - Bass

Zaire Dardin - Drums

Doors: 7:00pm

Show: 8:00pm

Tickets: General Admission ($20 in advance, $25 day of show)

About:

Sam Ross is a saxophonist, composer, and educator in the Northeast Ohio area who has been involved with music for over 10 years. Originally hailing from Eastern Iowa, Sam has earned a Bachelor of Music degree in Jazz Performance at the University of Iowa, where he studied under Dr. Damani Phillips, jazz saxophonist and head of the jazz department.

Sam actively performs both as a bandleader and sideman, as well as a weekly jazz jam session host in Akron, OH. He has performed at a wide range of venues and events, including Noce Jazz Club in Des Moines, Iowa City Jazz Festival, a monthly residency at the Ideal Theater in Cedar Rapids, weddings, cocktail hours, engagement parties, and more.

While his repertoire is typically based around jazz, he is known for his stylistically diverse sets ranging from funk, soul, latin, R&B, hip-hop, neo soul, rock, blues, and fusion.

In 2024, Sam performed as a featured guest artist at the 2024 Jazz Education Network Conference (JEN) in New Orleans, LA. Additionally in 2024, Sam performed with the Motown group The Four Tops for a sold-out show they played in Iowa. In 2025, Sam was accepted into the live competition round of the esteemed North American Saxophone Alliance (NASA) regional competition for jazz saxophone in South Dakota, where he placed second overall. In May 2025, he performed an opening set for New York-based jazz trumpeter Michael Sarian at his Iowa City show during his national tour featuring songs from his new album.

During his time as a musician, Sam has performed with many professional musicians such as Benny Green, William Menefield, Curtis Taylor, Steve Grismore, Steve Shanley, Craig Erickson, Blake Shaw, Jordan McBride, James Dreier, Zaire Darden, Jerome Gillespie, and Michael D'Angelo. Sam is currently pursuing his Master's in Music (MM) in Saxophone Performance at the University of Akron, where he also serves as a teaching assistant for the jazz department. At Akron, he studies with saxophonist Chris Coles, pianist Theron Brown, guitarist Dan Wilson, and drummer Anthony Taddeo.

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)

Join us on Friday, August, 28th as we welcome The Mars Express to BLU for the first time!

The Mars Express is a Cleveland, Ohio-based band blending jazz, neo-soul, and funk. Founded by keyboardist and Berklee College of Music alumnus Marcelino "Mars" Q. and vocalist Sara Smile, the duo frequently performs with a full backing band, integrating metaphysical themes with cosmic frequencies often tuned to 432 Hz.

Doors: 7:00pm

Show: 8:00pm

Tickets: General Admission ($20 in advance, $25 at the door)

Saturday, August 29th, Akron pianist Jennifer James brings her new VGM Quartet to Blu Jazz+ for an exciting and unique night of video game music, performing arrangements of iconic tracks from games like Animal Crossing, The Sims, Mario Kart, and more. From classics to modern gems, this will be a night featuring the best of video game soundtracks that you won't want to miss!

Featuring:

Jennifer James (piano)

Christopher Coles (sax)

Holbrook Riles III (drums)

Taylor Arbogast (bass)

Doors: 7:00pm

Show: 8:00pm

Tickets: General Admission ($20 in advance, $25 day of show)

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.

Join EMP as he brings friends Michael McCann, Jeremey Poparad, and Nicholas Doan to Blu Jazz for the last time in the calendar year! Classic EMP charts plus new arrangements and tunes are all on the docket, you won't want to miss it!

Michael McCann - saxophone

Jeremey Poparad - guitar

Nicholas Doan - bass

Evan Michael Palermo - drums

Doors: 7:00pm

Show: 8:00pm

Tickets: $20 General Admission

About:

Evan Michael Palermo is a Cleveland native who and a recent graduate of Bowling Green State University's College of Musical Arts. Through the music, Evan has been heard in major cities such as New York, Los Angeles, Cleveland, Toledo, Detroit, Paris, and more. Evan has also had the opportunity to study, create, and perform with some of the best in the craft such as Marvin "Smitty" Smith, John Riley, Ulysses Owens Jr, Stephan Crump, Jacques Lesure, Steve Kortyka, David Bixler, Dan Piccolo, Harrison Roth and many more. Through his 4 years of being a professional musician, Evan has worked freelance for major establishments such as Cedar Point, while continuing to be deeply rooted in the Cleveland and Toledo music scene. Evan can be heard regularly through his projects in the Cleveland theatre scene as a freelance percussionist, the Cleveland rock scene through Rellick, and the Ohio jazz scene through EMP.