BLU Jazz+'s Upcoming Shows

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 us on Friday, October 30th as Nathan Paul rings in Halloween weekend with a Single release party, I BE SCREAMIN, in anticipation of his forthcoming album NATHAN-PAUL & THE RIDICULOUS CLUB!

Set for release Spring 2027.

The single release at BLU Jazz+ will feat. Zaire Darden (drums), Denzel Chismar-Oliver (Bass), Noah Denton (Bass), feat. AJ Tyus (Guitar) and other special guests.

Doors: 7:00pm

Show: DJ Drum Duo (Jonathan Fields+Gabe Jones) 8:00pm-8:30pm

Nathan Paul & The R.C. 9:00pm-10:30pm

DJ Drum Duo (Jonathan Fields+Gabe Jones) 10:30pm-11:00pm

Tickets: General Admission ($25 in advance, $30 at the door)

Join us for a special Halloween performance at BLU, featuring the music of UA jazz educator, composer, and saxophonist, Chris Coles and his group, Gleam! The night will feature an opening set by ReSolve, and a costume competition during set-break (see details below!)

This is a true Halloween party. Best costume wins $200! (must purchase ticket in advance to quality for contest and prize)

GLEAM IS:

Theron Brown

Zaire Darden

Steve Kortyka

Chris Coles

Zakk Jones

Joe Leaman

Noa Denton

Patrick Graney

Ft. Floco Torres

Doors: 7:00pm

ReSolve: 7:30pm

GLEAM: 8:00pm

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

Meet "Aaron Smith & RDAA," a dynamic band founded by drummer, Aaron Smith, driven by a passion for original jazz, fusion, and soul music. Hailing from the Midwest, with roots in Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, and Kentucky, the band has captivated audiences in cities like Cleveland, Akron, Indianapolis, and Nashville. Their unique and inspiring sound, crafted by each member's distinct style, has garnered a growing fan base, with overwhelming love from audiences at every show!

Doors: 7:00pm

Show: 8:00pm

Tickets: General Admission ($25 in advance, $30 at the door)

About:

Aaron Smith is an independent artist who had a passion for music at a very early age. Born in Muncie Indiana he started playing by the age of two. Learning very quickly the concept of drumming he was soon playing drums consistently at church by age 6.

By the time he was 10, Aaron was recording professionally. That gave him a platform to learn more and stretch his musical abilities. At 18 Aaron was traveling nationally playing for various gospel groups, touring and eventually was given the opportunity to teach drum clinics all over the U.S. Aaron transferred from Berklee College Of Music to Indiana University to finish his college degree in music. It was in that transition where his social media presence began to grow phenomenally and he started to teach what he knew on an international scale.

He has played and recorded for a number of well-known groups and artists including Scott Guynn and Weapons, Brian Reeves & Heart After God, Doobie Powell, the widely popular Williams Singers, Funkyardx and The Franchize Band. Currently he is producing his first EP which will feature numerous independent artists to pay tribute to his hometown. He is looking forward to working with more national artists and using his social media influence to give back to the musical community by hosting drum clinics on a global scale.

Quickly established drummer on the NE Ohio jazz scene, Nehemiah (Stix) Baker, returns to BLU with his hard grooving trio, featuring Bryan Thomas (bass), and Noa Han (piano) on Friday, Saturday, November 7th.

Doors: 7:00pm

Show: 8:00pm

Tickets: General Admission ($15 in advance, $20 at door)

Stix Baker is a 20-year-old Cleveland-based drummer, bandleader, and composer leading The Stix Trio and The Stix Quintet. Blending jazz, funk, and neo-soul with high energy and heavy groove, his bands have become a staple in the Northeast Ohio scene.

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.

Trombonist and composer, Sam Blakeslee, is back home to Akron via NYC to celebrate the release of his latest album "New Blood". Catch his explosive large group play Sam's latest album in its entirety with a special two-show event at BLU on Friday, November 13th.

*Each performance is ticketed separately*

Doors: 6:00pm

First Show: 7:00pm

Second Show: 9:00pm

Tickets: $30 General Admission (ticket is only valid for either 7pm or 9pm performance)

Featuring...

Woodwinds:

Bobby Selvaggio

Nathan-Paul Davis

Max Schlenk

Steve Kortyka

Bettyjeane Quimby

Trumpets:

Scott McKee

Garrett Folger

Theresa May

Ephraim Miller

Trombones:

Mark Mauldin

Chris Anderson

Zach Warren

Amber Forrer

Rhythm Section:

Dan Bruce - guitar

Timo Jin-En Mok - piano

Kip Reed - bass

Zaire Darden - drums

SAM BLAKESLEE BIO

Sam Blakeslee is an award-winning New York City-based trombonist and composer. Most recently he was named in both the 2025 and 2026 Rising Star Trombonist of The Year in Downbeat Magazine Critics’ Poll. He has performed at iconic jazz clubs such as Birdland, Dizzy’s Club, The Jazz Gallery, Smalls, Zinc Bar, 55 Bar, The Blue Note, The Kennedy Center, and Lincoln Center, among others. Sam leads an 18-piece jazz orchestra, the Sam Blakeslee Large Group, which will release a debut album New Blood on September 25, 2026 on Brooklyn Jazz Underground Records.

As a trombonist, Blakeslee is active in the contemporary big band scene in New York where he performs regularly with GRAMMY-nominated ensembles like Remy Le Boeuf’s Assembly of Shadows, Manuel Valera’s New Cuban Express Big Band, Terraza Big Band, Dan Pugach Nonet, New York Afro-Bop Alliance Big Band, and Emilio Solla’s Tango Jazz Orchestra. He also appeared on the Remy Le Boeuf’s Assembly of Shadows album Architecture of Storms, which was nominated in 2023 for the GRAMMY Award in the Best Large Ensemble Album category. He has also performed with jazz artists Sean Jones, Joe Lovano, Dan Wilson, Dick Oatts, Aretha Franklin, John Clayton, Big Heart Machine, Javier Nero Jazz Orchestra, Jiyhe Lee Orchestra, Tracy Yang Jazz Orchestra, Birdland Big Band, Joel Harrison Large Ensemble, and The Jazz Gallery Composer’s Showcase directed by Miho Hazama.

As a composer, In 2018, Blakeslee won the David Baker Prize in Composition from Ravinia Steans Music Institute and was also a 2020 COVID-19 Commission Grant recipient from the International Society of Jazz Arrangers & Composers. Blakeslee was also a featured presenter for his composition Ephemeral at the 2024 International Society of Jazz Arrangers & Composers Symposium at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN.

As a bandleader, he has released 5 albums as a leader including 3 with his eclectic ensemble Wistful Thinking. In May 2023, he recorded two albums of his big band music with the Sam Blakeslee Large Group in NYC. The first album, New Blood is to be released on September 25, 2026 on Brooklyn Jazz Underground Records. Jonathan Blackman from Occhi Magazine states, "If “New Blood” is any indication, Sam Blakeslee is not just contributing to the modern big band scene—he’s helping to shape its future. His music is provocative without being harsh, sophisticated without feeling sterile, and designed to allow soloists to shine within a larger context." Notable Large Group performances have included a sold-out debut at Birdland Jazz Club in NYC, Tri-C JazzFest, Rubber City Jazz & Blues Festival, Blu Jazz, The Bop Stop, and the 2025 Jazz Education Network Conference in January 2025.

As an educator, he is currently on faculty at the University of Hartford - Hartt School of Music, in the Jackie McLean Institute of Jazz as Director of the Hartt Big Band and Artist Teacher of Trombone. Before his arrival to New York City in 2017, he was the Director of the Tri-C JazzFest Academy and also served on the faculty at Cuyahoga Community College, Cleveland Institute of Music, and Youngstown State University. Sam is also an endorsing artist for Conn-Selmer/King Trombones and Denis Wick Mouthpieces & Mutes.