($5-$10 + DICE fees | 6:30pm-9:30pm) Come sit in with multi-instrumentalist Max Goldschmid and the Century Room house band! Band opens up with a short set followed by an instrumental jam until 9:30pm. Musicians who sit in get in free thanks to the Sonora Arts & Music Initiative!

($20-$35 tickets + DICE fees | 6:30pm & 8pm sets) Vocalist Nelly Hawley-Hayes fronts the Century Jazz Orchestra!

Originally from Richmond, Virginia, Nelly Hawley-Hayes is a professional musician, composer and songwriter, educator, and certified private sound therapist. She attended the Jazz Vocal program at The Berklee College of Music, and is currently pursuing additional studies in Jazz Performance at The University of Arizona with the intention of completing her DMA in music performance.

Nelly’s voice is versatile, large, and mesmerizing. She sings with the intention of igniting the power of healing through the voice and is motivated by her philosophy that music is spiritual and can heal all wounds. Early influences such as Aretha Franklin, Etta James, and Nina Simone shaped her taste for songwriting and performing and serves as the blueprint for her timbre and vocal resonance.

A performer of 20+ years, Nelly has recently sung at The Century Room, Hotel Congress, the Gaslight Music Hall in Oro Valley, Tucson Folk Festival, Pima County Fair, St. Philip’s Plaza, Tucson Festival of Books, Deep Sky Vineyards, and other venues and stages in Tucson as well as jazz clubs in Virginia.

She has recorded for the Los Angeles publisher BMG Production Music, the TLAH (LA Hustle) Initiative, recorded her original works with In Your Ear studio in Richmond, VA, and has recorded and produced her own music in her own studio for 18 years.

Inspired by the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, the 17-piece Century Jazz Orchestra performs every Monday night at the Century Room starting at 6:30pm. Expect music from the Count Basie Orchestra, Duke Ellington Orchestra, the Thad Jones/Mel Louis Jazz Orchestra, plus classics from Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw and much more! An intergenerational ensemble, the CJO fosters community with students, teachers and professionals performing alongside each other and is supported by the Sonora Arts & Music Initiative 501(c)3. Come relive the magic of the big band era every Monday as the CJO keeps the music alive and thriving in the 21st Century!

Some of the musicians you can expect to see on Mondays:

Kenji Lancaster (drums) Colin McIlrath, Scott Black (bass) Angelo Versace, Chris Peña, Peter Saxe (piano) Matt Mitchell (guitar) Tim Buechler (bari sax) Ben Canfield, Simeon Roth, Dave Long (tenor sax) Eric Nakanishi, Joseph Rader (alto sax) Jordan Robison, Joshua Schanie, Benjamin Constantinides, Aidan Schofield (trombone) Morani Sanders, Anthony Gibes, Tony Belletti, Jibrael Alsooz, Jason Carder (trumpet).

($15-$25 tickets | 6:30pm & 8:30pm Shows) Join the Jazz Ambassadors, the University of Arizona’s premier small-group jazz ensemble, in a tribute performance to Charles Mingus, one of the historical masters of jazz music, as we celebrate what would have been his 104th birthday.

Charles Mingus (1922–1979) was a major figure in twentieth-century American music: a virtuoso bassist, pianist, composer, and bandleader. Born in Nogales, Arizona and raised in Watts, he was shaped by church music and early exposure to Duke Ellington. He studied bass and composition formally while learning directly from jazz masters, touring in the 1940s with Louis Armstrong, Kid Ory, and Lionel Hampton.

In New York, he worked with Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Bud Powell, Art Tatum, and Ellington, and quickly emerged as a bandleader. By the mid-1950s, he had formed his own publishing and recording companies and founded the Jazz Workshop to support new composers. His work moved to the forefront of the avant-garde, producing landmark recordings such as *Mingus Ah Um* and *The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady*, among more than 100 albums and 300 compositions.

His large-scale works and collaborations, including *Revelations* and ballet projects, established him as a leading composer. He also taught at SUNY Buffalo and published his autobiography *Beneath the Underdog*. After being diagnosed with ALS in 1977, he continued composing by dictation until his death in 1979.

Mingus received major honors, including Guggenheim grants, and is widely regarded as one of the most original American composers of the twentieth century.

($10-$15 Tickets + DICE fees | 6:30pm Show) Come to the Century Room this Thursday at 6:30pm for our Soul Jazz Lounge! Each lounge hosts a rotating cast of All-Star house bands and features our Viscount Legend Soul Organ designed by the late great Joey DeFrancesco, complete with the Leslie Speaker. The Viscount Soul organ is a modern recreation of vintage Hammond B3 instruments, which were made famous by jazz organists like Jimmy Smith, Jimmy McGriff, Larry Young, Brother Jack McDuff & Dr. Lonnie Smith. The Century Room’s Viscount Legend Soul is provided courtesy of the Tucson Jazz Music Foundation.

This week features Doc Holladay & SOUL ORGANization bringing boogaloo, funk, soul and more!

($10-$15 Tickets + DICE fees | 8:30pm Show) The Newest Sound is a hip-hop and jazz collective featuring some members of Tucson’s own Street Blues Family. Featuring ReyMurf (vox), Roch Mirabeau (vox/beats), Ryan Wheless (saxophone + FX), Desmond New (drums), and Patrick Morris (bass), the group blends live improvisation with groove-driven beats in a style informed by the hip-hop/jazz lineage of artists like Robert Glasper.

($25-$35 + DICE fees | 6:30pm & 8:30pm Shows) Joe Bourne brings his After Midnight Sessions to the stage with a program drawn from After Midnight, the landmark trio recording by Nat King Cole. Originally released in 1957, the album remains part of the core jazz vocal canon.

Joe Bourne (vocals) Matt Mitchell (guitar) Peter Saxe (piano) Scott Black (bass)

Joe Bourne, an award-winning vocalist with roots deeply anchored in jazz, blues, and spiritual music, hails from Cambridge, Massachusetts. Influenced by jazz legends, he captivates audiences with his warm baritone voice and dynamic showmanship. Performing extensively in Europe, Joe has graced numerous radio and TV programs, jazz events, and prestigious venues. He has shared the stage with icons like Natalie Cole, Ray Charles, Nina Simone, and Dionne Warwick. Collaborating with top American and European musicians, he received accolades such as The Diamond of the Year and Kunstler des Jahres awards. With a repertoire ranging from swinging renditions to soulful ballads, Joe Bourne, now based in Tucson, Arizona, continues to deliver his unique vocal entertainment globally.

($10-$15 + DICE fees | 10:30pm Show) After Friday night’s show, stick around for Late Night with swinging saxophonist Victor Gutierrez and his band.