($15-$30, 5pm & 7pm sets) The Forest is a cooperative percussion ensemble comprised of five composer/percussionists who possess deep experience working in dialogue with a wide range of African-Diasporic musics, Contemporary New Music, Free Improvisation, and other musical forms and philosophies. The Forest shares and expands upon these traditions through diverse artistic collaborations, performances and workshops with communities of all kinds, explorations of setting and space, the incorporation of new performance techniques, and by performing new and existing works by its members and selected works by other composer/percussionists.

Gustavo Aguilar, Leah Bowden, Andrew Drury, Lesley Mok, Michael Wimberly

**THE FOREST**

The ensemble’s debut performances received standing ovations in New York at Lincoln Center and at Roulette, and on the west coast at Cal Arts, Seattle’s Wayward Music Series, and Bread and Salt in San Diego. In addition to the five performances the ensemble led masterclasses with six universities, workshops with community organizations in five cities, and improvised at the US/Mexican border fence and in the forest in the Cascade Mountains east of Seattle.

The Forest is currently planning tours for 2023 and ‘24 while completing work on a studio recording with Grammy Award winning engineer, Jon Rosenberg. Due for release in October 2023, the recording presents Andrew Drury’s suite dedicated to his mentor, “(D)ruminations for Edward Blackwell,” and “Elements of a Storm,” a composition written for M’Boom by one of its founding members, Warren Smith. The recording features Warren Smith (percussion) and J. D. Parran (multiple wind instruments) as special guests.

The Forest is animated by a recognition of the drum as a tool employed since timeimmemorial and in every region of the Earth to bring people together. Drums attract attention, generate a powerful sense of group focus, and raise spirits through a shared somatic experience. The Forest sees in this unique ‘potential of the drum’ a means for community building, for collective and individual renewal, and a source for artistic inspiration.

The Forest has been awarded two grants from the Brooklyn Arts Council and a Jazz Road Creative Residency grant from South Arts.

(No Cover | 7pm-10pm) Come jam with the Century Room House band!

($15-$25 tickets | 7pm & 8:30pm sets) Inspired by the Village Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, the 17-piece CRJO performs classic big band repertoire every Monday night at the Century Room starting at 7pm. Expect music from the Count Basie Orchestra, Duke Ellington Orchestra, the Thad Jones/Mel Louis Jazz Orchestra and much more! Drummers Arthur Vint, Pete Swan, Kenji Lancaster and Fred Hayes share the drum chair, alternating each week. Advanced tickets recommended!

Rotating (drums) Scott Black (bass) Angelo Versace & Sly Slipetsky (piano) Matt Mitchell (guitar) Joseph Rader (bari sax) Brice Winston & Kevin Ravellette (tenor sax) Eric Nakanishi & Simeon Roth (alto sax) Jordan Robison, Joshua Schanie, Benjamin Constantinides, Max Goldschmid (trombone) Morani Sanders, Anthony Gibes, Tony Belletti, Jason Carder (trumpet)

($15-$25 | 7pm) Happy Halloween! Century Room favorite Susan Artemis reprises her hit show, “Jazz From the Dark Side of the Lounge,” but this time makes it even darker for the Halloween with spooky song selections including “I Put A Spell On You,” “I Scare Myself,” “Witchcraft” and many more. Come in costume and be sure to order a Shadow Caster…

($10-$20 | 7pm & 9pm Shows) Spearheaded by Ryan Wheless, a Berklee dropout who moved to Tucson, Space Travelers Union is a jazz fusion project with strong contemporary influences, such as Pop Smoke, John Coltrane, and the Flagstaff, Arizona jam band “Righteous Harmony”.

Join him and his friends to celebrate the release of Hope, the first single off of Space Travelers Union’s debut album, The Trials of Bunny John. As a devout student of the legacy of jazz, the show is sure to be a calm and predictable tribute to elevator muzak. (irony)

($15-$30 | 7pm & 9pm Shows) Traveling from NYC with their quartet, tenor saxophonist Kyle Nasser and Italian pianist Simona Premazzi perform their original modern jazz compositions at the Century Room. Nasser’s playing and compositions have been described as sophisticated and complex and his “songs weave together sonata forms, baroque to 20th century counterpoint, and modern rhythms with modern jazz vocabulary.” Premazzi has earned recognition for her improvisational work and skillful approach as a composer, with an unmistakable style and depth that comes across in every one of her compositions.

**Kyle Nassar**

A Massachusetts native and graduate of both Harvard and Berklee, Kyle Nasser has been described as possessing, “superlative musicianship as a performer, writer and a bandleader…ardent creativity and urbane artistic composure” (Hrayr Attarian, All About Jazz). Since moving to New York City in 2010, he has played at some of the city’s most prestigious venues – including the Blue Note, Smalls, Iridium, 55 Bar, and the Jazz Gallery – and has toured in the U.S. and South America. Nasser has shared the stage with jazz greats Rich Perry, Ethan Iverson, Michael Formanek, Simona Premazzi, Roman Filiu, Massimo Biolcati, and Ben Monder, among others. In addition to leading his own group, he also plays with and composes for the international collective Beekman, whose sound has been described as “a joyful and continued speculation flowing in almost all facts with surprising ease” (Jazz, ese ruido), and the collective Triple Blind. With this last group, Nasser won the Chamber Music America New Jazz Works grant in 2021. Nasser’s debut album, Restive Soul, features his quintet presenting “a collection of sophisticated and complex modern jazz originals” (Jazz Weekly). His music stands out for its seamless integration of classical forms and techniques with jazz language and phrasing. The album’s songs weave together sonata forms, baroque to 20th century counterpoint, and modern rhythms with modern jazz vocabulary. “The saxophonist’s debut is knotty with a contrapuntal weave of voices, bumpy mixed meters, and alternating rhythmic currents that nonetheless groove, sometime with a rocking edge” (Boston Globe).

**Simona Premazzi**

New York based pianist Simona Premazzi has developed an impressive body of work as a composer and bandleader. Originally from Italy, Premazzi hails from a small town in the outskirts of Milano, where she began playing piano at age 8 and a half. A gifted musician, Simona is a graduate of the conservatory of music in Udine. She followed up her studies in Milano, by enrolling in the International Academy of Jazz Music and CPM music school, studying with two of Italy’s formidable jazz masters, Massimo Colombo and Franco D’Andrea.

As a student she became a member of two of the Academy’s most interesting bands – the Mingus Fingers Septet, of course focusing on the music of Charles Mingus, followed by a four year stint with Enrico Intra’s Big Band, touring across Italy and playing along side internationally recognized musicians including Markus Stockhausen, David Raksin, Franco Cerri, James Newton, Tiziana Ghiglioni, Dave Liebman, Eddie Daniels, Enrico Rava, Paolo Fresu and many others

($15-$30 | 7pm & 9pm Shows) With 35 albums under his own name, NYC guitarist Dave Stryker has built a formidable career both as a leader and collaborator with legendary jazz artists like Stanley Turrentine and Jack McDuff. “Messin’ with Mr. T” is the name of his 2015 album, which was inspired by his tenure in Turrentine’s band. He revisits the music of Stanley Turrentine backed up by saxophonist Jed Paradies and pianist Angelo Versace, with Scott Black on bass and Arthur Vint on drums.

($15-$30 | 7pm & 9pm Shows) Saxophonist and composer Clark Gibson currently serves as Director of Education at The Nash in Phoenix, AZ and is a highly sought after adjudicator and clinician throughout the country. His forward-thinking music is strongly rooted in the traditions of jazz musicians of the 20th century, the history of Western classical music, his own life experiences, as well as musical traditions from cultures across the globe.

Joining him will be Director of Jazz Studies at the U of A Angelo Versace on piano, Director of Jazz Studies at NAU Chris Finet on bass and Artistic Director of the Century Room Arthur Vint on drums.

If you are looking for direction, look no further.

($25-$40 | 7pm & 9pm Shows) Please join us for an intimate evening of the Brian Bromberg acoustic trio playing the music of the legendary Bill Evans trio that featured the bass phenom Scott LaFaro. This is Brian’s first home town Tucson performance in over ten years. Joining Brian is pianist Tom Zink and drummer Charles Ruggiero. These are some of the first performances of this trio before their Scott LaFaro Tribute album gets released in early 2024.

($25-$40 | 7pm & 9pm Shows) Please join us for an intimate evening of the Brian Bromberg acoustic trio playing the music of the legendary Bill Evans trio that featured the bass phenom Scott LaFaro. This is Brian’s first home town Tucson performance in over ten years. Joining Brian is pianist Tom Zink and drummer Charles Ruggiero. These are some of the first performances of this trio before their Scott LaFaro Tribute album gets released in early 2024.

($20-$35 | 7pm & 9pm Shows)

**Ted Rosenthal** is one of the leading jazz pianist/composers of his generation. He actively tours worldwide with his trio, as a soloist, and has performed with many jazz greats, including Gerry Mulligan, Art Farmer, Phil Woods, Bob Brookmeyer, and James Moody.

Winner of the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Piano Competition, Rosenthal has released fifteen CDs as a leader. Rhapsody in Gershwin, which features his arrangement of Rhapsody in Blue for jazz trio, reached #1 in jazz album sales at iTunes and Amazon. Wonderland, was selected as a New York Times holiday pick, and received much critical praise: “Sleek, chic and elegant” – Howard Reich, Chicago Tribune. Impromptu, showcases his reimaginings of classical themes for jazz trio. “A serious listen to Impromptu will be a mind-changing experience…sit back and enjoy these wonderfully creative takes on ten compositions from the classical canon that have never sounded so cool.” – Elliott Simon, AllAboutJazz

Rosenthal’s solo album, The 3 B’s, received 4 stars from DownBeat magazine. It features music of Bud Powell, Bill Evans and his improvisations on Beethoven themes. “In Rosenthal’s hands all this music sounds as though it sprang from the same muse, and that’s the sign of a skilled, imaginative artist.” – David R. Adler, All Music Guide.

($20-$30 | 6pm doors / 7pm show) The full circle – 30 year reunion

Ambient pioneer Steve Roach hosts the monthly “Ambient Lounge”with rotating performers and DJs. This month features Steve Raoch himself and long time friend Robert Rich.

($25-$40 | 7pm & 9pm sets) The Heavy Hitters return to the Century Room for their 2nd appearance! A new collective sextet conceived by two of the music’s greatest artists, pianist Mike LeDonne and saxophonist Eric Alexander, the Heavy Hitters play “soulful kickass swinging music” that is reminiscent of classic Blue Note records of the 1960s.

LeDonne & Alexander are joined in this powerhouse ensemble by the fiery trumpeter Jeremy Pelt, alto saxophonist Vincent Herring, bassist Peter Washington, and the sublime swing of drummer Kenny Washington. These world-renowned musicians are the epitome of New York jazz and are known for bringing the heat and taking no prisoners.

Jeremy Pelt (trumpet) Vincent Herring (alto) Eric Alexander (tenor) Mike LeDonne (piano) Peter Washingto (bass) Kenny Washington (drums)

($20-$35 | 7pm & 9pm sets) Los Angeles guitarist Skip Heller and his ensemble pay tribute to the marriage of crime and jazz, featuring classic film noir scores by Mancini, Barry, Mandel and more! Bandleader/composer Heller has long enjoyed a diverse career, but one close look at his resume – which includes working with Yma Sumac, Bootsy Collins, NRBQ, Lalo Guerrero, Los Lobos, the Klezmatics, Todd Rundgren, and Joe Bataan – and it becomes clear that film noir is his home base. In late 2019, he assembled The Hollywood Film Noirchestra, bringing together an ensemble of players whose abilities ran the gamut from jazz to chamber music, Latin music, funk, world music, and beyond.

Alex Melnychuck (trumpet) Alan Acosta (tenor & alto saxophone) Christin Hablewitz (flute & clarinet) Max Goldschmid (trombone & french horn) Skip Heller (guitar) Peter Sax (piano) Ryan Magness (bass) Arthur Vint (drums) Carlos Solis (percussion)

**Skip Heller**

Born and raised in South Philadelphia, Heller was a prolific participant in the local bar band scene. A self-taught arranger-composer, he migrated to Hollywood in the late nineties, and set to work producing a series of critically-accclaimed independent records (both as artist and arranger/producer). In 1999, he scored the film _Man Is Mostly Water, A (1999)_. Shortly afterwards, he wrote the bulk of the new music for The Flintstones: On the Rocks (2001), and music for an episode of the popular cartoon Dexter’s Laboratory (1996). He continues to be active as player, composer, and bandleader.

($15-$30 | 7pm & 9pm Shows) Naim Amor & the Cocktail Hours perform every 2nd Saturday at the Century Room, playing a blend of jazz, tiki, lounge and exotica! This month with special guest Skip Heller from Los Angeles!

($15-$30 | 7pm & 9pm Shows) Join Holly, Dmitri, and their all-star band for a musical journey to Brazil and a fresh spin on jazz samba, bossa nova, and beyond!

**Holy Pyle**

“Pyle had little exposure music in her youth but taught herself piano at a young age. Years of school choirs, musical theater and a handful of voice lessons set Pyle on a path to Northern Arizona University to pursue opera vocal performance. A few years later her attention shifted to jazz and psychology, graduating Magna Cum Laude in 2010. Pyle spent a few years exploring psychology-related careers until working at a behavioral treatment center for troubled youth; their encouragement ignited her mission towards being a career musician. Pyle now teaches voice in Tempe and West Phoenix and performs full time in a full spectrum of projects. The Stakes, a six-piece hip-hop collective, just released their debut EP, featuring all original material sung and co-written by Pyle. Holly also has a jazz-based group called House of Stairs that draw from funk, soul and pop influences to create a distinct progressive soundscape. Inspired by the visual innovations of M.C. Escher, House of Stairs approaches composition and performance in a parallel sense, exploring multi-faceted interactions between harmony, meter and lyrics that are both compelling and imaginative. Pyle also has a vocal looping project, both in a solo setting and a collaboration with multi-instrumentalist Shea Marshall. Pyle stays active in the Jazz community as well, performing with many of Arizona’s finest jazz musicians and has been added to Jazz in AZ’s annual Jazz Divas lineup.”

-allaboutjazz.com

**Dmitri Matheny**

Celebrated for his warm tone, soaring lyricism and masterful technique, American musician Dmitri Matheny has been lauded as “one of the most emotionally expressive improvisers of his generation” (International Review of Music).

First introduced to jazz audiences in the 1990s as the protégé of Art Farmer, Matheny has matured into “one of the jazz world’s most talented horn players” (San Francisco Chronicle).

Born on Christmas Day, 1965 in Nashville,Tennessee, Dmitri was raised in Georgia and Arizona. Attracted to his father’s collection of jazz and classical LP records, Dmitri began piano lessons at age 5, switched to the trumpet at age 9, and took up the flugelhorn at 18. Matheny attended the prestigious Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan, then the Berklee College of Music, Boston, graduating magna cum laude in 1989. After private studies with Carmine Caruso in New York City, Matheny became the protégé of the legendary Art Farmer, a formative relationship that lasted over a decade.

Farmer, “the bebop master who defined the sound of the flugelhorn in modern jazz” (All Music Guide), was Matheny’s public champion and private mentor. Generously sharing his wisdom, experience and influence, it was Farmer who encouraged Dmitri to devote himself exclusively to the “Big Horn.”

Under Farmer’s tutelage Matheny emerged as a promising new voice in jazz.“Art Farmer’s role in the early success of Dmitri Matheny cannot be overstated,” observed writer and historian Phil Elwood. “Without Art, there could be no Dmitri.”

At 29, after launching a busy recording career on the West Coast, Matheny made his New York debut at the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, then began touring internationally.

The soulful sound of Dmitri’s horn garnered praise from critics and audiences alike, drawing frequent comparisons to Miles Davis, Chet Baker and—not surprisingly—to Art Farmer. Upon Farmer’s passing in 1999, Matheny acquired his mentor’s copper-bell flugelhorn.

Today, Dmitri leads the Dmitri Matheny Group, “an all-star jazz band featuring some of the most accomplished musicians in the western United States” (All About Jazz).

Matheny has toured extensively throughout the United States, Europe and Asia. He has traveled to 21 countries and has performed with many Motown and popular music acts including the Temptations, Martha Reeves, Fabian, the Four Tops, Bobby Vinton, Sandy Patty, Bobby Rydell, Frankie Avalon and the O’Jays.

($15-$30 | 7pm & 9pm Shows) Q Morrow and Sam Trapchak join forces to giveus Traq Attaq!

**Q Morrow**

“it’s the HIPPEST guitar-led grouping I’ve heard (yet) in 2018”

“The sensitive beauty expressed through Q’s guitar on “Sueño de Miel” will totally blow you away… this track is absolutely the best jazz guitar I’ve listened to in 2018”

“defines the “hip” that is NYC – this is it, folks!”

*Dick Metcalf-Contemporary Fusion Reviews*

“each of these songs evokes a different landscape and a different sensibility, all lovingly caressed by Morrow’s magnificent guitar”

“free-wheeling and smart feel straight out of the NYC jazz scene”

“this daring musician produces almost hypnotic strains of pure beauty”

“Morrow certainly has arrived at the next level and has given us something full of imagination”

**Sam Trapchak**

Sam Trapchak was born in 1984 in Livonia, Michigan. When he expressed an interest in music his father dissuaded him from the electric guitar with these words of wisdom: “Everyone always needs a bass player.”

From there, Sam was nurtured by the rich musical tradition of Detroit. He took up the double bass after being accepted into the jazz studies program at Wayne State University in Detroit. He won successive scholarships while enrolled there, and freelanced throughout the Metro-Detroit/Windsor area.

In 2007 Sam was awarded a full scholarship to continue his studies at William Paterson University in New Jersey. There, he studied with Mulgrew Miller, Steve Laspina, and other legendary jazz musicians. Upon completing his degree in 2009, Sam moved to downtown Jersey City where he now resides. He is a full time musician and works primarily in New York City. In August of 2010 he recorded his first album as a leader with his band “Put Together Funny”. The album, Lollipopocalypse, was released on December 16th 2010 at a celebratory concert at Cornelia St. Cafe in Greenwich Village. It is available on CDbaby.com or by contacting Sam directly.

($15-$25 tickets | 6pm-8pm) Come celebrate the opening night of the Tucson Jazz Festival with a special cocktail hour with the Armen Donelian Quartet! Arturo Sandoval performs across the street at the Rialto Theater at 8pm, so come get in the mood with some more live jazz and cocktails at the Century Room! Doors open at 5pm with live music starting at 6pm. Free General Admission to Tucson Jazz Festival members!

($35-$45 Tickets | Sets at 7pm & 9pm) The Tucson Jazz Festival presents pianist Isaiah J. Thompson.

**Isaiah J. Thompson**

Isaiah J. Thompson is the winner of the 2023 American Pianists Awards and the Cole Porter Fellowship in Jazz of the American Pianists Association. Originally from West Orange, New Jersey, the pianist, bandleader and composer began studying at The Calderone School of Music from an early age. Soon after, Isaiah continued his studies with Jazz House Kids and NJPAC Jazz For Teens and was later admitted to The Juilliard School graduating with both his Bachelor’s in 2019 and Master’s of Music degrees in 2020. Isaiah has performed with major artists, including Ron Carter, John Pizzarelli, Christian McBride, Cécile McLorin Salvant, Steve Turre and Buster Williams. His recording debut was featured on Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Blue Engine Records’ Handful of Keys album with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis, and he has since released multiple recordings as a leader.

He worked on the Golden Globe nominated soundtrack for Motherless Brooklyn, was named a Steinway Artist and has been awarded other accolades including, the 2018 Lincoln Center Emerging Artist Award, and second place in the 2018 Thelonious Monk Competition. As a performer, Isaiah tries to emit love, spirit and respect and convey his personal experiences through his artistry and his everlasting love of jazz.

($25-$35 | 7pm & 9pm sets) The Tucson Jazz Festival presents drummer Alex Kautz.

**Alex Kautz**

Musicality, groove and knowledge of a variety of styles are some of the adjetives that makes Alex Kautz a unique musician.

Alex has been a part of the NY competitive music scene for the last fifteen years and has played and/or recorded with some of the top artists in the industry today including Tim Ries, Chico Pinheiro, Magos Herrera, Nilson Matta, Steve Willson, Lenny Andrade, Fabio Gouvea, Adam Rogers, Helio Alves, Victor Prieto and Lionel Loueke to name a few.

Alex has also led his own groups where he explores the sounds and textures of Brazilian music mixed with jazz and he is currently working on a new album to be released next fall.

A Magna Cum Laude graduate from Berklee College of Music in Boston, Alex received the “Best Achievement merit Scholarship” while attending the prestigious institution in pursuit of a Bachelor’s Degree in Music. He later received a full scholarship award from Mexico’s National Fund for Culture and Arts (FONCA) to study a Masters of Arts Degree in Aaron Copland School of Music in New York.

As an active educator since 2001, Alex has been an important part of the artistic community in different countries including USA, Mexico, India, and Brazil teaching private lessons as well as master classes. In addition he has been a guest professor in Souza Lima Conservatory and College of Music in Sao Paulo, Brazil, JAZZUV School of Music in Veracruz Mexico, Swarnabhomi School of Music in India and he is currently teaching at the New School and Mannes School of Music in NYC.

($25-$35 Tickets | Sets at 7pm & 9pm ) The Tucson Jazz Festival presents the 17-piece Century Room Jazz Orchestra with a very special surprise guest…

**Century Room Jazz Orchestra**

Inspired by the Village Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, the 17-piece CRJO performs classic big band repertoire every Monday night at the Century Room starting at 7pm. Expect music from the Count Basie Orchestra, Duke Ellington Orchestra, the Thad Jones/Mel Louis Jazz Orchestra and much more with a special guest vocalist!

Arthur Vint (drums) Scott Black (bass) Angelo Versace & Peter Saxe (piano) Matt Mitchell (guitar) Joseph Rader (bari sax) Brice Winston & Kevin Ravellette (tenor sax) Eric Nakanishi & Simeon Roth (alto sax) Jordan Robison, Joshua Schanie, Benjamin Constantinides, Max Goldschmid (trombone) Alex Melnychuck, Anthony Gibes, Tony Belletti, Jason Carder (trumpet)

($25-$35 | 7pm & 9pm sets) The Tucson Jazz Festival presents pianist Sean Mason.

**Sean Mason**

Sean Mason is in no rush. The young pianist and composer takes his time in playing and composing, imagining his music as a physical space through which to guide the listener. He sees much of that music taking place in the south, specifically North Carolina, where he grew up playing piano in church. “It’s something about … that feeling of going to that part of the south that always sticks with me,” he says. “And so I can’t really get that out of my music.”

Mason’s music is also exceptionally groovy – as he puts it, “my purpose is to play dance music,” citing ragtime and stride piano as two of his greatest inspirations, along with early hero Ray Charles.

Mason moved to New York in 2018 to attend Juilliard, where he connected with the late pianist Frank Kimbrough, who became his private instructor and an important friend. Mason also caught the attention of both Wynton and Branford Marsalis, who have selected him for the piano chair on some highly prestigious gigs, from an all-Ellington program at Jazz at Lincoln Center to the soundtrack for the film Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.

($30-$40 Tickets | Sets at 7pm & 9pm ) The Tucson Jazz Festival presents Miguel Zenón.

**Miguel Zenón**

Multiple Grammy Nominee and Guggenheim and MacArthur Fellow Miguel Zenón represents a select group of musicians who have masterfully balanced and blended the often- contradictory poles of innovation and tradition. Widely considered one of the most groundbreaking and influential saxophonists and composers of his generation, he has also developed a unique voice as a conceptualist, concentrating his efforts on perfecting a fine mix between jazz and his many musical influences.

Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Zenón has released fifteen recordings as a leader, including the Grammy-nominated Música De Las Américas (2022), El Arte Del Bolero (2021) and Sonero: The Music of Ismael Rivera (2019) and Yo Soy La Tradición (2018). He has worked with luminaries such as The SFJAZZ Collective, Charlie Haden, Fred Hersch, Kenny Werner, David Sánchez, Danilo Perez, The Village Vanguard Orchestra, Kurt Elling, Joey Calderazzo, Steve Coleman, Ray Barreto, Andy Montañez, Jerry Gonzalez & The Fort Apache Band, The Mingus Big Band and Bobby Hutcherson.

Zenón has been featured in publications such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Los Angeles Times, The Boston Globe and The Chicago Tribune. In addition, he topped both the Jazz Artist of the Year and Alto Saxophonist of the Year categories in the 2014 JazzTimes Critics Poll and was selected as Alto Saxophonist of the Year by the Jazz Journalists Association in 2015, 2018, 2019 and 2020 (when he was also recognized as Arranger of the Year). In 2023 he was recognized by the same organization as the Composer of the Year.

As a composer he has been commissioned by SFJAZZ, NYO Jazz, The New York State Council on the Arts, Chamber Music America, Logan Center for The Arts, The Hyde Park Jazz Festival, The John Simon Guggenheim Foundation, MIT, Spektral Quartet, Miller Theater, The Hewlett Foundation, Peak Performances, PRISM Quartet and many of his peers. Zenón has given hundreds of lectures and master classes at institutions all over the world and is a faculty member in the Music & Theater Arts Department at MIT, as well as the current Visiting Scholar for the Harmony and Jazz Composition Department at Berklee College of Music.

In April 2008 Zenón received a fellowship from the prestigious John Simon Guggenheim Foundation. Later that year he was one of 25 distinguished individuals chosen to receive the coveted MacArthur Fellowship, also known as the “Genius Grant.” In 2011 he founded Caravana Cultural, a program which presents free-of-charge Jazz concerts in rural areas of Puerto Rico. In 2022 he received an Honorary Doctorate from La Universidad del Sagrado Corazón in San Juan, Puerto Rico, the highest honor bestowed by the institution.

($30-$40 Tickets | Sets at 7pm & 9pm ) The Tucson Jazz Festival presents Melanie Sholtz & Aaron Rimbui.

**Melanie Sholtz**

Melanie Scholtz is a South African born, multi award winning jazz singer and composer. She started playing the piano from the age of 5 and went on to study Opera at The University of Cape Town Opera School where she graduated Cum Laude with a Performer’s Diploma in Opera 2000. Melanie went on to teach at the University of Cape Town from 2004-2005. In 2010, Melanie was named the Standard Bank Young Artist for Jazz and In 2012, won all three prizes at the prestigious Jazz Revelations competition as part of the Jazz a Juan Festival in Nice, France.

She has performed all over the world including her native country, South Africa, Czech Republic, Slovakia , Germany , France, Italy, Norway, Sweden and the United States.

Currently residing in New York City, Melanie hopes to further her career as a solo artist and songwriter. Besides performing with a jazz trio, whether it be jazz or her own music, Melanie has a solo project called The Lone Looper, using a looping machine, which enables her to create compositions using only the voice.

**Aaron Rimbui**

Aaron was born in Nairobi, Kenya. Rimbui’s ear for music was displayed while still a toddler. His father would play everything from Stevie Wonder records to Henry Mancini and take him to local restaurants where he heard the music of groups like Les Wanyika, Maroon Commandos and Samba Mapangala. This had a significant influence on how he developed his sound in later years. Rimbui’s individual expression in music continued to form in his high school years. It is at this time that he picked up the piano. Rimbui began to gravitate toward jazz as he listened to the music of David Sanborn, Joe Sample, Yellowjackets and Fourplay and later, Herbie Hancock and George Duke. Rimbui served as head the Tusker Project Fame band.

($35-$45 Tickets | Sets at 7pm & 9pm ) The Tucson Jazz Festival presents pianist and vocalist Bill Cantos.

**Bill Cantos**

The music and lyrics of Bill Cantos have been recorded by artists spanning the worlds of pop, jazz, theater, gospel, and world music: Ramsey Lewis, Lea Salonga, Patti Austin, Brenda Russell, Herb Alpert, Cheryl Bentyne, The Imperials, Flora Purim, Clay Crosse, Helen Baylor, Mark Winkler, and many others. He has written songs (with Alan and Marilyn Bergman and Mari Falcone) for the new musical CHASING MEM’RIES, which recently premiered at the Geffen Playhouse in LA.

Since 2008, Bill has collaborated live and in the recording studio with Herb Alpert & Lani Hall, contributing to six albums including the Grammy-winning STEPPIN’ OUT . He also performed with Burt Bacharach as keyboardist and featured vocalist from 2011 until Burt’s final live show in 2019. He was a backing vocalist on three world tours with Phil Collins and has also toured with Diane Schuur, David Foster, Deniece Williams, Debby Boone, Freddie Hubbard, Vikki Carr, and Rita Coolidge; the artists with whom he has recorded include Elton John, Leon Russell, Josh Groban, Tony Bennett, Barry Manilow, Bob Dylan, Brian Bromberg, Jay Graydon, Andrae Crouch, Clint Black, and Kirk Whalum.

​Bill sang and co-wrote the main title song “All Right Day” for the film HOME RUN SHOWDOWN. He has sung on the soundtrack of over sixty films including FROZEN 2, SING & SING 2, STAR WARS: ROGUE ONE, WALL-E, RIO & RIO 2, and contributed to the music for the Oscar-winning documentary 20 FEET FROM STARDOM. He can be seen performing with Dick Van Dyke in the HBO film IF YOU’RE NOT IN THE OBIT, EAT BREAKFAST.

($35-$45 Tickets | Sets at 7pm & 9pm) The Tucson Jazz Festival presents bassist Linda May Han Oh and her Quintet.

“Her innovative range and stellar improvisations have made [her] one of the most dynamic rising stars in jazz today.” – The Wall Street Journal

“A major bass voice arrives” – JazzTimes

**Linda May Han Oh**

Based in New York City, Linda May Han Oh is a bassist and composer who has performed and recorded with artists such as Pat Metheny, Kenny Barron, Joe Lovano, Dave Douglas, Terri Lyne Carrington, Steve Wilson, Geri Allen, and Vijay Iyer.

Born in Malaysia and raised in Perth, Western Australia, she has received many awards such as 2nd place at the BASS2010 Competition, a semi-finalist at the BMW Bass competition and an honorary mention at the 2009 Thelonious Monk Bass Competition.

Linda also received the 2010 Bell Award for Young Australian Artist of the Year and was the 2012 Downbeat Critic’s Poll “Rising Star” on bass. She was voted the 2018 and 2019 Bassist of the Year by the Jazz Journalists Association, as well as 2019 Up-and-coming Artist of the Year. Linda recently received a Jerome Foundation Fellowship, as well as the Chamber Music America New Jazz Works Grant for 2019. She also was voted 2019 Bassist of the Year in Hothouse Magazine and 202 recipient of the Margaret Whitton Award.

She has had five releases as a leader which have received critical acclaim. Her most recent release “Aventurine” is a double quartet album, featuring string quartet and vocal group Invenio.

Linda has written for large and small ensembles as well as for film, participating in the BMI Film Composers Workshop, Sundance Labs at Skywalker Ranch and Sabrina McCormick’s short film, “A Good Egg”.

Linda is based in New York City and is currently on faculty at the New School – School of Jazz , as well as Berklee College of Music. As an active educator she has created a series of lessons for the BassGuru app for iPad and iPhone. Linda is currently bassist of Pat Metheny’s quartet.