COUNTDOWN 2027 COLTRANE FESTIVAL I: Melissa Aldana Quintet feat. Walter Smith III

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*PLEASE NOTE: All 6:00PM and 8:00PM shows at Smoke are Dinner Shows $25.00 / $40.00 / $50.00 / $55.00 – Wed, Thu, Fri & Sun $25.00 / $50.00 / $60.00 / $65.00 – Sat Melissa Aldana – tenor saxophone Walter Smith III – tenor saxophone Glenn Zaleski – piano Matt Brewer – bass Kendrick Scott – drums “[Aldana] has the elusive ability to balance technical achievement against a rich emotional palette. – NPR Music Countdown 2027, Smoke’s 14th Annual Coltrane Festival, opens with a quintet featuring two modern tenor saxophone masters: Melissa Aldana and Walter Smith III joined by a stellar rhythm section of pianist Glenn Zaleski, bassist Matt Brewer, and drummer Kendrick Scott. Aldana, originally from Chile, is one of the new stars in jazz who embodies “a new sense of possibility and direction in jazz,” according to The Washington Post. Since arriving in New York from Boston in 2009, she has won the 2013 Monk Competition and numerous accolades for her music. The New York Times calls her “one of the more exciting young tenor saxophonists today.” Since his debut nearly two decades ago, Walter Smith III has become a cornerstone of the jazz scene, contributing to legendary groups such as Roy Haynes’ Fountain of Youth Band, the Terence Blanchard Quintet, Eric Harland’s Voyager, and the Ambrose Akinmusire Quintet, as well as collaborations with Jason Moran, Christian McBride, Gerald Clayton, and the Sean Jones Quintet, among many others.