HARLEM JAZZ SERIES to Present October Lineup at Mount Morris Church
Bassist Melissa Slocum, vocalist Carla Cook, and pianist Mala Waldron join the weekly Harlem series as featured guests.
The Harlem Jazz Series has revealed its October 2026 lineup at Mount Morris Ascension Presbyterian Church, featuring performances from Melissa Slocum, Carla Cook, Mala Waldron, Ricardo Strobert and Kevin Blancq.
The month will also continue The Thursday Night Rhythms of Resistance, featuring Craig Harris & the Harlem Nightsongs Big Band every Thursday evening. Launched in April 2026, the series explores music's role in resistance, community, organizing and collective action.
Performances take place from 7-8:15 p.m. at Mount Morris Ascension Presbyterian Church in Harlem.
Melissa Slocum
October 2
Bassist Melissa Slocum has been part of the New York music scene since 1982. A graduate of Mannes and Manhattan School of Music, where she earned a Master of Music in Jazz Studies, Slocum studied bass with Milt Hinton, Rufus Reid and Ron Carter.
Her performance credits include Art Blakey, Lionel Hampton, Cab Calloway, Clark Terry, Wynton Marsalis, Woody Shaw and Hank Jones, as well as vocalists Dee Dee Bridgewater, Dianne Reeves, Nnenna Freelon, Jon Hendricks and Ann Hampton Callaway. She is also a member of the all-woman big band DIVA.
Carla Cook
October 9
Grammy-nominated vocalist Carla Cook will bring her blend of jazz, R&B, blues and gospel to the series.
Cook's debut album, It's All About Love, received a Grammy nomination for Best Jazz Vocal Performance. She has performed with the Count Basie Orchestra, Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and Lionel Hampton's Big Band and appeared as a guest artist on more than 40 recordings. Cook is also a faculty member at the Juilliard School.
Mala Waldron
October 16
Vocalist, pianist and composer Mala Waldron will perform on October 16. The New York City native is the daughter of pianist and composer Mal Waldron and the goddaughter of Billie Holiday, whom her father accompanied during the final years of Holiday's life.
Waldron studied piano, voice and composition at SUNY College of Old Westbury under Makanda Ken McIntyre and has toured internationally throughout Japan, Italy, France, Russia and beyond. Her debut recording, Lullabye, pays tribute to Holiday.
Ricardo Strobert
October 23
Alto saxophonist and flutist Ricardo Strobert will bring his work in free jazz and improvised music to the Harlem Jazz Series.
Strobert has appeared on NoBusiness Records and performed as part of William Parker's Centering Big Band. His work draws from New York's free jazz and avant-garde traditions alongside the blues foundations of jazz.
Kevin Blancq
October 30
Trumpeter, bandleader and educator Kevin Blancq will close out the month's featured lineup.
Born in New Orleans, Blancq studied at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts under Ellis Marsalis. His work spans bebop, swing and New Orleans jazz traditions. He leads his own Big Band and also performs with the Kevin Blancq Trio.
Craig Harris & the Harlem Nightsongs Big Band
Craig Harris & the Harlem Nightsongs Big Band will continue The Thursday Night Rhythms of Resistance every Thursday evening throughout the month.
The series brings music and community together around the role the arts have played in resistance, organizing and social movements.
Performance Information
Harlem Jazz Series performances take place at Mount Morris Ascension Presbyterian Church, located at 15 Mount Morris Park West in New York City.
Performances run from 7-8:15 p.m. Tickets are $30.
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