Smoke Jazz Club Unveils August Line-up Including Johnathan Blake, David Murray, and More
The lineup also includes Vincent Herring and more.
By: Chloe Rabinowitz Jun. 24, 2025
SMOKE Jazz Club has revealed its concert schedule for August 2025. SMOKE will present two album release shows this month: Eric Alexander and Vincent Herring's co-led saxophone battle Split Decision (SMOKE Sessions Records), and David Murray's first album on a major label since the 1990s, Birdly Serenade (Impulse! Records). August also marks the return of: master trombonist Steve Turre leading his all-star quintet; Johnathan Blake previewing his forthcoming Blue Note Records album; and the lauded vocalist Tierney Sutton joining forces with saxophone soul maestro Houston Person. As always, Friday night concerts will be livestreamed!
August 2025 Concert Schedule (subject to change):
Wed-Sun July 30-August 3: Steve Turre All-Star Quintet
Steve Turre - trombone & seashells
James Carter - tenor saxophone
ELEW - piano
Peter Washington - bass
Herlin Riley - drums
Steve Turre, the renowned master of the trombone and seashells, leads an incredible all-star quintet featuring special guests James Carter on saxophone and ELEW on piano. Turre's storied career includes work alongside music legends such as Ray Charles, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, and Woody Shaw. A versatile performer and true jazz original, he's equally at home on everything from swinging classic bop lines to conjuring Rahsaan over a deep groove. Downbeat says, "Few artists 'own' their instrument to the degree that trombonist Steve Turre does. Whether playing the music of Rahsaan Roland Kirk, performing as a member of the Saturday Night Live house band, or with one of his own units, his voice is distinctive and memorable." His special guests take this group to another level. The Washington Post writes, "To hear saxophonist James Carter is to be blown away," and The Wall Street Journal declares, "ELEW plays with fire, style, and relentless energy." Finally, an indispensable rhythm section, featuring bassist Peter Washington and drummer Herlin Riley, completes this exciting ensemble.
Wed-Sun August 6-10: Johnathan Blake My Life Matters
Dayna Stephens - saxophones & EWI
Jalen Baker - vibraphone
Fabian Almazan - piano & keyboards
Dezron Douglas - bass
Johnathan Blake - drums
Drummer and composer Johnathan Blake-whose dynamic playing, artistic vision, and innate versatility led NPR to call him "the ultimate modernist" - previews the upcoming release of his new album on Blue Note Records My Life Matters with his always rewarding quintet. The group features Dayna Stephens on saxophones and EWI (electronic wind instrument), Jalen Baker on vibraphone, Fabian Almazan on piano and keyboard, and Dezron Douglas on bass. The New York Times says, "Blake's drumming is as bold as thunder and as subtle as the patter of rain." The Guardian adds, "his command of time is quite unbelievable - tricky and playful but accurate to the millisecond." His new My Life Matters is a suite of songs that serves as a dual treatise on the importance of family values and the social imperative to stand up in the face of injustice.
Wed-Sun August 13-17: Eric Alexander & Vincent Herring Quintet Split Decision SMOKE
Sessions Records Album Release
Vincent Herring - alto saxophone
Eric Alexander - tenor saxophone
Mike LeDonne - piano
John Webber - bass
Lewis Nash - drums
Vincent Herring and Eric Alexander-two of the great saxophonists-on alto and tenor respectively, reunite to celebrate the release of their new co-led album Split Decision (SMOKE Sessions Records). It's been 20 years since they first went head-to-head on record for 2005's The Battle: Live at Smoke. Both were already acclaimed among the powerhouse reedmen of their generation, and they have only garnered more acclaim in the two decades since. All About Jazz reports, "For those who long for the time when hard bop reigned supreme... here's a sure cure for any lament that those days are lost and gone forever." These two esteemed leaders will be joined, as they are on the recording, by an equally impressive rhythm section: pianist Mike LeDonne, bassist John Webber, and drummer Lewis Nash.
Wed-Sun August 20-24: Tierney Sutton & Houston Person featuring Lenny White
Tierney Sutton - vocals
Houston Person - tenor saxophone
Christian Jacob - piano
Ricky Rodriguez - bass
Lenny White - drums
Jazz vocalist Tierney Sutton joins forces with living legend 90-year-old tenor saxophonist Houston Person for an incredible musical dialogue that features a trio with very special guest drummer Lenny White, pianist Christian Jacob, and bassist Ricky Rodriguez. One of the most acclaimed of jazz vocalists, Sutton is renowned for her impeccable voice and imaginative treatments of standards, and she has received GRAMMY nominations for every project she has released in the last decade. The New York Times calls her "A serious jazz artist who takes the whole enterprise to another level." And, JazzTimes says, "Houston Person does little things with each tune that reveal thought and planning, but the routines are fitting, not cute... And he is just as honest in his playing, which is free from phony effects and is never meretricious."
Wed-Sun August 27-31: David Murray Quartet Impulse! Records Album Release
David Murray - tenor saxophone
Marta Sánchez - piano
Luke Stewart - bass
Russell Carter - drums
Tenor saxophonist David Murray makes a highly anticipated and exciting SMOKE Jazz Club debut to celebrate the release of his new album of all new compositions on Impulse! entitled Birdly Serenade (released 04.25.25). At the forefront of jazz for close to 50 years, Murray is joined by his newest quartet-one of the jazz world's revelations of 2024-as he has re-emerged as a leading voice of the current state of the art. The group includes pianist Marta Sánchez, bassist Luke Stewart, and drummer Russell Carter. Murray has always pushed the music forward while honoring all that has come before it.
The New York Times calls him "the master saxophonist who has reconciled the whole history of jazz tenor, from swing to free, during a wildly prolific career." The Guardian adds, "His Sonny Rollins-like power, tone and unpredictability and the casualness over group participation that can make him seem (like Rollins) a prodigiously gifted enigma who's at his freest on his own."
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