Sunset Jazz in January

Friday, January 5th
Yacine Boulares Quartet 
Yacine Boulares is a French-Tunisian saxophonist, clarinetist, and composer based in New York. After studying at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris, he soon understood the necessity to get to the roots of jazz, and in 2009 he was granted a Fulbright Scholarship to study at the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music. In New York, Yacine got to learn from Chris Cheek, Donny McCaslin, Reggie Workman, and with countless other musicians. But New York also exposed him to a myriad of different music. Soon he was part of ex Fela Kuti drummer Jojo Kuo's Afrobeat Collective, late Cameroonian singer Martino Atangana's African Blue Note, and Tabou Combo. Through his music, he connects to his North African roots.

Saturday, January 6th
Tyler Blanton Trio
Vibraphonist and composer Tyler Blanton is becoming recognized as a rising star in the New York City jazz scene. Over the past five years, his work has received reviews by numerous major publications, including Downbeat, Jazztimes, 
Village Voice, and The New York Times. A native of California, Blanton has performed and conducted workshops throughout the U.S. and Asia. His 2010 debut album, Botanic, was chosen as a top album of the year by both Hot House Magazine and Village Voice's critic polls.

Sunday, January 7th
Eva Balazs 
Eva is a fantastic jazz pianist and has developed her own fan club of regulars on Sundays at Top of The Standard. 

Tuesday, January 9th
Carolina Calvache Trio
Pianist Carolina Calvache is the first Colombian to be part of the roster of recording musicians from the prestigious New York music label, Sunny Side Records. She was selected for the 2011 Mary Lou Williams Woman in Jazz Festival for outstanding artists and released her debut album, Sotareño, in 2014. Legendary pianist Toshiko Akiyoshi described her music as “extraordinary and marvelous”. 

Wednesday, January 10th
Jon Davis Trio 
Pianist and composer Jon Davis has been performing and touring with many of the finest jazz musicians around the world for more than 25 years, and has appeared on over 50 recordings. Although perhaps still most widely known for his association with the legendary bassist Jaco Pastorius, Davis has shown a rare versatility with work that ranges from solo to big band. He has performed with such artists as the John Handy Quartet, Johnny Coles, Buddy Montgomery, as well as jazz legends Joe Henderson, Milt Jackson, and Stan Getz.

Thursday, January 11th
Antoine Drye Quartet
Born in Washington, D.C., Antoine Drye began playing trumpet at the age of eight. Marching bands and wind ensembles accounted for much of his early playing until 1988, when he was accepted into the trumpet studio of Raymond Mase at the North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston Salem, NC. He lived in New Orleans and Paris before moving to New York. Known as “The Beast on the Brass,” he has worked with the likes of Delfeayo, Ellis, and Jason Marsalis, Wycliffe Gordon, Wilson Pickett, Paul Simon, Daniel Lanois, The Brand New Heavies, and many others.

Sunday, January 14th
Eva Balazs 

George Burton's "The Truth of What I Am"

Tuesday, January 16th
The Smoke Rings
The Smoke Rings evoke the elegance and charm of the Swing Era. Anchored by the unique vocals of Sarah King, the group specializes in songs from The Great American Song Book. Since its inception in 2010, The Smoke Rings have played to huge crowds at festivals and in more intimate settings in New York City and across the country. For the past six years the band has been performing weekly at Top of The Standard. 

Thursday, January 18th
Nanny Assis Brazilian Trio
Anybody who sees Nanny Assis performing immediately feels that music for him is more than just a career. He can snatch audiences away by translating rhythms and notes into pure essence, while other times energizing them enough so they can stand up and dance. His ability to make any kind of music sound smooth makes Nanny a notable and gifted artist. 

Friday, January 19th
George Burton Trio 
A New York local for over ten years, George’s music is a staple in the scene. The George Burton Quintet fuses traditional hard bop, avant-garde, post bop, and R&B, among other genres. He has the ability to shake hands with the past while firing towards the future. This group swings hard, but is also inventive in that it allows each musician to tell his or her own story.

Sunday, January 21st
Eva Balazs 

AC Lincoln's "The International"

Monday, January 22nd
Aria & The Soul of Peru
Aria Nadège is an independent recording artist from Greenwich Village, New York. Her gorgeous, velvet voice and warm tone has graced many stages in Los Angeles and New York including The House of Blues, The Xen Lounge, and The Bowery Electric. Her band, Aria & The Soul of Peru, are working on their debut EP Vintage Vacation.

Tuesday, January 23rd
The Smoke Rings

Wednesday, January 24th
Sweet Megg & The Wayfarers
Sweet Megg & The Wayfarers seamlessly incorporate elements of Dixieland, Harlem swing, Parisian cabaret, and gut bucket blues into one charming musical performance. Saxophonist Ryan Weisheit reimagines a world where Sidney Bechet, Lester Young, and Charlie Parker blow side-by-side. Together Sweet Megg, Ryan, and all the Wayfarers create a world where jazz is alive and well and living in New York.

Thursday, January 25th
Clark Gayton Group
Originally hailing from Seattle and now a resident of New York City, Clark graduated from the Berklee School of Music in 1984 and has since blown his horn with many great artists including Sting, Whitney Houston, Rihanna, Prince, Stevie Wonder, and Wyclef Jean. His own band, Explorations in Dub, regularly performs a hybrid of jazz, reggae, trip-hop, and techno. Clark Gayton plays trombone on Bruce Springsteen's Wrecking Ball Tour and has also joined him on tour with the Seeger Sessions Band. 

Friday, January 26th
James Weidman's Aperturistic Trio 
James Weidman is one of the most versatile pianists in the world of music. He has performed with the likes of Abbey Lincoln and Joe Lovano, and plays classical and atonal music. With a player as talented as Weidman, it's no wonder the press used terms such as "unfailingly lyrical," "convivially assertive," and "exquisite" to describe him.

Saturday, January 27th
AC Lincoln

Monday, January 29th
Lapis Luna
Lapis Luna brings you the captivating music of 1930s, '40s, and '50s jazz with a classic, glittering sound. This elite group plays standards, enchanting ballads, obscure swing era gems, and vintage melodies the way they were meant to be heard: vibrant, fun, romantic, and cool.

Tuesday , January 30th
Sweet Megg & The Wayfarers

Wednesday, January 31st
Stacia Hobdy
Stacia is a multifaceted vocalist and songwriter, incorporating jazz, R&B, blues, progressive, inspirational, and gospel into her music. She leads her own jazz trio, funk quartet, and cabaret revue, and hosts open mics in the Tri-State New York area with her band.  

Sunset Jazz at Top of The Standard
Monday through Saturday, 4-9pm 
First performance at 6:30pm
The Standard, High Line