The Monterey Jazz Festival has been a nexus for great jazz performances for over 50 years. This tour brings that Monterey magic to Napa, featuring a stunning combination of current jazz greats: Kenny Barron, “one of the top jazz pianists in the world,” according to The LA Times, violinist Regina Carter, who Time Magazine says “takes the listener into the future of jazz,” seven-time Grammy nominee Kurt Elling, whom The San Francisco Chronicle calls “the most flamboyantly creative jazz singer to emerge in the last decade;” and Russell Malone with what All About Jazz calls his “unique guitar voice.” You don’t have to go to Monterey to hear the best in jazz – we’re bringing it to Napa!

 

Elegant playing, sensitive melodies and infectious rhythms inspired The Los Angeles Times to name KENNY BARRON “one of the top jazz pianists in the world” and Jazz Weekly to call him “the most lyrical piano player of our time.” Early in his career, Barron played with Dizzy Gillespie, James Hubbard, Stanley Turrentine, Milt Jackson, and Buddy Rich. He now tours and records solo, with his Trio, and with his Brazilian jazz ensemble, Canta Brasil.
A 2010 National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master (read more)

 

Violinist REGINA CARTER “creates music that is wonderfully listenable, probingly intelligent and, at times, breathtakingly daring – taking the listener into the future of jazz” wrote Time Magazine. She has performed with symphony orchestras across the country, recorded with such artists as Aretha Franklin and Mary J. Blige, and won acclaim for her solos on Wynton Marsalis’ Blood on the Fields tour and Cassandra Wilson’s Travelin’ Miles concert at Lincoln Center.

With seven Grammy® nominations and six consecutive years at the top of the Down Beat Critics’ and Jazz Times Readers’ polls, KURT ELLING has attained elite status in the jazz world before reaching the age of 40. His rich baritone voice spans four octaves and displays an astonishing technical facility and emotional depth, inspiring the San Francisco Chronicle to call him “the most flamboyantly creative jazz singer to emerge in the last decade.”
A 2010 Grammy Award winner (read more)

 

Guitarist RUSSELL MALONE has toured internationally with Diana Krall, receiving critical acclaim in his role as Diana's right hand both in concert and on her recordings. Russell was a featured performer in Robert Altman's film Kansas City, and has toured or recorded with Harry Connick, Jr., Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson, Bucky Pizzarelli, Branford Marsalis, Clarence Carter, Mulgrew Miller, Kenny Barron, Roy Hargrove, Cyrus Chestnut and Patti Austin.

 

 

In association with the Napa Valley Jazz Society