
Monks Livestream's Upcoming Shows
Mon, Aug 31
Join us for a live taping and listening-room concert for the Mike Sailors Big Band!
Saxophones:
Seth Carper, Matt Chavez, Joel Frahm, Eric Hargett, and Ripley Swingle
Trumpets:
Matt Collins, Isaac Pittinger, Mike Sailors, and Jonah Springs
Trombones:
Judah Guerra, Kevin Hrabak, Jacob Martinez, and Demetrius Thornton
Rhythm Section:
Aidan Berg, Jakob Hartz, and Mati Soto
Mike Sailors has performed around the world in venues such as the Blue Note (New York, Tokyo, and Sapporo locations), Ronnie Scott’s, Porgy and Bess, Dizzy’s Club Coca Cola, The Jazz Standard, Smalls Jazz Club, Carnegie Hall, and Lincoln Center; and has appeared at the Montreal, Detroit, EFG London, and Tokyo Blue Note Jazz Festivals. He has also been an active musician in Broadway orchestras, most notably as the Music Director of Sleep No More. In addition to leading the Mike Sailors Nonet, once dubbed "an all-star outfit" by the New York Times, he has performed as a sideman with the Birdland Big Band, the Hot Sardines, the Gerald Wilson Orchestra, and The Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra.
An active composer and arranger, Mike has written for such luminaries as Dewey Redman, Dick Oatts, Sean Jones, Jimmy Cobb, and Peter Bernstein. He has composed and recorded music for numerous commercial campaigns, as well as for TV and Film – most recently for the Netflix original series, Cannon Busters. Sailors is also a performing artist/educator with Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Let Freedom Swing educational program, is a copyist and editor for the Essentially Ellington jazz program, and currently serves as the Professor of Jazz Trumpet at University of Texas at Austin.
This programming is supported in part by The Live Music Society.
Tue, Sep 01
Join us for a live taping and listening-room concert for the David Chao Quartet!
David Chao – Piano
Eric Hargett – Saxophone
Daniel Sanchez – Drums
TBA – Bass
David is a composer and jazz pianist based in Austin, Texas. Tonight's performance debuts compositions that highlight each of the members of the band in turn - for the audience in this moment and in this room. These shows are part of a series David is presenting throughout 2026, culminating in an EP release featuring the most compelling pieces in 2027.
Wed, Sep 02
Join us for a live taping and listening-room concert for First Light Trio | Send off for Sam! Celebrate Austin's favorite Capricorn and Comedian (we hear top-call bassist is somewhere on the resume as well), Samuel Tate Pankey, as he prepares to head west for a little town called Los Angeles.
Chris McQueen – Guitar
Sam Pankey – Bass
Kyle Thompson – Drums
Originally started as a one-off gig at First Light Books in Hyde Park, the First Light Trio is compromised of guitarist Chris McQueen (Snarky Puppy, Forq), bassist Sam Pankey (Heartless Bastards, Balmorhea), and drummer Kyle Thompson (Bob Schneider, Suzanna Choffel). The trio focuses on weaving a through line between Indie Rock, Jazz, and groove music.
Thu, Sep 03
Join us for a live taping and listening-room concert for Jessica Healey | Back Again!
Chase Baird – Sax, piano, EWI
Gerry Gibbs – Drums
Tommy Howard – Guitar
James Suter – Bass
Join us for a live taping and listening-room concert with Jess Healey, performing a set of original songs completely rearranged for a live jazz band. Jess is a singer-songwriter writing at the crossroads of folk and jazz, with a pop writer’s sensibility for a hook. She is a 2024 SXSW showcase artist, 2025 Austin Live Music Grant Winner, and a 2026 Sonic Guild Showcase Artist. Her music—which you can find on all streaming platforms—draws comparisons to Joni Mitchell, Becca Stevens, and Madison Cunningham.
Fri, Sep 04
Join us for a live taping and listening-room concert for the Elias Haslanger Quintet!
Elias Haslanger – Saxophones
Tito Carrillo – Trumpet
Ross Margitza – Piano
Ryan Hagler – Double Bass
Josh Berry – Drums
Over the span of his 30-year music career, native Texan and Austin resident Elias Haslanger has carved a unique and distinguished place in jazz history as a saxophonist, composer, and band leader, whose playing and writing has drawn comparisons to John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, Ben Webster, and Wayne Shorter. He has performed, recorded, and toured with many world-class artists including Ellis Marsalis, Maynard Ferguson, Christopher Cross, Charlie Hunter, Asleep at the Wheel, Alejandro Escovedo, Sheryl Crow, Grupo Fantasma, Spoon, The Four Tops, and The Temptations, among many others.
Mentored by the legendary saxophonists Harvey Pittel and Dick Oatts, Elias studied saxophone at the University of Texas and then at the Manhattan School of Music. His interest in writing music culminated in a Master’s Degree in Composition at Texas State University in San Marcos. Elias has performed around the United States and Europe at clubs like Snug Harbor in New Orleans, Jazz Alley in Seattle, The Elephant Room in Austin, and The Blue Note in New York. He has also served as a guest artist/lecturer at universities around the nation.
Elias has 7 recordings as a leader all of which have been played on radio stations across the world. His 2014 recording LIVE at the Gallery, received 4.5 stars in Downbeat magazine and was listed as one of the best recordings of the year.
"Haslanger's freewheeling licks roar with virtuosity and infectious joie de vivre."
-Michael Jackson, DownBeat





