Join us for a live taping and listening-room concert for the Eleonora Kouneni Sextet! Eleonora Kouneni - Vocals Carter Arrington - Guitar Ryan Davis - Piano Alexander Roddy - Saxophone Sam Pankey - Double Bass Aaron Easley - Drums Originally from Greece, Eleonora Kouneni is a London-based jazz vocalist and songwriter known for her contemporary and emotive jazz vocal style, and unique original compositions. She launched her musical career in Athens in her late teens, opening for legendary Greek vocalists Maria Farantouri and Savina Yannatou at the 16th Greek Anti-Racism Festival, and for Matoula Zamani and Pantelis Thalassinos at the Greek Media Broadcasters stadium concert in 2012. Since relocating to London, she's been establishing herself in the London jazz scene, performing at various London bars and venues, including the Green Note and Vortex Jazz Club, as well as at Pangea in New York City. In 2022 she released her first two singles, “Stay” and “Effortlessly”, which were commended in the UK songwriting competition and reached worldwide audiences. In 2023 she released her debut EP “If You Just…”, and is now working on her next EP of original arrangements of jazz standards. Eleonora is delighted to be making her debut at Monk's Jazz Club alongside some of Austin's finest musicians. 

Join us for a live taping and listening-room concert for Austin Live Music Fund Presents: Gil Del Bosque Quartet! Gil Del Bosque - Saxophone/Electric Wind Synth Dan Redner - Piano James Suter - Bass Aaron Parks - Drums Gil Del Bosque is originally from Brownsville, Texas. He picked up the saxophone in beginner band at the age of 12 and after high school, relocated in 1996 to study classical saxophone with Don Lefevre at West Texas A&M . Gil then continued studying at the University of North Texas, where he studied classical and jazz saxophone with Andrew Dahlke, Jim Riggs, Tom Luer and Mario Cruz. After graduating from UNT, he began working for Carnival Cruise ships out of Miami, Long Beach, and Puerto Rico. Also worked Cunard cruise ships out of Southampton, England on the Queen Elizabeth. While working on ships, Gil honed his reading skills on all woodwinds by backing up a different act every night with little to no rehearsal. After being at sea for five years, Gil returned to school and pursued graduate studies at the University of Texas at Austin, with a Masters in Jazz Performance. While in Austin, he shared the stage with Chris Potter, Herbie Hancock drummer, Mike Clarke, famed country singer, Lyle Lovett, Latin salsa singer, Olga Tanon, Boyz II Men, Debbie Boone, Aaron Neville and Huey Lewis and the News. While in Austin, he also had the opportunity to study with John Mills, Harvey Pittel, Bob Shepard, and Joel Frahm. Gil currently resides in Austin, Texas, and has a full schedule divided between a studio of over forty private lesson students on clarinet and saxophone, and a busy performing schedule. He performs with his own jazz quartet as a featured performer at Austin venues, such as The Elephant Room, Parker’s Jazz Club, and Monk’s Jazz. Additionally, he also performs currently with the Austin Jazz Workshop and is the Youth Jam Director with the AJW. Gil has been featured as a sideman on trumpeter Adrian Ruiz’ debut album, “Premiere: A Collection of Originals” as well as with Pete Rodriguez, Rudy Royston and Ricky Rodriguez on the 2017 release, “The Wink of a Coward.” Gil released a collection of originals with his quartet in 2017 titled, “Here With You” which featured late mentor, guitarist, composer, and educator, Armando Nunez Portillo on guitar. Available on all streaming platforms. 

Join us for a live taping and listening-room concert for Nori! Akina Adderley - vocals Erik Telford - trumpet Nick Litterski - keys Aaron Allen - upright bass Andy Beaudoin - drums Nori is an eclectic modern jazz band featuring Akina Adderley on vocals, Erik Telford on trumpet, Nick Litterski on keys, Aaron Allen on upright bass, and Andy Beaudoin on drums. Festival Peak describes Nori as “a five-person gift from Austin, TX.” Enriching an aesthetic deeply rooted in American jazz and folk music, the ensemble playfully weaves together a myriad of global influences giving rise to a seamless synthesis of sound. These musical explorations expertly balance the narrative of the song with wide-open improvisations, echoing the transcendent tones of Nina Simone, Bill Frisell, John Coltrane, and Joni Mitchell. The band’s debut album ‘World Anew’ received much critical acclaim after its release in 2016. Their 2018 follow-up ‘Bruise Blood’ highlighted visceral themes of social divisions in 21st century America. Nori released a self-titled album, exclusively on vinyl, on December 3, 2021. The record documents the band's diverse catalogue and will include two new tracks – "The Garden (2021 version with strings)" and a cover of Nina Simone's "Four Women.” 

Join us for a live taping and listening-room concert for the Ermelinda Cuellar Sextet! Ermelinda Cuellar - Vocals Horace Alexander Young - Saxophone Greg Petito - Guitar Darrell Lavigne - Piano Anthony Caceres - Bass Jerre Jackson - Drums Jazz- and Latin music-vocalist Ermelinda Cuellar is known to Houston audiences for her beautiful vocal quality and sophisticated rhythmic feel. Cuellar has been recognized by music critics for her precise intonation, inventive improvisations, and passionate story-telling in both English and Spanish. Her material ranges from classic jazz standards, bossa nova favorites, Mexican/Latin/South American songs and originals. She is trilled in making here debut at Monk's Jazz Club and is bringing some of Houston"s finest musicians/friends to join her on stage this evening. 

Join us for a live taping and listening-room concert for the Jeremy Langthorn Quartet! Jeremy Langthorn - Saxophone Tommy Howard - Guitar James Suter - Bass Mike Gordon - Drums Jeremy Langthorn is a Texas-based saxophonist, composer, and educator who spent his formative years growing up in Temple, Texas before attending The University of North Texas, where he earned is B.M. in Jazz Studies. Mentors he studied or worked closely with include Brad Leali, Jose Aponte, Carlos Averhoff, Brian Horton, Lynn Seaton, Pat Coil, Rodney Booth, and Dr. John Murphy. After spending many years freelancing in the Dallas-Fort Worth music scene, Jeremy has since returned to working on cruise ships for British-based Cunard Line, having served as both a sideman in the theater orchestra and as bandleader for the Queens Room orchestra. Having traveled across the world with Cunard, Jeremy has backed a wide variety of acts from the UK and beyond, including Peter Howarth (The Hollies), saxophonist Yolanda Brown, singer/trumpet player Georgina Jackson, singer Lance Ellington from BBC’s “Strictly Come Dancing”, and recent Britain’s Got Talent winner Jon Courtenay. 

Join us for a live taping and listening-room concert for the Yayennings Quartet! Yayennings - Trumpet Chris McQueen - Guitar Daniel Foose - Bass Adam Jackson - Drums Yayennings is a 4X Grammy winning artist. He began playing trumpet in the small town of Grapevine, Texas at age 11 and became a professionally presentable trumpet player by age 15. Known for his work with jazz supergroup Snarky Puppy, Yayennings lives in Los Angeles, CA and teaches at Occidental College as an adjunct trumpet professor and ensemble leader. Yayennings has had a fruitful career backing up some of the world’s finest artists such as Aretha Franklin, Michael McDonald, David Crosby, David Bowie, Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, The Four Tops, and many more. Upon his move from NYC to Los Angeles in February of 2017, Jennings began composing for his own band, The Yayennings Quartet. He has two studio albums under his own name, Yayennings, and you can find both of them on all digital streaming platforms. His latest album "Yayennings Vol. 2" is available for purchase on a 12 inch vinyl record. Yayennings is a GroundUp Music Artist and plays Yamaha trumpets and Denis Wick mouthpieces and mutes. 

Join us for a live taping and listening-room concert for the Austin Django Project! Jamey Cummins - Guitar Jake Harrell - Guitar Alen Cileli - Violin Phil Spencer -Bass Lead by Jamey Cummins, The Austin Django Project is a collective of Austin-based guitarists and string players. Honoring one of the greatest to ever do it, the collective brings to life the inspired work of the father of Gypsy Jazz, Django Reinhardt. 

Join us for a live taping and listening-room concert for Diego Rivera: The Latin Tinge! Mike Sailors - Trumpet Juan San Miguel - Alto Sax Diego Rivera - Tenor Sax Paul Deemer - Trombone Aidan Brown - Bari Sax Ross Margitza - Piano Liam O'Dell - Bass Daniel Dufour - Drums Diego Rivera is a world-class musician, composer, arranger, and educator who has entertained audiences for over twenty years. Known for his muscular tone and unique blend of straight-ahead jazz and music inspired by his Latino background and heritage, he is currently the Director of Jazz Studies at the Butler School of Music, University of Texas at Austin. Rivera is a Vandoren Performing Artist. Rivera was born in Ann Arbor, MI, and raised ‘just up the road’ in East Lansing, MI. Born into a Mexican-American family, his Chicano heritage has shaped his musical voice and creative endeavors. His parents named him after the famed muralist Diego Rivera. At a young age, a trip to the Detroit Institute of Arts inspired him to make his mark with the Saxophone rather than the brush. Rivera has released eight critically acclaimed albums as a leader and has several other credits to his name as a recording artist, composer, and arranger. Several of his recordings have placed in the top 10 on the JazzWeek Radio charts, which tracks national radio plays for all current jazz recordings. In 2024 Rivera was commissioned by Chamber Music to compose and premiere a new work through their New Jazz Works program. Rivera subsequently composed and released Ofrenda on Positione Records. Ofrenda is an original suite illustrating the Mexican tradition of building an altar or ‘ofrenda’ to honor lost loved ones. Rivera has also toured both nationally and internationally with GRAMMY-Award-winning vocalist Kurt Elling, and is a member of the Ulysses Owens Jr. Big Band and the SEIKO Jazz Faculty. He has also performed with The Jazz @ Lincoln Center Orchestra w/ Wynton Marsalis, Ellis Marsalis, Christian McBride, Wycliffe Gordon, PRISM Saxophone Quartet, the Gerald Wilson Big Band, and the Lincoln Center Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra. Rivera is a Posi-Tone recording artist and a Vandoren Performing Artist. 

Join us for a live taping and listening-room concert for the Jerome Gillespie Quartet! David Caceras - Alto Saxophone Phillip Jones II - Piano Chad Wesselkamper - Bass Jerome Gillespie II - Drums Jerome Gillespie Jr. grew up as a musically inclined child going to church in Houston, where his god-mother, Theola Booker, a well-known educator and gospel composer was the minister of music. He attended Johnston Middle School (now Meyerland Middle School) and Houston’s High School for the Performing and Visual Arts (HSPVA). Gillespie moved to NYC in 2016 to pursue a bachelors degree and a career performing jazz music, spending his first 2 years of undergrad at The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music, and completed his degree at 2 at Manhattan School of Music. Music is the vehicle by which he expresses himself; Jerome has always been fascinated with instruments and the way in which performing can touch and move people. He combines various unique and experimental elements from across genres as well as his own ideas resulting in Jazz-centered fusions that are still firmly stitched together by emotive undertones. Gillespie has worked with legends such as Reggie Workman, Frank Lacy, Bobby Watson, Valery Ponomarev, Mark Gross, and Antonio Hart and he cites them as the pivotal influences in his music. 

Join us for a live taping and listening-room concert for the David Chao Quartet feat. Pete Rodriguez! David Chao - Piano Pete Rodriguez - Trumpet Daniel Sanchez - Drums Ben Triesch - Bass Luke Allen - Guest Vocals Jennie Chao - Guest Vocals If a song is a “jazz standard”, that just means that all of us jazz musicians have heard it. Perhaps dozens of times. But just because we’ve all heard it, doesn't mean we’ve all heard the same thing. In this show, Austin pianist and composer David Chao presents a selection of jazz standards, as arranged by jazz greats, that really shined a bright light for him on how profound and universal these songs truly are.