Monks Livestream's Upcoming Shows

Join us for a live taping and listening-room concert for The Diego Rivera Octet | Centennials: The Music of Miles, Coltrane, Ray Brown, Melba Liston, Jimmy Heath, and More!

Mike Sailors – Trumpet

Matthew Chavez – Alto Saxophone

Diego Rivera – Tenor Saxophone

Aidan Brown – Bari Saxophone

Judah Guerra – Trombone

Ross Margitza – Piano

Miguel Rodriguez – Bass

Christian Torres – 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 Julie Slim & Rendezvous | Torch Songs International!

Julie Slim – Vocals

Dan Torosian – Saxophone

Shirley Johnson – Accordion

Shawn Ellison – Piano

Chris Jones – Bass

Joe McCreary – Drums

Julie Slim is an Austin-based Lebanese-Palestinian-American world jazz vocalist and actress, who has been in the Austin theater and music scene since 1996, when she was nominated for an I.B. Payne Acting Award for her work in the original children’s show, Deep in the Heart of Texas. In 1999, Julie created a duet Cabaret Act, Cabarageous, with friend and vocalist Donna Lipman, which was featured in the summer Zach Scott Cabaret Series. In 2009, Julie also formed the Arabic band, Layalina in collaboration with Sari Andoni (oud), specializing in classical and folk Arabic music, which was featured in a SXSW World Music showcase in 2010. Julie has been a lead vocalist and clinician for the Austin Jazz Workshop since 2001, spreading the love of jazz to children in elementary schools in and around Austin. She is a member of the Austin Threshold Choir, thresholdchoir.org, an international organization that provides comfort during life transitions through song. Beginning in November 2023, Julie has been a lead vocalist with the Viva Palestina Orchestra, featuring Palestinian music, raising awareness of Palestinian culture. On March 27, 2025, Viva Palestina Orchestra received a music proclamation declaring this day to be Viva Palestina Orchestra Day, during which the VPO performed one of our songs in the City Council Chambers.

Since 2013, Julie and her band, Julie Slim & RendezVous, have been performing in and around Austin, creating community and bridging cultures while uplifting and touching audiences wherever they perform. The band specializes in reviving international jazz and pop standards from the early 20th century as well as featuring original songs composed by Shawn Ellison and Julie Slim. Julie Slim & RendezVous has held residencies at Skylark, Shore ATX, and Parker Jazz Club. Additionally, Julie Slim Duo with Shawn Ellison have a residency at Plate by Dzintra that is ongoing for over 4 years. Julie has self-produced several albums with RendezVous under the name Julie Slim, streaming wherever music lives.

“Singing is musical storytelling that heals while opening the heart to new possibilities.”

Join us for a live taping and listening-room concert for Little Big Band Labor Day Special | Daniel Dufour's Nonet Works for You! Take a load off with Austin’s hardest working drummer. Backed by an ensemble that means big business, Daniel Dufour does the heavy lifting. You’ve seen him hold it down, now we put him on the spot; presenting an American songbird songbook with special guests.

Ross Margitza – Piano

Alexander Claffy – Bass

Daniel Dufour – Drums

Seth Carper – Alto Saxophone

Dan Thomas – Tenor Saxophone

Eric Hargett – Bass

Matthew Collins – Trumpet

Jonah Springs – Trumpet

Andre Hayward – Trombone

Special Guest on Vocals

Native to the greater Houston area, Daniel Dufour is a musician with extensive performance and teaching experience across Texas. While he has planted roots in Austin, Texas, his work carries him to national and international appearances alike. Since 2012, Daniel has had the opportunity to share the stage with renown musicians such as Aubrey Logan, Seamus Blake, Andre Hayward, Diego Rivera, Alex Claffy, Joel Frahm, Peter Bernstein, Russell Hall, Pete Rodriguez, Carmen Bradford, Toninho Horta, Adi Meyerson, Benny Benack III, Luther Allison, Scott Robinson, and Randy Brecker.

As a sideman, Daniel has contributed on many recordings over his career and continues to be a top call for session work. Notable albums include Pete Rodriguez’s Caminando Con Papi (2013), Elias Haslanger Meets Mike Sailors (2024), and Aubrey Logan and Her Bigger Than Average Band (2024). Daniel has also performed on multiple television broadcasts for PBS, such as the "South Texas Jazz Project" and "Jazz Tonight." Daniel is a bandleader and composer in his own right, and has released 4 albums under his name that are available for streaming worldwide.

Daniel’s credits include many festival appearances as well, such as the Elkhart Jazz Festival, the Corpus Christi Jazz Festival, Jazz'S Alive Festival (San Antonio), the SHSU Bill Watrous Jazz Festival, Utopiafest, the Five Points Jazz Festival (Denver), LuluFest, the Syracuse Jazz Festival, and the Festival De Arte Nuevo (Chihuahua, Mexico). While Daniel stays busy performing in Texas, he continues to travel to play in major cities such as Los Angeles, New York City, and beyond.

He is currently the Lecturer of drum set at the University of Texas at Austin, where he teaches applied lessons and studio class. Daniel also instructs privately and has worked as a clinician and adjudicator for higher education throughout the country since 2015. He is an artist for Vic Firth Drumsticks, Remo Drumheads, and Zildjian Cymbals.

Join us for a live taping and listening-room concert for the Austin Django Project!

Jake Harrell – Guitar

Will Dickerson – Guitar

Alen Cileli – Violin

Ben Saffer – Clarinet

Josh Hoag – 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 AJS Presents: Chris Maresh Quartet

Chris Maresh – Bass

Mitch Watkins – Guitar

Andy Langham – Piano

Mike Gordon – Drums

Virtuoso bassist and composer Chris Maresh was born in Beaumont, Texas and raised in San Antonio, TX. He began his professional music career in Austin, TX in 1984. In 1990, Chris received a BM in Applied Double Bass Performance with an Emphasis in Jazz from the University of Texas at Austin. His lyrical, soulful and tasteful playing has established him as one of the most in-demand studio and live performance musicians in Austin.

Chris has performed and recorded with numerous jazz and blues artists, singer-songwriters and musical organizations including Eric Johnson, Mike Stern, Mitch Watkins, Ellis Marsalis, Johnny Nicholas, Pinetop Perkins, Marcia Ball, Amanda Rose Shires, Monte Montgomery and The Austin Symphony. In 2002, 2005 and 2006 Chris was named “Bass Player of the Year” at the Austin Chronicle Music Awards at the SXSW Music Festival.

Chris has performed on more than 200 albums. A major career breakthrough was his 10-year association with guitar legend Eric Johnson and his side project, Alien Love Child, where Chris’s composition “Rain” was nominated for Best Pop Instrumental Performance at the 44th Grammy® Awards in 2002. Another highlight was Chris’s appearance on Eric Johnson and jazz guitarist Mike Stern’s lauded 2014 album, Eclectic. In addition, Chris has released two solo albums of his unique original compositions, Tomorrow and Side Street.

Chris appeared on Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Festival DVD and Eric Johnson’s Live at the Grove DVD. He also played on many movie soundtracks including Spy Kids 2, Once Upon a Time in Mexico, Michael, Happy Texas and Sliding Doors. Chris was also interviewed in 2011 in a promotional video as part of the 60th Anniversary of the Fender Precision Bass.