A string of August milestone celebrations continues this week with the Park Street Tavern Jazz Jam 13th Anniversary Party on Tuesday, August 15th at 8:30pm. Saxophonist and host Pete Mills, a cast of Columbus’ finest musicians, and the Tavern’s dedicated ownership and staff are starting another year of providing great impromptu live jazz and a place for musicians to meet and play with each other, which is indeed a reason to party! For this week’s installment, the house band of Mills, keyboardist Erik Augis, bassist John Allen, and drummer Zach Compston will be joined by special guests on the bandstand, there will be complimentary food, drink specials, and no cover. Come see the jam kickoff its teenage years in style, and bring your horn!
Shows To See This Week
Saturday, August 12th (7 – 10pm): Byron Stripling and Micah Thomas at Java Central, Westerville. Columbus Jazz Orchestra Artistic Director Stripling has a big weekend planned! After the CJO plays the JazZoo finale on Friday at the Columbus Zoo, Stripling will make his third annual concert appearance at his neighborhood coffee house. The esteemed trumpeter and vocalist will be joined by pianist and Westerville South HS grad Micah Thomas. An alum of the Columbus Youth Jazz Orchestra, Thomas is currently pursuing his BM in Jazz Studies at the Juilliard School in New York City, where he is gaining attention by playing at places like Jazz at Lincoln Center, The Jazz Gallery, Cornelia Street Cafe, Smalls Jazz Club, and Jazz at Kitano. See this high-powered pairing entertain in an intimate setting! Donations are requested at the door, and early arrival is recommended. Stripling wraps up his weekend with a special appearance with the Bobby Floyd Trio at Floyd’s weekly Showcase at Notes on Sunday at 6pm – more info on special ticket packages is available here.
Wednesday, August 16th (8 – 11pm): Joe Policastro Trio at Brothers Drake. While Brothers Drake’s Jazz Wednesdays are a great place to see great Columbus-based jazz artists, the series also brings in excellent touring acts from time to time. Cincinnati native Policastro and his Chicago-based trio are celebrating the release of a new album on Friday with a tour – learn more from Policastro about this FREE show:
The JOE POLICASTRO TRIO is a Chicago-based jazz trio led by bassist Joe Policastro featuring guitarist Dave Miller and drummer Mikel Avery. While firmly rooted in jazz, the band’s open-minded, inclusive nature also brings rock, soul, funk, Brazilian, and free jazz to the surface while keeping the aesthetic of an acoustic jazz trio intact. Bands are a rarity in jazz these days, especially ones who hone their craft as consistently as this one does. Their last album, POPS!, was a collection of the trio’s re-workings of “pop” tunes, and a nod to Pops For Champagne, the famed Chicago nightclub where the trio continues its long-running, three-nights-a-week residency. Beyond Chicago, the band has been extensively playing together on the road having completed several tours even performing for President Barack Obama in October of 2016.
The band is currently on a 25+ city tour in support of their new third album, Screen Sounds. It features the singular approach of the trio on a unique assemblage of music from movies and TV. The album features music from films such as Yojimbo, The Godfather, Blade Runner, Midnight Cowboy, and TV shows such as Taxi, The Young and the Restless, and Twin Peaks. Both a musical tapestry and personal soundtrack, the trio has re-purposed these selections blending each member’s unique voice into a unified sound while shedding new light on these musical touchstones.
Thursday, August 17th (9pm – 1am): The Johnson Family Funk Factory at Two Truths, Short North. This up-and-coming Short North hotspot hosts a variety of musical entertainment, including this Thursday night throwdown. Turntablist DJ Abyss and bassist Ben Johnson (Insane Jazz Posse) will collaborate for an evening of completely improvised live jazz and hip-hop. There may also be a guest horn player to add to the proceedings. They say to “Think J-Dilla meets John Coltrane,” so this should be a lively blending of styles!
Have a great week! Get a taste of some of these featured artists: