La Jolla Music Society’s Jazz @ The JAI program returns in January with the local debuts of exciting young artists at The Conrad in La Jolla, one of the best jazz venues in town.
On January 14, jazz phenom Sean Mason brings his quartet to the intimate space of The JAI, where table service includes craft cocktails and a menu of small bites for a delightful cabaret atmosphere great for date nights or groups of friends. A jazz pianist and composer based in New York City, Mason is emerging as one of the premier talents of his generation. He has performed and toured with legends including Branford Marsalis, Wynton Marsalis and Herlin Riley, among many others, and was featured on Branford Marsalis’ film score to the acclaimed Netflix production of August Wilson’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. This will be his San Diego debut.
Also making their first appearances in San Diego are Tatiana Eva-Marie and Avalon Jazz Band, on January 19. Brooklyn-based singer and bandleader Tatiana Eva-Marie was born and raised in Europe in a professional musical family. The daughter of a Swiss-French composer and a Romanian classical violinist, she grew up equally fascinated by her father’s New Orleans jazz records and her mother’s heritage of Klezmer and Romany folk music. Now you can hear her and her talented band up close in The JAI.
Closing out the month, January 28 marks the triumphant return of Lakecia Benjamin, who made a splash last year on the Monterey Jazz Festival tour. The tremendous young jazz saxophone player, who has toured with Missy Elliot and Alicia Keys, returns with her own band to play selections from her new album, Phoenix, that also featured cameos by some of Benjamin’s heroes including Wayne Shorter, Angela Davis, Dianne Reeves and Patrice Rushen.
Tickets make great last-minute holiday gifts! For more information and tickets: http://www.TheConrad.org
