Events

This events calendar includes Earl’s upcoming performances, compositional debuts, recordings and educational activities. On mobile devices this calendar is best viewed horizontally.

Event Information

• Mon

  02

  Jan

  2023

  Hartford Jazz Orchestra

  7:30 - 9:30PM

  Elicit Brewing Co.
  165 Adams St., Manchester, CT 06042
  ph: 860-791-8440

  

• Mon

  09

  Jan

  2023

  Hartford Jazz Orchestra

  7:30 - 9:30PM

  Elicit Brewing Co.
  165 Adams St., Manchester, CT 06042
  ph: 860-791-8440

  

• Sun

  15

  Jan

  2023

  Jazz Mass - Earl MacDonald & Friends

  10:00 AM

  Christ Church Cathedral, 45 Church Street, Hartford, CT

  Earl MacDonald – piano
  Nathan Edwards – tenor & soprano saxophones
  Steven Bulmer – string bass
  Sarah Dimiceli – drums

  The Second Sunday After Epiphany
  The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Observance & Jazz Mass Offering

• Mon

  16

  Jan

  2023

  Hartford Jazz Orchestra

  7:30 - 9:30PM

  Elicit Brewing Co.
  165 Adams St., Manchester, CT 06042
  ph: 860-791-8440

  

• Sun

  22

  Jan

  2023

  Earl MacDonald & the UConn Jazz Faculty All-Stars

  3:00 PM

  
  CHANGE IN LOCATION: Due to the temporary closure of the Downtown Library, the Baby Grand Jazz series will be held at Center Church (60 Gold Street).

  Seating will be first come, first seated, starting at 2 p.m. No registration is required. Concerts will continue to be streamed on Hartford Public Library's Facebook Page and YouTube channel.

   

  Parking: Street parking is available and free on weekends. Parking in the Hartford Parking Authority lot behind the Downtown Library is still available, a short walk away from Center Church. Find more information on directions to Center Church here.

   

  Accessibility: The Center Church Meeting House is accessible to all. A wheelchair lift is located on the south side of the portico of the Meeting House (accessed via a ramp in the Memorial Garden - we recommend calling the performance coordinator, Jana, at 860-881-5646, when you arrive). Find more information about accessibility at Center Church here.
  

  ---

  Earl MacDonald – piano, John Mastroianni – alto sax, Sean Nelson – trombone, Chris Morrison – guitar, Steven Bulmer – string bass, Jonathan Barber – drum set

  The stellar roster of musician-educators from the state’s flagship land-grant research university share a like-minded, post-bop aesthetic. Each player has a distinctive, contemporary improvisational voice and a wealth of international playing experience. This is no derivative jazz sextet. Expect “smart, economical writing and fabulous blowing.” (Marc Myers, JazzWax)

• Mon

  23

  Jan

  2023

  Hartford Jazz Orchestra

  7:30 - 9:30PM

  Elicit Brewing Co.
  165 Adams St., Manchester, CT 06042
  ph: 860-791-8440

  

• Mon

  30

  Jan

  2023

  Hartford Jazz Orchestra

  7:30 - 9:30PM

  Elicit Brewing Co.
  165 Adams St., Manchester, CT 06042
  ph: 860-791-8440

  Featured guest artist: trombonist Steve Davis

  “Steve is one of the greatest Trombone Players in the world”
  – FREDDIE HUBBARD
  

• Mon

  06

  Feb

  2023

  Hartford Jazz Orchestra

  7:30 - 9:30PM

  Elicit Brewing Co.
  165 Adams St., Manchester, CT 06042
  ph: 860-791-8440

  

• Fri

  10

  Feb

  2023

  UConn High School Jazz Festival

  9 AM - 6 PM

  von der Mehden Recital Hall, 875 Coventry Rd, Storrs, CT
  [directions and parking]

  

  The annual UConn Jazz Festival is a non-competitive and educationally-rewarding experience that provides a forum for mutual support of each ensemble’s efforts while enhancing skills in the jazz idiom. Highlights of the festival include:

  • a twenty-minute performance time for each ensemble,
  • a twenty-minute personalized clinic by a UConn Jazz faculty member,
  • beginning, intermediate, and advanced level improvisation master classes, and
  • a mini-concert by the UConn Jazz Ensemble and UConn Jazz faculty.
• Mon

  13

  Feb

  2023

  Hartford Jazz Orchestra

  7:30 - 9:30PM

  Elicit Brewing Co.
  165 Adams St., Manchester, CT 06042
  ph: 860-791-8440

  Hearts & Flowers with Dianne Mower. 

• Mon

  20

  Feb

  2023

  Hartford Jazz Orchestra

  7:30 - 9:30PM

  Elicit Brewing Co.
  165 Adams St., Manchester, CT 06042
  ph: 860-791-8440

  

• Mon

  20

  Feb

  2023

  Hartford Jazz Orchestra

  7:30 - 9:30PM

  Elicit Brewing Co.
  165 Adams St., Manchester, CT 06042
  ph: 860-791-8440

  

• Mon

  27

  Feb

  2023

  Hartford Jazz Orchestra

  7:30 - 9:30PM

  

  Elicit Brewing Co.
  165 Adams St., Manchester, CT 06042
  ph: 860-791-8440

  — CANCELED due to a winter storm advisory. —

• Thu

  02

  Mar

  2023

  Earl MacDonald Trio @ RD86 Space

  6 - 9PM

  

  RD86 Space, 86 Golden Street, New London, CT
  rd86space.com  (No Cover!)

  Earl MacDonald – piano
  Steven Bulmer – string bass
  Tom Devino – drum set

• Mon

  06

  Mar

  2023

  Hartford Jazz Orchestra

  7:30 - 9:30PM

  

  Elicit Brewing Co.
  165 Adams St., Manchester, CT 06042
  ph: 860-791-8440

• Mon

  13

  Mar

  2023

  Hartford Jazz Orchestra

  7:30 - 9:30PM

  

  Elicit Brewing Co.
  165 Adams St., Manchester, CT 06042
  ph: 860-791-8440

  Pianist Josh Catania will be subbing for Earl.

• Mon

  20

  Mar

  2023

  Hartford Jazz Orchestra

  7:30 - 9:30PM

  

  Elicit Brewing Co.
  165 Adams St., Manchester, CT 06042
  ph: 860-791-8440

  Pianist Andrew Wilcox will be subbing for Earl.

• Mon

  27

  Mar

  2023

  Hartford Jazz Orchestra

  7:30 - 9:30PM

  

  Elicit Brewing Co.
  165 Adams St., Manchester, CT 06042
  ph: 860-791-8440

• Wed

  29

  Mar

  2023

  Earl MacDonald Trio @ the UConn Human Rights Institute Conference

  6 - 9 PM

  the 20th anniversary conference dinner for the UConn Human Rights Institute
  location: Student Union Ballroom, University of Connecticut

  Earl MacDonald – piano, Lou Bocciarelli – string bass, Tom Devino – drums

• Fri

  31

  Mar

  2023

  UConn Jazz @ CMEA All-State Conference

  1:30 p.m.

  Connecticut Convention Center
  100 Columbus Blvd, Hartford, CT

  
  

  Connecticut Music Educators’ Association All-State Conference

• Sat

  01

  Apr

  2023

  the HJO at the 8th Annual Western Mass Mom Prom

  5:30PM

  Tekoa Country Club, 459 Russell Rd, Westfield, MA

  Catch the HJO at the 8th Annual Western Mass Mom Prom. This Roaring 20’s Ladies-Only Prom is being held on Saturday, April 1, 2023. $90 per ticket. https://westernmassmomprom.com/

• Mon

  10

  Apr

  2023

  Hartford Jazz Orchestra

  7:30 - 9:30PM

  

  Elicit Brewing Co.
  165 Adams St., Manchester, CT 06042
  ph: 860-791-8440

• Wed

  12

  Apr

  2023

  College Showcase at Black Eyed Sally's

  7 - 10 PM

  

  Black-Eyed Sally's. 350 Asylum St., Hartford, CT, 860-278-7427.

  At the annual College Showcase event, student groups will perform from four neighboring jazz programs – UConn, Hartt, WCSU and URI.  Each group will perform a 1/2 hour set, followed by an open jam session where they come together in musical collaboration.

• Fri

  14

  Apr

  2023

  Hopkins School Jazz Band Workshop

  10:15AM

  Hopkins School
  986 Forest Rd, New Haven, CT

  Earl will work with the Hopkins School jazz band, directed by Erik Elligers, in preparation for their appearance at the National Jazz Festival.

• Sun

  16

  Apr

  2023

  UConn Jazz Lab Band

  3:00 - 4:30 PM

  

  von der Mehden Recital Hall, Storrs, CT
  General admission is $10. Students, faculty, children and military members with ID are admitted free.

  On the afternoon of April 16, the 17-piece UConn Jazz Lab Band will put on an electrifying show, featuring the world premiere of “Silver Hour,” a new composition by Mark Paine, a student composer and baritone saxophonist. Michael Philip Mossman, Mark Taylor, Rich Shemaria, Rob McConnell, Bob Mintzer and the ensemble’s director, Professor Earl MacDonald are also represented as composers and arrangers. Many members of the ensemble participated in the UConn pep bands that played during the March Madness tournament. To show your support for these aspiring musicians, come to the concert on Sunday, April 16, 2023 at 3:00 PM in the von der Mehden Recital Hall. General admission is $10. Students, faculty, children and military members with ID are admitted free. For those who cannot attend in-person, a live stream of this concert can be accessed at: 
  https://www.kaltura.com/index.php/extwidget/preview/partner_id/2090521/uiconf_id/36463151/entry_id/1_almc4hoz/embed/dynamic

• Mon

  17

  Apr

  2023

  Hartford Jazz Orchestra

  7:30 - 9:30PM

  

  Elicit Brewing Co.
  165 Adams St., Manchester, CT 06042
  ph: 860-791-8440

• Sun

  23

  Apr

  2023

  UConn Jazz Ensemble

  6 PM

  von der Mehden Recital Hall, Storrs, CT
  
  

  General admission is $10.
  Students, faculty, children and military members with ID are admitted free.

  John Mastroianni, director

• Mon

  24

  Apr

  2023

  Hartford Jazz Orchestra

  7:30 - 9:30PM

  Elicit Brewing Co., 165 Adams St., Manchester, CT, ph: 860-791-8440

  Jazz flautist, saxophonist, and composer Erica von Kleist makes her triumphal return to Connecticut, appearing as a featured guest with the Hartford Jazz Orchestra on Monday, April 25th. The West Hartford native and Hall High School alumnus has made her mark on the international jazz scene, performing and recording with Wynton Marsalis, Chris Potter, Sean Jones, Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, DIVA and the Grammy® Award-winning Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra.

• Tue

  25

  Apr

  2023

  Erica von Kleist Masterclass - UCONN

  2:00 - 3:45 PM

  University of Connecticut, Department of Music. Storrs, CT

  

• Thu

  27

  Apr

  2023

  UConn Music "Spectrum Concert"

  8:00 - 9:30 PM

  Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts, Storrs, CT

  schedule:
  6:00 – 7:30 pm: Reception, Jorgensen Lower Lobby
  8:00 pm: the Spectrum Concert, Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts
  *Tickets will be available for pick-up at the Box Office the evening of the performance.
  Please RSVP by Monday April 24, 2023.

• Sun

  21

  May

  2023

  Dianne Mower Trio

  6 - 9 PM

  350 Grill, 350 Worthington St, Springfield, MA
  reservations: (413) 439-0666

  Dianne Mower – vocals,
  Earl MacDonald – piano,
  Matt Dwonzyk – string bass

• Sat

  10

  Jun

  2023

  Dianne Mower

  6 - 8 PM

  Wind Hill Community Farm, 3006 Hebron Ave., Glastonbury, CT

  Dianne Mower – vocals, Earl MacDonald – piano, Lou Bocciarelli – string bass, Tom Devino – drums

• Sun

  11

  Jun

  2023

  Dianne Mower (rain date)

  6 - 8 PM

  Wind Hill Community Farm, 3006 Hebron Ave., Glastonbury, CT

  Dianne Mower – vocals, Earl MacDonald – piano, Lou Bocciarelli – string bass, Tom Devino – drums

• Mon

  10

  Jul

  2023

  Fri

  14

  Jul

  2023

  Jazz In July Summer Music Program

  Fine Arts Center, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
  
  
  

  Jazz in July is a multi-generational jazz improvisation program with an impressive 40-year history. It is a concentrated two-week program where both vocal and instrumental musicians study jazz improvisation with some of the nation’s best jazz educators and artists.

  The 2-week in-person program will run July 10-21, 2023. Earl will teach during the first week: July 10-14.

• Fri

  21

  Jul

  2023

  Jazz in July All-Stars Concert

  6 - 9PM

  Amherst Town Common, Amherst, Massachusetts
  Moved to: UMass Bowker Auditorium, 100 Holdsworth Way, Amherst, MA
  Parking available in lot 65, and garage parking can be validated.

  The Jazz in July All-Stars Concert is a round-robin style concert featuring collaborations between the nationally and internationally known Jazz in July faculty members.

   

   

  Performers will include:
  Vocals: Sheila Jordan, Dominique Eade, Catherine Jensen Hole
  Brass: Jeff Holmes, Steve Davis
  Saxophone: Bruce Diehl, Frank Newton
  Piano: Earl MacDonald, Luis Perdomo, Christian Sands, Lee Tomboulian, Stephen Page
  Bass: Fumi Tomita, Genevieve Rose
  Guitar: Bob Ferrier
  Drums: Steve Johns, Winard Harper, Greg Caputo

  This concert is presented in cooperation with the Amherst Business Improvement District as part of their summer concert series.

• Tue

  25

  Jul

  2023

  Michael O'Callaghan Quartet

  7 - 10 pm

  Cafe Nine, 250 State St, New Haven, CT 06510, USA

• Sat

  21

  Oct

  2023

  New London Big Band - Private Function

  6:00 - 10:00 PM

  Lake Waramaug Country Club, New Preston, CT

  Led by trombonist and composer Sean Nelson, the New London Big Band is a 17-piece jazz orchestra made up of the finest musicians in New England. The band plays a mix of classic jazz standards, upbeat dance tunes, and original music by band members, and regularly features instrumental and vocal soloists.

• Sun

  22

  Oct

  2023

  UConn Jazz Combos

  3:00 - 4:30 PM

  von der Mehden Recital Hall, Storrs, CT

  General admission is $10.
  Students, faculty, children and military members with ID are admitted free.

  Steven Bulmer, director

• Wed

  25

  Oct

  2023

  New London Big Band

  6:30 - 9:00 PM

  The Social Bar + Kitchen
  208 Bank St., New London, CT

  Led by trombonist and composer Sean Nelson, the New London Big Band is a 17-piece jazz orchestra made up of the finest musicians in New England. The band plays a mix of classic jazz standards, upbeat dance tunes, and original music by band members, and regularly features instrumental and vocal soloists.

• Sun

  12

  Nov

  2023

  UConn Jazz Lab Band

  3:00 - 4:30 PM

  von der Mehden Recital Hall, Storrs, CT
  
  

  General admission is $10.
  Students, faculty, children and military members with ID are admitted free.

  Earl MacDonald, director

• Sun

  03

  Dec

  2023

  UConn Jazz Ensemble

  6 PM

  von der Mehden Recital Hall, Storrs, CT

  General admission is $10.
  Students, faculty, children and military members with ID are admitted free.

  John Mastroianni, director