This events calendar includes Earl’s upcoming performances, compositional debuts, recordings and educational activities. On mobile devices this calendar is best viewed horizontally.
2023
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Mon02Jan2023
Hartford Jazz Orchestra
7:30 - 9:30PMElicit Brewing Co.
165 Adams St., Manchester, CT 06042
ph: 860-791-8440
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Mon09Jan2023
Hartford Jazz Orchestra
7:30 - 9:30PMElicit Brewing Co.
165 Adams St., Manchester, CT 06042
ph: 860-791-8440 -
Sun15Jan2023
Jazz Mass - Earl MacDonald & Friends
10:00 AMChrist Church Cathedral, 45 Church Street, Hartford, CT
Earl MacDonald – piano
Nathan Edwards – tenor & soprano saxophones
Steven Bulmer – string bass
Sarah Dimiceli – drumsThe Second Sunday After Epiphany
The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Observance & Jazz Mass Offering -
Mon16Jan2023
Hartford Jazz Orchestra
7:30 - 9:30PMElicit Brewing Co.
165 Adams St., Manchester, CT 06042
ph: 860-791-8440 -
Sun22Jan2023
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)
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Mon23Jan2023
Hartford Jazz Orchestra
7:30 - 9:30PMElicit Brewing Co.
165 Adams St., Manchester, CT 06042
ph: 860-791-8440 -
Mon30Jan2023
Hartford Jazz Orchestra
7:30 - 9:30PMElicit Brewing Co.
165 Adams St., Manchester, CT 06042
ph: 860-791-8440Featured guest artist: trombonist Steve Davis“Steve is one of the greatest Trombone Players in the world”
– FREDDIE HUBBARD -
Mon06Feb2023
Hartford Jazz Orchestra
7:30 - 9:30PMElicit Brewing Co.
165 Adams St., Manchester, CT 06042
ph: 860-791-8440 -
Fri10Feb2023
UConn High School Jazz Festival
9 AM - 6 PMvon 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.
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Mon13Feb2023
Hartford Jazz Orchestra
7:30 - 9:30PMElicit Brewing Co.
165 Adams St., Manchester, CT 06042
ph: 860-791-8440Hearts & Flowers with Dianne Mower.
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Mon20Feb2023
Hartford Jazz Orchestra
7:30 - 9:30PMElicit Brewing Co.
165 Adams St., Manchester, CT 06042
ph: 860-791-8440 -
Mon20Feb2023
Hartford Jazz Orchestra
7:30 - 9:30PMElicit Brewing Co.
165 Adams St., Manchester, CT 06042
ph: 860-791-8440 -
Mon27Feb2023
Hartford Jazz Orchestra
7:30 - 9:30PMElicit Brewing Co.
165 Adams St., Manchester, CT 06042
ph: 860-791-8440— CANCELED due to a winter storm advisory. —
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Thu02Mar2023
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 -
Mon06Mar2023
Hartford Jazz Orchestra
7:30 - 9:30PMElicit Brewing Co.
165 Adams St., Manchester, CT 06042
ph: 860-791-8440 -
Mon13Mar2023
Hartford Jazz Orchestra
7:30 - 9:30PMElicit Brewing Co.
165 Adams St., Manchester, CT 06042
ph: 860-791-8440Pianist Josh Catania will be subbing for Earl.
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Mon20Mar2023
Hartford Jazz Orchestra
7:30 - 9:30PMElicit Brewing Co.
165 Adams St., Manchester, CT 06042
ph: 860-791-8440Pianist Andrew Wilcox will be subbing for Earl.
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Mon27Mar2023
Hartford Jazz Orchestra
7:30 - 9:30PMElicit Brewing Co.
165 Adams St., Manchester, CT 06042
ph: 860-791-8440 -
Wed29Mar2023
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 ConnecticutEarl MacDonald – piano, Lou Bocciarelli – string bass, Tom Devino – drums
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Fri31Mar2023
UConn Jazz @ CMEA All-State Conference
1:30 p.m.
Connecticut Music Educators’ Association All-State Conference
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Sat01Apr2023
the HJO at the 8th Annual Western Mass Mom Prom
5:30PM
Tekoa Country Club, 459 Russell Rd, Westfield, MACatch 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/
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Mon10Apr2023
Hartford Jazz Orchestra
7:30 - 9:30PMElicit Brewing Co.
165 Adams St., Manchester, CT 06042
ph: 860-791-8440 -
Wed12Apr2023
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.
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Fri14Apr2023
Hopkins School Jazz Band Workshop
10:15AMHopkins School
986 Forest Rd, New Haven, CTEarl will work with the Hopkins School jazz band, directed by Erik Elligers, in preparation for their appearance at the National Jazz Festival.
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Sun16Apr2023
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 -
Mon17Apr2023
Hartford Jazz Orchestra
7:30 - 9:30PMElicit Brewing Co.
165 Adams St., Manchester, CT 06042
ph: 860-791-8440 -
Sun23Apr2023
UConn Jazz Ensemble
6 PMvon der Mehden Recital Hall, Storrs, CT
General admission is $10.
Students, faculty, children and military members with ID are admitted free.John Mastroianni, director
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Mon24Apr2023
Hartford Jazz Orchestra
7:30 - 9:30PMElicit 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. -
Tue25Apr2023
Erica von Kleist Masterclass - UCONN
2:00 - 3:45 PMUniversity of Connecticut, Department of Music. Storrs, CT
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Thu27Apr2023
UConn Music "Spectrum Concert"
8:00 - 9:30 PMJorgensen 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. -
Sun21May2023
Dianne Mower Trio
6 - 9 PM350 Grill, 350 Worthington St, Springfield, MA
reservations: (413) 439-0666
Dianne Mower – vocals,
Earl MacDonald – piano,
Matt Dwonzyk – string bass -
Sat10Jun2023
Dianne Mower
6 - 8 PMWind Hill Community Farm, 3006 Hebron Ave., Glastonbury, CT
Dianne Mower – vocals, Earl MacDonald – piano, Lou Bocciarelli – string bass, Tom Devino – drums -
Sun11Jun2023
Dianne Mower (rain date)
6 - 8 PMWind Hill Community Farm, 3006 Hebron Ave., Glastonbury, CT
Dianne Mower – vocals, Earl MacDonald – piano, Lou Bocciarelli – string bass, Tom Devino – drums
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Mon10Jul2023Fri14Jul2023
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.
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Fri21Jul2023
Jazz in July All-Stars Concert
6 - 9PMAmherst 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 CaputoThis concert is presented in cooperation with the Amherst Business Improvement District as part of their summer concert series. -
Tue25Jul2023
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Sat21Oct2023
New London Big Band - Private Function
6:00 - 10:00 PMLake 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. -
Sun22Oct2023
UConn Jazz Combos
3:00 - 4:30 PMvon der Mehden Recital Hall, Storrs, CT
General admission is $10.
Students, faculty, children and military members with ID are admitted free.Steven Bulmer, director
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Wed25Oct2023
New London Big Band
6:30 - 9:00 PMThe Social Bar + Kitchen
208 Bank St., New London, CTLed 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. -
Sun12Nov2023
UConn Jazz Lab Band
3:00 - 4:30 PMvon der Mehden Recital Hall, Storrs, CT
General admission is $10.
Students, faculty, children and military members with ID are admitted free.Earl MacDonald, director
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Thu30Nov2023Fri01Dec2023
Sharon Owens, vocalist
Nelson Hall PAC at Elim Park, 150 Cook Hill Rd, Cheshire CT
Thursday, 11/30. 7:30PM: Show #1
Friday, 12/1: 2PM: Show #2
Friday, 12/1: 7PM: Show #3
https://sharonowens.net/ -
Sun03Dec2023
UConn Jazz Ensemble
6 PMvon der Mehden Recital Hall, Storrs, CT
General admission is $10.
Students, faculty, children and military members with ID are admitted free.John Mastroianni, director
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Wed13Dec2023Thu14Dec2023
New London Big Band
6:30 - 9:00 PMThe Social Bar + Kitchen
208 Bank St., New London, CTLed 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.
