Big Tent ft. Wayne Gerard

Grammy-nominated guitarist Wayne Gerard leads Big Tent, a groove-driven band rooted in funky, danceable jazz and open improvisation. Joined by Dale Grisa, John Barron, Bobby Streng, and Chaim Tolwin, the group performs music by Herbie Hancock, John Scofield, and The Meters, alongside Grateful Dead selections reimagined through a jazz lens. Their performances emphasize feel, interaction, and real-time musical direction, with no two shows unfolding the same way.

His playing reflects a blues-informed, groove-centered approach to jazz, shaped as much by feel and phrasing as by traditional jazz vocabulary.

He has collaborated with Kem, Patti Smith, Wayne Kramer, Bob James, Lenny White, and Geri Allen, and is currently touring with Don Was and the Pan-Detroit Ensemble. With Big Tent, he brings that same depth of experience into a live setting focused on groove, risk-taking, and connection between players and audience.