DOORS @4:30PM. The students of Music Theory 436/536, “Analytical History of Jazz,” bring their semester to a rousing close with a performance of pre-WWII jazz music at the Blue Llama Jazz Club.

DOORS @6:30PM. Conga player and composer Alberto Nacif and the superlative musicians who make up the sizzling Latin Jazz group Aguanko have a new, all original Latin Jazz recording titled “Unidad”, which was released at the July 2023 performance at Blue LLama.

DOORS @5:30PM. Experience the magic of Allan Harris's Live at Blue LLama album with us at our Listening Party! Renowned vocalist and guitarist, Harris released this captivating live album in July 2023, marking his first in over thirteen years. Indulge in a delicious dinner while immersing yourself in the soulful sounds of Harris's music.

DOORS @7:30PM. Mokoomba is one of Africa’s most exciting young bands to emerge from the African continent in the past 10-15 years. Hailing from Victoria Falls in the NW corner of Zimbabwe, they are setting dance-floors ablaze with their unique mix of traditional Tonga and pan -African music cultures with dashes of Rap, Ska, Soukous and Afro-Cuban music.

DOORS @6PM. Ari Hoenig, a renowned jazz drummer, composer, and educator, boasts an intense and innovative approach to drumming that harmonizes complex rhythms with group dynamics, elevating drumming to an indispensable part of the performance. Born in Philadelphia, Hoenig's diverse musical upbringing and extensive collaborations with notable artists have propelled him to national recognition, highlighted by his Grammy-nominated work and acclaimed solo albums.

DOORS @9PM. Ari Hoenig, a renowned jazz drummer, composer, and educator, boasts an intense and innovative approach to drumming that harmonizes complex rhythms with group dynamics, elevating drumming to an indispensable part of the performance. Born in Philadelphia, Hoenig's diverse musical upbringing and extensive collaborations with notable artists have propelled him to national recognition, highlighted by his Grammy-nominated work and acclaimed solo albums.

The term "Ascension" embodies the journey of elevating oneself to a realm of greater significance, status, or achievement. Joshua Watkins and Ascension takes listeners on an evocative exploration of life's peaks and troughs, navigating through trials and tribulations, experiencing the highs and lows. Throughout this captivating journey, the only trajectory is upwards.

DOORS @6PM. Luther hails from Charlotte, NC, currently residing in New York City, and has spent the last four years touring both nationally and internationally as a side-person amongst such artists as Rodney Whitaker, Jazzmeia Horn, The Baylor Project, Samara Joy, Gregory Tardy, Ulysses Owens Jr., and many more. Allison will be touring more throughout 2024 and 2025 as a bandleader.

DOORS @9PM. Luther hails from Charlotte, NC, currently residing in New York City, and has spent the last four years touring both nationally and internationally as a side-person amongst such artists as Rodney Whitaker, Jazzmeia Horn, The Baylor Project, Samara Joy, Gregory Tardy, Ulysses Owens Jr., and many more. Allison will be touring more throughout 2024 and 2025 as a bandleader.

Drummer and bandleader Nick Collins is proud to present his sextet at the Blue LLama Jazz Club, featuring a fun variety of high-energy modern, classic, and original jazz.

DOORS @5:30PM. Experience the magic of Charlie Porter’s Live at Blue LLama album with us at our Listening Party! Releasing on April 24, 2024, Charlie describes this latest album as “a musical exploration, where melodies and emotions collide in the heart of jazz.” Indulge in a delicious dinner while immersing yourself in this new release!

DOORS @7PM. Blind Singer-Songwriter Guitarist Raul Midón is nothing if not prolific. His 14th and latest album, Lost & Found is a blend of what he calls “smooth folk,” “alt-pop” and “jazz.” A master at combining genres, “his music suggests a three way fusion of Stevie Wonder, Bobby McFerrin and José Feliciano,” New York Times. Midón recently debuted the album’s first single, the uplifting bluesy pop song Keep On Keeping On on the The Jennifer Hudson Show (December 2023).

DOORS @6PM. Isis Damil is a Detroit-bred singer and songwriter. Her fiery, mezzo vocals blend with jazzy R&B melodies to share stories of confidence, sensuality, and spirituality. Her sultry, soulful aura is a culmination of her own development as an artist and woman, and is reflected seamlessly throughout her music.

DOORS @6PM. Allen Dennard is a trumpeter, composer and bandleader who has made five appearances as a sideman in the Detroit Jazz Festival and was chosen to be a headliner at the Detroit Jazz Festival, showcasing his group “The Allen Dennard Quintet”.

DOORS @9PM. Allen Dennard is a trumpeter, composer and bandleader who has made five appearances as a sideman in the Detroit Jazz Festival and was chosen to be a headliner at the Detroit Jazz Festival, showcasing his group “The Allen Dennard Quintet”.

Backwards Compatibility is a project to bridge the world of jazz with video game and Japanese Music. The group will feature tunes from the jazz, funk, and R&B idiom, as well as Japanese Music and VGM.

DOORS @6PM. Sean’s sound can best be described as hard-driving, solid rhythm with refreshing melodic sensibility. Some of Sean’s influences include Art Blakey, Jeff Hamilton, Jeff “Tain” Watts, Ed Thigpen, Sonny Payne, as well as Detroit area greats Gerald Cleaver and the one and only Elvin Jones.

DOORS @8:30PM. Sean’s sound can best be described as hard-driving, solid rhythm with refreshing melodic sensibility. Some of Sean’s influences include Art Blakey, Jeff Hamilton, Jeff “Tain” Watts, Ed Thigpen, Sonny Payne, as well as Detroit area greats Gerald Cleaver and the one and only Elvin Jones.

DOORS @6PM. Drummer/Composer Jonathan Barahal Taylor leads a band of phenomenal musicians while they perform a book of dynamic original music and interprets lesser-heard work from some of the great composers of Black American Music.

As a proud partner of WEMU 89.1, Blue LLama Jazz Club is excited to host the WEMU 5:01 Jazz Series featuring local musicians! DOORS @4:30PM.

DOORS @6PM. Zen Zadravec, jazz pianist, saxophonist, and composer views all music as a form of creative communication. The goal is to create music based on human experience that inspires, encourages, and touches people’s hearts.

DOORS @8:30PM. Zen Zadravec, jazz pianist, saxophonist, and composer views all music as a form of creative communication. The goal is to create music based on human experience that inspires, encourages, and touches people’s hearts.

DOORS@ 6PM. Oopapada was originally formed during March 1995 as an organ trio. As a result of the scarcity of organists in the metro Detroit MI area, and the disappearance of organ lounges, Leonard King decided that it was time to return to the instrumentation of having three horns and a rhythm section.

DOORS @8:30PM. Oopapada was originally formed during March 1995 as an organ trio. As a result of the scarcity of organists in the metro Detroit MI area, and the disappearance of organ lounges, Leonard King decided that it was time to return to the instrumentation of having three horns and a rhythm section.

Drummer and bandleader Nick Collins is proud to present his sextet at the Blue LLama Jazz Club, featuring a fun variety of high-energy modern, classic, and original jazz.

DOORS @6PM. William is a keyboardist who has worked as a sideman and bandleader in the Ann Arbor area for close to 20 years. He strives to create music that is creative and stimulating, who also being relatable and something that reaches people on an emotional level.

DOORS @6PM. "Sophisticated world jazz approached with fire and intensity. Moving from dynamic ballads to high energy world beat..."

DOORS @6PM. Join 9-time Grammy nominee Tierney Sutton and renowned pianist Tamir Hendelman at the Blue Llama Jazz Club for an intimate and swinging evening of beloved songs. Sutton is heralded for her abilities as a jazz storyteller and her versatile, striking voice. Hendelman is known for his sense of swing, imaginative arranging, sensitive touch, and his work with vocalists from Natalie Cole to Barbra Streisand.

DOORS @6PM. Straight Ahead is a Grammy-nominated recording group from Detroit and the first all female ensemble signed to the Atlantic Jazz label; inducted into the Detroit Music Awards Hall of Fame.

DOORS @8:30PM. Straight Ahead is a Grammy-nominated recording group from Detroit and the first all female ensemble signed to the Atlantic Jazz label; inducted into the Detroit Music Awards Hall of Fame.

Paul Cornish, Emma Dayhuff, and Jonathan Pinson, alumni of the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz Performance, have become highly sought-after sidemen and women in the music industry. Together, this trio presents a unique sound built on their wealth of collective experience and years of friendship to present a compassionate, yet daring sound that aspires to challenge and inspire their audience.

DOORS @6PM. Morgan James, a Juilliard-trained singer, songwriter, and actress based in New York City, is currently touring in support of her fifth studio album, "Nobody’s Fool". Known for her original soul music albums like "Memphis Magnetic" and "A Very Magnetic Christmas", she has also garnered acclaim for her full album covers and Broadway performances.

DOORS @8:30PM. Morgan James, a Juilliard-trained singer, songwriter, and actress based in New York City, is currently touring in support of her fifth studio album, "Nobody’s Fool". Known for her original soul music albums like "Memphis Magnetic" and "A Very Magnetic Christmas", she has also garnered acclaim for her full album covers and Broadway performances.

DOORS @11AM. Celebrate the leading lady in your life at Blue LLama this Mother’s Day with Brunch & a Show ft. Sean Dobbins Quartet with special guest Athena Johnson!

DOORS @1:30PM. Celebrate the leading lady in your life at Blue LLama this Mother’s Day with Brunch & a Show ft. Sean Dobbins Quartet with special guest Athena Johnson!

DOORS @6PM. La Tanya Hall's ability to reinvent the Great American Songbook is amassing glorious reviews from around the globe. Jazz.com describes her as "a woman ripe with talent [whose] interpretative skills are a marvel."

DOORS @6PM. Alyssa Allgood is an award-winning jazz vocalist, composer and arranger with a compelling voice in the modern jazz landscape. The Chicago-based artist boldly weaves soulful storytelling and rich improvisational language through original compositions, captivating arrangements and a lyrical focus of self-love and human connection.

DOORS @6PM. Steinway Artist and five-time Grammy Nominee Christian Sands is an emerging jazz force. His abundant piano technique perfectly matches his conception, accomplishing a much deeper musical goal: a fresh look at the entire language of jazz.

DOORS @8:30PM. Steinway Artist and five-time Grammy Nominee Christian Sands is an emerging jazz force. His abundant piano technique perfectly matches his conception, accomplishing a much deeper musical goal: a fresh look at the entire language of jazz.

Hailing from the Metro-Detroit area, Jacob hart and his quartet bring you music that will warm you up, cool you down, and feed your soul. They play a wide variety of genres, including Bebop, Postbop, and even funk!

DOORS @6PM. Joan Belgrave, a two-time Grammy-nominated vocalist, songwriter, and music/film producer, is a multiple Detroit Music Award winner, including the 2023 Songwriter Award. Additionally, she hosts WJZZ Detroit Jazz Radio and is the widow of the late, great trumpeter Marcus Belgrave.

DOORS @8:30PM. Joan Belgrave, a two-time Grammy-nominated vocalist, songwriter, and music/film producer, is a multiple Detroit Music Award winner, including the 2023 Songwriter Award. Additionally, she hosts WJZZ Detroit Jazz Radio and is the widow of the late, great trumpeter Marcus Belgrave.

Now in their second year of Blue LLama residency (every first and third Saturday), the Nick Collins Sextet features original arrangements of classic and modern jazz. The group's regular lineup features Dwight Adams (trumpet), Andrew Bishop (tenor sax), Vincent Chandler (trombone), Rick Roe (piano), Jeff Pedraz (bass), and Nick Collins (drums).

DOORS @6PM. Two-time Juno Award winning pianist/composer Andy Milne is a fearless improvisor who has collaborated with a range of artists, including Ingrid Laubrock, Ralph Alessi, Ravi Coltrane, Carla Cook and Steve Coleman. With his trio Unison, Milne explores the intersection of texture and groove.

DOORS @6PM. Pianist and composer Alyssa Smith recently received her Master’s in jazz from the University of Michigan and is now based in Brooklyn, New York. She is delighted to return to Ann Arbor to present a curation of her originals.

DOORS @6PM. Born and raised in NOLA, San Francisco-based Vocalist Kenny Washington has thrilled audiences across the globe with his soulful interpretations, seemingly limitless range, and inventive scatting. He has appeared with Wynton Marsalis and The Jazz At Lincoln Center Orchestra as a featured artist many times.

DOORS @8:30PM. Born and raised in NOLA, San Francisco-based Vocalist Kenny Washington has thrilled audiences across the globe with his soulful interpretations, seemingly limitless range, and inventive scatting. He has appeared with Wynton Marsalis and The Jazz At Lincoln Center Orchestra as a featured artist many times.

Bob Sweet (drums), Max Bowen (guitar), Andrew Bishop (saxophone), and Kurt Krahnke (bass) adventurously explore compositions by Black American Music masters like Thelonious Monk, Joe Henderson, Duke Ellington, Jackie McLean, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Ornette Coleman, Wayne Shorter, Pharoah Sanders, and many others.

DOORS @6PM. Deeply steeped in the generations of great Jazz and Blues that centers the rich musical legacy of Detroit (which includes Kenn Cox, Donald Walden, Marcus Belgrave and Thomas “Beans” Bowles), Shahida Nurullah is one of the motor city’s premier and most treasured jazz vocalists.

DOORS @8:30PM. Deeply steeped in the generations of great Jazz and Blues that centers the rich musical legacy of Detroit (which includes Kenn Cox, Donald Walden, Marcus Belgrave and Thomas “Beans” Bowles), Shahida Nurullah is one of the motor city’s premier and most treasured jazz vocalists.

DOORS @6PM. The Eastside Jazz Collective is a five-piece group from Southeast Michigan. With a varied repertoire of classic standards, swing tunes and some contemporary music as well, the group recreates those sublimely cool sounds with a sense of style and accuracy.

DOORS @6PM. Meg Brennan is a multi-woodwindist and composer, widely regarded for her versatility across musical genres. As a flutist and saxophonist, she has performed with esteemed musicians such as Keyon Harrold, Rodney Whitaker, Ingrid Jensen, Andrew Bishop, and Ellen Rowe.

DOORS @6PM. Kimmie Horne is recognized internationally as a Jazz Singer, weaving blends of pop and rhythm and Blues, as well as classic jazz with her rich, alto voice and sultry performances.

DOORS @8:30PM. Kimmie Horne is recognized internationally as a Jazz Singer, weaving blends of pop and rhythm and Blues, as well as classic jazz with her rich, alto voice and sultry performances.

Pianist and Keyboardist Lorenzo Rhodes is a recording artist who has performed on many stages such as Las Vegas, Apollo Theater, and various music festivals. The Lorenzo Rhodes Trio is a multi-genre jazz/smooth jazz group that is sure to be an entertainment pleasure for any audience setting.

DOORS @6PM. Noah Jackson & Full Circle is for audiences to experience the power of connection through music. Noah is a multifaceted bassist, cellist, and composer from Detroit merging elements of Afrobeat, Motown, and house music.

DOORS @9PM. Noah Jackson & Full Circle is for audiences to experience the power of connection through music. Noah is a multifaceted bassist, cellist, and composer from Detroit merging elements of Afrobeat, Motown, and house music.

DOORS @4:30PM. Recognized as one of America’s 21 most vital and productive performing artists, Bill Frisell’s career as a guitarist and composer has spanned more than 40 years and many celebrated recordings, whose catalog has been cited by Downbeat as “the best recorded output of the decade.”

DOORS @4:30PM. Recognized as one of America’s 21 most vital and productive performing artists, Bill Frisell’s career as a guitarist and composer has spanned more than 40 years and many celebrated recordings, whose catalog has been cited by Downbeat as “the best recorded output of the decade.”

Formed in 2004, Tumbao Bravo is a dynamic Latin Jazz ensemble from Ann Arbor. With three Detroit Music Awards under their belt, they skillfully blend the authentic rhythms of Cuba – including mambo, cha cha, rumba, and bolero – with rich and original jazz harmonics.

DOORS @6PM. Robert McCarther is a singer/songwriter whose smooth vocals and ability to “swing” is bound to set anybody’s stage on fire. His ensemble includes world-class musicians, who have, themselves, headlined on this very stage.

DOORS @6PM. Chuchito is recognized as a master of Cuban music including Son, Danzon, Cuban Timba and Guaguanco. In his performances, Chuchito’s music draws on many styles including Afro-Cuban Latin Jazz, Bebop, Danzon, Cha-Cha-Cha, Son Montuno and much more.

DOORS @9PM. Chuchito is recognized as a master of Cuban music including Son, Danzon, Cuban Timba and Guaguanco. In his performances, Chuchito’s music draws on many styles including Afro-Cuban Latin Jazz, Bebop, Danzon, Cha-Cha-Cha, Son Montuno and much more.

DOORS @6PM. Marcus Elliot is a saxophonist, composer, improviser, and educator based in Detroit. His compositions and improvisations have been described by the New York Times as "convincing and confident, evolved in touch and tone...", and the Detroit Free Press has said, "Marcus Elliot represents next generation of jazz".

DOORS @9PM. Marcus Elliot is a saxophonist, composer, improviser, and educator based in Detroit. His compositions and improvisations have been described by the New York Times as "convincing and confident, evolved in touch and tone...", and the Detroit Free Press has said, "Marcus Elliot represents next generation of jazz".

DOORS @6PM. A native of Detroit, jazz pianist and composer, David Janeway moved to New York City in 1978 and has left an indelible mark on the NYC jazz scene. His most recent critically acclaimed recording, Distant Voices, features the legendary drummer, Billy Hart. Janeway will perform music from this CD and his new release, Forward Motion.

DOORS @9PM. A native of Detroit, jazz pianist and composer, David Janeway moved to New York City in 1978 and has left an indelible mark on the NYC jazz scene. His most recent critically acclaimed recording, Distant Voices, features the legendary drummer, Billy Hart. Janeway will perform music from this CD and his new release, Forward Motion.

DOORS @6PM. The Houston Patton Quartet offers high energy music experience, while featuring some very talented young musicians. Though deeply rooted in jazz, this quartet plays music ranging anywhere from gospel to bebop.

DOORS @6PM. Sean’s sound can best be described as hard-driving, solid rhythm with refreshing melodic sensibility. Some of Sean’s influences include Art Blakey, Jeff Hamilton, Jeff “Tain” Watts, Ed Thigpen, Sonny Payne, as well as Detroit area greats Gerald Cleaver and the one and only Elvin Jones.

DOORS @9PM. Sean’s sound can best be described as hard-driving, solid rhythm with refreshing melodic sensibility. Some of Sean’s influences include Art Blakey, Jeff Hamilton, Jeff “Tain” Watts, Ed Thigpen, Sonny Payne, as well as Detroit area greats Gerald Cleaver and the one and only Elvin Jones.

DOORS @6PM. Ramona Collins is a stellar singing entertainer who interacts musically and personally with her audiences. She commands the stage from beginning to end backed by some of the best musicians in the Midwest or anywhere.