Community High Jazz Blowout

Mon
13
May 13 @ 6:00 pm

The Ark 316 S. Main Ann Arbor, MI 48104 United States

Ann Arbor’s Community High Jazz is one of the best programs of its kind anywhere. The Ark is proud to host this year’s students on stage for two shows: one at 6:00 and another at 8:00.

$5
Fri
24
May 24 @ 8:00 pm

The Ark 316 S. Main Ann Arbor, MI 48104 United States

Aaron Jonah Lewis’s Ragtime Banjo Revival thrills and delights audiences with fresh arrangements of classic, novelty, and British ragtime pieces for cello, banjo and guitar, plus blues and early jazz fiddle music, centering the contributions and influence of Black American composers. The group creates a relaxed and enlivening space to experience popular music of the past and to connect with a greater sense of our shared cultural history. With a curious and optimistic spirit, Ragtime Banjo Revival educates and inspires, welcoming the newcomer and cultivating respect across the lines of difference.

$20
Sat
13
July 13 @ 8:00 pm

The Ark 316 S. Main Ann Arbor, MI 48104 United States

The Guy Mintus Trio started with the need to create a musical home in which different identities and influences can co-exist and come together as a unique unified voice. The electricity and kinetic listening in the group are well-felt and has been described as “keeping the entire hall with held breath” (Barka Fabianova, Full Moon Zine Magazine). The trio’s debut record has been selected as DownBeat Magazine’s Editor’s Pick and led to performances of the trio at NY’s Jazz at Lincoln Center, Winter JazzFest and the Montreal Jazz Festival.

$25
Sat
20
April 20 @ 7:30 pm

The Ark 316 S. Main Ann Arbor, MI 48104 United States

Once a year, Mark “Mr. B” Braun, Ann Arbor’s own wizard of blues and boogie piano music, comes together with other top piano players from around southeastern Michigan and beyond. Call it a piano summit, or perhaps a meeting of the minds! Along with Mr. B himself, this year’s show features Lluis Coloma, Brendon Davis, and Elder Robert Moore.

$30
Mon
29
April 29 @ 8:00 pm

The Ark 316 S. Main Ann Arbor, MI 48104 United States

George Crotty has forged his own exciting vocabulary on the cello, pushing the boundaries of the cello as a jazz instrument. Following his graduation from the Berklee College of Music, Crotty immersed himself in New York’s jazz and world music scenes, playing with several ensembles, such as the Brooklyn Raga Massive, and the Detroit-based National Arab Orchestra. The George Crotty Trio’s “Chronotope” (2022) showcases the Canadian cellist’s expressive fluidity and modal orientation. The group’s cross-cultural interplay draws on diverse influences within jazz and global music traditions including post-bop, modal jazz, Indian raga, and Arabic maqam.

$20
Thu
18
April 18 @ 8:00 pm

The Ark 316 S. Main Ann Arbor, MI 48104 United States

Students $5 with student ID! This show features students and faculty from the Department of Jazz and Contemporary Improvisation at the U-M, along with a prominent special guest each year. This year’s guest is drummer Jeff “Tain” Watts. Tain spent his formative years with Wynton and Branford Marsalis, and his writing skills now command equal attention, highlighted by a 2017 Guggenheim Fellowship in Music Composition. Watts has recorded and toured with George Benson, Harry Connick Jr, Kenny Garrett, Michael Brecker, Kenny Kirkland, Courtney Pine, Geri Allen, Alice & Ravi Coltrane, Greg Osby, McCoy Tyner, Steve Coleman & Fort Apache.

$20
Thu
7
March 7 @ 8:00 pm

The Ark 316 S. Main Ann Arbor, MI 48104 United States

The Dave Sharp Worlds Quartet masterfully blends rhythms, sounds, and textures from across the globe with world music–inspired original compositions. Featuring oud, violin, electric bass, synthesizer and world percussion, the Worlds Quartet is fueled by the spirit of jazz, world music and dynamic exploratory improvisation. Bassist, composer, and bandleader Dave Sharp leads the Worlds Quartet to explore music traditions from Turkey, Egypt, Ukraine, India, Bulgaria and Greece.

$20
Sun
7
April 7 @ 7:30 pm

The Ark 316 S. Main Ann Arbor, MI 48104 United States

The Austin-based Hot Club of Cowtown explores the space where early jazz met Texas swing, where Joe Venuti and Eddie Lang met Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys. Guitarist Whit Smith and fiddler Elana James have become a world-class country-jazz duo, challenging each other and reading each other’s minds at every turn. This is virtuoso small-group western swing that’s beyond infectious.

$30
Wed
13
December 13, 2023 @ 6:00 pm

The Ark 316 S. Main Ann Arbor, MI 48104 United States

Ann Arbor’s Community High Jazz is one of the best programs of its kind anywhere. The Ark is proud to host this year’s students on stage for two shows: one at 6:00 and another at 8:00.

$5
Sat
25
November 25, 2023 @ 8:00 pm

The Ark 316 S. Main Ann Arbor, MI 48104 United States

Born in Flint and a true Michigan institution, Mr. B (Mark Braun) is a rare living link to the early days of boogie woogie, having learned directly from legends like Little Brother Montgomery and Blind John Davis. He plays in concert halls, he plays outdoors, he’s even played on a piano he towed by swimming out to Mackinac Island, but wherever you heard him, it’s an exciting show. Each year Mr. B stops in at The Ark for a Thanksgiving weekend concert, and it always brings something new—this year, Mr. B is bringing a 10 piece little-big band. He is bringing in musicians from around southeast Michigan and beyond for a boogie and jazz blowout to kick off the holiday season with a big dose of boogie woogie joy. You may think every town has a Mr. B, but you would be very, very wrong.

$25