For opening her ancestral brownstone to jazz, sustaining and enriching the musicians and listeners alike, the Jazz Journalists Association acknowledged Debbie McClain as the 2025 Brooklyn Jazz Hero. For the past 16 years Debbie McClain has run Brownstone Jazz at 107 Macon Street, Brooklyn. The featured group that evening included tenor saxophonist Patience Higgins, alto sax Justin Robinson, trumpeter Duane Eubanks, pianist Victor Gould, drummer Willie Martinez, bassist Eric Lemon, and guest vocalist Steve Cromity.
It’s very easy to stroll right past this unassuming 19th-century townhouse on a quiet, tree-lined block but on this JJA award presentation evening, so close to Halloween, McClain’s home possessed a scary air of haunting ghouls brightly colored in orange and yellow lights. Every weekend, McClain and her co-founder bassist Eric Lemons present live jazz infused with Brooklyn’s rich history of the 1940s though ‘60s where spots like Tony’s, Blue Coronet, and Club la Marchal, were performance spaces for such Brooklyn natives as Randy Weston, Max Roach, and Cecil Payne along with Miles Davis, and Roy Haynes.
McClain is a hands-on hostess, watching over the performances she curates with bassist and co-founder Eric Lemons. Together, they exchange witty banter and welcome audience responses. The intimate venue with its antique furniture and fixtures, transported visitors to that beautiful swing era when everyone was fabulously dressed. On this evening, McClain wore a gorgeous white-pearled dress. “The parlor of brownstones like mine were ballrooms in bygone days,” she said. “People gathered in elegance, and we look to continue that old trend. I am so happy to be acknowledged as a jazz hero for this work which is my passion and commitment to this music that we all love so much.” For reservations visit ticketweb.com brownstonejazz.com or call 917-704-9237.
Inventive, agile, and dexterous, bassist Ron Carter is a composer, educator, and bandleader whose genius defies simple description. Within his six decades of artistry, he’s won three Grammy Awards and the title commander of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. Appearing on more than 2,000 recording sessions earned him a place in the Guinness World Records as the Most recorded jazz bassist in history. He voiced his melodic lines on Miles Davis’ “second great quartet” from 1963-68. Ron plays with a subtle stylishness that captivates audiences regardless of the configuration or genre from straight-ahead to classical music at which time he may pull out his cello.
The NEA Jazz Master returns to Birdland (315 West 44th Street) after a recent triumphant engagement with his Foursight Quartet that included Renee Rosnes, Jimmy Greene & Payton Crossley. On October 30-November 1, he appears with his Great Big Band.
Carter’s varied bands suggest at the age of 88, he remains one of the most influential musicians in and out of jazz. He is an explorer in the music galaxy, always seeking to extend the components of jazz. For more information and reservations visit birdlandiazz.com.
The Colombian harpist and composer Edmar Castaneda, offers mesmerizing sounds drawn from his native roots of Colombia and Venezuela. His most recent album is a collaborative effort with BEATrio with Bela Fleck on banjo, and drummer Antonio Sanchez.
On October 31-November 1, the harpist appears with his quartet in Tarrytown at Jazz Forum (1 Dixon Lane). The quartet includes tenor saxophonist, tabla Birsa Chatterjee (a former student of Jazz House Kids), drummer Julian Miltenberger (played with Paquito D’Rivera, Yosvany Terry, Boston Symphony Orchestra), vocals by Andrea Tierra, and special guest vocalist Zeudi Castaneda & Zamir Castaneda (shakers). Together they are a kaleidoscope of world music.
Castaneda’s varied music experiences have included performances with Lila Downs, Hiromi Uehara, Janis Siegel, Joe Locke, and Wynton Marsalis.
For info and reservations visit jazzforumarts.org.
Recently, Avery Sommers, known for her booming voice accented with emotional integrity that conveys her musical power, sparked a host of standing ovations, shouts and hollas after her performance at the local Broadway actors haunt 54 Below.
Sommers, a native of West Palm Beach, Fla, returned to the bright lights of New York City with her latest show, Showstoppers. It was a repertoire compiled from roles she performed during her national tour performances in Chicago and Best Little Whorehouse.
She performed such songs as “This Joint is Jumpin’,” “Can’t Help Loving That Man of Mine,” and “I Know Where I’ve Been,” interspersed with her own showbiz story and television clips (from her various TV roles). Pianist Phil Hinton was her music director. Sommers is a creative vocalist, who stamps each song with her own unique interpretation.
The talented actress of Broadway, film, and television when not on the road can be found in the classroom. Sommers is currently an acting and scriptwriting instructor, who teaches students to write and perform the scripts they write. She has been teaching this class for the past five years at Palm Beach Institute for the Entertainment Arts (PBIEA).