Smoke Jazz Club Begins 2023 With 80th Birthday Celebrations For Al Foster And Billy Harper, And More!

New York's Smoke Jazz Club kick-starts 2023 with a stellar line-up of some of jazz's greatest artists during the month of January.

SMOKE honors two octogenarians with special birthday celebrations: saxophonist Billy Harper and drummer Al Foster. Master trumpeter and pianist Nicholas Payton is joined by two of the greatest: bassist Buster Williams and drummer Lenny White for a four-night album release series. SMOKE's 10th Annual Coltrane Festival, an homage to the great saxophonist and composer John Coltrane, continues for one week with some of today's leading artists.

Wrapping up January is one of the most beloved pianists, Bill Charlap, returning with his Trio: bassist Peter Washington and drummer Kenny Washington.

For more information and to make reservations, please visit SMOKEjazz.com.

JANUARY 2023 @ SMOKE

Sun Jan 1
Coltrane Festival featuring Jeremy Pelt with the Eric Reed / Vincent Herring Quintet
Jeremy Pelt - trumpet
Vincent Herring - alto & tenor saxophone
Eric Reed - piano
John Webber - bass
Joe Farnsworth - drums
SMOKE's 10th annual Coltrane Festival continues with featured guest trumpeter Jeremy Pelt joining the Eric Reed/Vincent Herring Quintet. JazzTimes says, "Pelt is a technical marvel. He executes intricate solos with ease, plays gorgeous ballads in a tasteful manner, and never lacks flair or sensitivity." and Audiophile Audition adds he has "the power and range of Lee Morgan and Freddie Hubbard in their seminal years." Pelt will be performing with an exciting quintet led by the perpetually swinging Reed who according to All About Jazz "has fully established himself in the forefront of jazz pianists" and Herring who "has firmly established himself as one of his generation's masters" adds The New York City Jazz Record. It also includes two of the elite musicians working today: bassist John Webber and drummer Joe Farnsworth.

Wed Jan 4 TBA

Thu-Sun Jan 5-8
Coltrane Festival: Billy Harper Quintet "80th Birthday Celebration"
Josh Evans - trumpet
Billy Harper - tenor saxophone
Benito Gonzalez - piano
Lonnie Plaxico - bass
Billy Hart - drums
SMOKE's 10th annual Coltrane Festival concludes with an 80th birthday celebration for the incredible Billy Harper who is leading a very special quintet with trumpeter Josh Evans, pianist Benito Gonzalez, bassist Lonnie Plaxico and fellow legend and "Cooker" drummer Billy Hart. One of the indispensable saxophonists of the past 50 years stylistically indebted to Trane, Harper has a distinctive sound and approach that is purely his own. Over the years, he's worked with Art Blakey, Max Roach, Gil Evans, Elvin Jones, Lee Morgan, and, most recently, the Cookers. The San Francisco Chronicle says, "he is a soul of sensitivity and intelligence, as well as of explosive, majestic passion." "His viscous, chocolaty tone and depth-charge bursts from the bottom of his range [are] a stark contrast to the current trend for a post-bop homogeneity of tone in the newer generation of saxophone sounds," reports JazzWise.

Wed Jan 11 TBA

Thu-Sun Jan 12-15
Nicholas Payton Trio featuring Buster Williams and Lenny White The Couch Sessions record release
Nicholas Payton - trumpet, piano & Fender Rhodes
Buster Williams - bass
Lenny White - drums

Multi-instrumental virtuoso and visionary Nicholas Payton celebrates the release of his new album The Couch Sessions (Smoke Sessions Records) with his trio featuring two of the greatest: bassist Buster Williams and drummer Lenny White. Originally from New Orleans, Payton is a master trumpeter and pianist steeped in acoustic jazz, post-bop, and the music of his hometown, but who also explores other lanes encompassing the entirety of Black American Music. He has recorded and performed with Wynton Marsalis, Dr. Michael White, Christian McBride, Joshua Redman, Roy Hargrove, Doc Cheatham, and Joe Henderson, among many others and is widely considered one of the most important artists of our time. In a review, the Chicago Tribune reports, "No descriptive label or category could be affixed to Payton's solos, which were as brashly original as they were technically imposing."

Wed Jan 18 TBA

Thu-Sun Jan 19-22
Al Foster Quartet: Al Foster's 80th Birthday Celebration
Chris Potter - tenor saxophone
Kevin Hays - piano
Ben Street - bass (Thu only)
Vincent Archer - bass (Fri-Sun only)
Al Foster - drums

The incredible drummer Al Foster celebrates his 80th birthday with a fittingly special quartet featuring tenor saxophonist Chris Potter, pianist Kevin Hays, and bassists Ben Street (Thu) and Vicente Archer (Fri-Sun.) Foster, well-known for his long association with Miles Davis throughout the '70s and '80s, was also the first-call drummer for an amazing list of jazz legends such as Sonny Rollins, Herbie Hancock, Stan Getz, McCoy Tyner, and Joe Henderson.

Wed Jan 25 TBA

Thu-Sun Jan 26-29
Bill Charlap Trio
Bill Charlap - piano
Peter Washington - bass
Kenny Washington - drums

Bill Charlap leads his beloved piano trio featuring bassist Peter Washington and drummer Kenny Washington. Known as a master interpreter of American popular song, Time says, "No matter how imaginative or surprising his take on a song is, he invariably zeroes in on its essence." Charlap has performed with many leading artists of our time from Phil Woods and Tony Bennett to Gerry Mulligan and Wynton Marsalis and led this trio since 1997.


Located on Manhattan's Upper West Side at the junction of Broadway and 106th Street (aka Duke Ellington Boulevard), Smoke Jazz Club is one of New York City's premier live music venues. Renowned for offering top-notch programming of accessible, timeless jazz featuring legendary performers, modern masters and rising stars, Smoke stands apart with its candlelit dining room, stellar acoustics, and classic American cuisine. Founded in 1999, SMOKE also boasts a GRAMMY-nominated label, Smoke Sessions Records, and a celebrated streaming concert series, Smoke Screens. For everything else, visit SMOKEjazz.com.