Rogers-Lowell Area News

Walton Arts Center Announces 2019-20 Starrlight Jazz Series

Jazz Lovers subscription packages are now available for 2019-20 Starrlight Jazz Series at Walton Arts Center. The new season features A Tribute to Nat “King” Cole Centennial by the Freddy Cole Quartet, Jason Marsalis Quartet, Catherine Russell, Fred Hersch Trio, Art Blakey Centennial by The Messenger Legacy Band and Arun Luthra Quartet with Selvaganesh.

Six-show packages are available in stadium seating for $168 or cabaret seating for $270. Subscribe before May 17 and pay no subscription package fees. Subscriptions can be purchased in-person at Walton Arts Center’s Box Office, by calling 479.443.5600 or online. Single tickets will be available this summer.

Freddy Cole Quartet – Tribute to Nat “King” Cole Centennial – October 12

Freddy Cole is a beloved musician’s musician and a living link to the Great American Songbook. While there are certain unmistakable similarities in timbre to his brother Nat, his voice is raspier, smokier, jazzier even. Freddiy’s career continues to ascend as he has moved into the front ranks of America’s homegrown art form with a style and musical sophistication all his own.

Jason Marsalis Quartet – November 16

Jason and his three brothers, Wynton, Branford and Delfeayo, along with their patriarch Ellis comprise New Orleans’ venerable first family of jazz. With a fire in his heart and a passion for the music, his will to swing has never been more resolute.

Catherine Russell – December 6

A genuine jazz and blues singer – Russell’s voice is full-blown femininity incarnate that radiates interpretive power yet remains touchingly vulnerable. Her repertoire features a selection of gems from the 1920s through the present with vital interpretations, bursting with soul and humor.

Fred Hersch Trio – January 31

A 12-time Grammy® nominee, Fred Hersch has garnered jazz’s most prestigious awards, including the 2016 Doris Duke Artist and two-time winner of the Jazz Pianist of the Year award from the Jazz Journalists Association. The trio has been recognized for its unique ability to traverse a wide range of styles while maintaining the exhilarating spark of invention.

Art Blakey Centennial – The Messenger Legacy Band – March 20

An elite line-up of alumni members of Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, each now a longtime leader on his own and considered among jazz’s most accomplished players. The Messenger Legacy Band wishes to preserve, protect and honor the legacy of Art Blakey, who was much more than a bandleader to all of them.

Arun Luthra Quartet with Selvaganesh – April 24

Luthra is one of the premier saxophonists and composers on New York’s jazz scene. This performance features a small group of renowned American jazz musicians of Indian heritage who have continued to explore to possibilities of fusing the modern post-bop sound with elements of Indian classical music.

Visit waltonartscenter.org for tickets and more information.