Join us for a live taping and listening-room concert for AJS Presents: John Fremgen Quartet! John Fremgen – Bass Joel Frahm – Saxophone Mitch Watkins – Guitar Daniel DuFour – Drums Bassist John Fremgen has played bass for a wide variety of artists across the United States and internationally, including jazz artists Butch Miles, Kat Edmonson, Shelly Berg, Kirk Covington and Jamie Findlay, as well as pop/rock artists PJ Olsson, Libby Kirkpatrick, Eric Johnson and five-time Grammy Award winner, Christopher Cross.  He has performed in Japan, France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Russia, Brazil, Guatemala, Mexico and Canada. As an educator, he has taught, given masterclasses, conducted, and performed at The Rimsky Korsakov Conservatory in St. Petersburg, The Conservatorio di Musica di Perugia in Umbria, Italy, The Rhythmic Music Conservatory in Aarhus, Denmark, The Guatemalan American Institute in Guatemala, The North Sea Jazz Festival, The Guatemala Jazz Festival and The Montreux Jazz Festival. His bass playing can be heard on dozens of jingles, TV shows and movies, including Dawson’s Creek, Party of Five, Shorts, Down to You and The Late Show with David Letterman. He has also recorded as a sideman for numerous artists, including PJ Olsson, Eric Johnson, Christopher Cross, Abra Moore, Ruthie Foster, Rick Trevino among many others. He has three albums on Viewpoint Records: Meanwhile with Peter Erskine and Mitch Watkins, Pieces of String with Peter Erskine and Shelly Berg and If Not Now with various artists. 

Join us for a live taping and listening-room concert for Tito Carrillo Plays the Music of Joe Henderson! Tito Carrillo – Trumpet Elias Haslanger – Tenor Saxophone Collin Shook – Piano James Suter – Bass Daniel Dufour – Drums Tito Carrillo is a trumpeter, composer, and educator whose music blurs the lines between Afro-Caribbean music traditions and modern jazz. Born and raised in Austin to a Puerto Rican father and Mexican-American mother, Carrillo came to prominence in the mid-90’s in Chicago’s rich jazz and Latin music scenes, becoming a top call soloist, bandleader, and freelance trumpet artist. The Chicago Tribune describes him as having “acquired a reputation as a fluid improviser, doubly blessed with a warm lyric style and technique to burn.” The artists he has collaborated with are as diverse as his skill set: Chicago heavyweights Willie Pickens, Ryan Cohan, and Geof Bradfield; Chicago Latin groups Chinchano (Juan Pastor) and the Chicago Afro-Latin Jazz Ensemble (Victor Garcia); big bands such as the Woody Herman Orchestra, the Chicago Jazz Ensemble, and the Smithsonian Masterworks Orchestra (David Baker); salsa legends Andy Montañez, Cheo Feliciano, and Cuban flutist Orlando “Maraca” Valle; jazz greats such as Kurt Elling, Claudio Roditi, Jon Faddis, and Paquito D’Rivera; and pop icons Quincy Jones and Phil Collins. Carrillo released his debut solo album in 2011, entitled Opening Statement (Origin Records), to rave reviews. His most recent project Urbanessence (Origin Records), was released in October 2022 to much critical acclaim, and was selected as one of the top Latin music albums of 2023 by the North American College and Community (NACC) Radio Chart. 

Join us for a live taping and listening-room concert for the Bidwell/Marshall Quintet! Stephen Bidwell – Drums JaRon Marshall – Piano Joel Frahm – Saxophone Erik Telford – Trumpet Sam Pankey – Bass Stephen Bidwell and Jaron Marshall have been anchoring the rhythm section of Austin’s Grammy-nominated psychedelic-soul juggernaut Black Pumas since the band’s meteoric rise in 2019. Outside the Pumas' world tour circuit, the two have long bonded over a mutual love of hard bop and funky early-'60s Blue Note cuts: music that grooves as hard as it swings. When their schedules align, they call up a few trusted players and put together a setlist that leans into the soulful side of the jazz canon. This project is a nod to their roots and a chance to stretch in a different direction with deep pocket, deep cuts, and no filler. 

Join us for a live taping and listening-room concert for the Austin Django Project! Jamey Cummins – Guitar Jake Harrell – Guitar Will Dickerson – Guitar Alen Cileli – Violin Ryan Gould – Bass Lead by Jamey Cummins, The Austin Django Project is a collective of Austin-based guitarists and string players. Honoring one of the greatest to ever do it, the collective brings to life the inspired work of the father of Gypsy Jazz, Django Reinhardt. 

Join us for a live taping and listening-room concert for the Amanda Bellitto Quintet! Amanda Bellitto – Vocals Thomas Wenglinski – Piano Mark Scott – Guitar Alex Bilodeau – Bass Aaron Parks – Drums ...with Special Guest Matthew Collins on Trumpet Originally hailing from Fairfield, Connecticut, Amanda Bellitto is a vocalist, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter currently based in Austin TX. Starting early on with a formal training in jazz, she studied with luminaries such as Sheila Jordan. She has built a career spanning many genres including folk, bluegrass and pop. Her artistic pursuits have led to performances across the United States and Australia. 

Join us for the 3rd Annual MONK-A-THON, in collaboration with the Austin Jazz Society, featuring 6 pianists & 1 guitarist performing works from the large catalogue of compositions by the great Thelonious Monk. October 10th is Monk’s birthday, so be prepared for a party! Pianists: Terry Bowness Hank Hehmsoth Milo Hehmsoth Ross Margitza Dayne Reliford Peggy Stern Bruce Saunders – Guitar Chris Jones – Bass Aaron Parks – Drums 

Join us for a live taping and listening-room concert for the Paul Cornish Trio! Paul Cornish - Piano Jermaine Paul - Upright bass Jonathan Pinson - Drums Los Angeles-based pianist and composer Paul Cornish brings emotional depth, nuance, and curiosity to every note he plays. A Houston native and graduate of the city’s renowned High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, Cornish shares a lineage with jazz innovators such as Jason Moran, Robert Glasper, and James Francies. He went on to earn a full fellowship to the prestigious Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz at UCLA, where he studied with Hancock, Wayne Shorter, and other modern masters while completing his master’s degree. A 2023 finalist in both the American Pianists Awards and the Herbie Hancock International Jazz Piano Competition, Cornish has performed across the globe with artists including Joshua Redman, Louis Cole, Mark Guiliana, HAIM, Snoh Aalegra, Terrace Martin, and Kanye West. His acclaimed Blue Note debut You’re Exaggerating! captures his lyrical sensibility and compositional clarity, offering a bold and personal contribution to the label’s next generation. At the heart of Cornish’s artistry is a drive to inspire freedom, dialogue, and transformation—on stage, in the studio, and in the communities he serves. 

Join us for a live taping and listening-room concert for Atlas Maior | Palindromlar LP Vinyl Release Show & Midwest Tour Launch! Joshua Thomson – Alto Saxophone, Hulusi Josh Peters – Oud Bendir James Suter - Upright Bass Gray Parsons - Drums Palindromlar is Atlas Maior’s latest creative effort informed by the band’s experiences touring in Morocco during the Spring of 2024. This 10 song full-length vinyl LP (to be released 10/11/25 on Dead Red Queen Records) is an improvised sequel to Atlas Maior’s 2014 effort Palindrome.This evening at Monks Jazz will serve as the band’s 2025 midwest tour send off show, and vinyl release celebration. In 2024 Atlas Maior completed an extensive 12-date tour throughout Morocco, Madrid, and Barcelona while supporting vinyl LP Hadal Deluxe Edition (released 6/7/24) which has garnered positive reviews and media placement from Jazziz Magazine, Medium, PRI The World, New York Daily Music, Jazz Journal, Afropop Worldwide, Song Lines, & in 2019 were named City of Austin Cultural Ambassadors. In 2023 Atlas Maior was a recipient of the City of Austin’s Live Music Fund grant. 

Join us for a live taping and listening-room concert for John Koozin & The Neighborhood! John Koozin – Bass Robbie Lee – Piano/Vocals Alan Acosta – Saxophone Chris "Stomp" Garriga – Drums John Koozin is a bassist, bandleader, and composer based in New York City. He has performed throughout the US and the world with artists including Matt Wilson, Kanlia Vandever, Francois Rabbath, Arta Jakobsone, and Jasper Dutz. His playing is inspired by films, visual artists, books, Faith, video games, and his friends. "John Koozin and the Neighborhood” is Koozin’s project as a bandleader, featuring some of his closest mentors and peers. Covering jazz standards, songs, Hymns, as well as songs from film and cartoons, this band is inspired by the works of his mentors, as well as his own experiences teaching students in Sunnyside, Queens. The 'Neighborhood" is thrilled to return to Monk's this October!