Stanley Plays The Dead is guitarist Stanley Jordan's vibrant tribute to the music of the Grateful Dead and the legacy of Jerry Garcia. A lifelong fan of the band, Jordan formed this four-piece unit to share his deep connection to their repertoire--music he calls "an important part of the Great American Songbook." Drawing on his diverse influences, Jordan brings "cosmic vibe variations" to the Dead's catalog, expanding harmonic structures and jazz elements while preserving the original feel and trippy spirit. Jordan's relationship with this music runs deep. Raised in the San Francisco Bay Area during the era that birthed the Dead, he later became a frequent guest with Phil Lesh and Friends, gaining insight directly from one of the band's founders. Joined by drummer Kenwood Dennard, bassist Greg Koerner, and keyboardist/guitarist Jesse Hiatt, Stanley Plays The Dead delivers a fresh, heartfelt, and exploratory take on a timeless musical legacy.

World-renowned guitarist Stanley Jordan brings his long-running tribute Stanley Plays Jimi to the stage--a deeply personal and imaginative homage to Jimi Hendrix. Rather than imitate, Stanley re-imagines Hendrix's music, channeling his spirit while exploring how Jimi's sound might have evolved today. "This is my fantasy Hendrix concert if Jimi were still alive," Stanley says. A four-time Grammy nominee with a signature two-hand tapping technique, Stanley first connected with Hendrix as a child, making this project both a musical and emotional full circle. Though widely celebrated for his groundbreaking jazz career--including his landmark album Magic Touch, which spent 51 weeks at #1 on Billboard's jazz chart--Stanley has always kept one foot in rock and blues. With Stanley Plays Jimi, he blends Hendrix's explosive energy with his own exploratory style, honoring the legend while expanding the vocabulary he left behind.

Bassist and composer Sean Pentland, leader of Ensemble Caduceus, has been making his mark with premieres at the Seoul Arts Center Summer Festival (2023), the Naju Contemporary Music Festival (2021), and other venues across Korea. His works, along with pieces co-led with saxophone legend Jerry Bergonzi in the Pentland/Bergonzi Quartet, will appear on forthcoming 2025 albums. Shaped by years in Great Britain, Germany, and South Korea, Sean has toured internationally with Don Braden, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Luciana Souza, Bobby Wellins, Tina May, Damon Brown, Johannes Enders, and Bergonzi himself. He studied at New England Conservatory and Berklee's Global Jazz Institute and has taught at Paekche Institute of the Arts, Edinburgh University, and Litchfield Jazz Camp. Tenor saxophonist Jerry Bergonzi is celebrated worldwide for his innovative playing, prolific recordings, and influential teaching.

Paul Hughes hails from Manchester, England, and has been performing jazz and swing since the age of twelve. With an instrumental approach to the voice reminiscent of Sinatra, Hughes channels impeccable phrasing, rhythmic subtlety, and timeless style, making him a consummate storyteller (Bill Schnee, Producer/Engineer). His artistry reflects the poise and elegance of legends such as Frank Sinatra, Bobby Darin, Dean Martin, and Nat King Cole. Over the years, he has honed his performance skills traveling the world on leading cruise ships and delighting audiences worldwide, including a private performance for David and Victoria Beckham. Paul is currently recording a new album of original songs co-written by Nashville Hall of Fame recipients Byron Hill and Roger Brown. Produced by Sal Oliveri at legendary Capitol Records Studio in Los Angeles, the album features standout tracks such as "My Lucky Stars," "Then Came You," and "I Bet You Weren't Expecting This," showcasing Hughes' vocal range.

Through an inimitable voice that The New York Times calls "a smooth, dark alto possessed of qualities you might associate with barrel-aged bourbon or butter-soft leather," renowned vocalist and songwriter Lizz Wright offers a soaring reflection of the cultural fabric of America. Her music transcends social divides with an abiding sense of love, humanity, and belonging, embodying a tradition that invites listeners home. Wright's 2024 studio album Shadow presents her in a gentle yet triumphant light. Anchored by acoustic guitars and layered with strings, gospel vocals, Carnatic influences, and raw emotion, the album explores intimacy, loss, community, and healing. Produced by Chris Bruce and engineered by Ryan Freeland, Shadow features guest artists Angelique Kidjo and Meshell Ndegeocello. This will be a duo show with Lizz and Kenny Banks Sr. on piano and organ.

Sunny Jain's career is a celebration of cultural diaspora' deep-rooted tradition rippling outward, shaping and reshaping the cultures it touches. A composer, drummer, dhol player, and thought leader, Jain has been hailed by Songlines (UK) as ?one of the leading figures in North America's burgeoning Asian music scene.' His wide-ranging work includes being named a 2025 commissioned artist by Soho Repertory Theater, appearing as 'Mr. Tambourine Man' in the Oscar-nominated A Complete Unknown, and serving as a 2023-24 Visiting Scholar and Artist-in-Residence at Wesleyan University. Best known as the founder of Red Baraat, Jain has reached new heights with Sunny Jain's Wild Wild East (Smithsonian Folkways), a project praised by The New Yorker for its maximalist vision and conceptual depth. Blending Bollywood, Punjabi folk, jazz improvisation, and psychedelia, the band has delivered standout NPR Tiny Desk and KEXP sessions and toured major festivals and cultural institutions worldwide.