SMOKE Jazz Club, New York City, Programme for March 2026.

Thursday, January 29, 2026

SMOKE Jazz Club has announced its schedule for March 2026. Performers include Charles McPherson, Steve Davis, Kenny Washington, Fred Hersch, Eric Alexander, Cyrus Chestnut, George Cables.

We have received the following press release;

Just Announced March Line-up - Smoke Jazz Club Celebrates Harold Mabern’s 90th Birthday, Welcomes Back Fred Hersch and More

Announcing SMOKE Jazz Club’s March 2026 Line-up Including Harold Mabern Celebration, Acclaimed Pianists Fred Hersch and George Cables, and Bebop Legend Charles McPherson

Charles McPherson Quintet
featuring Steve Davis and Kenny Washington (Mar 4-8)

Fred Hersch Trio (Mar 11-15)

A Tribute to Harold Mabern
featuring Eric Alexander and Cyrus Chestnut (Mar 18-22)

George Cables Quartet
plus special guest Sarah Elizabeth Charles (Mar 25-29)

NEW YORK, NY (For Release 01.29.26) — Hailed as the “#1 Jazz Club in New York City (SecretNYC),” SMOKE Jazz Club today announced an exciting line-up for the month of March 2026. On what would’ve been Harold Mabern’s 90th birthday on March 20th, SMOKE presents a special five-night celebration (Mar 18-22) reuniting his stellar ensemble and releasing a newly remixed and remastered 10th anniversary edition of Afro Blue (SMOKE Sessions Records). The month begins with bebop legend Charles McPherson at the helm of his hard-swinging quintet (Mar 4-8) followed by two of today’s leading pianists leading their respective groups: Fred Hersch Trio (Mar 11-15) and George Cables Songbook (Mar 25-29). For the most updated March schedule, please visit http://www.smokejazz.com. As always, all Friday night concerts are livestreamed!

About SMOKE
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.

MARCH 2026 @ SMOKE Jazz Club
(schedule subject to change)

When: Wednesday-Sunday @ 6:00 p.m. + 8:00 p.m. and additional 10:00 p.m. (Fri & Sat only). Doors open at 4:00 p.m. (unless otherwise noted).
Where: SMOKE Jazz Club, 2751 Broadway (between 105/106th Streets), New York, NY, Train: 1 to 103rd Street.
Tickets: General $25+. Livestream $15 (Fri only). For more information and to make reservations, please visit http://www.smokejazz.com.

Wed-Sun Mar 4-8 CHARLES MCPHERSON QUINTET featuring special guests
Steve Davis and Kenny Washington
Charles McPherson – alto saxophone
Steve Davis – trombone
Boris Kozlov – bass
Jeb Patton – piano
Kenny Washington – drums
“No jazz musician of the past 60 years has more palpably channeled the sound of Charlie Parker than alto saxophonist Charles McPherson.” – Jazziz
Alto saxophonist and bebop legend Charles McPherson leads a hard-swinging quintet with special guests: trombonist Steve Davis and drummer Kenny Washington. One of the most acclaimed and beloved voices in jazz, McPherson’s rich musical style is rooted in the blues and bebop and has influenced and inspired generations of musicians and listeners for over six decades. He has performed at concerts and festivals around the world with jazz greats like Barry Harris, Billy Eckstine, Nat Adderley, Jay McShann, Phil Woods, Wynton Marsalis, James Moody, Dizzy Gillespie, and others.
In a recent review, Downbeat states, “As a still-vibrant jazz veteran with ties to innovators like Charles Mingus and Lionel Hampton, McPherson’s writing carries on the traditional weight of bebop and swing, buoyed with an inventive, contemporary spark.” Paris Move writes of his recent acclaimed album, Reverence“If you love jazz, this album is already a legend.”

Wed-Sun Mar 11-15 FRED HERSCH TRIO
Fred Hersch – piano
Felix Moseholm – bass
Kush Abadey – drums
“A master who plays it his way.” – The New York Times
Acclaimed pianist Fred Hersch makes his first appearance at SMOKE leading a trio featuring bassist Felix Moseholm and drummer Kush Abadey. Called “the most arrestingly innovative pianist in jazz over the last decade” by Vanity Fair and “a living legend” by The New Yorker, Hersch is a 17-time GRAMMY nominee and the recipient of many of jazz’s most prestigious awards. His trio is venerated as the epitome of thrilling interplay and dynamic spontaneity, with The Wall Street Journal calling it “one of the major ensembles of our time. The Boston Globe adds that he is “a pristine pianist with a poet’s soul — a pair of qualities that combine to especially dazzling effect ...truly transcendent.”

Wed-Sun Mar 18-22 A TRIBUTE TO HAROLD MABERN featuring ERIC ALEXANDER & CYRUS CHESTNUT
Eric Alexander – tenor saxophone
Cyrus Chestnut – piano
Nat Reeves – bass
Carl Allen – drums
“For more than 60 years, Mabern was a Rock-of-Gibraltar presence in modern jazz, rising to the first rank of sidemen — with Coleman, guitarist Wes Montgomery, trumpeter Lee Morgan and myriad others — and building a substantial if often undervalued body of work himself.”  – NPR Music
Legendary pianist Harold Mabern is remembered in this tribute by a remarkable quartet. The group features pianist Cyrus Chestnut, whose blues-influenced style Mabern admired as similar to his own; Mabern’s closest collaborator, tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander; one of his favorite bassists, Nat Reeves; and drummer Carl Allen.
These performances mark what would have been Mabern’s 90th birthday on March 20 and the release of a newly remixed and remastered 10th Anniversary Edition of Afro Blue on SMOKE’s sister label, SMOKE Sessions Records, perhaps his favorite recording project and proudest achievement as a leader. Once a ubiquitous presence at SMOKE, Mabern is missed, but his music lives on.
All About Jazz describes Eric Alexander as “widely praised for years as one of the jazz world’s foremost tenor saxophonists.” The New York Daily News calls Cyrus Chestnut “the rightful heir to Bud Powell, Art Tatum, and Erroll Garner.” JazzTimes notes that Nat Reeves is “among the most respected bassists of his generation,” and saxophone great Joe Lovano has said, “Carl Allen is an international powerhouse.”

Wed-Sun Mar 25-29 GEORGE CABLES QUARTET plus special guest SARAH ELIZABETH CHARLES
Craig Handy – tenor saxophone & flute
George Cables – piano
Essiet Essiet – bass
Jerome Jennings – drums
plus special guest
Sarah Elizabeth Charles – vocals
“Anyone serious about jazz will tell you that George Cables belongs in the pantheon of the greatest jazz pianists.” – All About Jazz
Legendary pianist George Cables performs “The George Cables Songbook” featuring special guest vocalist Sarah Elizabeth Charles with his acclaimed quartet, including saxophonist Craig Handy, bassist Essiet Essiet, and drummer Jerome Jennings. A major voice in modern jazz, Cables is celebrated for his fresh interpretations of classic compositions and innovative compositional style. In addition to composing and arranging for his own albums, Cables has contributed to recordings by Dexter Gordon, Art Pepper, Freddie Hubbard, Woody Shaw, Bobby Hutcherson, and many others. Recently named an inaugural recipient of the 2025 Jazz Legacy Fellowship by the Mellon Foundation and the Jazz Foundation of America, Cables is described as a “humble keyboard genius with impeccable technique and a unique songbook.” The New York City Jazz Record hails him as “a piano giant,” while National Public Radio notes that his solos “reveal a deep sense of groove and pacing and a mind at work.”