Falmouth Jazz Artists 2025
Alexis Cole Trio | January 19, 2025 | West Falmouth Library
Alexis Cole is a celebrated jazz vocalist known for her warm, resonant voice and urbane style perfectly suited to traditional standards and swing. She is a winner of the NY Jazzmobile and Montreux Jazz Festival Vocal Competitions, a finalist in the prestigious Sarah Vaughan International Vocal Competition, and a recipient of the Swing Journal Gold Disc Award. From 2009 to 2015 she served as the vocalist for The Jazz Knights, West Point’s big band. Joining Alexis for her third visit to Falmouth are Matt DeChamplain on piano and Marshall Wood on Bass.
Visit Alexis’ website: CLICK HERE
Rossano Sportiello | February 16, 2025 | John Wesley Methodist Church
One of the world’s leading jazz piano players on the scene today, Rossano Sportiello’s musical influences include Fats Waller, Art Tatum, Count Basie and other great masters. He has performed at major venues such as Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall and the United Nations as well as jazz clubs like the Blue Note, Birdland, Smalls and Mezzrow. Rossano’s prolific output tracks 40 albums to date, including both classical and jazz performances and six solo albums. With warmth, charm and prodigious piano playing, Rossano Sportiello is a favorite of Falmouth Jazz and we are delighted to welcome him back.
Visit Rossano’s website: CLICK HERE
Olivia Chindamo and Laura Anglade | March 22, 2025 | The Gallery on Main
In a special duet debut in Falmouth, vocalists Olivia Chindamo and Laura Anglade unite to deliver beautiful duets ranging from the Great American Songbook to French jazz classics. Australian-born Chindamo’s unique voice and love for improvisation effortlessly carries melodies and delivers stories with integrity and musicianship. She performs at venues including The Kennedy Center, Dizzy’s Club and Birdland, and is back for her third visit to Falmouth.
French-born Laura Anglade, making her Falmouth debut, channels the spirit of greats like Ella Fitzgerald and Carmen McRae while bringing her own fresh voice and engaging presence to the stage. Joining them is acclaimed guitarist David Rourke, a regular on the New York jazz scene.
Visit Olivia’s website: CLICK HERE
Visit Laura’s website: CLICK HERE
Dave Zinno Trio | March 30, 2025 | Highfield Hall and Gardens
World-class jazz bassist, composer, bandleader and music educator Dave Zinno heads up the superbly talented trio of Zinno, Garzone, and Barata. Dave has performed with Harry Allen, Jimmy Cobb, Jimmy Heath, and GRAMMY-winning vocalist Dianne Schur. He has toured Europe, South America, North Africa and around the US. Dave was on the faculty at the Toulon (France) Jazz Festival Workshop for 11 years and is currently at URI and Brown University. Master of the sax George Garzone and GRAMMY-winning Brazilian percussionist Rafael Barata round out the group.
Visit Dave’s website: CLICK HERE
Lucy Wijnands featuring Pasquale Grasso | April 13, 2025 | West Falmouth Library
Jazz vocalist Lucy Wijnands graduated as a Presidential Scholar from SUNY Purchase’s Conservatory of Music, won the prestigious Ella Fitzgerald Jazz Vocal Competition, completed a 16-week residency with the world-famous Birdland Big Band, became a regular at Manhattan’s Mezzrow and other jazz clubs, and has toured all over the world. And she’s still in her 20’s!
Born in Italy and now based in New York City, guitarist Pasquale Grasso has developed an astounding technique and concept informed by bebop pioneers like Bud Powell, Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie and the classical-guitar tradition. Winner of the Wes Montgomery International Jazz Guitar Competition, jazz-guitar icon Pat Metheny called Pasquale “the best guitar player I’ve heard in maybe my entire life.” In 2022, Grasso earned a GRAMMY for his work on Linger Awhile, the debut studio album by Samara Joy, which won Best Jazz Vocal Album.
Joining them will be masterful bass player Paul Gill.
Visit Lucy’s website: CLICK HERE
Visit Pasquale’s website: CLICK HERE
Harry Allen and Rossano Sportiello | April 27, 2025 | Highfield Hall and Gardens
We introduced Rossano above (February 16). Tenor saxophonist Harry Allen is equally accomplished, having recorded over 70 CDs as a leader and many more as a sideman. With an elegant tone and swinging style, he has been described as “the Frank Sinatra of the tenor sax.” Harry has performed and recorded with talents ranging from Rosemary Clooney, Tony Bennett, Scott Hamilton, Harry ‘Sweets’ Edison, John Pizzarelli and Bucky Pizzarelli, to James Taylor, Sheryl Crow and Jay Geils.
Visit Harry’s website: CLICK HERE
Alan Broadbent Trio| May 18, 2025 | Highfield Hall and Gardens
Alan Broadbent is a New Zealand-born jazz pianist, arranger and composer and multiple GRAMMY winner. During the 1990s, he recorded on Natalie Cole’s album Unforgettable… with Love, then became her pianist and conductor on tour. His arrangement for her video When I Fall in Love won the GRAMMY Award for Best Orchestral Arrangement Accompanying a Vocal. He later won a second GRAMMY for his arrangement of Leonard Bernstein’s Lonely Town that was recorded by Shirley Horn. As a soloist and with his jazz trio, Broadbent has been nominated three different times for GRAMMYs for Best Jazz Performance. Alan will be joined by the masterful Harvie S on bass and the dynamic Billy Mintz on drums.
Visit Alan’s website: CLICK HERE
Brandon Goldberg | June 8, 2025 | Highfield Hall and Gardens
Nineteen-year-old pianist and composer Brandon Goldberg has blazed a trail as the youngest semifinalist in the 2023 Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz International Piano Competition and the youngest recipient of the 2022 ASCAP Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Award. Downbeat Magazine praised his “unassailable technique, advanced harmonic understanding, and deep sense of swing.” Goldberg has performed at renowned jazz festivals worldwide, including the Newport Jazz Festival, SFJazz, Santander Jazz in Spain, and Ystad Jazz in Sweden, as well as prestigious jazz clubs such as Dizzy’s Club, Smoke Jazz Club, Mezzrow, and Birdland Theater in New York. Joey Ranieri will join Brandon on bass.
Visit Brandon’s website: CLICK HERE
Donna Byrne Quartet | July 5, 2025 | The Gallery on Main
Donna Byrne is not only a masterful singer but also a true entertainer. With Cape Cod roots, she is a favorite of Falmouth audiences. Over her distinguished career, Ms. Byrne has performed at top jazz venues including Scullers Jazz Club in Boston, the Blue Note in New York, and Blues Alley in Washington, D.C. She has eight solo CDs and has recorded with top jazz artists such as Bucky Pizzarelli, Scott Hamilton, Harry Allen, Dave McKenna and Herb Pomeroy. Donna had “the thrill of a lifetime” when she was invited by the legendary Tony Bennett to open for him on tour. She is joined for this performance by Tim Ray on piano, Marshall Wood on bass and Les Harris on drums.
Visit Donna’s website: CLICK HERE
Duke Robillard All-Star Band | August 3, 2025 | Highfield Hall and Gardens
Since co-founding Roomful of Blues in 1967, Duke Robillard has achieved legendary status through his mastery of the guitar and a commanding grasp of a diverse array of blues styles. Hailed by BB King as “one of the great players,” Duke has garnered multiple GRAMMY nominations and Blues Awards, and boasts an extensive catalog of over 35 CDs as a leader. His All-Star Band is comprised of top-tier musicians who share his fervor for authentic blues and exceptional musicianship.
Visit Duke’s website: CLICK HERE
Greg Abate Trio: A Charlie Parker Tribute | August 17, 2025 | Highfield Hall and Gardens
Whether playing jazz classics or one of his own compositions, Greg Abate is known for his hard-driving and energetic approach. Called the “Prince of Bebop”, his sound has been described as “the distillation of swing’s easygoing vibe and bop’s more animated groove” and his music as having “a feverish intensity, full of verve and swagger.” Abate studied at the Berklee College of Music and has played lead alto saxophone for the Ray Charles Orchestra and tenor sax with the revived Artie Shaw Orchestra. With more than 18 acclaimed recordings, he performs around the globe and has been a New England favorite for more than 25 years. Greg will be joined by Chris Taylor on piano, Todd Baker on bass and Gary Johnson on drums.
Visit Greg’s website: CLICK HERE
Sullivan Fortner | September 7, 2025 | Highfield Hall and Gardens
Sullivan Fortner is a two-time GRAMMY winner out of New Orleans with talents as a pianist, composer and band leader. In 2019 he received his first GRAMMY for Best Jazz Vocal Album: The Window in collaboration with Cécile McLorin Salvant. This past January he won his second for Best Jazz Performance for his collaboration with Samara Joy (another Falmouth Jazz alum), Twinkle Twinkle Little Me. Pulling distinct elements from different eras, Fortner’s artistry preserves the tradition and evolves the sound. Winner of the 2024 DownBeat Critics Poll for Rising Star Jazz Group: the Sullivan Fortner Trio, Fortner has enjoyed creative associations with such diverse voices as Wynton Marsalis, Paul Simon, Diane Reeves, Etienne Charles and John Scofield.
Visit Sullivan’s website: CLICK HERE
“Evil Gal” Michelle Willson | October 5, 2025 | Highfield Hall and Gardens
Known for her strong, distinctive voice and deep knowledge of the blues, Ms. Willson has been singing the blues around Boston for over 40 years. Her career took off when she put together a tribute show to the music of Dinah Washington, Etta James and Ruth Brown, three iconic vocalists who created music that told women’s stories with wit and humor. Ms. Willson adopted the stage name “Evil Gal”, a reference to the song “Evil Gal Blues” made famous by Dinah Washington and Aretha Franklin. What started as one set became five Evil Gal albums, performances in 16 countries, and appearances on many other recordings, including the title track of the Anthony Geraci’s 2016 Handy Award nominated Fifty Shades of Blue on Delta Groove. The Evil Gal Orchestra is comprised of top Boston blues musicians who have performed with Ms. Willson for decades.
Visit Michelle’s website: CLICK HERE
Caity Gyorgy | October 18, 2025 | West Falmouth Library
Caity Gyorgy (pronounced George) is a Canadian vocalist and a three-time winner of the JUNO Award (Canada’s equivalent to the GRAMMY) for Vocal Jazz Album of the Year in 2022, 2023 and again in 2025. Known for singing bebop and swing with a flair for vocal improvisation, Caity is also an avid writer and composer, winning the Grand Prize in the jazz category of the John Lennon Songwriting Contest in 2021 for her song Secret Safe. She performs jazz standards and original material at popular clubs and festivals across Canada, Mexico, Japan and the US. We’re excited that she is returning to Falmouth for the second time.
Visit Caity’s website: CLICK HERE