COUNTDOWN 2026 COLTRANE FESTIVAL I: Melissa Aldana, Walter Smith III & George Garzone Sextet

Wed, Dec 10

*PLEASE NOTE: All 7PM and 9PM shows at Smoke are Dinner Shows $35 | $40 | $50 | $55. - Wed & Thu 7 PM $25 | $30 | $40 | $45 - Wed & Thu 9 PM $35.00 / $40.00 / $50.00 / $55.00 -- Fri & Sun $35.00 / $50.00 / $60.00 / $65.00 -- Sat Melissa Aldana – tenor saxophone Walter Smith III – tenor saxophone George Garzone – tenor saxophone Glenn Zaleski – piano Linda May Han Oh – bass Bill Stewart – drums Smoke’s 13th Annual Coltrane Festival, Countdown 2026, opens with an incredible all-star sextet featuring three (!) great tenor saxophone masters: Melissa Aldana, Walter Smith III, and the legendary George Garzone. This tenor trio will be joined by the equally impressive rhythm section of pianist Glenn Zaleski, bassist Linda May Han Oh, and drummer Bill Stewart. Aldana, who assembled this sextet, originally from Chile, is one of the new stars in jazz who embodies “a new sense of possibility and direction in jazz,” according to The Washington Post. Since arriving in New York from Boston in 2009, she won the 2013 Monk Competition and numerous accolades for her music. The New York Times calls her “one of the more exciting young tenor saxophonists today.” Since his debut nearly two decades ago, Walter Smith II has become a cornerstone of the jazz scene, contributing to legendary groups such as Roy Haynes’ Fountain of Youth Band, the Terence Blanchard Quintet, Eric Harland’s Voyager, and the Ambrose Akinmusire Quintet, as well as collaborations with Jason Moran, Christian McBride, Gerald Clayton, and the Sean Jones Quintet, among many others. Both Aldana and Smith, as well as legions of saxophonists, count George Garzone as a primary influence, mentor, and teacher. A mainstay of the Boston scene for over half a century, Garzone has performed with his legendary trio, The Fringe, since 1972. Michael Brecker said, “I’m not the master of the saxophone, George Garzone is.” And, All About Jazz reports, “Few can play John Coltrane's music with such verve. I don't believe that anyone has dissected, analyzed, and understands Coltrane's music with the broad scope and finite level of Garzone.” Coincidentally (cosmically?), Garzone and Coltrane also share a September 23rd birthday.