JAZZ@KOUBEK ED CALLE / MAY 2023

The Koubek Center at Miami Dade College presents Jazz @ Koubek, a three-day event featuring resident jazz creators and performers exploring some of the many accents of jazz in Miami. Brilliant musicianship and stories told in post-bop and Afro-Caribbean grooves, roots music, and funk. There is a world of jazz to discover at the Koubek Center, May 11-13.
Thursday, May 11-a must-hear piano showcase featuring two young masters, Tal Cohen,
and Brandon Goldberg. Grammy-winning Cohen has developed a solid solo career while at the
same time working with top jazz artists such as Joe Lovano, Terence Blanchard, Greg Osby, and
Ignacio Berroa. His most recent album is the much-lauded Gentle Giants (2017). Goldberg has
exploded in the jazz scene and, at just 17, has already released two albums, Let’s Play (2019)
and In Good Time (2021), and performed on stages such as Jazz at Lincoln Center, Dizzy’s Club,
Birdland Theatre, The Blue Note, The Apollo Theater, and Carnegie Hall with the NYO Jazz
Orchestra.
On Friday, May 12, saxophonist Ed Calle and vocalist LaVie will comprise a double bill that
offers a wide view of jazz from post-bebop and Latin grooves to elements of soul, funk, and
reggae. Dr. Ed Calle is one the most recorded saxophonists in history, a Latin Grammy winner,
and a five-time Grammy nominee. He is also a full-time Music Business and Production
Professor at Miami Dade College. A stunningly versatile performer, Dr. Calle can be heard on
more than 1,700 albums, some 10,000 singles. His credits range from Frank Sinatra and Gloria
Estefan to Chick Corea and Juanes, but also include countless movie and television soundtracks
as a soloist, sideman, composer, arranger, conductor, and producer. Born of Haitian immigrant
parents, LaVie grew up watching Whitey Houston. Her idol’s influence can be heard in her
soulful style, powerful delivery, and inspirational/ soul music album Life Music.
The closing evening, on Saturday, May 13, offers a sampling of adventurous and hard-hitting
electric jazz with guitarist Aaron Lebos’ Abstract Citizen quartet and the Lemon City Trio. One
of the most creative and adventurous guitarists in the Miami scene, Lebos, a Miami native, has
led his own groups while performing in musical settings as disparate as accompanying vocalist
Nicole Henry, The Spam All-Stars, and a featured guest with Nu Deco Ensemble. His new
quartet, Abstract Citizen (featuring vocalist Justine Garcia, bassist Marty Quinn, and drummer
Brahm Masla), serves as a showcase for his experimental and eclectic approach. The Lemon City
Trio, comprising Nick Tannura, guitar; Brian Robertson, organ/keyboards; and Aaron Glueckauf,
drums, is a hard-edged, groove-oriented update of the classic jazz organ trios. Named after a
historical area of Miami in Little Haiti where they have their rehearsal studio, the trio draws
freely from a range of influences, hinting at a New Orleans second line one moment and hitting
like a hard rock group the next. It’s music that sounds at once familiar and fresh, sophisticated
yet easy on the ear.