The Django’s NEXT GEN JAZZ Mondays are the place to go to see New York’s best new jazz artists. In fact, many of today’s emerging acts cut their musical teeth on The Django stage. From grammy-winning Samara Joy to Stella Cole to Benny Benack III, The Django has been a hotbed of musical mentorship since its inception almost eight years ago.

 

Here are just a few of our latest NEXT GEN JAZZ talents making their mark on the music scene:

 

EVAN SHERMAN 

 

 

Born into a musical family in New Jersey, Evan Sherman began playing the drums at age 5 and had his first professional gigs at 13. Since then, Evan performed, recorded and toured with Wynton Marsalis & the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Roy Hargrove, Ron Carter, Jimmy Heath, the Dizzy Gillespie All-Stars, Cyrus Chestnut, Branford Marsalis, and more.  He has performed at the Village Vanguard, the Blue Note, Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, Birdland, Jazz Standard, London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall, New Morning in Paris, Lincoln Center’s Rose Hall, JALC Doha & Shanghai, and Washington’s Kennedy Center as well as the Newport, Detroit, and Jerusalem jazz festivals. He is currently the drummer for singing sensation Samara Joy.

 

LIAM SUTCLIFFE

 

 

Liam Sutcliffe is an acclaimed young trumpeter who performs regularly in the New York metro area. In 2019, he was selected to be a part of the famed Betty Carter Jazz Ahead Program at The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. In 2020, he won the United States Army Blues Solo competition. Sutcliffe’s music is strongly rooted in the jazz/bebop tradition and employs modern elements as well.  Sutcliffe keeps his audience engaged and entertained in a myriad of musical settings.

 

ALEXA TORRES (JULY 1 at 10:30 PM at 12:00 AM)

 

 

Alexa Torres is a Latinx improvising violinist, composer, and music researcher with a background in jazz. Throughout her musical career, Torres has performed in the US, Latin America, and Europe and has had the privilege of sharing the stage with renowned, Grammy-winning artists such as Kurt Elling and Mon Laferte. Breaking new ground in the world of improvised strings, in 2022 Torres became the first woman and the first violinist to graduate from the University of North Texas (UNT) Jazz Strings program when she obtained a Master of Music in Jazz Performance from the acclaimed Jazz Studies department. “In Situ,” Torres’ debut album as a bandleader, is out now.

 

WILLIE MORRIS (JULY 29 at 10:30 PM and 12:00 AM)

 

 

St. Louis native and New York-based saxophonist and composer Willie Morris has emerged as a fresh and exciting force on the jazz scene. With a deep-rooted appreciation for the Black-American art forms that have flourished in his city, he brings a dynamic and unique perspective to his craft. In this early stage of his career, Willie has already worked with esteemed musicians such as Randy Brecker, John Clayton, John Swana, Byron Landham, Jason Marsalis and many others. His debut album “Conversation Starter” (Posi-Tone 2023), served as a platform for showcasing his exceptional abilities. Its follow up “Attentive Listening” (Posi-Tone 2024) is an immersive sonic journey.