Events for September 2026

Kuumbwa Jazz Presents
Independently Produced Event
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Special Event

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Nduduzo Makhathini Trio

Nduduzo Makhathini is an improvisor, scholar and musicologist at the University of KwaZulu-Natal school of the arts with a PhD in music. Makhathini is also a multi award-winning artist and internationally acclaimed musician from Pietermaritzburg in KwaZulu-Natal. As a bandleader, Makhathini holds twelve albums under his belt and he features on many as a sideman […]

World Class Music Live Presents: Ballaké Sissoko & Piers Faccini

Two decades after their first ever collaboration, British-Italian folk songwriter, Piers Faccini, and Malian kora virtuoso, Ballaké Sissoko, return with a mesmerizing album. This new and captivating musical dialogue — between a prodigious instrumentalist at the height of his powers and a gifted songwriter and wordsmith — deftly bridges continents and traditions, inventing new song […]

World Class Music Live Presents: Ballaké Sissoko & Piers Faccini

Two decades after their first ever collaboration, British-Italian folk songwriter, Piers Faccini, and Malian kora virtuoso, Ballaké Sissoko, return with a mesmerizing album. This new and captivating musical dialogue — between a prodigious instrumentalist at the height of his powers and a gifted songwriter and wordsmith — deftly bridges continents and traditions, inventing new song […]

John Pizzarelli

Guitarist and singer John Pizzarelli has been hailed by the Boston Globe for “reinvigorating the Great American Songbook and re-popularizing jazz.” Established as one of the prime contemporary interpreters of the Great American Songbook, Pizzarelli has expanded that repertoire by including the music of Paul McCartney, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Tom Waits, Antônio Carlos Jobim, […]

Master Class: Gerard Egan – Zen & the Art of Guitar Maintenance

Join Gerard Egan, Santa Cruz’s ‘resident guitar mechanic,’ for Zen & the Art of Guitar Maintenance – a presentation about guitar playability and maintenance. Learning just a few basic skills can dramatically improve your relationship with the guitar and your playing; being armed with the ability to know when and why your guitar needs a […]

Sarah Elizabeth Charles – Dawn

Sarah Elizabeth Charles is a vocalist/composer/producer/teaching artist/mother based in Brooklyn, New York. She has released four critically acclaimed albums with her band SCOPE, and her fifth album Dawn – a reflection on birth, loss, joy, and motherhood – features a brand new ensemble. Charles has performed at venues including The White House, Carnegie Hall, the […]

Old Blind Dogs

The Old Blind Dogs, Jonny Hardie (fiddle/vocals), Aaron Jones (cittern/guitar/vocals), Mike Katz (highland pipes/vocals) and Donald Hay (percussion/vocals) return to Santa Cruz with their signature sound of lively tunes and beautiful male harmonies. The Old Blind Dogs began in Aberdeen in 1992 with roots that grew from the eclectic music scene that flourished in the Granite City during the early 90’s. Four musicians […]

Al Di Meola – Acoustic Ensemble – 7:00 PM

A Meet & Greet VIP Package is available to purchase with a ticket to the 7 PM show! The VIP package is $150 per-person, and can be added to your cart after selecting your ticket(s). The package includes: View Al Di Meola’s soundcheck from the first five rows (this seating is available only during the […]

Al Di Meola – Acoustic Ensemble – 9:00 PM

Al Di Meola occupies a rare and enduring position in contemporary music as a living legend whose work continues to define the present moment. For more than five decades, he has shaped the language of modern instrumental music through an unmistakable synthesis of jazz, rock, Latin, Mediterranean, and world traditions—marked by rhythmic sophistication, compositional intelligence, […]

Brass Queens

Brass Queens is a female-led, New York-based brass band that has been dominating the brass band scene since 2019.  Finding that they shared similar frustrations about the emerging brass band scene in New York City, co-founders Alex Harris and Ally Chapel formed a group dedicated to showcasing the talents of female musicians in a landscape […]

Martha High’s Funky Divas with Fred Wesley & The New JBs – 7:00 PM

Get ready for a funky good time when Martha High's Funky Divas, backed by Fred Wesley and The New JBs, return to the Kuumbwa Jazz Center with a power-packed show of hits from those they played and sang with the Godfather of Soul, James Brown. Fred Wesley Website info/tickets/questions:  michael@pulseproductions.net

Martha High’s Funky Divas with Fred Wesley & The New JBs – 9:00 PM

Get ready for a funky good time when Martha High's Funky Divas, backed by Fred Wesley and The New JBs, return to the Kuumbwa Jazz Center with a power-packed show of hits from those they played and sang with the Godfather of Soul, James Brown. Fred Wesley Website info/tickets/questions:  michael@pulseproductions.net

Téada

Téada consists of Oisín Mac Diarmada (fiddle), Paul Finn (button accordion), Damien Stenson (flute), Samantha Harvey (piano& dance), Seán Mc Elwain (bouzouki & guitar) and Tristan Rosenstock (bodhrán). If you have attended an Irish Christmas In America concert, you will undoubtedly recognize fiddler Oisín Mac Diarmada. A leading exponent of Irish traditional music, Téada is driven […]

Cyrille Aimée Duo

Cyrille Aimée grew up in a multilingual household full of music where dancing was an everyday activity, soundtracked by the Afro-Caribbean sounds of her mother’s native Dominican Republic.  Moving to New York City, her talents quickly gained her a reputation among her peers as a matchless interpreter of song. Steven Sondheim invited her to star […]

World Class Music Live Presents: El Khat

El Khat is a homemade junkyard band led by multi-instrumentalist Eyal El Wahab. Named for the drug used so widely chewed across the Arab Peninsula, their original compositions are inspired by the music of the golden age in Aden, Yemen. Experimenting with DIY, self-made instruments as an expression of a minimalist life philosophy—while remaining loyal […]