On Monday Dec 8 at 7:00 p.m., audiences will welcome the return of Wayne Smith, Jr. to Montgomery Auditorium at the Free Library of Philadelphia’s Parkway Central Branch. We last heard from Wayne on October 29 when he played with a quartet under the leadership of Mike Cemprola. We librarians in the Music Department, after hearing him play in October, are thrilled to see him lead his own group in December.

Philadelphia’s jazz scene nurtured Wayne from the beginning. His career as a drummer is as promising as it is eclectic. He has performed everywhere from Philadelphia’s own Chris’ Jazz Café to the stages of Europe, Canada, and Australia. In addition to being a founding member of Three Blind Mice, he recently formed the New York-based The Wayne Smith Quintet. The ambient influenced group marks his progression as he continues to merge his jazz fundamentals with his developing rock edge.

To reserve your spot at this concert, you can get FREE Tickets here.

To see the lineup for the entire series, past and future, please take a look at our program guide. To hear recordings, both live originals from Montgomery Auditorium or classic recordings [from our streaming music services] of the older tunes these musicians are re-imagining, check out previous blog posts from September, October, and November.

If you missed Vince Turnbull’s concert this past November, check out these video highlights:

Turnbull's quartet made interesting use of a variety of textures and voices throughout the night. The use of flugelhorn by Turnbull and bowed upright bass [log on to Oxford Music Online first, outside of a library branch] by Nimrod Speaks on this next ballad made for an especially moving sound.

Tim Brey's work on the piano laid a flawless platform for the band throughout the night. On this the final composition, drummer Gusten Rudolph's solo helps bring the show to an exciting conclusion.

None of these concerts would be possible without the Philadelphia Jazz Project (PJP), which works to inspire a network to support, promote, archive, and celebrate the diverse elements within the Philadelphia jazz community, with the larger goal of connecting to the global community. PJP is a sponsored project of the Painted Bride Art Center, with funding provided by the Wyncote Foundation. Nor could we do it without The Producer’s Guild, which has the mission to ensure that the appreciation and enthusiasm for the rich cultural heritage of African American Arts continues to thrive in Philadelphia, especially Black Classical Music, commonly known as JAZZ.

Come join us on this journey at the Free Library of Improvisation!