Athenaeum Music and Arts
The Willie Jones III Quintet, an all-star ensemble, features Jones on drums. Photo credit: ljathenaeum.org/jazz

Jazz returns to the Athenaeum for the La Jolla library’s annual series of fall concerts, this year in the Joan & Irwin Jacobs Music Room.

The series will take place at the Athenaeum, 1008 Wall Street, rather than the usual Scripps Research Institute site, due to construction. The concerts will be held at the library until late 2023.

This shows, all set for 7:30 p.m., begin Sept. 29. Subscriptions cost $129 for non members or $45 per performance.

Scheduled to appear are:

  • Sept. 29 – the Willie Jones III Quartet, with Jones on drums, one-time Tonight Show Band member Ralph Moore on tenor sax, San Diego’s Gilbert Castellanos on trumpet, Sam Hirsh on piano and Luca Alemanno on bass. Jones’ association with the Athenaeum goes back to 1995. He has recorded eight albums and performed with Wynton Marsalis and Sonny Rollins.
  • Oct. 12 – the Bad Plus, featuring original members Reid Anderson on bass and Dave King on drums, plus guitarist Ben Monder and tenor saxophonist Chris Speed. The Bad Plus, originally formed 21 years ago, will release a new album Sept. 30.
  • Oct. 26 – The Miguel Zenón Quartet, led by the alto saxophonist and composer, includes Venezuelan pianist Luis Perdomo, Austrian bassist Hans Glawischnig and Puerto Rican drummer Henry Cole. The group will play music from Zenón’s forthcoming album. He is also a MacArthur Fellow.