TICKETS are $10 General/$5 Student.

The Jack Smith Trio is a Chicago based ensemble performing original compositions and selections from artists including Hank Mobley, Dexter Gordon, Kenny Garret, Oscar Peterson, and more. Featuring Jack Smith on Reeds, Carmani Edwards on Upright Bass, and Julian Merluzzi on Drums and Cymbals.

Jack Smith - reeds

Carmani Edwards - upright bass

Julian Merluzzi - drums and cymbals

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WI_fUcw-Gws

Jack Smith is a Chicago based saxophonist, composer, and educator. A finalist of the Vandoren Emerging Artist Competition, Jack has performed with artists including Nicholas Payton, The Birch Creek Jazz Orchestra, and Dennis Carroll.

Julian Merluzzi is a Chicago based drummer, percussionist, and educator. He began his musical journey under the mentorship of musicians Greg Essig, Phil Beale, Professor Typhanie Coller, Ernie Adams, and Professor Dana Hall. He has collaborated with ensembles of all different styles and has performed with artists such as Sharel Cassity, Dennis Carroll, and Sophia Cruz. Julian continues his passion for performing at venues such as Sleeping Village, Merriman’s Playhouse, Fulton Street Collective, and many more.

A Chicago native, Carmani Edwards is a bassist in Chicago’s music scene. At 16 she took up the electric bass, and a year later fell in love with the double bass under the mentorship of the Ravinia Jazz Scholars program, where she studied under the late Willie Pickens. Studying under an array of professionals in her instrument—Katie Ernst, Dennis Carroll, Junius Paul, Marlene Rosenberg, and Ivan Taylor—in 2023 she graduated from DePaul University, receiving a Bachelor of Music from the Jazz Studies program.

Concerts and events made possible, in part, with support from the Wells Fargo Philanthropic Services Private Trust Foundations, which include grants from the Stanley A. and Flora P. Clark Memorial Community Trust Foundation (2020-2021; 2022-2023 seasons), the John, Anna, and Martha Jane Fields Memorial Trust Foundation (2021-2022; 2022-2023 seasons), and the Florence V. Carroll Charitable Trust (2021-2022; 2022-2023 season). Special concert event support provided by the Arts Midwest Grow, Invest, Gather (GIG) Fund grant (2022-2023 season). Activities are made possible in part by the Arts Organization Support (AOS), Indiana Arts Commission, a state agency, and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency (2023-2024 season).

Concerts and events made possible, in part, with support from The Esther and George Jaruga Charitable Foundation (2020-2023 seasons).

The Student and Home Grown Series concerts made possible, in part, with support from the ArtsEverywhere Grant from the Community Foundation of St. Joseph County, and the Arts Project Support Grant and the Arts Recovery Grant through the Indiana Arts Commission.