If you follow the local scene, you may know the Philly Music Fest is happening this week, all over town. Its main jazz offering is the Immanuel Wilkins Quartet at Solar Myth — a show that sold out long before Wilkins was announced as a MacArthur Fellow. So we aren’t listing it here, but look at all the other great options! Whatever your vibe, there’s something you should go out and hear.
Spotlight: Jazz@ThePoint Festival — Thursday through Saturday, Somers Point, NJ
The South Jersey Jazz Society, a trad-jazz stronghold for more than 20 years, holds its Jazz@ThePoint Festival every year down the shore. For its 2026 edition, the theme is “Red, White & Louis” — a nod to both the America 250 commemoration and Louis Armstrong, a patron saint. Opening night, in fact, involves a presentation by historian Ricky Riccardi, author of three Armstrong biographies, and our recent guest on The Late Set podcast. That Thursday program will also feature the Bob Ferguson All-Stars, playing music inspired by Pops.
The festival’s centerpiece is a pair of marquee concerts at the Gateway Playhouse, a historic former movie house. First up on Friday is trombonist Wycliffe Gordon, a longtime Jazz at Lincoln Center fixture who once made an album titled Hello Pops! A Tribute to Louis Armstrong. Saturday’s headliner is the trumpet virtuoso Jon Faddis, who was inspired to pick up his instrument at age seven, after seeing Armstrong’s appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show.
On both evenings, there will also be shows at Gregory’s Restaurant and Bar, with no cover charge. Friday’s offering is “Paula Johns Sings Ella Fitzgerald,” a love offering from one great singer to another. Closing things out on Saturday is Terell Stafford, the Director of Jazz Studies at Temple’s Boyer College of Music and Dance, and like Faddis, a trumpeter who regards Louis as a touchstone. Finally, a grace note: in addition to the Armstrong angle, this year’s Jazz @ThePoint is dedicated to Bob Perkins, a longtime trusted voice on the air at WRTI, who died last year at 91.
Oct. 15-17, various times, various venues, Somers Point, NJ, ticket prices vary; more information.
Benny Benack III Sextet — Friday and Saturday, Chris’ Jazz Cafe
This is the Life, the first live album by Benny Benack III, captures the spark in his trumpet playing as well as his vocal style. Watch a video of the title track, as performed at the Blue Llama Jazz Club in Ann Arbor, for a taste of what this weekend’s shows will feel like, as Benack is joined by a fellow vocal charmer, Kieran Brown.
Oct. 16 and 17 at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m., Chris’ Jazz Cafe, 1421 Sansom Street, $30 on Friday, $35 on Saturday, with dinner packages; tickets and information.
V. Shayne Frederick: The Music of Billie Holiday — Friday, South Jazz Kitchen
V. Shayne Frederick’s deep baritone and burnished elocution might remind you of an old-school jazz crooner like Joe Williams, but he comes to the jazz tradition through a soul and R&B portal. For this tribute to Billie Holiday, he enlists a quintet of powerful women with Philadelphia connections: Deborah Smith and Naomi Cuellar on trombones, Kendrah Butler-Waters on piano, Destiny Diggs on bass, and Stephanie Phillips on drums.
Oct. 16 at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., South Jazz Kitchen, 600 N Broad Street, $26; tickets and information.
Vibe Nation: Tribute to Khan Jamal — Saturday, The Nile Cafe
Khan Jamal was a vibraphonist who bridged soul-jazz and the spirit-seeking avant-garde. In what would have been his 80th year (he died in 2022), a handful of Philadelphia vibes players convene in his name, for a Germantown Jazz Festival fundraiser. They are Tony Miceli, Randy Suttin, Behn Gillece, Oliver Mayman and Julian Lee; joining them are Bobby Zankel on saxophone, Neil Podgurski on piano, Nimrod Speaks on bass, and Khary Shaheed on drums.
Oct. 17 at 2 p.m., The Nile Gardens, 6008 Germantown Avenue, $25 ($12.50 for seniors and students); tickets and information.
Ikechi Onyenaka — Oct. 18, City Winery
An alto saxophonist with a sleek, imploring tone, Ikechi Onyenaka has been building a career in and around the realm of smooth jazz. His standalone new single, “Hoshi No Tanjō,” has the hallmarks of pop-R&B production that he favors, and it indicates the appealing sound he’ll conjure in this City Winery hit.
Oct. 18 at 7:30 p.m., City Winery, 990 Filbert Street, $22-$30; tickets and information.
