The 2025-26 “We Always Swing” Jazz Series season lineup is complete, with three more promising shows set for next year.
Branford Marsalis, Missouri native Pat Metheny and a serious dose of Latin-leaning jazz round out the schedule. Here’s what’s ahead:
Jan. 31, 2026: Alfredo Rodriguez and Pedrito Martinez Duo at Missouri Theatre
The Jazz Series’ annual Dr. Carlos and Laura Perez-Mesa Concert will feature a vibrant union of Cuban artists when pianist Rodriguez and percussionist Martinez share the Missouri Theatre stage. The collaboration began more than a dozen years ago, but the pair “have had the rare occasion to perform together as a duo, leaving audiences completely mesmerized by their fearless and virtuosic playing,” according to the Jazz Series.
Branford Marsalis Quartet, featuring Branford Marsalis on saxophone, Eric Revis on bass, Justin Faulkner on drums, and Joey Calderazzo on piano, performed at the Savannah Music Festival on April 5th at the Lucas Theatre for the Arts in Savannah, GA.
April 3: Branford Marsalis: Belonging Tour at Jesse Auditorium
A jazz royal, the saxophonist and his band will celebrate “Belonging,” their “full album interpretation” of Keith Jarrett’s 1974 release. The Marsalis date allows a Jazz Series audience the exhilarating opportunity to hear one master translate the music of another.
“The quartet applied Marsalis’ previous approach to classics by Charles Mingus, the Modern Jazz Quartet, John Coltrane, and others — neither slavish fealty to the originals nor extreme deconstructions,” Marsalis’ website says of the approach.
More: Celebrate the beginning of a new Jazz Series season atop The Roof
April 16: Pat Metheny at Missouri Theatre
The Lee’s Summit native is one of jazz’s true guitar heroes, a 20-time guitar winner with an inimitable style. Here, he delivers on his Side-Eye project, initially convened for a 2021 recording that intentionally folded in younger artists.
“I wanted to create an ongoing platform to host a rotating cast of the newer generations of musicians who have particularly caught my interest along the way,” Metheny said in an entry on his website.
These three dates join a lineup that features the likes of James Carter Organ Trio, Orrin Evans All-Star Trio, The Bad Plus and more.
More: ‘We Always Swing’ about to kick off new jazz season. Here are 7 possible highlights
For a look at the full lineup, ticket information and more, visit https://www.wealwaysswing.org/season/2025-2026/season.php.
Aarik Danielsen is the features and culture editor for the Tribune. Contact him at [email protected]. He’s on Twitter/X @aarikdanielsen.
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Columbia jazz series lineup includes Branford Marsalis, Pat Metheny
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