Félix Lemerle Quartet

Guitarist Félix Lemerle leads a quartet steeped in the bebop and hard bop tradition, joined by three masters of the form: pianist Charles Chen, whose debut album Charles, Play! was named one of DownBeat's Best Albums of 2024; bassist David Wong, a longtime member of Roy Haynes' Fountain of Youth band and the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra who has appeared on over 80 recordings; and drummer Roy McCurdy, best known for his eleven-year tenure with Cannonball Adderley's Quintet and sessions with Sonny Rollins, Oscar Peterson, and Herbie Hancock.

Lemerle, a Juilliard-trained guitarist who has shared stages with Jimmy Cobb and Freddie Redd, draws from the bebop and post-bop vocabulary with a light, melodic touch. Jazz critic Michael Steinman describes his playing as swinging "easily and with a natural grace," with "a real respect for melody and interesting harmonies that don't distort the original." His improvisations balance elegant cool modernism and warm emotion, creating long melodic lines that invite listeners to follow harmonic and rhythmic twists without sharp edges or self-conscious angularity.

Chen, who has performed with Randy Brecker, Bob Sheppard, and Kenny Washington, specializes in swing and bebop piano. His playing is both inventive and rooted in tradition — a perfect complement to Lemerle's guitar work. Wong and McCurdy bring decades of experience: Wong's deep, supportive bass lines have anchored groups led by Hank Jones, Jimmy Heath, and Samara Joy, while McCurdy's drumming — versatile, subtle, and always in service of the music — has graced recordings spanning from Miles Davis to Herbie Hancock.

Expect a repertoire rooted in the compositions of Thelonious Monk, Elmo Hope, Duke Pearson, and Thad Jones, alongside standards from the Great American Songbook. This is modern jazz that honors its lineage while finding new pathways through familiar terrain — music that swings hard, breathes naturally, and welcomes you in.