Willie Jones III Quartet Ft. Jeremy Pelt
Grammy-winning drummer Willie Jones III leads his quartet featuring trumpeter Jeremy Pelt in a hard-swinging modern jazz showcase rooted in bebop and hard-bop traditions. One of the most respected drummers in contemporary jazz, Jones gained international recognition as a longtime member of Roy Hargrove's acclaimed quintet and as a driving force in Hargrove's electrifying RH Factor. He has performed and toured with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and Wynton Marsalis, sharing stages with legends including Sonny Rollins, Herbie Hancock, Michael Brecker, and many more.
Trumpeter Jeremy Pelt brings his preeminent contemporary jazz voice to the group, having established himself through collaborations with the Mingus Big Band, Ravi Coltrane, and Vincent Herring. A multiple DownBeat Rising Star award winner with 25 albums as a leader, Pelt is known for his fiery bebop velocity and deeply expressive ballad work — as one reviewer noted, he plays "achingly as only he can" on tender material.
Completing the quartet are rising stars pianist Tyler Bullock II, a Juilliard graduate who has worked with Samara Joy and serves as regular pianist with The Roy Hargrove Big Band, and bassist Mike Gurrola, a John Clayton protégé who has performed with Eric Reed, Kenny Burrell, and Jane Monheit.
Jones' quartet delivers what critics call "rip-roaring straightahead" performances with "ferocious tenor work" and "dynamite rhythm section" drive. The group specializes in uptempo hard-bop and swing, drawing from Jones' acclaimed recordings including Fallen Heroes (2021), which honors jazz legends, and The Willie Jones III Sextet Plays the Music of Max Roach (2013), praised by The New York Times. As founder of WJ3 Records, Jones has championed hard-bop traditions for over two decades while mentoring the next generation as Professor of Drum Set at Northwestern University.
Expect an evening of serious musicianship with Jones' inspiring fireworks behind the kit, Pelt's blazing trumpet work, and tight interplay between these master musicians who represent both the legacy and future of straight-ahead jazz.