Monks Jazz Club's Upcoming Shows

Join us for a live taping and listening-room concert for Nicholas Payton!

Nicholas Payton – Trumpet, Keys

Eric Wheeler – Bass

Gerry Gibbs – Drums

Nicholas Payton is a trumpeter, multi-instrumentalist, composer, producer, and cultural theorist from New Orleans, Louisiana. One of the most significant musical voices of his generation, Payton has released more than twenty albums as a leader and has performed and recorded with an extraordinary range of artists across genres and traditions. He is a Grammy Award winner and the originator of the #BAM (Black American Music) philosophy, through which he has spent over a decade challenging the mislabeling and misrepresentation of Black creative music. His work moves across swing, funk, blues, R&B, and electronic music with the conviction that these are all expressions of a single, continuous cultural language. Payton is a lifelong New Orleanian whose practice is inseparable from the city's musical inheritance and its ongoing role as the source of American sound.

Presented by The Jazz Purveyor, with support from the Houston Jazz Collective 501(c)3 and Fred Haas Toyota, for the benefit of music in Texas.

Please Note: MONKS JAZZ IS NOW A FULL SERVICE BAR. As part of this transition, Monks Jazz is no longer a BYOB venue. We invite you to enjoy our thoughtfully curated beverage menu and roll with us through the changes! As always, this is a live-taping, so we'll be enforcing a whisper-policy! Free parking is available in the area.

First Show: Doors at 7:00pm, Show at 7:30pm.

Second Show: Doors at 9:00pm, Show at 9:30pm.

Join us for a live taping and listening-room concert for Charles McPherson!

Charles McPherson – Alto Saxophone

Tito Carrillo – Trumpet

Ross Margitza – Piano

Ryan Hagler – Bass

Daniel Dufour – Drums

“Charles is the very definition of excellence in our music. He’s the definitive master on this instrument.” – Wynton Marsalis

For over six decades, the alto saxophonist and composer has been one of the most expressive and highly regarded voices in jazz. His rich musical style, rooted in blues and bebop, has influenced and inspired generations of musicians and listeners.

He has performed & recorded with his own quintet, Charles Mingus groups, Samara Joy, Wynton Marsalis, Tom Harrell, Terrell Stafford, Phil Woods, Brian Lynch, Lewis Nash, Paul Chambers, Barry Harris, James Moody, Dizzy Gillespie, Kenny Drew, Art Farmer, Toshiko Akiyoshi, and many more, all over the globe in small groups up to Symphony Orchestras. In film, he was the featured saxophonist in the Clint Eastwood film Bird, a biopic about Charlie Parker.

Also known as a prolific composer, Charles' works are highly regarded by critics and musicians. He was formerly composer-in-residence for San Diego Ballet, creating original works for the company. As an educator, Charles has inspired countless students – many who have gone on to be major performers and university educators – and received numerous awards, recognitions, and an honorary degree. Recently Charles was presented with three new honors: Jazz Legacies Fellowship 2026, JJA Alto Sax of the Year 2026, and Honorary Life Member of the North American Saxophone Alliance.

“He is a singular voice ... held in high esteem.” – NEA Jazz Master Stanley Crouch in The New York Times

Presented by The Jazz Purveyor

Please Note: MONKS JAZZ IS NOW A FULL SERVICE BAR. As part of this transition, Monks Jazz is no longer a BYOB venue. We invite you to enjoy our thoughtfully curated beverage menu and roll with us through the changes! As always, this is a live-taping, so we'll be enforcing a whisper-policy! Free parking is available in the area.

First Show: Doors at 7:00pm, Show at 7:30pm.

Second Show: Doors at 9:00pm, Show at 9:30pm.

Join us for a live taping and listening-room concert for ACME & Monks Jazz Present: Mark Scott III feat. Rudy Royston!

Mark Scott III - Guitar

James Suter - Bass

Rudy Royston - Drums

About Mark Scott:

Austin-based guitarist, composer, and educator Mark Scott III has emerged as a distinct voice in the modern jazz landscape, blending technical precision with a deeply personal, narrative approach to the instrument. His debut album, Soft Light, reached #60 on the Roots Music Report Top 100 Jazz Albums chart, marking a significant entry into the guitar trio tradition. Drawing from the lineage of Barney Kessel and Kenny Burrell, Scott’s playing is defined by what critic Brice Boorman calls a "quiet confidence," a style that rejects bravura in favor of control, patience, and the "power of less is more." Performing widely across the state, Scott has become a fixture of the Texas music scene. Originally from Dallas, Scott moved to Austin in 2021 and has called it home ever since. He has performed alongside jazz luminaries such as Branford Marsalis, Helen Sung, Rodney Whitaker, John Fedchock and others, and has collaborated internationally through tours with Finnish guitarist Niklas Winter. Whether leading his trio or contributing as a sideman, Scott’s emotive touch remains a constant, celebrated for its dynamic sensitivity and harmonic flow. Currently serving on the faculty at Tarleton State University, he mentors the next generation of musicians through applied guitar and the study of popular American music. A former Teaching Assistant at the University of Texas at Austin and a judge for the TMEA All-State jazz guitar competition, Scott bridges the gap between the classroom and the bandstand.

About Rudy Royston:

Born in Fort Worth, Texas, and raised in Denver, Colorado, Royston has been a professional teacher, drummer and percussionist for almost twenty years. He studied classical percussion at University of Denver where earned undergraduate degrees in Music and English, and accomplished teacher certification credentials from Metropolitan State College of Denver. Rudy grew up playing drums in church, and found his voice under the auspices of Colorado’s celebrated trumpeter Ron Miles, whom Royston deems his greatest influence, and with whom Rudy has played since 1991. He has taught, recorded and performed all styles of music from Jazz to marching percussion. Since moving to Piscataway, New Jersey in 2006, Royston has completed a Masters in Music degree from Rutgers University Mason Gross School of the Arts in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and performed with many of today’s finest Jazz musicians. Javon Jackson, Bill Frisell, Les McCann, David Gilmore, Ben Allison, Jason Moran, JD Allen, Sean Jones, Jeremy Pelt, Greg Osby, Jennifer Holiday, Ravi Coltrane, Ralph Bowen, Bruce Barth, George Colligan, Don Byron, Stanley Cowell, Tom Harrell, John Ellis, Jenny Scheinmenn and The Mingus Big Band, to name a few. A lover of all genres of music, Rudy continues to pursue music and expand his music horizons.

Please Note: MONKS JAZZ IS NOW A FULL SERVICE BAR. As part of this transition, Monks Jazz is no longer a BYOB venue. We invite you to enjoy our thoughtfully curated beverage menu and roll with us through the changes! As always, this is a live-taping, so we'll be enforcing a whisper-policy! Free parking is available in the area. Doors at 7:15 PM, Show at 7:30 PM.

Join us for a live taping and listening-room concert for 10 Years of Monks | Nicholas Payton w the Monks Jazz Orchestra! We’re celebrating a decade of Monks all week long this September with friends, family, artists, and everyone who has helped make this place what it is. Come raise a glass, hear some great music, and celebrate 10 years of Monks with us.

Nicholas Payton is a trumpeter, multi-instrumentalist, composer, producer, and cultural theorist from New Orleans, Louisiana. One of the most significant musical voices of his generation, Payton has released more than twenty albums as a leader and has performed and recorded with an extraordinary range of artists across genres and traditions. He is a Grammy Award winner and the originator of the #BAM (Black American Music) philosophy, through which he has spent over a decade challenging the mislabeling and misrepresentation of Black creative music. His work moves across swing, funk, blues, R&B, and electronic music with the conviction that these are all expressions of a single, continuous cultural language. Payton is a lifelong New Orleanian whose practice is inseparable from the city's musical inheritance and its ongoing role as the source of American sound.

Presented by The Jazz Purveyor, with support from The Live Music Society 501(c)3

Please Note: MONKS JAZZ IS NOW A FULL SERVICE BAR. As part of this transition, Monks Jazz is no longer a BYOB venue. We invite you to enjoy our thoughtfully curated beverage menu and roll with us through the changes! As always, this is a live-taping, so we'll be enforcing a whisper-policy! Free parking is available in the area.

First Show: Doors at 7:00pm, Show at 7:30pm.

Second Show: Doors at 9:00pm, Show at 9:30pm.