Monks Jazz Club's Upcoming Shows

Join us for a live taping and listening-room concert for the Alan Braufman Quintet!

Alan Braufman - Alto Saxophone and Flute

Chase Baird - Tenor Saxophone

Stefan Gonzalez - Vibraphone

Mathew Frerck - Bass

Joshua Canate - Drums

For decades, alto saxophonist and flutist Alan Braufman was a cult musician whose

then-lone LP as a bandleader, 1975’s Valley of Search, offered rich, evocative, and

forthright sonic documentation of a lower Manhattan jazz scene slightly afield from the

SoHo and Lower East Side hubbub. Following the enthusiastically-received reissue of

that record forty-three years later, Braufman, who never stopped playing or writing

music, has marked several years of greater visibility with a string of consistently warm

and intense small-group recordings (and a few previously-unissued archival discs) that

feature a mix of peers and younger firebrands from the contemporary American

improvisation scene.

A necessity for this time period, the aptly-titled Anthem for Peace sees Braufman in a

quartet setting, joining forces with vibraphonist Patricia Brennan and

drummer/percussionist Chad Taylor, both of whom are returning from 2024’s Infinite

Love Infinite Tears, and bassist Luke Stewart, a familiar player marking his first

collaboration with the saxophonist. One cut, the lilting and funky “Snow in Central Park,”

is a holdover from that prior date and includes Michael Wimberly on congas and bassist

Ken Filiano. Though this record’s seven tracks are concise and clearly delineated,

programmatically they hang together, a quality recognizable throughout Braufman’s

leader discography (his debut consists of two sidelong suites), not least because his

compositions are hooky and inviting.

The opening piece, “Angels,” is anthemic, gospel-tinged, and with a martial B-section,

recalls Albert Ayler though with Braufman’s more velvety flywheel as an underpinning.

The leader’s alto can certainly peel paint, but these salvos are delivered with a patient

brightness and loquacious urgency. “In Motion” is a post-bop number in which the tart

push of Jackie McLean is audible, but contextually updated with the warped cascades of

Brennan’s electronically-augmented vibraphone, a voice that is both foregrounded and

glassily atmospheric, and the supplely driving gradient of bass and drums. Stewart and

Taylor are a telepathic pairing throughout, rock solid on the groovier numbers (dig

Taylor’s metronomic backbeat, tight enough to almost sound looped) and shimmering in

freer rubato space.

Though Braufman is the only horn (tenor saxophonist James Brandon Lewis has been a

frequent front-line partner), occasional and elegantly-done overdubs create interweaving

lines. On the title tune, its appealing melodic bounce is accentuated by doubling

octaves, and there’s the bamboo-like birdsong of the closing “Reflections on a Rainy

Day” with its shakuhachi-like clamber. Through the subtle linkages between songs,

improvisations, and four individual personalities, Anthem for Peace creates a highly

simpatico and positive sonic worldview that we can all get behind.

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 7:00 PM, Show at 7:30 PM.

Monks is open 6:30 PM for a new Happy Half Hour, featuring $2 off of our Classic and Signature Cocktails, $2 off Glasses of Wine, and $1 off of our Beer Menu between 6:30 PM and 7:00 PM. Join us for a drink, or come at your scheduled seating time! We'll have a wonderful evening planned ahead!

Join us for a live taping and listening-room concert for AJS Presents: Double Vision + Invoke!

Nick Montopoli — Violin

Zach Matteson — Violin

Karl Mitze — Viola

Geoff Manyin — Cello

Hank Hehmsoth — Piano

John Mills — Saxophone, Flute

Utah Hamrick — Bass

Aaron Easley — Drums

Double Vision Jazz Ensemble and Invoke come together for a special one-night collaboration at Monks Jazz, blending contemporary jazz, improvisation, chamber strings, and original Austin music.

For this 8-piece ensemble, acclaimed Austin composers and Double Vision co-leaders Hank Hehmsoth and John Mills will present new arrangements and original music written for jazz quartet and string quartet. The concert expands Double Vision’s sound into a chamber-jazz setting, pairing piano, saxophone, bass, and drums with the color and energy of Invoke’s Austin-based string quartet.

This project is supported in part by an Elevate Grant of Austin Arts, Culture, Music, & Entertainment.

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Make a donation to be recognized:

Supporter Level: Donate $50 or more, and we'll mention your name as a Supporter of the "AJS Presents: Midweek @ Monks" series, as part of the mission to creating more sustaining performance opportunities for Austin jazz musicians!

Sponsor Level: Donate $100 or more, you’ll be recognized as a Sponsor of the "AJS Presents: Midweek @ Monks" series.

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

Monks is open 6:30 PM for a new Happy Half Hour, featuring $2 off of our Classic and Signature Cocktails, $2 off Glasses of Wine, and $1 off of our Beer Menu between 6:30 PM and 7:00 PM. Join us for a drink, or come at your scheduled seating time! We'll have a wonderful evening planned ahead!

Every Wednesday, Monks opens the stage up for a late-night jazz jam hosted weekly by Austin's very own Daniel Dufour.

9 PM to Midnight · Every Wednesday

No Cover 21 & Up · One Drink Minimum

$10 cover Under 21

Come sit in, bring your instrument, or just settle in with a drink and listen.

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, we will be live-streaming during the event, and jams will be live-streamed to the public via our Youtube Channel!

Free parking is available in the area. Minors must be accompanied by Parents or Guardian. Doors at 9pm.

Join us for a live taping and listening-room concert for the Glenn Rexach Quartet!

Glenn Rexach – Guitar

Ben Irom – Piano

Billy Satterwhite – Acoustic Bass

Mike Gordon – Drums

Glenn Rexach, long a fixture on the Austin music scene, has been a first call guitarist for decades. His group, the Glenn Rexach Group, which features Rexach’s intricate compositions. has opened for guitarist Scott Henderson, drum legend Billy Cobham, and has performed at the JazzAlive Jazz Festival, the Wobeon Jazz Fusion Festival, the Jazz on Main Festival, and various venues throughout Texas. He is also the guitarist for the Jacqui Walker Band (blues), Darrell Goldman (country), the Austin Jazz Workshop, Jazz PR (Salsa), countless freelance gigs, and is on the praise and worship team at Bethany Lutheran Church. His performing credits include: jazz sax great Eddie Harris, Eddie Palmieri, Buddy Emmons, the Creative Opportunity Jazz Orchestra, Malford Milligan, Brannen Temple’s Atomic Soul, Just Released, Helen Sung, Jr. Medlow and the Bad Boys, Eliza Gilkyson, Nestor Torres, Dr. James Polk, Tony Campise, Hank Hehmsoth, violin and oud virtuoso Simon Shaheen, La Tribu, Ta Mere, Orchestra Tropicana, Jazz P.R., the Samba Police, Strings Attached, Gary Clark Jr., Carolyn Wonderland, and many others. He currently has 3 recordings under his own name, RoundTrip (out of print), Living Joe to Joe, and the group’s most recent release, PanaRican (a tribute to his Puerto Rican and Panamanian heritage). Rexach brings his vast experience to each of the many students he has taught and mentored. “Taste gives PanaRican an accessible lift most fusioneers never accomplish.” Austin Chronicle reviewer Michael Toland.

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 7:00 PM, Show at 7:30 PM.

Monks is open 6:30 PM for a new Happy Half Hour, featuring $2 off of our Classic and Signature Cocktails, $2 off Glasses of Wine, and $1 off of our Beer Menu between 6:30 PM and 7:00 PM. Join us for a drink, or come at your scheduled seating time! We'll have a wonderful evening planned ahead!

Join us for a live taping and listening-room concert for the Elias Haslanger Quartet!

Elias Haslanger - Tenor Saxophone

Andy Langham - Piano

James Suter - Bass

Gerry Gibbs - Drums

The Elias Haslanger Quartet featuring Andy Langham, piano, James Suter on bass and Gerry Gibbs on drums plays 2 sets at one of Austin's premiere listening rooms, Monk's Jazz. Please join Elias and his all-star band as they perform a night of original music including selections from Elias's most recent recording, Legacy, which is currently being played on radio stations across the US and Canada and streaming to all platforms across the world.

“Tenor saxophonist Elias Haslanger is the real deal, a no-nonsense modernist whose Rollins-esque rhythmatics and Coltrane-tinged harmonics surge and soar. The young titan flies with a spiky quartet whose savvy hipness recalls the best groups of Davis, Blakey and Silver…a highly appealing date with plenty of blood and thunder and seriously swinging fun”

-Chuck Berg, JazzTimes Magazine

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.

Monks is open 6:30 PM for a new Happy Half Hour, featuring $2 off of our Classic and Signature Cocktails, $2 off Glasses of Wine, and $1 off of our Beer Menu between 6:30 PM and 7:00 PM. Join us for a drink, or come at your scheduled seating time! We'll have a wonderful evening planned ahead!

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

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

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Join us for a live taping and listening-room concert for Late Nights at Monks | Jakob Hartz Trio!

Jakob Hartz – Piano

Miguel Rodriguez – Bass

Matti Soto – Drums

Pianist Jakob Hartz is a graduate of the Butler School of Music at The University of Texas at Austin, where he pursued his musical studies in a vibrant community of performers and educators. His work as a pianist reflects a dedication to musical expression, thoughtful interpretation, and the art of live performance. He continues to develop his voice as a musician through performance and collaboration.

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! Monks prides itself as a listening room, but late night sessions are always a time to enjoy yourselves a bit more. Free parking is available in the area.

Doors at 10:45 PM, Show at 11:00 PM