Events In Town

Jump to events list.

Charles Mingus

SOLD OUT! Thank you for your support.

On Sunday afternoon February 2nd 5-7pm,
The Charlottesville Jazz Society and WTJU present
The Mingus Awareness Project.


The Charlottesville Jazz Society and WTJU Present
Nicole Mitchell’s Black Earth Ensemble
in a free concert for Black History Month

On Friday February 21st, at 8:00 pm, The Charlottesville Jazz Society, Unity of Charlottesville and WTJU present flutist Nicole Mitchell with her Black Earth Ensemble in a free concert in honor of Black History Month, at Unity of Charlottesville church on Hydraulic Road. Nicole Mitchell is an award-winning creative flutist, conceptualist and composer. Utilizing her art to build alternative worlds that “bridge the familiar with the unknown,” Mitchell emerged from Chicago’s innovative music scene in the late 90s. She was the first woman to serve as president of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians. She has been commissioned by the Fromm Foundation, Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago Jazz Festival, Newport Jazz Festival and International Contemporary Ensemble. She has been the recipient of the Guggenheim fellowship, the United States Artist Award and the American Academy of Arts and Letters award. Mitchell is a professor in Composition and Computer Technology at the University of Virginia. 

For this concert, Nicole Mitchell’s Black Earth Ensemble will premiere Portraits of Sonic Freedom, which celebrates creative music and its contributions to jazz, the Black intellectual tradition, and the expansion of human consciousness. 

Black Earth Ensemble (BEE) is a musical celebration of the African American cultural legacy. Founded in 1998 by creative flutist, composer and UVA professor, Nicole Mitchell, BEE has performed at festivals and art venues throughout Europe, Canada and the U.S. Black Earth Ensemble, named in honor of Mama Earth and Mama Afrika, embraces the ancient past and paints visions of a positive future with the purpose of inspiring the human spirit with thought-provoking beauty. BEE’s music is the weaving of swing, blues, avant-garde jazz, bebop, African rhythms, Eastern modes and Western classical sounds. With Black Earth Ensemble, Mitchell has recorded over ten critically acclaimed projects including Xenogenesis Suite: A Tribute to Octavia Butler, Mandorla Awakening II, Liberation Narratives (with Haki R. Madhubuti) and Bamako Chicago Sound System.

Entry to this one-of-a-kind concert is available at no cost to the public, but please register so we have an idea how many are coming. Unity of Charlottesville is located at 2825 Hydraulic Road. For more information visit cvillejazz.org, or call 434-249-6191.

Thanks to help from our membership, CJS has accomplished a lot this year! See our 2024 End-of-Year Report.


Upcoming events: (can also be viewed at the CJS website)

Please check our Facebook page for updates and more events!

Note: Consider calling ahead before traveling as events can sometimes be canceled or postponed last-minute.

  • Saturday February 1: Guitar Virtuoso Berto Sales, Tavern and Grocery, 11 am-1 pm, 434-293-7403
  • Saturday February 1: Jelly Street Jazz, Albemarle CiderWorks, 2:30-4:30 pm, 434-979-1663
  • Wednesday February 5: Beleza Duo with Madeline Holly-Sales/vocals and Berto Sales/guitar, The Bebedero, 7-9 pm, 434-234-3763
  • Thursday February 6: : Monthly Jazz Jam Session open to all levels, instrumentalists and vocalists, The Center at Belvedere, 6-8 pm, 757-784-5530
  • Saturday February 8: C’ville Jazz Congregation, Albemarle CiderWorks, 2:30-4:30 pm, 434-979-1663
  • Wednesday February 12: Brazilian & Latin Jazz Night with Berto Sales/guitar & Matt Wyatt/percussion, The Bebedero, 7-9 pm, 434-234-3763
  • Friday February 14: Bob Bennetta and Larry Bisgaier, 41 Ashlawn Blvd at Lake Monticello, 6-8 pm, no cover, 434-591-0106
  • Friday February 14: Kofi Shepsu Trio, Miller’s Downtown, 10 pm-1 am, 434-971-8511
  • Saturday February 15: The Michael Elswick Gathering, Glass House Winery, 2-5 pm, 434-975-0094
  • Saturday February 15: The Queen City Porch Swingers, Albemarle Ciderworks, 2:30-4:30 pm, 434-979-1663
  • Sunday February 16: The Olivarez Trio, Chisholm Vineyards, 1-4 pm, 434-971-8796
  • Thursday February 20: Greg Moody & Friends, Queen City Bistro, 6:30 pm, 540-490-4497
  • Friday February 21: Charlottesville Jazz Society, WTJU, UVA Dept of Music and Unity of Charlottesville present Nicole Mitchell’s Black Earth Ensemble, Unity of Charlottesville, 8 pm, Free Concert please register, 434-249-6191
  • Friday February 21:  Charles Owens Trio, Miller’s Downtown, 10 pm, 434-971-8511
  • Saturday February 22: Zuzu’s Hot 5, Eastwood Winery, 5-8 pm,434-264-6727
  • Saturday February 22: Jazz Night at Rapunzel’s Coffee and Books, 8-10 pm, 434-263-6660
  • Sunday February 23: Ben Peverly, Southwest Mountains Vineyards, 1-4 pm, 434-212-3244
  • Sunday February 23: CJS Local Jazz Spotlight presents Royce Campbell Trio with Jim Howe/drums and featuring Monica Worth/vocalist, Miller’s Downtown, 6-9pm 

SAVE THE DATE!

  • Friday March 21: Max Johnson Trio at The Front Porch, 7 – 9 pm
  • Wednesday April 2: Jenny Scheinman’s All Species Parade at Unity of Charlottesville
  • Thursday April 24: Charlie Ballantine Trio at Belmont Arts Collaborative, 7:30 9:30 pm
  • Thursday May 8: Nicole Mitchell at The Center at Belvedere, 6 – 8 pm, co-sponsored by the DEI committee at The Center.

The Charlottesville Jazz Society is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

The Charlottesville Jazz Society, Inc.
1004 Grove St| Charlottesville, VA 22903 | 434.249.6191
info@cvillejazz.org | www.cvillejazz.org