Hartford Public Library’s annual Baby Grand Jazz free concert series isn’t just an unmatched showcase for jazz artists from New York, New England and particularly from the thriving Hartford area jazz scene. The Sunday afternoon concerts are also beautifully focused, based around the library’s own grand piano so there’s always a pianist involved even when the act is based around a different instrument.
This year’s series, running from Jan. 4 through April 26 at library’s Center for Contemporary Culture, draws heavily from the New York City and Boston jazz scenes. Some important Connecticut musicians are also in the mix, including Tyler Sherman, The Hartford Sound, Ben Bilello and René McLean, who is New York-based but whose father Jackie McLean was one of the biggest proponents of the Hartford jazz scene of the late 20th century.
The 2026 series begins on Jan. 4 with the New York-based Israeli jazz pianist Iftah Kary and his trio featuring bassist Dan Weisselberg and drummer Aleksi Heinola. Kary, who cites Sonny Clark and Horace Silver as influences, likes to vary his sets with pop standards, original compositions and some Bebop.
The series continues on Jan. 11 with Brooklyn-based, Boston-born drummer/vocalist Lee Fish & Friends. The friends are Edmar Colon on saxophone, Jiri Nedoma on piano and Devon Gates on bass and vocals.
The Jan. 18 concert is Koan, an ensemble formed two years ago in Northampton, Massachusetts and dedicated to exploring the work of modern jazz innovators as well as its own original compositions. Koan consists of trumpeter Ian Behrstock, alto saxophonist Danny Trainor, pianist Indra Carpio Pretel, guitarist Jameson Denyse, drummer Jahian Cooper-Monize and bassist Kai Caban. The ensemble’s latest album is “Tributaries.”
The final concert of January features the Digba Ogunbiyi Quartet, led by Nigerian drummer and current New York resident Digba Ogunbiyi, who blends traditional Yoruba cultural styles with American jazz. His band includes Temidayo Balogun on saxophone and talking drums, Zach Walgren on bass and Emmanuel Chidiebere on drums.
February will bring Florida-raised saxophonist/composer Matt Parker on Feb. 1, jazz violinist Meg Okura and the Pan Asian Chamber Jazz Ensemble on Feb. 8, Hartt School graduate and Trinity College visiting professor Jen Allen with her combo Heart Alchemy on Feb. 15 and New York-based Brazilian vocalist/composer Jamile with her trio on Feb. 22.
The March lineup opens with The Hartford Sound, a trio of well-known local musicians Emmett C. Goods on trombone, pianist Damian Curtis and percussionist Nelson Bello. On March 8, Bello’s teenage son Nigel, a trombonist, performs with his Nigel Bello Band. Boston-based Hungarian pianist/composer Laszlo Gardony, who teaches at the Berklee School of Music, brings his trio on March 14. New York jazz guitarist Rodney Jones and his quartet are at the library on March 22. Connecticut drummer Ben Bilello, who studied jazz and African American music at the Hartt School and taught and performed throughout the state for decades, performs with his quartet on March 29.
The April Baby Grand concerts don’t begin until April 12 due to a break for Easter Sunday on April 5. The final three shows in the 2026 series include the Boston-based ensemble Japanese MicroJam, led by microtonal keyboardist Hidemi Akaiwa and virtuosic guitarist David Fiuczynski with Japanese percussionist Rafael Heredia Horimoto, bassist Anderson Mirafzali and drummer Jonathon Birch on April 12; bassist Connecticut native Tyler Sherman and Friends, with pianist LeAndra McPhatter, acclaimed local drummer Jonathan Barber, trumpeter Keenan Asbridge, alto saxophonist Dakota Austin and vocalist Maya Sherman on April 19; and saxophonist René McLean, son of the late Hartford jazz legend Jackie McLean, with his band Music of the Spirit on April 26.
Though the live concerts are held in a relatively intimate space, countless more jazz fans can enjoy the shows since they’re livestreamed on multiple platforms, including the Hartford Public Library’s Facebook page, YouTube channel and via Hartford Public Access TV on the Frontier or Xfinity cable services.
Baby Grand Jazz concerts take place on Sundays at 2 p.m. at the Center for Contemporary Culture inside the main Hartford Public Library at 500 Main Street, Hartford. Admission is free. More information is available at hplct.org.