Gastonia native and world-renowned performer Maria Howell belts out the lyrics to Bill Withers’s classic rhythm and blues song “Lovely Day” at Middle C Jazz. photograph by Brian Twitty Photography
Since opening in Uptown Charlotte in 2019, Middle C features internationally recognized jazz artists, including many with North Carolina roots. Acts ranging from solo performers to 20-piece bands bring an eclectic schedule of performances to the venue. Entertainers engage with the audience by telling stories or asking guests to sing along. They perform familiar songs by legends like Aretha Franklin — and unexpected artists like Billy Joel and Steely Dan — using bass, piano, saxophone, and vocals to make old songs sound new.
Middle C Jazz
300 South Brevard Street
(704) 595-3311
middlecjazz.com
The house band at the O.Henry Hotel brings in a guest singer, like April Talbott (above) each Thursday evening in the Social Lobby. photograph by Jerry Wolford & Scott Muthersbaugh
On Thursdays, the O.Henry Hotel’s lobby transforms into a jazz lounge, where the house band plays selections from the Great American Songbook — from Satchmo to Sinatra and every show tune you can name. Each week, the band — Neill Clegg on clarinet, flute, or saxophone; Dave Fox on piano; and Matt Kendrick on stand-up double bass — performs alongside a roster of guest singers, like April Talbott, with roots in the area and far-ranging talent.
O.Henry Hotel
624 Green Valley Road
(336) 854-2000
ohenryhotel.com/o-henry-jazz
By night, Cypress Bend Vineyards becomes a music venue for groups like The Holiday Band. photograph by Faith Teasley
At Cypress Bend Vineyards’ Jazzy Fridays, attendees can enjoy wine tastings, wine flights, and food trucks while listening to live music. Since the vineyard opened in 2005, the weekly event has evolved from featuring only jazz to showcasing beach music and R & B. Cypress Bend also partners with UNC Pembroke’s student jazz groups for “Sippin’ and Swinging Saturdays,” a wine and live music event on select Saturdays beginning in March. Look for other jazz events at the vineyard in the future.
Cypress Bend Vineyards
21904 Riverton Road
(910) 369-0411
cypressbendvineyards.com
Outside the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, the Firebird sculpture welcomes jazz fans to a monthly series spearheaded by saxophonist Ziad Rabie. photograph by Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, Emily Chaplin & Chris Council
Since the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art opened in 2010, Artistic Director Ziad Rabie has been selecting national and regional musicians to perform at Jazz at the Bechtler. On the first Friday of every month, the museum hosts two 75-minute shows, during which the Ziad Jazz Quartet and a guest artist perform in the museum’s lobby, surrounded by the works of internationally and nationally recognized artists.
Bechtler Museum of Modern Art
420 South Tryon Street
(704) 353-9209
bechtler.org/jazzatthebechtler
Held six times a year at the Weymouth Center for the Arts & Humanities, this program is named for jazz legend Duke Ellington’s “Come Sunday,” and each artist performs a rendition of the song. Guests are encouraged to bring a picnic to enjoy in the gardens while musicians perform on the patio, with the historic Boyd House as the backdrop.
Weymouth Center for the Arts & Humanities
555 East Connecticut Avenue
(910) 692-6261
weymouthcenter.org
The Cameron Art Museum’s contemporary art exhibits often influence the curation of the Jazz at CAM series. Local and regional musicians perform in the Weyerhaeuser Reception Hall on the first Thursday of each month, September through April, and CAM Café opens for dinner on evenings when there’s a performance.
Cameron Art Museum
3201 South 17th Street
(910) 395-5999
cameronartmuseum.org/jazz-cam
Little Jumbo, a neighborhood cocktail bar on the edge of Asheville’s Montford Area Historic District, brings in world-class jazz musicians on Monday and Tuesday nights. Monday’s lineup includes a rotating cast of musicians, and on Tuesdays, owner Jay Sanders’s quartet plays original compositions with the intention of pushing the genre forward.
Little Jumbo
241 Broadway Street
(828) 417-4783
littlejumbobar.com
Editor’s Note: This year’s Carolina Jazz Festival will be held February 26 to February 28, 2026.
Established in 1977, the three-day Carolina Jazz Festival — held February 27 through March 1 — is part of a yearlong concert series in which nationally recognized jazz composers and musicians perform alongside UNC’s various student and faculty jazz bands.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
145 East Cameron Avenue
(919) 962-1039
music.unc.edu/jazz/jazz-concert-schedule
If you can’t make it to one of these places to hear live jazz, you can listen to this playlist by Our State senior editor — and resident soundtrack maker — Mark Kemp, a former music editor of Rolling Stone, curated a one-of-a-kind Spotify playlist featuring North Carolina jazz songs and musicians.
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