314 S. Main, Ann Arbor
372–3200
bluellamaclub.com
This jazz club/restaurant features live music Sun. 6-8:30 p.m., Tues. 7–9:30 p.m., Wed.–Fri., 7–10:15 p.m., & Sat. dinner show 7–10:15 p.m. $10 cover on Tues.–Fri.; reservations recommended at OpenTable.com or by calling the club. Sat. ticket piece (variable) includes a 7-course dinner; advance tickets available at BlueLlamaClub.com. No dancing except for Wed. Latin jazz shows and as otherwise noted.
Upcoming Events
December 31, 2025: Thornetta Davis.
This acclaimed Etta James-style vocalist from Detroit leads a band in jump blues, Detroit-style R&B, and roots-rock. Dinner shows: 9:30 & 11:30 p.m. $195.
December 31, 2025: Paul Keller Quintet.
Mainstream jazz by this local ensemble led by veteran bassist Keller. With pianist Adam Mosley, guitarist Ralph Tope, vibraphonist Cary Kocher, and vocalist-clarinetist Sarah D’Angelo. Dinner show: 7 p.m. $100.
January 7, 2026: Arnold/Jassi/Kramer: World Transcendence.
Local world music–inflected jazz ensemble of drummer Jesse Kramer, guitarist John Arnold, and bassist & vocalist Pathe Jassi.
January 8, 2026: Signal Quartet.
Original postbop compositions featuring far-fetching improvisations by this young Detroit quartet. With trumpeter & flugelhornist Ben Wolkins, guitarist Ian Blunden, bassist Eric Nachtrab, and drummer Sam Perlmutter.
January 9, 2026: Don Was & the Pan-Detroit Ensemble.
Nine-piece Detroit-based jazz-funk ensemble led by bassist Was, a legendary Grammy award-winning producer and onetime president of Blue Note records. His all-star band plays a mix of funky originals and interpretations of songs by Detroit jazz greats, including Yusef Lateef, Olu Dara, and Henry Threadgill. Describing their music, Was says, “there’s a unique sound and feel to Detroit that permeates the music in a way that resonates all over the globe. There is a rawness, a lack of pretension and an unmistakable, underlying groove that reflects the people and culture of the city.” $65.
January 10, 2026: Don Was & the Pan-Detroit Ensemble.
Nine-piece Detroit-based jazz-funk ensemble led by bassist Was, a legendary Grammy award-winning producer and onetime president of Blue Note records. His all-star band plays a mix of funky originals and interpretations of songs by Detroit jazz greats, including Yusef Lateef, Olu Dara, and Henry Threadgill. Describing their music, Was says, “there’s a unique sound and feel to Detroit that permeates the music in a way that resonates all over the globe. There is a rawness, a lack of pretension and an unmistakable, underlying groove that reflects the people and culture of the city.” $65.
January 11, 2026: The Triumvirate.
Young local jazz trio that plays a mix of originals and bebop standards.
January 14, 2026: Alain Sullivan’s SoulHeart Collective.
Funk and R&B–inflected jazz ensemble led by local saxophonist Sullivan, a U-M medical student.
January 15, 2026: Jonathan Barahal Taylor Quartet.
Jazz ensemble led by Hamtramck composer-drummer Taylor.
January 16, 2026: WEMU 5:01 Jazz Series.
With an ensemble led by Rick Roe, a pianist whose repertoire includes Disney songs, Star Wars themes, TV themes, classical pieces, and Thelonious Monk classics, along with wildly inventive originals. 5 p.m. Free.
January 16, 2026: Shahida Nurullah & Good Company.
Quartet led by Nurullah, a big-voiced Detroit jazz singer who specializes in blues, ballads, and pop standards. 7 & 8:30 p.m.
January 17, 2026: Sean Dobbins Organ Trio.
Jazz ensemble led by veteran local drummer Dobbins.
January 18, 2026: Sarah D’Angelo & Cliff Monear.
Quiet & sultry jazz by this duo of veteran Paul Keller Orchestra vocalist-clarinetist D’Angelo and local pianist Monear.
January 21, 2026: Tumbao Bravo.
Veteran local Afro-Cuban jazz band led by multi-instrumental reeds player Paul VornHagen.
January 22, 2026: Max Bowen Special Quintet.
Jazz ensemble led by local guitarist Bowen, a U-M jazz studies grad.
January 23, 2026: Ona.
All-female Detroit jazz ensemble of drummer Gayelynn McKinney, bassist Laura-Simone Martin, and Redwood, the stage name of jazz singer & keyboardist Sequoia Snyder.
January 24, 2026: Nick Collins Sextet.
Local jazz ensemble led by drummer Collins.
January 25, 2026: Hamilton de Holanda.
An acclaimed Brazilian composer and 10-string mandolin virtuoso whose sound blends contemporary world jazz with Choro, a vibrant Brazilian instrumental genre that incorporates European music with Afro-Brazilian rhythms, and is known for its fast tempos, complex melodies, and virtuosic improvisation. “The music is sometimes linear, and, at other times, swerving and twisting—harmony around melody like a double helix,” writes LatinJazzNet in a review of his brand-new album, Brasilianos 2. “There is single, double, triangular and quadrangular counterpoint that enriches melodies, harmonies and rhythm to such an extent that song well nigh explodes with emotional depth.” Dinner show: 7 p.m. $95.
January 28, 2026: Elvin Sharp Quartet
Young jazz ensemble, led by tenor saxophonist Sharp, that plays funky original compositions along with classics from the hard-bop and post-bop catalog.
January 29, 2026: Aya Sekine Trio.
Experimental jazz improvisations by this ensemble led by veteran Japanese vocalist-keyboardist Sekine.
January 30, 2026: “Swing Happy Hour.”
With the Kerrytown Stompers, a local ensemble led by drummer Pete Siers that performs a range of vintage jazz styles, from struts, stomps, cakewalks, and rags to pop tunes, marches, and classical favorites. 5–6:30 p.m. Free.
January 30, 2026: Dwight Adams Quartet.
Detroit jazz ensemble led by trumpeter Adams, a WSU jazz professor who spent 2 decades as a member of Stevie Wonder’s band. 7 & 8:30 p.m.
January 31, 2026: Russ Macklem Detroit Quintet.
Edgy contemporary jazz that harkens back to 60s hard bop by this Windsor & Detroit ensemble led by acclaimed Canadian composer-trumpeter Macklem.
Past Events
December 28, 2025: Brandon Rose & Soul Therapy. (More Info)
December 21, 2025: Maurice “Mobetta” Brown. (More Info)
December 17, 2025: Kevin Brewster & Black Renaissance. (More Info)
December 12, 2025: Robert Hurst & Black Currant Jam. (More Info)
December 6, 2025: Endea Owens & the Cookout. (More Info)
December 5, 2025: Endea Owens & the Cookout. (More Info)
November 28, 2025: Don Hicks & Friends Benefit Concert. (More Info)
