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
March 5, 2025: Kenji Lee’s Subterranean Quintet.
Local jazz ensemble led by composer and multi-instrumentalist Lee, who tonight features on upright bass. With saxophonist Alexander Lahti-Thiam, pianist Aya Sekine, trombonist Zoë Cutler, and drummer Jesse Kramer.
March 6, 2025: Ron Brooks Quintet.
Jazz ensemble led by veteran local bassist Brooks.
March 7, 2025: WEMU 5:01 Jazz Series.
With the Dave Sharp Worlds Quartet, a local world music-based jazz ensemble led by composer-bassist Sharp. 5 p.m. Free.
March 7, 2025: Kasan Belgrave Quintet.
Jazz ensemble led by saxophonist Belgrave, the son of the late Detroit trumpeter Marcus Belgrave. Dinner shows: 7 & 9:30 p.m.
March 8, 2025: Lunar Octet.
Popular veteran local instrumental ensemble that plays original music featuring delicious jazz harmonies and melodies set to a variety of rhythms, including salsas & sambas, African high-life, jump tunes, and big band swing. Dinner shows: 6:30 & 9 p.m.
March 8, 2025: Shane Karas Quartet.
Jazz ensemble led by saxophonist Karas, a MSU jazz student. 10:30 p.m.–midnight.
March 9, 2025: Paul Vornhagen Quartet.
Jazz standards by this local ensemble led by veteran saxophonist and flutist VornHagen. Tonight they celebrate the release of a new CD, Live at the Blue Llama. Dinner shows: 6 & 7:45 p.m.
March 11, 2025: Marcus Elliot & Big Motifs.
Detroit-based jazz ensemble, led by saxophonist Elliot, that blends contemporary jazz idioms with hip-hop and R&B influences. These shows are being recorded for an upcoming live album. Dinner shows: 7 & 9 p.m. $95.
March 12, 2025: Marcus Elliot & Big Motifs.
Detroit-based jazz ensemble, led by saxophonist Elliot, that blends contemporary jazz idioms with hip-hop and R&B influences. These shows are being recorded for an upcoming live album. Dinner shows: 7 & 9 p.m. $95.
March 14, 2025: Tariq Gardner & the Evening Star.
Afro-futuristic jazz by this ensemble led by drummer Gardner, a recent U-M music school grad whose music also draws on elements of hip-hop and neo-soul. Dinner shows: 7 & 9:30 p.m.
March 15, 2025: Flashpoint Quintet.
Ensemble of Indiana University jazz students that plays a vibrant blend of hard bop, along with original compositions. 10:30 p.m.–midnight.
March 15, 2025: Pamela Wise Ensemble.
Jazz quintet, led by Detroit pianist Wise, that blends bebop and Latin jazz. “Wise, an assured bop pianist with a Tyneresque (as in McCoy Tyner) touch, composes strong melodies and braces them with the simmering rhythms of the Afro-Cuban tradition,” writes Downbeat’s Dan Ouellette. Dinner shows: 6:30 & 9 p.m.
March 16, 2025: Jazzmeia Horn.
This acclaimed Texas jazz vocalist, winner of the Thelonious Monk and Sarah Vaughan jazz vocal competitions, performs jazz standards, hard bop anthems, gospel songs, her own uplifting originals, along with jazz arrangements of pop and R&B songs. She’s known for her expressive range and playful scat, and her shows include storytelling and inspirational speeches. Dinner shows: 6 & 8:30 p.m. $85.
March 19, 2025: Sean Dobbins Organ Trio.
Local jazz ensemble led by drummer Dobbins.
March 20, 2025: Don Hicks & Friends.
An ad hoc local ensemble led by trumpeter (and Blue Llama owner) Hicks.
March 21, 2025: Paxton/Spangler Septet.
Veteran Detroit drummer RJ Spangler and trombonist-vocalist Tbone Paxton lead a band of area musicians in a tribute to South African jazz masters, including Abdullah Ibrahim, Hugh Masekela, & Chris McGregor. Dinner shows: 7 & 9:30 p.m.
March 22, 2025: Benny Benack III Quartet.
Jazz ensemble led by this young NYC postbop jazz singer and trumpeter. All About Jazz calls his 2023 album, Third Time’s The Charm, a “portrait of a debonair dynamo both strong and wise, able to power along or play with patience, all depending on what the music and the moment require.” Dinner shows: 6:30 & 9 p.m. $95.
March 22, 2025: The Jack Nissen Quartet.
Jazz ensemble led by NYC bassist Nissen, a U-M jazz studies grad. 10:30 p.m.–midnight.
March 23, 2025: Bill Charlap Trio.
A NYC-based jazz ensemble led by pianist Charlap, a renowned interpreter of the American Songbook from Horgy Carmichael and Gershwin to Leonard Bernstein. “When [Charlap] sits down to play, the result is an embrace, an act of possession,” says a Time magazine review. Dinner shows: 6 & 8:30 p.m. $100.
March 29, 2025: Nick Collins Sextet.
Jazz ensemble led by local drummer Collins. Their new album, The Late Set, was recorded at a show at the Blue Llama in March, 2024. Dinner shows: 6:30 & 9 p.m.
March 29, 2025: Jauron Perry Quintet.
Jazz ensemble led by 20-year-old Detroit trumpeter Perry. 10:30 p.m.–midnight.
March 30, 2025: Kathy Kosins.
Jazz trio led by this acclaimed Detroit soul-drenched jazz vocalist, whom the Chicago Tribune called “one of the most alluring voices in jazz.” With pianist Joe Lehman and bassist Nick Caladro. Dinner shows: 6 & 7:45 p.m.
Past Events
March 2, 2025: Ramona Collins & Cliff Monear. (More Info)
March 1, 2025: Isaiah Collier & The Chosen Few. (More Info)
February 28, 2025: Stacy Dillard & Keigo Hirakawa Group. (More Info)
February 26, 2025: Kahil El’Zabar’s Ethnic Heritage Ensemble. (More Info)
February 22, 2025: Don Was & the Pan-Detroit Ensemble. (More Info)
February 21, 2025: Don Was & the Pan-Detroit Ensemble. (More Info)
February 16, 2025: Shahida Nurullah & Good Company. (More Info)
February 13, 2025: Sky Covington & November Fourth. (More Info)
February 8, 2025: Brandon Rose & Soul Therapy. (More Info)
February 6, 2025: Jim Alfredson’s Dirty Fingers. (More Info)
February 1, 2025: Jonathon Muir-Cotton & Expressions. (More Info)
