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
February 26, 2026: Houston Patton & Hidden Nomination.
U-M music student ensemble led by Detroit saxophonist Patton.
February 27, 2026: Kahil El’Zabar.
Jazz ensemble, led by veteran Chicago-based percussionist El’Zabar, which draws on African rhythms, contemporary hip-hop, and R&B to perform avant-garde arrangements of material from the American Songbook, early 20th-century jazz standards, show tunes, and popular songs. Dinner shows: $95.
February 28, 2026: Chico Pinheiro.
Acclaimed Brazilian jazz guitarist & vocalist who plays an intimate, sensual brand of bossa nova with hushed, almost spoken word, vocals reminiscent of Antonio Carlos Jobim. “Pinheiro has a softness that seems to accelerate and retard his very breath,” writes LatinJazzNet in a review of his 2025 album, There’s a Storm Inside. Tonight he is joined by members of the Kzoo Jazz Project.
March 1, 2026: “Jazz & Poetry with One Single Rose.”
Detroit singer & spoken word artist Rosemarie Wilson (aka One Single Rose) performs her poetry, interspersed with jazz music by an ensemble TBA.
March 4, 2026: Alex Anest Trio.
Ensemble led by local guitarist Anest. With organist Jim Alfredson and drummer David Ward.
March 5, 2026: Bria Skonberg.
R&B-inflected jazz ensemble fronted by this highly regarded NYC-based singer-songwriter and trumpeter from British Columbia. The Wall Street Journal calls her “one of the most versatile and imposing musicians of her generation.” $50 (dinner & show, $95.).
March 6, 2026: WEMU 5:01 Jazz Series.
With U-M jazz professor Ellen Rowe, a local pianist whose repertoire includes original compositions and reimagined versions of standards. 5 p.m. Free.
March 6, 2026: Don Hicks & Friends.
An ad hoc local ensemble led by trumpeter (and Blue Llama owner) Hicks.
March 7, 2026: Tatiana Eva-Marie.
Jazz Manouche (aka Gypsy jazz) ensemble led by this NYC-based Swiss American vocalist known for renditions of this French popular music pioneered by Django Reinhardt that blends 1930s Parisian swing with Balkan Gypsy and folk influences. Praising her band, The Village Voice writes “they continue in the beloved steps of Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli, but with a contemporary and delightful American twist.” $50 (dinner & show, $95.).
March 8, 2026: Anthony Stanco Quintet.
Detroit ensemble led by trumpeter Stanco, an MSU jazz professor.
March 11, 2026: Mercer Patterson Quintet.
U-M jazz student ensemble led by composer-pianist Patterson.
March 12, 2026: New Nostalgia.
Chicago-based jazz, pop, and rock fusion band, led by saxophonist and composer-arranger Neil Carson, that boasts a big, brassy 5-piece horn section backed by driving powerhouse rhythms and searing guitar. Their 2019 self-titled debut, a killer mix of up-tempo originals and 80s & 90s pop covers, was hailed by Downbeat as “power-polychord instrumental rock at its finest.”
March 13, 2026: Pamela Wise.
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. Tonight they are joined by Detroit vocalist Naima Shambourger.
March 14, 2026: Immanuel Wilkins.
Acclaimed Brooklyn-based composer-saxophonist who burst on the scene in 2020 when his Blue Note debut Omega was named best new jazz release by the New York Times. He plays in a lush and expansive style, channeling afro-futurist influences in a way that’s reminiscent of fellow contemporary sax great Kamasi Washington. “More than most jazz practitioners of his or any generation, Immanuel Wilkins intuits and embraces the transmutational qualities that connect notes and tones to values of personal identity and spiritual transcendence,” writes JazzTimes. $50 (dinner & show, $95.).
March 15, 2026: Nick Collins Trio.
Ensemble led by local drummer Collins. With bassist Jeff Pedraz and pianist Rick Roe.
March 18, 2026: Lisa Sung Quartet.
Jazz standards and originals by this ensemble led by Grand Rapids-based composer-pianist Sung.
March 19, 2026: Randy Napoleon.
Jazz standards and originals by this ensemble led by Ann Arbor native Napoleon, an MSU jazz guitar professor who’s toured with Benny Green and Michael Bublé and been praised as “spectacular” by guitarist George Benson.
March 20, 2026: Linda May Han Oh.
Jazz trio led by this NYC-based Malaysian-born composer-bassist who came on the scene in the early 2000s as the bass player in bands led by Pat Metheny and Vijay Iyer. “The bass has long been regarded as a foundational or a cornerstone instrument, but in Oh's hands, it's nimbler,” says NPR Fresh Air jazz critic Martin Johnson in a review of her acclaimed 2025 album, Strange Heavens, recorded with acclaimed drummer Tyshawn Sorey and trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire. “She can move from setting the beat to dancing with the soloist in the blink of an eye.” $50 (dinner & show, $95.).
March 21, 2026: Laura-Simone Quartet.
Ensemble led by 19-year-old bassist Laura-Simone Martin, an MSU jazz student.
March 22, 2026: Sunny Wilkinson Trio.
Local ensemble led by vocalist Wilkinson, a veteran nationally known straight-ahead jazz singer.
March 25, 2026: Gwenyth Hayes Trio.
Jazz-soul fusion ensemble led by this local singer-songwriter and bassist.
March 27, 2026: Sean Dobbins Organ Trio.
Ensemble led by veteran local drummer Dobbins. Tonight it is joined by Indiana jazz vocalist Dana Badcock.
March 28, 2026: Joan Belgrave.
Jazz standards and love songs by this renowned Detroit vocalist, an Ann Arbor native who has performed everything from soul and R&B to rock and blues. “Belgrave’s voice is so soothing and sexy, she could give a pit bull goose bumps,” says Metro Times critic Charles Latimer.
March 29, 2026: Paul Vornhagen Quartet.
Jazz standards by this local ensemble led by veteran saxophonist and flutist VornHagen.
Past Events
February 26, 2026: Houston Patton & Hidden Nomination. (More Info)
February 21, 2026: Sean Dobbins All Star Quintet. (More Info)
February 15, 2026: Chris Glassman & the Technocats. (More Info)
February 6, 2026: Tariq Gardner & the Evening Star. (More Info)
January 31, 2026: Russ Macklem Detroit Quintet. (More Info)
January 22, 2026: Max Bowen Special Quintet. (More Info)
