The Jazz Passengers

City Winery Hudson Valley presents The Jazz Passengers live on Sunday, September 13th, at 6:30 PM!

With special guest, Teri Roiger!

The JAZZ PASSENGERS are a fantastical fulive onsion of post-bop and musical comedy, once called a “perverse mainstream … hard-bop group as imagined by Frank Zappa” (Bob Blumenthal, Boston Globe, 1989). Their name — a take-off on Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers — reveals the musicians’ wild ride along the eccentric currents in modern American music.

The band was founded in 1987 by saxophonist Roy Nathanson and trombonist Curtis Fowlkes, who discovered a strong affinity in their Brooklyn roots while playing together in the Big Apple Circus band and John Lurie’s seminal Lounge Lizards. They first broke out on the New York City avant-garde scene centered around the Knitting Factory (founded by City Winery owner, Michael Dorf), with a hybrid of Mingus-influenced dance rhythms and original tunes complete with lyrics and entertaining stories.

The Jazz Passengers loom large in the creative history of New York’s Lower East Side, and in the nearly four decades since their founding, their mission of “cross-cultural exchange” has enlisted everyone from Jeff Buckley and Debbie Harry to Nick Hakim and Onyx Collective. Their signature blend of avant-garde jazz, 80s funk, world music, and 20th-century classical — coupled with lyrical provocations ranging from the wistful and tragic to the vaudevillian and absurd — is a snapshot of the frenetic, syncretic New York of yesteryear: a living memory, and a yearning for something just out of reach. Co-founder Curtis Fowlkes passed away in August 2023.

The original 1987 lineup included Roy Nathanson (sax), Curtis Fowlkes (trombone), Bill Ware (vibraphone), E.J. Rodriguez (percussion), Bradley Jones (bass), Jim Nolet (violin), and Marc Ribot (guitar). Today’s roster features Roy Nathanson (sax), Bill Ware (vibes), Bradley Jones (bass), E.J. Rodriguez (drums), Sam Bardfeld (violin), Gabe Nathanson (vocals/trumpet), Lucy Hollier (trombone), and Isaiah Barr (tenor sax), with guest vocalist Teri Roiger and John Menegon sitting in on bass.

Sunday September 13, 2026

Doors at 5:00 PM, show at 6:30 PM

City Winery Hudson Valley

23 Factory Street, Montgomery 12549

Get tickets now from $24.00, dine with your meal!

With special guest, Teri Roiger!!

Thu 17 Sep from 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM
NUBLU
151 Loisaida Avenue (Ave C), New York, NY 10009, USA

Bergamo Italy – Friday March 20, 2026 at 18:00

Location: Auditorium dell’Istituto Palazzolo
Tickets € 12,00 and € 15,00
bergamojazz.org

“And therein lies the beauty of this band, where humor comingles with a serious love for the music.” – Mike Shanley, JazzTimes

The JAZZ PASSENGERS are a fantastical fusion of post-bop and musical comedy, once called a “perverse mainstream … hard-bop group as imagined by Frank Zappa.” (Bob Blumenthal, Boston Globe, 1989). Their name, a take-off on Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, reveals the musicians’ wild ride along the eccentric currents in modern American music. The band was founded in 1987 by saxophonist Roy Nathanson and trombonist Curtis Fowlkes, who realized a strong affinity in their Brooklyn roots while playing together in the Big Apple Circus band and John Lurie’s seminal band, The Lounge Lizards. They first broke out on the New York City avant-garde scene centering around the Knitting Factory with a hybrid of Mingus-influenced dance rhythms and original tunes complete with lyrics and/or entertaining stories. Besides Nathanson and Fowlkes the original band members included Bill Ware on vibraphone, E.J. Rodriguez on percussion, Brad Jones on bass, Jim Nolet on violin and Marc Ribot on guitar. Sadly, Curtis Fowlkes passed in 2023.

On March 20, 2026, In Bergamo Italy, the Jazz Passengers will present Roy Nathanson, Bill Ware, Sam Bardfeld, and E.J. Rodriguez, joined by John Menegon on bass (subbing for Bradley Jones) and special guest vocalist, Teri Roiger.

NEW YORK, NY – September 19, 2025 – For the first time since its release over three decades ago, the landmark 1994 album In Love by the legendary Jazz Passengers will be available on all major streaming platforms beginning today, September 19, 2025. 

LISTEN TO ‘IN LOVE’ HERE

An eccentric, genre-defying gem from New York’s downtown scene, In Love is a wild, heartfelt, and often hilarious collaboration that brought together an extraordinary lineup of musical icons. Featuring rare studio performances by Jeff Buckley, Debbie Harry, Mavis Staples, Jimmy Scott, Freedy Johnston, Bob Dorough, Marc Ribot, and produced by the late Hal Willner, with Hugo Dwyer as producer and engineer, the album remains a cult favorite among adventurous music lovers. 

Until now, In Love has only existed in physical form, traded lovingly by diehard fans and collectors. This fall, the album gets a long-overdue digital rebirth, making its rich tapestry of avant-jazz, soul, cabaret, and experimental pop accessible to a new generation of listeners.