The Jazz Passengers

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.