The cool jazz movement is known for its mellow lyricism and striking, often surprising arrangements, while hard bop is distinguished by its bluesy melodicism and virtuosic vocabulary. JLCO saxophonist Sherman Irby is the co-music director of this program, which explores the shared themes of these two genres. The performance includes reinterpretations of iconic recordings by Miles Davis, the Modern Jazz Quartet, the Max Roach-Clifford Brown Quintet, Horace Silver, and Art Blakey, alongside newly commissioned works by Benny Green and Luther Allison.

The Byron Center High School Jazz Orchestra, one of two Michigan finalists in Jazz at Lincoln Center’s 2025 Essentially Ellington Competition, will open the program with a brief set. Located near Grand Rapids, the Byron Center ensemble has been a finalist in the competition eight times since 2016.