Performance used by permission of the artist.

Thriving jazz communities offer performers at all skill levels not only stages to play on but places to compose and perform original works.

Northeast Ohio is no different, and the Third Law Collective is the Music Settlement's initiative with this goal in mind. Periodically musicians from throughout the area meet up and share original works with each other and audiences. This week, we feature one of those performances. Led by Bop Stop Director Bryan Kinnard on flute and from a September 26th, 2024 performance – it's the Third Law Collective – Live at the Bop Stop.

Performance used with permission from the artist.

Washington DC based Sea Change was when bassist Stephen Arnold was asked to lead a band at the Göethe-Institut's Jazz in the Basement series. Featuring a rotating set of band members, the groups most recent release Until Now is a nine-song suite that documents the end of the pandemic and beginning of the romantic relationship between longtime friends and collaborators.

This performance features selections from that release, along with selections from their 2020 album. Featuring Stephen Arnold on Bass, Tyler Cassidy on Saxophone, Drew Kid on Piano, and Jo Palmer on Drums, and from a November 8th, 2023 performance, it's Stephen Arnold and Sea Change…Live at the Bop Stop.

Performance used with permission from the artist.

Since 2014, contemporary jazz band Spin Cycle has been bringing their original music to clubs and concert halls across the US and Canada. Co-lead by Drummer Scott Neumann and Saxophonist Tom Christensen, the band highlights their flexibility, reach and capacity to surprise audiences. On any given song, you might encounter the modal influence of John Coltrane, the second-line funk of New Orleans, or the edgy experimentation of free jazz.

The group features guitarist Pete McCann and bassist Dave Ambrosio, both bandleaders and well-respected artists in their own right and this performance is in support of their most recent release Spin Cycle III. From a November 10th, 2024 performance it's Spin Cycle – Live at the Bop Stop.

Performance used with permission from the artist.

Born and raised in Madrid, Spain, pianist and composer Marta Sánchez is actively working in the contemporary creative music scene in New York City and around the globe. Charting a significant path through her innovative and original music, she has reached an international audience, gaining significant global recognition.

When not playing and recording with the David Murray Quartet, Oscar Noriega Quartet and the Maria Grand Duo, Marta performs with her Trio, as she does here in support of her 2024 release Perpetual Void.

Featuring Eliza Salem on Drums, Tyron Allen on Bass and Marta Sanchez on Piano, and from an October 26th, 2024 performance, it's the Marta Sanchez Trio – Live at the Bop Stop.

Performance used with permission from the artist.

You could argue at this point that Theron Brown is the glue that holds the Akron, Ohio jazz scene together. Between his work as the founder and director of the annual Rubber City Jazz and Blues Festival, the artistic director of the I Promise School, the artist coordinator for the Curated Storefront and his heavy involvement with the Jazz Education program at the University of Akron, he's arguably the hardest working man in show business.

So we were lucky to manage to snag his trio for this performance. Featuring, Zaire Darden on Drums, Jordan McBride on Bass and Theron Brown on Piano – and from an October 25th, 2024 performance – it's the Theron Brown Trio – Live at the Bop Stop.

Performance used with permission from the artist.

In 2014, Monika Herzig had the idea to bring together fellow jazz musicians with the goal of presenting powerful role models on stage as a way of breaking some lingering stereotypes following a path initially paved by Sherri Maricle and the DIVA Jazz Orchestra in the '90s. That effort paid off then and continues to pay off now as you'll hear in this performance in support of their 2024 release All in Good Time

The various Sheroes ensembles over time have represented an extended family of bandleaders, and the group assembled here for this August 30th, 2024 performance is no different. Featuring Jamie Baum on Flute, Reut Regev on Trombone, Gina Schwarz on Bass, Chelsea Hughey on Drums and Monika Herzig on Piano and appearing courtesy of a grant from the Jazz Roads Foundation, it's Monika Herzig's Sheroes – Live at the Bop Stop.

Performance used with permission from the artists.

Detroit based Anthony Stanco, embodies the soulful essence of the city's musical legacy. Fueled by the city's vibrant rhythms, Stanco honed his craft under the tutelage of local luminaries like Marcus Belgrave and Rodney Whitaker, absorbing their wisdom like the note of a melody.

As leader of The Crucial Elements, Stanco commands attention with a distinctive blend of talent and charisma. Their music transcended borders while they served as cultural ambassadors through the US State Department's "American Music Abroad" program. From the rhythmic pulse of South Africa to the exotic melodies of Indonesia, they enrapture audiences worldwide, gracing esteemed stages such as the Java Jazz Festival and the Cairo Jazz Club.

The group in this performance contains a mix of Crucial Elements members, Michigan and Ohio State University faculty and students.

Featuring Pete Mills on Saxophone, Jon Eshelman on Organ, Zach Compston on Drums and Anthony Stanco on Trumpet, and from a November 3rd, 2024 performance, it's Anthony Stanco – Live at the Bop Stop.

This performance used by permission of the artist.

THE OBLIVION PROJECT was formed in 2003, is dedicated to the exploration and performance of the over 3000 Nuevo Tango works of Argentine tango master Astor Piazzolla. The musicians from all across the Americas have collaborated to explore and share the uncompromisingly unique, unequivocally attractive language of Piazzolla's tangos. We are extremely fortunate that they're based here in Cleveland.

This performance catches them on their 19th tour of the Midwest and comes on the heels of a sold out larger show with the Cleveland Pops Orchestra at Severance Hall.

From September 21st, 2024 it's The Oblivion Project Presents: The Nuevo Tango of Astor Piazzolla – Live at the Bop Stop.