The Core represents everything essential about Asheville's jazz DNA distilled into five musicians who understand that the best ensembles aren't just collections of individual talents—they're alchemical reactions where individual voices merge into something greater than their sum. This quintet embodies the mountain city's unique musical ecosystem, where Blue Ridge authenticity meets sophisticated harmonic exploration, where the intimacy of local venues allows for the kind of musical risk-taking that transforms standards into personal statements. Named for their ability to get to the heart of every song they touch, The Core strips away musical pretense to reveal the emotional architecture beneath, proving that jazz at its best isn't about showing off—it's about showing up completely for each moment, each phrase, each possibility that emerges when five musicians breathe together in perfect musical democracy. In Asheville's thriving jazz scene, The Core stands as both inheritors of tradition and pioneers of what's next, reminding audiences that the most profound musical experiences happen when virtuosity serves vulnerability, when technique becomes the vehicle for something infinitely more human.
Sanders, Boyd, Page & Hall distill the pure essence of improvisational expression, converging as alchemists of sound, transmuting musical elements into their most essential forms. This quartet embodies the philosophical concept of quintessence—the fifth element beyond earth, air, fire, and water—representing the fundamental substance from which all musical reality springs.
Their original compositions crystallize the essential qualities of diverse influences, oscillating between through-composed musical themes, groove-based soul explorations, traditional jazz-influenced pieces, Americana-inspired peaceful melodicism, world music influences, free jazz adventures, and occasional forays into cacophonous noise music. Through years of improvisational study, they've learned to access that rarefied space where genres dissolve into pure creative energy.
In this musical laboratory, Sanders' guitar becomes a conduit for universal vibration, Boyd's reeds channel the breath of consciousness itself, Page's bass provides the fundamental frequency of existence, while Hall's percussion creates the rhythmic heartbeat of the cosmos.
September 22nd, Little Jumbo Bar becomes ground zero for a musical convergence that reads like jazz fiction: a Manhattan School of Music alum who's conquered everything from Brooklyn underground to Grammy stages, a guitarist the New York Times calls an "articulate ace," and three mountain maestros who've turned Asheville into a secret jazz laboratory. Jacob Rodriguez's baritone sax rumbles with the wisdom of San Antonio streets and Michael Bublé tours, while Jesse Lewis conjures sonic environments where steel strings become time machines. Quinn Sternberg doesn't just walk the bass—he builds gravitational fields that make everyone else orbit in perfect harmony, as Joe Enright and Alex Taub transform rhythm section into rocket fuel.
This isn't your typical Monday night—it's five musical storytellers who've discovered that the most profound conversations happen when tradition meets innovation at exactly the right volume in exactly the right room.
Sanders, Boyd, Page & Hall distill the pure essence of improvisational expression, converging as alchemists of sound, transmuting musical elements into their most essential forms. This quartet embodies the philosophical concept of quintessence—the fifth element beyond earth, air, fire, and water—representing the fundamental substance from which all musical reality springs.
Their original compositions crystallize the essential qualities of diverse influences, oscillating between through-composed musical themes, groove-based soul explorations, traditional jazz-influenced pieces, Americana-inspired peaceful melodicism, world music influences, free jazz adventures, and occasional forays into cacophonous noise music. Through years of improvisational study, they've learned to access that rarefied space where genres dissolve into pure creative energy.
In this musical laboratory, Sanders' guitar becomes a conduit for universal vibration, Boyd's reeds channel the breath of consciousness itself, Page's bass provides the fundamental frequency of existence, while Hall's percussion creates the rhythmic heartbeat of the cosmos.
September 29th at Little Jumbo, Justin Ray transforms Monday night into something that feels like discovering jazz's best-kept secret. This isn't just another trumpet player—this is a musical catalyst who makes every note count and every musician around him sound like they've just remembered why they fell in love with playing in the first place.
Ray's trumpet doesn't announce itself with flash or fury; instead, it opens conversations that pull you in close, asking musical questions that make other instruments want to answer with their most honest voices. Leading the Justin Ray Quartet with the kind of quiet confidence that only comes from truly listening, he's turned Asheville's jazz scene into his personal laboratory for collaborative alchemy.
When Ray lifts that trumpet, he's not just playing melodies—he's creating gravitational fields where musical magic becomes inevitable and Monday nights suddenly feel like the best-kept secret in the mountains.
In the intimate confines of Little Jumbo Bar, three musical architects will converge to build sonic cathedrals from pure improvisation. The Blingus Trio brings together a trinity of Asheville's most innovative voices: Jeff "Apt. Q-258" Sipe, the Grammy-nominated rhythmic alchemist who transforms drum kits into interdimensional portals; Quinn Sternberg, the gravitational bass force whose four strings hold entire musical solar systems in perfect orbit; and Jay Sanders, the genre-defying guitarist-composer whose sonic experiments blend everything from jazz fusion to symphonic grandeur.
This isn't just another jazz trio—it's a meeting of minds where Sipe's legendary groove mastery (honed through collaborations with Trey Anastasio and John McLaughlin) converges with Sternberg's architectural bass storytelling and Sanders' universe-building compositional vision. Expect musical conversations that dance between chamber music intimacy and cosmic exploration, where decades of collective experience crystallize into moments of pure spontaneous creation.
When three masters of their craft gather in one room with nothing but their instruments and boundless creative possibility, magic happens. The Blingus Trio promises an evening where every note is a question, every groove is an answer, and the space between the beats holds infinite potential.
Sometimes the most powerful revivals happen when five master musicians gather in an intimate room and decide to resurrect the soul that made jazz matter in the first place. Jacob Rodriguez's world-traveling baritone sax brings the grit of San Antonio streets and the polish of Grammy stages, ready to channel stories through reed and breath that connect Brooklyn underground scenes to Blue Ridge mountaintops. Quinn Sternberg anchors this sonic revival with bass lines that don't just walk—they preach, transforming rhythm section duties into gravitational sermons that make everyone else sound sanctified.
Joe Enright treats his drum kit like a revival tent, his sticks weaving rhythmic narratives that bridge Asheville's mountain soul with metropolitan jazz sophistication, while Alex Taub's piano becomes both altar and architect, finding those sacred spaces between classical precision and jazz spontaneity where musical miracles happen. Andy Page completes this congregation with guitar work that's traveled from Switzerland's Montreux Jazz Festival to Japan's jazz cruises, bringing two decades of Blue Ridge wisdom and academic soul to every note.
At Little Jumbo Bar, where the walls themselves seem to lean in when real music is being born, prepare for an evening where the soul jazz tradition gets resurrected not through imitation, but through five musicians who understand that the deepest grooves come from the spaces where technique meets spirit, where mountain wisdom meets world-class artistry.
Some revivals don't need preachers—just musicians who remember why the music mattered.
Sanders, Boyd, Page & Hall distill the pure essence of improvisational expression, converging as alchemists of sound, transmuting musical elements into their most essential forms. This quartet embodies the philosophical concept of quintessence—the fifth element beyond earth, air, fire, and water—representing the fundamental substance from which all musical reality springs.
Their original compositions crystallize the essential qualities of diverse influences, oscillating between through-composed musical themes, groove-based soul explorations, traditional jazz-influenced pieces, Americana-inspired peaceful melodicism, world music influences, free jazz adventures, and occasional forays into cacophonous noise music. Through years of improvisational study, they've learned to access that rarefied space where genres dissolve into pure creative energy.
In this musical laboratory, Sanders' guitar becomes a conduit for universal vibration, Boyd's reeds channel the breath of consciousness itself, Page's bass provides the fundamental frequency of existence, while Hall's percussion creates the rhythmic heartbeat of the cosmos.
CRAFT’s concept is simple:
Denise Kiernan sits down with a writer in this speakeasy setting to discuss not only the writer’s latest publication, but also the craft of writing itself. For each featured author, the Little Jumbo staff will create a specialty cocktail—or mocktail—inspired by either the featured book or the author themselves.
WHO
Me, Denise, sitting down with authors from all walks—literary fiction, nonfiction, graphic novelists, mystery authors, romance writers, TV and film folks…You get the idea.
WHAT
An hour of conversation about the guest author’s work, writing process and more, with time for audience questions. Conversations are followed by an author signing. Books provided by Malaprop’s.
WHERE
Little Jumbo, located at 241 Broadway Street in Asheville, a bar and then some, offering classic and classically-inspired craft cocktails, food, games, and more.
When
WHEN
The second Sunday of every month. Doors open at 4. Conversation starts no later than 4:30 PM.
Free parking is available in the lot at 5 Points Restaurant across Broadway, in addition to general street parking. On-site book sales will be provided by Malaprop’s.
Sanders, Boyd, Page & Hall distill the pure essence of improvisational expression, converging as alchemists of sound, transmuting musical elements into their most essential forms. This quartet embodies the philosophical concept of quintessence—the fifth element beyond earth, air, fire, and water—representing the fundamental substance from which all musical reality springs.
Their original compositions crystallize the essential qualities of diverse influences, oscillating between through-composed musical themes, groove-based soul explorations, traditional jazz-influenced pieces, Americana-inspired peaceful melodicism, world music influences, free jazz adventures, and occasional forays into cacophonous noise music. Through years of improvisational study, they've learned to access that rarefied space where genres dissolve into pure creative energy.
In this musical laboratory, Sanders' guitar becomes a conduit for universal vibration, Boyd's reeds channel the breath of consciousness itself, Page's bass provides the fundamental frequency of existence, while Hall's percussion creates the rhythmic heartbeat of the cosmos.
The Core represents everything essential about Asheville's jazz DNA distilled into five musicians who understand that the best ensembles aren't just collections of individual talents—they're alchemical reactions where individual voices merge into something greater than their sum. This quintet embodies the mountain city's unique musical ecosystem, where Blue Ridge authenticity meets sophisticated harmonic exploration, where the intimacy of local venues allows for the kind of musical risk-taking that transforms standards into personal statements. Named for their ability to get to the heart of every song they touch, The Core strips away musical pretense to reveal the emotional architecture beneath, proving that jazz at its best isn't about showing off—it's about showing up completely for each moment, each phrase, each possibility that emerges when five musicians breathe together in perfect musical democracy. In Asheville's thriving jazz scene, The Core stands as both inheritors of tradition and pioneers of what's next, reminding audiences that the most profound musical experiences happen when virtuosity serves vulnerability, when technique becomes the vehicle for something infinitely more human.
Sanders, Boyd, Page & Hall distill the pure essence of improvisational expression, converging as alchemists of sound, transmuting musical elements into their most essential forms. This quartet embodies the philosophical concept of quintessence—the fifth element beyond earth, air, fire, and water—representing the fundamental substance from which all musical reality springs.
Their original compositions crystallize the essential qualities of diverse influences, oscillating between through-composed musical themes, groove-based soul explorations, traditional jazz-influenced pieces, Americana-inspired peaceful melodicism, world music influences, free jazz adventures, and occasional forays into cacophonous noise music. Through years of improvisational study, they've learned to access that rarefied space where genres dissolve into pure creative energy.
In this musical laboratory, Sanders' guitar becomes a conduit for universal vibration, Boyd's reeds channel the breath of consciousness itself, Page's bass provides the fundamental frequency of existence, while Hall's percussion creates the rhythmic heartbeat of the cosmos.
Sanders, Boyd, Page & Hall distill the pure essence of improvisational expression, converging as alchemists of sound, transmuting musical elements into their most essential forms. This quartet embodies the philosophical concept of quintessence—the fifth element beyond earth, air, fire, and water—representing the fundamental substance from which all musical reality springs.
Their original compositions crystallize the essential qualities of diverse influences, oscillating between through-composed musical themes, groove-based soul explorations, traditional jazz-influenced pieces, Americana-inspired peaceful melodicism, world music influences, free jazz adventures, and occasional forays into cacophonous noise music. Through years of improvisational study, they've learned to access that rarefied space where genres dissolve into pure creative energy.
In this musical laboratory, Sanders' guitar becomes a conduit for universal vibration, Boyd's reeds channel the breath of consciousness itself, Page's bass provides the fundamental frequency of existence, while Hall's percussion creates the rhythmic heartbeat of the cosmos.
When two tenor saxophone masters converge at Little Jumbo Bar, expect nothing less than a masterclass in how geography shapes sound. Jack Wilkins brings his musical atlas—seven albums worth of landscapes painted through reed and breath, from Canadian Rockies to Appalachian ridgelines, Swedish jazz clubs to Grammy-nominated orchestral suites. His horn doesn't just play melodies; it composes entire emotional terrains, whether channeling Banff Centre residencies or mining Blue Ridge mountain soul. Dylan Hannan arrives as the genre-hopping storyteller, his saxophone carrying tales from Florida sunshine to Glenn Miller Orchestra tours across 18 states and four Canadian provinces. This former salsa band opener for Arturo Sandoval brings a musical passport stamped by everything from classical chamber competitions to R&B grooves, proving that the most interesting conversations happen when versatility meets tradition.
Together, they're supported by the Page Brothers—Zack's bass lines that have averaged 275 gigs per year since the '90s, moving from Virginia backroads to Swiss festivals, and Andy's guitar work that's traveled from Montreux to Japan while teaching the next generation at Appalachian State. Justin Watt completes this musical geography lesson, his Ohio-trained rhythms having anchored everything from Glenn Miller's legacy band to Asheville's intimate trio conversations.
At Little Jumbo's intimate setting, prepare for an evening where two tenor titans prove that the most compelling musical dialogues happen when master storytellers speak the same language through completely different accents.
Sometimes the best conversations happen when two horns remember they're telling the same story.
Sanders, Boyd, Page & Hall distill the pure essence of improvisational expression, converging as alchemists of sound, transmuting musical elements into their most essential forms. This quartet embodies the philosophical concept of quintessence—the fifth element beyond earth, air, fire, and water—representing the fundamental substance from which all musical reality springs.
Their original compositions crystallize the essential qualities of diverse influences, oscillating between through-composed musical themes, groove-based soul explorations, traditional jazz-influenced pieces, Americana-inspired peaceful melodicism, world music influences, free jazz adventures, and occasional forays into cacophonous noise music. Through years of improvisational study, they've learned to access that rarefied space where genres dissolve into pure creative energy.
In this musical laboratory, Sanders' guitar becomes a conduit for universal vibration, Boyd's reeds channel the breath of consciousness itself, Page's bass provides the fundamental frequency of existence, while Hall's percussion creates the rhythmic heartbeat of the cosmos.
Sanders, Boyd, Page & Hall distill the pure essence of improvisational expression, converging as alchemists of sound, transmuting musical elements into their most essential forms. This quartet embodies the philosophical concept of quintessence—the fifth element beyond earth, air, fire, and water—representing the fundamental substance from which all musical reality springs.
Their original compositions crystallize the essential qualities of diverse influences, oscillating between through-composed musical themes, groove-based soul explorations, traditional jazz-influenced pieces, Americana-inspired peaceful melodicism, world music influences, free jazz adventures, and occasional forays into cacophonous noise music. Through years of improvisational study, they've learned to access that rarefied space where genres dissolve into pure creative energy.
In this musical laboratory, Sanders' guitar becomes a conduit for universal vibration, Boyd's reeds channel the breath of consciousness itself, Page's bass provides the fundamental frequency of existence, while Hall's percussion creates the rhythmic heartbeat of the cosmos.
The Core represents everything essential about Asheville's jazz DNA distilled into five musicians who understand that the best ensembles aren't just collections of individual talents—they're alchemical reactions where individual voices merge into something greater than their sum. This quintet embodies the mountain city's unique musical ecosystem, where Blue Ridge authenticity meets sophisticated harmonic exploration, where the intimacy of local venues allows for the kind of musical risk-taking that transforms standards into personal statements. Named for their ability to get to the heart of every song they touch, The Core strips away musical pretense to reveal the emotional architecture beneath, proving that jazz at its best isn't about showing off—it's about showing up completely for each moment, each phrase, each possibility that emerges when five musicians breathe together in perfect musical democracy. In Asheville's thriving jazz scene, The Core stands as both inheritors of tradition and pioneers of what's next, reminding audiences that the most profound musical experiences happen when virtuosity serves vulnerability, when technique becomes the vehicle for something infinitely more human.
Sanders, Boyd, Page & Hall distill the pure essence of improvisational expression, converging as alchemists of sound, transmuting musical elements into their most essential forms. This quartet embodies the philosophical concept of quintessence—the fifth element beyond earth, air, fire, and water—representing the fundamental substance from which all musical reality springs.
Their original compositions crystallize the essential qualities of diverse influences, oscillating between through-composed musical themes, groove-based soul explorations, traditional jazz-influenced pieces, Americana-inspired peaceful melodicism, world music influences, free jazz adventures, and occasional forays into cacophonous noise music. Through years of improvisational study, they've learned to access that rarefied space where genres dissolve into pure creative energy.
In this musical laboratory, Sanders' guitar becomes a conduit for universal vibration, Boyd's reeds channel the breath of consciousness itself, Page's bass provides the fundamental frequency of existence, while Hall's percussion creates the rhythmic heartbeat of the cosmos.
Sanders, Boyd, Page & Hall distill the pure essence of improvisational expression, converging as alchemists of sound, transmuting musical elements into their most essential forms. This quartet embodies the philosophical concept of quintessence—the fifth element beyond earth, air, fire, and water—representing the fundamental substance from which all musical reality springs.
Their original compositions crystallize the essential qualities of diverse influences, oscillating between through-composed musical themes, groove-based soul explorations, traditional jazz-influenced pieces, Americana-inspired peaceful melodicism, world music influences, free jazz adventures, and occasional forays into cacophonous noise music. Through years of improvisational study, they've learned to access that rarefied space where genres dissolve into pure creative energy.
In this musical laboratory, Sanders' guitar becomes a conduit for universal vibration, Boyd's reeds channel the breath of consciousness itself, Page's bass provides the fundamental frequency of existence, while Hall's percussion creates the rhythmic heartbeat of the cosmos.
Sanders, Boyd, Page & Hall distill the pure essence of improvisational expression, converging as alchemists of sound, transmuting musical elements into their most essential forms. This quartet embodies the philosophical concept of quintessence—the fifth element beyond earth, air, fire, and water—representing the fundamental substance from which all musical reality springs.
Their original compositions crystallize the essential qualities of diverse influences, oscillating between through-composed musical themes, groove-based soul explorations, traditional jazz-influenced pieces, Americana-inspired peaceful melodicism, world music influences, free jazz adventures, and occasional forays into cacophonous noise music. Through years of improvisational study, they've learned to access that rarefied space where genres dissolve into pure creative energy.
In this musical laboratory, Sanders' guitar becomes a conduit for universal vibration, Boyd's reeds channel the breath of consciousness itself, Page's bass provides the fundamental frequency of existence, while Hall's percussion creates the rhythmic heartbeat of the cosmos.
When three master musicians converge at Little Jumbo Bar, expect the unexpected. Jacob Rodriguez brings his world-traveling baritone sax—seasoned from Michael Bublé's Grammy stages to Brooklyn's underground scenes—ready to paint midnight stories with reed and breath. Quinn Sternberg anchors the room with bass lines that don't just walk, they architect entire musical conversations, transforming rhythm section duties into chamber music poetry. Al Sergel completes the triangle with his genre-fluid drumming philosophy, equally comfortable crafting beats for jazz legends and pop sensibilities.
This isn't just a trio—it's three musical chameleons who've learned that the most interesting sounds happen when you refuse to stay in one lane. Rodriguez channels everything from Hard Bop Explosion fire to Congolese mysticism, Sternberg builds gravitational centers that make everyone else sound better, and Sergel treats musical boundaries as suggestions waiting to be reimagined.
In Little Jumbo's intimate setting, where every note matters and every silence speaks volumes, prepare for an evening where San Antonio street corners meet conservatory training, where midnight iPhone memos become full-fledged statements, and where three master storytellers prove that the best conversations happen without words.
Sometimes the most profound music comes from the spaces between genres.
Sanders, Boyd, Page & Hall distill the pure essence of improvisational expression, converging as alchemists of sound, transmuting musical elements into their most essential forms. This quartet embodies the philosophical concept of quintessence—the fifth element beyond earth, air, fire, and water—representing the fundamental substance from which all musical reality springs.
Their original compositions crystallize the essential qualities of diverse influences, oscillating between through-composed musical themes, groove-based soul explorations, traditional jazz-influenced pieces, Americana-inspired peaceful melodicism, world music influences, free jazz adventures, and occasional forays into cacophonous noise music. Through years of improvisational study, they've learned to access that rarefied space where genres dissolve into pure creative energy.
In this musical laboratory, Sanders' guitar becomes a conduit for universal vibration, Boyd's reeds channel the breath of consciousness itself, Page's bass provides the fundamental frequency of existence, while Hall's percussion creates the rhythmic heartbeat of the cosmos.
The Core represents everything essential about Asheville's jazz DNA distilled into five musicians who understand that the best ensembles aren't just collections of individual talents—they're alchemical reactions where individual voices merge into something greater than their sum. This quintet embodies the mountain city's unique musical ecosystem, where Blue Ridge authenticity meets sophisticated harmonic exploration, where the intimacy of local venues allows for the kind of musical risk-taking that transforms standards into personal statements. Named for their ability to get to the heart of every song they touch, The Core strips away musical pretense to reveal the emotional architecture beneath, proving that jazz at its best isn't about showing off—it's about showing up completely for each moment, each phrase, each possibility that emerges when five musicians breathe together in perfect musical democracy. In Asheville's thriving jazz scene, The Core stands as both inheritors of tradition and pioneers of what's next, reminding audiences that the most profound musical experiences happen when virtuosity serves vulnerability, when technique becomes the vehicle for something infinitely more human.
Sanders, Boyd, Page & Hall distill the pure essence of improvisational expression, converging as alchemists of sound, transmuting musical elements into their most essential forms. This quartet embodies the philosophical concept of quintessence—the fifth element beyond earth, air, fire, and water—representing the fundamental substance from which all musical reality springs.
Their original compositions crystallize the essential qualities of diverse influences, oscillating between through-composed musical themes, groove-based soul explorations, traditional jazz-influenced pieces, Americana-inspired peaceful melodicism, world music influences, free jazz adventures, and occasional forays into cacophonous noise music. Through years of improvisational study, they've learned to access that rarefied space where genres dissolve into pure creative energy.
In this musical laboratory, Sanders' guitar becomes a conduit for universal vibration, Boyd's reeds channel the breath of consciousness itself, Page's bass provides the fundamental frequency of existence, while Hall's percussion creates the rhythmic heartbeat of the cosmos.
Ring in 2026 the only way that matters—with five master musicians who understand that the best celebrations happen when soul meets jazz and midnight meets pure musical magic. Jacob Rodriguez's world-traveling baritone sax brings the perfect soundtrack for crossing into a new year, channeling stories through reed and breath that connect all the places you've been to all the places you're going. Quinn Sternberg anchors this New Year's Eve sonic revival with bass lines that don't just walk into the future—they dance, transforming the countdown into gravitational grooves that make every moment before midnight feel sanctified.
Joe Enright treats his drum kit like a time machine, his sticks weaving rhythmic narratives that bridge 2025's mountain memories with 2026's metropolitan possibilities, while Alex Taub's piano becomes both reflection and resolution, finding those sacred spaces between what was and what could be where musical miracles happen. Andy Page completes this New Year's congregation with guitar work that's traveled from Switzerland to Japan, bringing two decades of celebration wisdom to help Asheville ring in the new year with style.
At Little Jumbo Bar, where the walls themselves seem to lean in when real music is being born, prepare for a New Year's Eve where the soul jazz tradition gets resurrected not through nostalgia, but through five musicians who know that the best way to celebrate time passing is to make every moment swing. Forget the ball drop—this is how you step into 2026.
Some countdowns don't need clocks—just musicians who make every beat matter.
