Andrew Toombs concerts

About Andrew Toombs

Andrew Toombs is a Cincinnati-born pianist working in Chicago’s jazz orbit, with a résumé that joins straight-ahead club work to rhythm-forward modern jazz and blues-band keyboard chairs. The clearest reason to pay attention is his place in Makaya McCraven’s 2012 piano trio on Split Decision, where a contemporary review singled out Toombs’ energetic right-hand runs and firm chordal statements. [1,2]

From Cincinnati training to Chicago work

Toombs began piano at six, performed regularly by 11, studied classical music and jazz from eight, and made a teenage solo appearance with the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra. A Berklee College of Music scholarship followed in 2007. His public story reads as that of an individual working pianist, built through ensembles and sessions instead of a fixed named-band formation: Chicago bookings place him on piano with Makaya McCraven, Jeremy Cunningham, Jeremiah Hunt, Pharez Whitted, and the jazz-funk group T.S.5. [1,2,3,5,6,9]

Records that locate his sound

The early document is Makaya McCraven’s Split Decision (2012, Chicago Sessions). Toombs, McCraven, and bassist Tim Seisser form the album’s entire personnel list. Its original compositions use shifting rhythmic constructions, spacious passages, and driving grooves; within that framework, Toombs supplies piano detail that cuts through an electric-bass-and-drums foundation. “Toombs’ Time” makes his role explicit in its title and offers the cleanest entry point into this chapter.

Luke Malewicz’s Green Ruins, a mid-2010s Chicago ensemble record, further situates Toombs beside tenor saxophonist Richard Moore, bassist Tim Seisser, and drummer Makaya McCraven. The personnel connects him to a scene where composed horn music, electric bass, and improvising rhythm sections overlap. In parallel, T.S.5 identified Toombs as its keyboardist within a jazz/funk lineup of Jonathan Marks, Rich Moore, and Luke Malewicz, adding another route into groove-centered material.

Jeremy Cunningham Quartet’s re: dawn (from far) arrived in 2016 through Chicago label ears&eyes Records. Toombs plays Wurlitzer and piano alongside Jeff Parker, Matt Ulery, Josh Johnson, and Dustin Laurenzi; the credited instrumentation matters, since it places acoustic piano and electric keys inside an expanded improvising ensemble. It also ties Toombs to a recording made at Shirk Studios in Chicago and mixed by John McEntire at Soma Studios.

A catalog with collaborators at its center

Toombs’ own listed release is the one-song Where I Been, issued August 30, 2024. His recorded identity remains strongly collaborative: he appears on Resavoir’s “Leaves,” with Irvin Pierce, from the 2026 L’UNIVERS album Themes for Dreams; Apple Music also credits him on Cunningham’s “Bembé” and “Far From.” Andy’s Jazz Club lists a broad performance history including Common, Roy Ayers, Carole King, Benny Golson, Marquis Hill, Bootsy Collins, and Pharez Whitted. [1,4,8]

The rooms and the working-band evidence

The live record supports a Chicago club specialist’s profile. Andy’s Jazz Club scheduled Toombs for two sets on July 25, 2026—6:00–7:15 p.m. and 8:15–9:30 p.m.—a concrete indication of the compact, two-set format he brings to the room at 11 East Hubbard Street. A 2024 Jazz Showcase bill placed him on piano in Jeremiah Hunt’s quartet with Michael Emmert and Jonathan Pinson. Winter’s Jazz Club listed him in Pharez Whitted’s quintet for two 2024 sets, 7:30 and 9:30 p.m., with the event later marked sold out. [1,5,6]

His return pattern centers on Chicago. WDCB’s jazz calendar listed Toombs at Andy’s on August 2 and August 9, 2026, and CrowdMate has four further Sunday Andy’s dates on August 9, 16, 23, and 30. Earlier work with T.S.5 included Chicago fixtures such as the Green Mill, Martyrs, and Taste of Chicago. The evidence points to a player whose live value lies in ensemble fluency across recurring local stages. [7,9]

Current calendar

The most recent release carrying Toombs’ name is “Leaves,” credited to Resavoir featuring Irvin Pierce and Andrew Toombs, released March 12, 2026 on L’UNIVERS as part of Themes for Dreams. His immediate schedule stays in Chicago: CrowdMate lists Andy’s Jazz Club appearances on August 9, August 16, August 23, and August 30, 2026. The August 9 date also appears in WDCB’s calendar, reinforcing the ongoing Andy’s run. [7,8]

Start here

“Toombs’ Time” for his piano role inside McCraven’s restless trio; “Far From” for Wurlitzer and piano within Cunningham’s larger Chicago ensemble; “Leaves” for the newest documented Toombs feature. [2,3,8]

Sources

1. 2nd Set With Andrew Toombs — Andy's Jazz Club
2. Makaya McCraven: Split Decision — All About Jazz
3. re: dawn (from far) — Jeremy Cunningham on Bandcamp
4. Andrew Toombs — Apple Music
5. The Jeremiah Review: A Celebration of Independence — Jazz Showcase
6. Pharez Whitted Quintet — Winter's Jazz Club
7. Events Calendar (jazz) — WDCB 90.9 FM
8. Leaves (feat. Irvin Pierce & Andrew Toombs) — Shazam
9. T.S.5 — Reggies Chicago