For Thursday through Sunday, September 10–13, the useful jazz itinerary is organized by the clock. Start Thursday at Smalls Jazz Club with Kavita Shah’s sextet, move to Birdland Jazz Club for Donny McCaslin’s three scheduled appearances with Ben Allison and Steve Smith, then hold Friday or Saturday for Doug Wamble’s 11:55 p.m. solo-guitar set at Mezzrow. These are three distinct listening rooms and three sharply different formats: a six-piece vocal ensemble, a tenor-saxophone trio paying tribute to Sonny Rollins, and one guitarist carrying the late set alone.[1][3][5][6]

Thursday’s two chances to hear Kavita Shah’s sextet

Kavita Shah Sextet featuring Steve Wilson opens the route at Smalls Jazz Club on Thursday, September 10, with sets at 6:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. The posted personnel gives the evening a full working-band shape: Shah on vocals, Wilson on alto saxophone, Guilherme Monteiro on guitar, Camila Cortina Bello on piano, Matt Penman on bass, and Varun Das on drums. Shah’s own biography describes a practice grounded in jazz while engaging global musical traditions; it also identifies Wilson as a guest on her forthcoming All Roads Lead to Home. That background makes this pairing especially legible on paper, with the saxophonist built into both the immediate bill and Shah’s current work.[1][2]

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McCaslin, Allison, and Smith take up Way Out West

Birdland Jazz Club’s Birdland Theater hosts Donny McCaslin, bassist Ben Allison, and drummer Steve Smith for “WAY OUT WEST,” billed as a birthday tribute to Sonny Rollins. The candidate calendar includes Friday, September 11 at 7:00 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., followed by Saturday, September 12 at 7:00 p.m. The compact trio personnel supplies the guide’s central event: McCaslin on tenor saxophone with Allison and Smith. McCaslin’s current artist materials place his recent work in a rock-influenced, improvisation-forward setting, following the 2023 album I Want More. The Rollins program offers a focused frame for hearing that saxophone voice in a classic trio configuration.[3][4]

The midnight guitar set at Mezzrow

The late option comes in a deliberately spare format. Doug Wamble plays Mezzrow’s Round Midnight Solo Guitar series on Friday, September 11 and Saturday, September 12, each beginning at 11:55 p.m. and listed through 1:00 a.m. Wamble’s official biography traces his work through jazz, blues, gospel, country, soul, and songwriting, alongside recordings and performances with figures including Wynton Marsalis and Cassandra Wilson. In the Mezzrow listing, though, the format is simply Wamble on guitar. After the sextet scale at Smalls Jazz Club and the trio focus at Birdland Jazz Club, that single-instrument hour gives the route its quietest setting.[5][6][7]

Plan the route before leaving home

For the earliest start, Smalls Jazz Club lists doors at 5:30 p.m. for the 6:00 p.m. Shah set and asks ticket holders to arrive about 30 minutes before a set. Birdland Jazz Club lists 5:30 p.m. doors for McCaslin’s 7:00 p.m. appearance and 9:00 p.m. doors for the 9:30 p.m. Friday set. Mezzrow’s Wamble sets begin at 11:55 p.m. Recheck each venue’s official page for availability, door times, prices, and any schedule changes.[1][3][5][6]

These concerts happened on 10–12 September 2026

The next dates at these venues: Birdland Jazz Club · Smalls Jazz Club · Mezzrow

Sources

  1. Kavita Shah Sextet ft. Steve Wilson — SmallsLIVE
  2. About — Kavita Shah Music
  3. Donny McCaslin, Ben Allison, Steve Smith: “WAY OUT WEST” A Birthday Tribute to Sonny Rollins — Birdland Jazz Club & Theater
  4. About — Donny McCaslin
  5. Round Midnight Solo Guitar With Doug Wamble — Friday, September 11 — SmallsLIVE
  6. Round Midnight Solo Guitar With Doug Wamble — Saturday, September 12 — SmallsLIVE
  7. Doug Wamble Official Website — Doug Wamble