Jazz & blues are on the menu at Feinstein’s at Hotel Carmichael

Like jazz? Then Feinstein’s at The Hotel Carmichael in Carmel is where you need to be the weekend of Aug. 9 to 11. Feinstein’s will be one featured venues for the two-day Carmel Jazz Fest. Then they wrap up the weekend with a New Orleans Feast at the monthly Jazz Brunch.

As part of Carmel Jazz Fest 2024 weekend, Zach Day takes the Feinstein’s stage on Friday, Aug. 9 with his one-of-a-kind voice for a great night of jazz music. Day is an Americana guitarist, singer and songwriter from Anderson, Ind. He began to excel on guitar at age 15, influenced by the great 80s rock guitarists like Randy Rhoads and Eddie Van Halen. Years later, Day discovered the blues through musicians like Stevie Ray Vaughan, B.B. King, and Walter Trout.

At the age of 16, Day shared the stage with blues icon Walter Trout. By the age of 18, he was performing at some of the most nostalgic clubs such as The Slippery Noodle in Indianapolis and Buddy Guy’s Legends in Chicago. At the age of 22, he got the chance to share the stage with the last living legend of blues, Buddy Guy.

Carmel Jazz Festival is a two-day festival featuring international, national, and regional jazz, R&B, and blues acts across five stages. The festival includes beer, wine, and food vendors. As part of the festival on Aug. 9 and 10, you can experience live music inside all three venues within The Center for the Performing Arts – The Studio Theatre, The Tarkington, and the world-renowned Palladium, as well as outside at Carter Green and, of course, at Feinstein’s.

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On Saturday, Aug. 10, at 7:30 p.m., Feinstein’s welcomes The Cohen-Rutkowski Project featuring Sandy Lomax. This will be an evening of high-energy swinging music. Lomax, affectionately known as Indy’s Queen of Scat, joins saxophonist Rich Cohen and pianist Chris Rutkowski to lend her unique voice to a number of the project’s original compositions – reworked to include lyrics – as well as to select jazz standards.

Pianist and composer Chris Rutkowski’s life in jazz has its unlikely beginnings in London, but it flowered in the artistic hot house of Detroit. Quickly connecting with the legendary trumpeter Marcus Belgrave, he wrote for and performed with his big and small bands. A lengthy turn toward the world of classical composition involved graduate study at Indiana University, which in turn led back to jazz with study and performance with the great David Baker. Both worlds flowed concurrently, while he performed with luminaries such as Motown’s Temptations, Darmon Meader (New York Voices), saxophonist Eric Alexander and trumpeter Alan Vizzuti.

Saxophonist Rich Cohen was bitten by the jazz bug at an early age. Since relocating to the Midwest from the East Coast, Cohen has continued to hone his musical craft, working with a number of established jazz artists such as Rob Dixon, Everett Greene, and Clifford Ratliff. In addition to regular performances with different configurations of the Cohen-Rutkowski Project, Cohen performs regularly with the Latin jazz group Pavel & Direct Contact and is an in-demand sax player on the Indy scene.

Vocalist and recording artist Sandy Lomax has graced stages in the U.S. and Europe. Known for her vocal improvisations in the style of Ella Fitzgerald, Lomax has earned the title “Indy’s Queen of Scat.” Sandy has been featured on several recordings that have included such world-renowned jazz artists as Cyrus Chestnut and Vincent Herring, and she has received a Living Legend Honor award from the Indy Arts Council. As one of Indy’s premier vocalists, she maintains a busy performance schedule and has been a featured performer with the Cohen-Rutkowski Project since 2022, adding her improvisational voice to the group’s original compositions.

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This “jazzy” weekend wraps up on Sunday, Aug. 11, with Feinstein’s monthly Jazz Brunch hosted by Blair Clark and featuring Tad Robinson. Doors open at 10:30 a.m. with show starting at noon.

Experience Clark’s captivating vocals that have thrilled audiences worldwide. Clark has also collaborated with Grammy winners and legends like Evelyn “Champagne” King, Grammy award-winner/producer Narada Michael Walden, BMI award-winner Preston Glass and New Orleans jazz legend Henry Butler.

Joining Clark for this month’s brunch is Tad Robinson. From his NYC roots and his Indiana and Chicago musical upbringing, Severn Records recording artist Tad Robinson has caught the attention of the scene with his 10 Blues Music Award nominations (the Grammys of blues music), his recordings for the Severn label, his earlier work on Delmark Records and on Rounder Records as a member of the roots rock band, Big Shoulders.

He tours widely in the U.S. and has played in over 20 countries worldwide with performances at some of the most important international blues festivals. With harmonica chops influenced by Sonny Boy Williamson and Junior Parker and a vocal style inspired by Otis Redding, Syl Johnson, and Al Green, Robinson ranks as one of the most unique and talented bandleaders in the international blues and soul communities.

Enjoy these musical flavors while you enjoy a delicious brunch. Indulge in a New Orleans-inspired breakfast menu featuring items like a pancake board, biscuits and gravy, Cajun Eggs Benedict, and other mouthwatering dishes.

Click here to get your tickets.