Monks Jazz Club's Upcoming Shows

GRAND OPENING WEEK | The Jazz Purveyor Presents: David Kikoski with Jazz Orchestra for a listening-room concert & live taping!

A pianist of broad experience and even broader capability. - New York Times

The brilliant playing of David Kikoski just smokes. His playing is sparkling. - Chick Corea

Dave has so much feeling. He can play anything. I can depend on him for so much. - Roy Haynes

David Kikoski is an internationally regarded pianist at the forefront of modern jazz. He emerged onto the New York scene in the 1980s and quickly established himself as a go-to performer, first collaborating with artists such as Roy Haynes, Bob Berg, Randy Brecker, and others. Known for his adept post-bop style and spontaneous, swinging play, Kikoski has become a prominent figure in the global community.

As a leader, Kikoski has released 20 albums, including "Presage" with Eddie Gomez and Al Foster (1989) and "Consequences" featuring Jeff "Tain" Watts and Christian McBride (2015). More recent albums include "Phoenix Rising" (2019) and "Sure Thing" (2021) on High Note Records.

As an invaluable sideman, Kikoski has recorded and toured with icons, legends and luminaries Haynes, Michael Brecker, John Scofield, Ravi Coltrane, Chris Potter, Dave Holland, Roy Hargrove, Donny McCaslin, Mike Stern, Chick Corea, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Toots Thielemans, Tom Harrell, Marcus Miller, Pat Martino, Jack DeJohnette, and many others. A longstanding member of the prestigious Charles Mingus Big Band, co-leader of BeatleJazz, and a member of Opus Five, Kikoski is also part of the newly formed all-star collective called Something Else!

His Grammy acknowledgements include nods for “Best Large Jazz Ensemble” with Mingus Big Band’s 2011 “Live at Jazz Standard” and a nomination for “The Centennial Sessions” in 2024. With Roy Haynes, the ensemble was recognized for “Birds of a Feather: A Tribute to Charlie Parker”.

He performs in NYC clubs and tours all over with his own ensemble (including Billy Hart & Joe Martin, collaborating with Eric Alexander), featuring in festivals and clubs worldwide.

Presented by The Jazz Purveyor, with support from The Live Music Society.

--------

Please Note: MONKS JAZZ IS NOW A FULL SERVICE BAR. As part of this transition, Monks Jazz is no longer a BYOB venue. We invite you to enjoy our thoughtfully curated beverage menu and roll with us through the changes! As always, this is a live-taping, so we'll be enforcing a whisper-policy! Free parking is available in the area.

First Show: Doors at 7:00pm, Show at 7:30pm.

Second Show: Doors at 9:00pm, Show at 9:30pm.

GRAND OPENING WEEK | Join us for a live taping and listening-room concert for the Tommy Howard Organ Trio!

Tommy Howard – Guitar

Terry Bowness – Organ

Tom Brechtlein – Drums

Originally from San Antonio, Texas, guitarist Tommy Howard has been a mainstay on the Austin jazz scene for over 15 years, performing with Ephraim Owens, Tony Campise, Butch Miles, Andre Hayward, Elias Haslanger, Dr. James Polk, and many others. In addition to leading his own groups, Howard is currently a member of the critically acclaimed five-time Austin Music Award-winning ensemble, Church On Monday. Howard's debut trio album, Storybook, was released in 2017.

Please Note: MONKS JAZZ IS NOW A FULL SERVICE BAR. As part of this transition, Monks Jazz is no longer a BYOB venue. We invite you to enjoy our thoughtfully curated beverage menu and roll with us through the changes! As always, this is a live-taping, so we'll be enforcing a whisper-policy! Free parking is available in the area. Doors at 7:15 PM, Show at 7:30 PM.

GRAND OPENING WEEK | Join us for a live taping and listening-room concert for AJS Presents: Aaron Parks Quartet!

Marco Santos – Guitar

Andy Langham – Piano

Daniel Durham – Bass

Aaron Parks – Drums

Born and raised in Houston, TX, Aaron Parks moved to Austin in 2005 to attend University of Texas at Austin to pursue a degree in mechanical engineering. A lifelong passion for drumming led him to take jazz combo classes and lessons from the jazz faculty. Ever since, Aaron has become an in-demand freelance drummer on the Austin music scene, performing with groups and artists in a wide range of styles and influences, including Andre Hayward, Gil Del Bosque, Paul Klemperer, Tommy Howard, Cat Clemons, Mente Clara, Wilson Marks, Bruce Saunders, Ben Balmer. In 2018, he released his debut album, Space Jazz. The 2020 sequel, Parks & Wreck, was recognized as one of The Austin Chronicle’s top 100 albums of the year. aaronparksdrums.com

––––

Make a donation to be recognized:

Supporter Level: Donate $50 or more, and we'll mention your name as a Supporter of the "AJS Presents: Midweek @ Monks" series, as part of the mission to creating more sustaining performance opportunities for Austin jazz musicians!

Sponsor Level: Donate $100 or more, you’ll be recognized as a Sponsor of the "AJS Presents: Midweek @ Monks" series.

Please Note: MONKS JAZZ IS NOW A FULL SERVICE BAR. As part of this transition, Monks Jazz is no longer a BYOB venue. We invite you to enjoy our thoughtfully curated beverage menu and roll with us through the changes! As always, this is a live-taping, so we'll be enforcing a whisper-policy! Free parking is available in the area. Doors at 7:15pm, Show at 7:30pm.

Starting Wednesday, August 12th, Monks opens the stage up for a late-night jazz jam hosted weekly by Austin's very own Daniel Dufour. This week features trombonist Andre Hayward!

9 PM to Midnight · Every Wednesday

No Cover · One Drink Minimum

Come sit in, bring your instrument, or just settle in with a drink and listen.

Please Note: MONKS JAZZ IS NOW A FULL SERVICE BAR. As part of this transition, Monks Jazz is no longer a BYOB venue. We invite you to enjoy our thoughtfully curated beverage menu and roll with us through the changes! As always, we will be live-streaming during the event, and jams will be live-streamed to the public via our Youtube Channel!

Free parking is available in the area. Minors must be accompanied by Parents or Guardian. Doors at 9pm.

GRAND OPENING WEEK | Join us for a live taping and listening-room concert for Aidan Berg | Ray Brown Centennial Celebration!

Jakob Hartz – Piano

Aidan Berg – Bass

Matias Soto – Drums

A recent graduate of The University of Texas at Austin, Aidan Berg holds a B.M. in Jazz Bass Performance with a minor in Arts Administration, having studied under the tutelage of John Fremgen and Diego Rivera. During his time at UT Austin, Aidan performed with the UT Jazz Orchestra, was selected for the inaugural Jazz Aspen Snowmass Afro-Caribbean Big Band, and received prestigious accolades including the Stribling Award, Butler Excellence Award, and Fine Arts Scholarship Award.

An active leader in both performance and curation, Aidan received the 2025 Rainwater Innovation Grant to bring renowned trumpeter Etienne Charles to UT Austin for a guest residency. In 2026, he competed in Jazz at Lincoln Center’s National Collegiate Jazz Competition and was later awarded a UT COFA Artistic Citizenship Grant to fund a cross-disciplinary performance featuring improvised dance and jazz quartet.

As an in-demand freelancer, Berg regularly performs alongside national and local legends such as Diego Rivera, Mike Sailors, Daniel Dufour, Ross Margitza, Quincy Davis, Xavier Davis, and Andre Hayward. As a bandleader, he frequently presents his piano trio across Central Texas at renowned venues like Monks Jazz Club, JazzTX, and Parker Jazz Club. Within the Austin arts community at large, Aidan serves as the logistics coordinator for ATX Chamber Music & Jazz. On and off the bandstand, Aidan Seeks to uplift and honor the rich tradition of jazz music.

Please Note: MONKS JAZZ IS NOW A FULL SERVICE BAR. As part of this transition, Monks Jazz is no longer a BYOB venue. We invite you to enjoy our thoughtfully curated beverage menu and roll with us through the changes! As always, this is a live-taping, so we'll be enforcing a whisper-policy! Free parking is available in the area. Doors at 7:15 PM, Show at 7:30 PM.

GRAND OPENING WEEK | Join us for a live taping and listening-room concert for the Collin Shook Quintet!

Collin Shook – Piano

Seth Carper – Saxophones

Bruce Saunders – Guitar

James Suter – Double Bass

Adam Jackson – Drums

Collin Shook, native to Dallas, Texas, is a jazz pianist, composer, and founder of Monks Jazz. During high school, he studied instruments from all around the bandstand, moved to Austin in 2007, performed and recorded in Tucson from 2009 to 2013, and finally returned to Austin in 2014. In September 2016, Collin collaborated with the art co-op Topology in East Austin to create Monks Jazz Club, a pop-up listening room concept.

Having hosted nearly 100 pop-up concerts in over a dozen venues from 2016-2020, Monks transitioned to a live-streaming format in response to the pandemic, and in 2021 landed a permanent brick and mortar space in the heart of East Austin, where Collin has produced over 600 Monks live-taping concerts. His two albums as a leader (Derivatives 2012 & The Desert 2016) can be found at collinshook.bandcamp.com

Please Note: MONKS JAZZ IS NOW A FULL SERVICE BAR. As part of this transition, Monks Jazz is no longer a BYOB venue. We invite you to enjoy our thoughtfully curated beverage menu and roll with us through the changes! As always, this is a live-taping, so we'll be enforcing a whisper-policy! Free parking is available in the area.

First Show: Doors at 7:00pm, Show at 7:30pm.

Second Show: Doors at 9:00pm, Show at 9:30pm.