Live at the Bop Stop

Performance used with permission from the artist and venue.

Darren Frate's music has been described as world music, jazz and jazz fusion woven together by bass driven grooves and improvisation. Bassist Darren Frate leads and has the unique ability to perform not just in his own style but to effectively emulate other bassist styles as well.

Joined by Nate Yingling on Piano and Keys, Steve Kortyka on Saxophone, and Kyle Rowland on Percussion it's the Darren Frate Group…Live at the Bop Stop.

Performance used with permission from the artist and venue.

Sammy de León is one of the most recognized Latin bandleaders in Northern Ohio. He plays the timbales, a twin set of metal-encased, single-headed drums with a cowbell and a cymbal on the side. He began to play professionally at age 13 and has since played alongside the greatest of the genre: Tito Puente and Grán Combo de Puerto Rico, among others.

Every performance is a party, and this one is no exception. From June 14th, 2025 it's Sammy de Leon y Su Orquestra...Live at the Bop Stop.

Performance used with permission from the artist and venue.

Over 20 years as a professional jazz pianist and 7 full-length album appearances (3 as leader), Keigo Hirakawa has transformed himself from a student of the jazz masters to an artist with vision and unique sense of expressions. His jazz piano trio is well-known throughout the Midwest for their willingness to be musically spontaneous on stage, exploring original compositions and redefining jazz standards to make it their own.

Cleveland native Joshua Smith is a saxophonist/multi-instrumentalist who has been playing for the past 25 years with a Who's Who of creative music and jazz, from Joe Lovano to Chris Jonas and Scott Amendola. Now based in San Francisco, Joshua is one of the Bay Area's most sought after collaborators.

This August 3rd, 2024 performance features the quartet working out material in advance of Joshua and Keiho heading into the studio to record new music. Featuring Joshua Smith on Saxophone, Keigo Hirakawa on Piano, Connor Smith on Bass and Jeff Mellott on Drums, It's the first set of the Joshua Smith Quartet…Live at the Bop Stop.

Performance used with permission from the artist and venue.

Jamey Haddad holds a singular position in the world of jazz and contemporary music. Haddad's musical voice transcends styles and trends, and the universal quality of his playing has attracted many international collaborations with artists including Yo-Yo Ma, Paul Simon, and Sting. Born of Lebanese descent, he is regarded as one of the foremost world music and jazz percussionists in the United States.

A native of Sao Paulo, Brazil, pianist Helio Alves combines the rhythmic complexity of modern Brazilian music with the edgy energy of contemporary jazz. A resident of NYC, Alves has received high praise as an in-demand sideman with Joe Henderson, Yo-Yo Ma, Slide Hampton, Paquito D'Rivera, Airto Moreira and Flora Purim to name a few.

Together with Trombonist Jay Ashby and Bassist Kip Reed, the Quartet provide an exciting performance of jazz from around the world.

Performance used with permission from the artist and venue.

The Stephen Phillip Harvey Jazz Orchestra is a seventeen-piece ensemble featuring a rotating roster of world-class musicians from across the Mid-Atlantic and Midwest. Known for their bold sound and adventurous programming, the group debuted in 2022 with Smash!, a studio album released on Next Level.

With their most recent release Multiversal, Harvey channels the spirit of America's original large ensemble—the jazz orchestra—into a vivid, pseudo-cinematic soundscape filled with drama, intensity, and imaginative storytelling and the orchestra performs selections from that release here.

Performance used with permission from the artist and venue.

Dave Frank is one of the busiest solo jazz pianists and music educators on the scene today. He is the author of the best-selling Hal Leonard book and video series, Joy of Improv and Breakthrough to Improv, was an Associate Professor of piano at Berklee College of Music in Boston from 1987-2004, and was a co-founder of the New York School of Jazz.

His involvement in the Dave Frank School of Jazz in New York is kind of self-evident, and his mastery of the piano will be evident very quickly. From September 26th, 2025 It's a solo piano performance from the great Dave Frank…Live at the Bop Stop.

Performance used with permission from the artist and venue.

Washington DC based pianist and composer José Luiz Martins brings a unique and inventive approach to his playing, compositions and arrangements. His creative sense of storytelling combined with a diverse harmonic palette and refined sense of rhythm create a vibrant, expansive, and enticing sonic experience.

That harmonic palette is on display both in this performance and his 2025 release Odessey Mixtape. Featuring, among others, Alex Hamburger on Flute and Patrick Duke Graney on Percussion, and from a July 26th, 2025 performance, it's Jose Luis Martins Live at the Bop Stop.

Performance used with permission from the artist and venue.

A glimpse of gospel, jazz, and soul from the great legends is what inspires the sound of pianist Theron Brown's music. You will get more than just a glimpse of this, however, on this episode of the program. Because not only do we get Theron showing off his talents on the Piano and Fender Rhodes, but Northeast Ohio Legend Cliff Barnes joins Theron on the Hammond B3. Add in Akron based Trumpeter Tommy Lehman and James Johnson III on Drums and it is an unforgettable performance. From a sold-out July 18th, 2025 performance, it's Theron Brown featuring Cliff Barnes…Live at the Bop Stop.

Performance and Works used with permission from the artist and venue.

Cincinnati based pianist Ben Tweedt is one of the Midwest's most sought-after session musicians appearing in performances and release from, among others, Dan Wilson, Jamey Haddad, Brandon Coleman and Walfredo Reyes, Junior. His first release leading a trio is called Life Cycle and he steps forward to put on an epic performance in support of it.

Featuring Ben on piano, Phillip Tipton on Drums and a pinch-hitting George Delancy on Bass, and from a July 25th, 2024 performance it's the first set of the Ben Tweedt Trio… Live at the Bop Stop.

Performance and Works used with permission from the artist and venue.

One of the rising stars of jazz, New Delhi native Aanya Sengupta heads off to Julliard but not before a Northeast Ohio farewell performance. The two-time DownBeat Student Award winner finished 2025 as the vocalist chair for the Oberlin College Sonny Rollins Jazz Ensemble.

Featuring Aanya on Vocals, Wilson Woods on Piano, Ahmed McLemore on Bass and Paul Samuels on Drums, and from June 8th, 2025 it's the Aanya Sengupta Quartet…Live at the Bop Stop.