PERFORMANCES
ColaJazz offers world-class jazz concerts throughout the ENTIRE year.
We presented 43 public concerts in 2023, most of them giving our local artists incredible performance opportunities.
Highlights include: Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra featuring Wynton Marsalis, Live in the Lobby with top New Orleans artists, intimate Loft Sessions and the Main Street Jazz Fest!
Upcoming Performances
Loft Session: Music of Fats Waller
Celebrate the legacy of the amazing Harlem stride pianist, Thomas "Fats" Waller in this special Loft Session presented in partnership with Trustus Theatre!
BEGINNER ADULT JAZZ COMBO
Our beginner adult jazz combo class is designed to introduce you to jazz performance in a supportive, engaging environment. Led by accomplished jazz artists who make their living on the stage, you'll gain invaluable insights and hands-on experience in this uniquely American art form.
ADVANCED ADULT JAZZ COMBO
Meeting Wednesdays from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM, this intensive course is designed for serious jazz cats looking to refine their craft and delve deeper into the intricacies of jazz music.
2025 Latin Jazz Combo
Led by Cuban pianist, vocalist, arranger, composer & bandleader, Iliana Rose, this combo class invites musicians to learn the rhythms and improvisation techniques of Latin Jazz.
Loft Session: Ben Rosenblum Trio
Award-winning New York City jazz pianist and accordionist, Ben Rosenblum, is a versatile musician who has performed across a wide range of genres and countries.
Loft Session: Weatherproof featuring Wycliffe Gordon
Don't miss an incredible performance featuring one of the greatest jazz musicians of all time, Wycliffe Gordon, with our local jazz stars!
2025 White Knoll High School Jazz Camp
With large bands, small combos, theory, improv, elective courses, masterclasses and performances, our premier summer jazz camp is a blast for all-levels and instruments. Tuition includes a daily lunch, t-shirt & all daytime activities, masterclasses, and more...
2025 r1/Colajazz middle/high school summer jazz camp
Our 9th annual ColaJazz Summer Jazz Camp offers exciting opportunities for Middle & High School jazzers. With a large bands, small combos, theory, improv, elective courses, masterclasses and performances, our premier summer jazz camp is a blast for all-levels and instruments. Tuition includes a daily lunch, t-shirt & all daytime activities, masterclasses, and more... Featured guest clinician is pianist, Joe Alterman!
2025 ADULT JAZZ CAMP
The ColaJazz Adult Jazz Camp is an action-packed weekend for jazz enthusiasts 18+ of all skill levels, featuring combo sessions, personalized instruction, workshops, concerts (including your grand finale!), and everything from deep dives into John Coltrane to mastering the blues—plus lunch, a free t-shirt, and memories to last a lifetime!
LIVE IN THE LOBBY: EVE of the Eve
Celebrated trumpeter and bandleader Mark Rapp leads his group through fun and inspiring jazz arrangements of holiday classics. It’s the best way to cap off the holiday season and get ready for ol’ Saint Nick!
Loft Sessions: CAT GALAN Holiday special
Cat Galan is a multitalented, dynamic artist who is equally at home singing soulful jazz standards, playing a classical violin concerto or rocking out on the guitar. She is absolutely stellar and her band is too. Join us as we celebrate the holidays on this, our last, Loft Session of 2024.
Santa’s Swinging Christmas Party
Santa's Swingin' Christmas Party! 🎄🎶
Join us for a magical holiday adventure with live jazz and puppetry! 💫✨ Tinkle the Elf and Lumpy the Patchwork stuffed animal are on a mission to find their place in the world.
JinGLE BELL JAZZ
Jazz trumpeter Mark Rapp and his talented quartet, for one-night-only, present a unique blend of holiday classics, reimagined with a swinging, funky twist.
Mark's extraordinary musical journey, marked by collaborations with renowned artists like Branford Marsalis and Hootie and the Blowfish, will infuse the night with unparalleled energy and creativity. From the soulful melodies of "Angels We Have Heard on High" to the playful rhythms of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," each performance will be a testament to Mark's virtuosity.
JazzKeller: Dick Goodwin Quartet
FREE Outdoor Fall Jazz Series at Bierkeller Columbia!
Join us every Wednesday from Oct 16 to Nov 27 for the JazzKeller series, presented by Bierkeller Columbia and the ColaJazz Foundation! Enjoy jazz performances from 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Columbia’s favorite riverfront brewery and biergarten.
Wine Wednesday tastings and food pairings start at 4:00 p.m.
Lineup included:
10/16: Sam Edwards Quartet
10/23: Zach Bingham Group
10/30: Soda City Brass Band
11/06: Capital City Big Band
11/13: Rodney Foster & Co.
11/20: Ben Eidson Quartet
11/27: Dick Goodwin Group
Bring your friends, family, and dogs for great music, wine, and vibes!
#ColaJazz #BierkellerColumbia #JazzInColumbia #FreeConcerts #WineAndJazz
ABOUT BIERKELLER COLUMBIA
Embracing centuries-old brewing traditions, Bierkeller Columbia serves German-style beers straight from the lagering tanks, ensuring unparalleled freshness. The Biergarten offers a welcoming atmosphere where patrons can enjoy beer, German food, or relax with a book. Family-friendly and dog-friendly, Bierkeller also provides wine, cider, non-alcoholic beer, and soft drinks.
ABOUT COLAJAZZ
The ColaJazz Foundation is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization and recipient of the 2021 Governor’s Award. ColaJazz enriches South Carolina’s cultural landscape, working to make the capital city a premier jazz destination in the Southeast. ColaJazz connects world-class jazz performers with students and the public through diverse, exciting experiences. For more information, visit ColaJazz.com.
LIVE IN THE LOBBY: MUSIC OF MILES
Miles Davis made music that grew from an uncanny talent to hear the future and a headstrong desire to play it. From his beginnings in the circle of modern jazz, he came to intuit new worlds of sound and challenge. Miles became the standard bearer for successive generations of musicians and shaped the course of modern improvisational music.
JazzKeller: Ben Eidson Quartet
FREE Outdoor Fall Jazz Series at Bierkeller Columbia!
Join us every Wednesday from Oct 16 to Nov 27 for the JazzKeller series, presented by Bierkeller Columbia and the ColaJazz Foundation! Enjoy jazz performances from 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Columbia’s favorite riverfront brewery and biergarten.
Wine Wednesday tastings and food pairings start at 4:00 p.m.
Lineup included:
10/16: Sam Edwards Quartet
10/23: Zach Bingham Group
10/30: Soda City Brass Band
11/06: Capital City Big Band
11/13: Rodney Foster & Co.
11/20: Ben Eidson Quartet
11/27: Dick Goodwin Group
Bring your friends, family, and dogs for great music, wine, and vibes!
#ColaJazz #BierkellerColumbia #JazzInColumbia #FreeConcerts #WineAndJazz
ABOUT BIERKELLER COLUMBIA
Embracing centuries-old brewing traditions, Bierkeller Columbia serves German-style beers straight from the lagering tanks, ensuring unparalleled freshness. The Biergarten offers a welcoming atmosphere where patrons can enjoy beer, German food, or relax with a book. Family-friendly and dog-friendly, Bierkeller also provides wine, cider, non-alcoholic beer, and soft drinks.
ABOUT COLAJAZZ
The ColaJazz Foundation is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization and recipient of the 2021 Governor’s Award. ColaJazz enriches South Carolina’s cultural landscape, working to make the capital city a premier jazz destination in the Southeast. ColaJazz connects world-class jazz performers with students and the public through diverse, exciting experiences. For more information, visit ColaJazz.com.
Loft Sessions: Lee Barbour’s “POLYVERSE”
Polyverse is a modular musical project led by Charleston guitarist/producer, Lee Barbour. The core band is a modern organ trio, utilizing the power of the organ, augmented with synths, electric guitar, fx and drums. They play original instrumental jazz and inventive arrangements of popular tunes.
Lee has played the Austin City Limits Festival, recorded with jazz guitar legend, Joe Beck, and toured with indie rockers, Band of Horses. He has been featured in Jazz Times, Spin magazine and The New York Times. He currently resides in Charleston.
Lee Barbour - guitar
Jonathan Lovett - organ
Ron Wiltrout - drums
Plink, Rattle, Toot: Jazz!
Bring the family for a special jazz edition of Plink, Rattle, Toot! Words Meet Music.
JazzKeller at the Bierkeller
Join us every Wednesday from Oct 16 to Nov 27 for the JazzKeller series, presented by Bierkeller Columbia and the ColaJazz Foundation! Enjoy jazz performances from 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Columbia’s favorite riverfront brewery and biergarten.
Jazz Foundations
Our first 2 classes, Fundamental Jazz Theory and Deep Diving the Blues, has been a blast and an outstanding success. I hope you can join me on the 3rd installment of this four part series on Sunday, October 13, 3p-5p where we'll deal with ii V7 Is and Rhythm Changes!
Discount Codes:
COLAJAZZSTUDENT (50% OFF)
COLAJAZZDONOR (20% OFF)
*ColaJazz Members, you can attend for FREE. Just use your member code.
Concerts of all shapes and sizes.
We swing. We groove. We Jazz.
LOFT SESSIONS
ColaJazz Office Concerts
LIVE IN THE LOBBY
Community Concerts
MAIN STREET JAZZ FEST
Special Events
The driving beat in jazz performances
Notable artists include:
Wynton Marsalis, Chris Potter, Allison Miller, Patrick Bartley, Don Braden, Gotham Kings, Scotty Barnhart, Houston Person, Fred Wesley, Wycliffe Gordon, Don Vappie, Dr. Michael White, Jeremy Davenport, Wess Anderson, Charlton Singleton, Dr. Mitch Butler and many others
