An Evening with Metta Quintet

The Side Door welcomes Metta Quintet, resident ensemble of JazzReach, one of the country's leading jazz education organizations. Metta Quintet is the resident ensemble of JazzReach, one of the nation's leading jazz education organizations, and for nearly three decades the group has built a reputation as one of the most consistently excellent bands in the music, not through a fixed lineup, but through a rotating roster of the scene's most in-demand players. Founded by drummer Hans Schuman, the quintet has counted saxophonists Marcus Strickland, Greg Ward, and Wayne Escoffery, pianist Glenn Zaleski, and a long list of other first-call New York musicians among its ranks over the years, each bringing their own voice to a group defined less by personnel than by a shared musical philosophy. The group is equally comfortable in two very different modes. On one hand, they're dedicated to commissioning and performing brand new original works, having released critically acclaimed recordings inspired by everything from the short stories of James Baldwin to the sounds of the New York City subway. On the other, they've built celebrated multimedia "informance" programs paying tribute to giants like Miles Davis and John Coltrane, blending live performance with narration and projected visuals to bring jazz history vividly to life. That range, between the cutting edge and the canon, is part of what makes them such a compelling live act. In service of JazzReach's educational mission, Metta Quintet has toured tirelessly, bringing live jazz to more than 750,000 people across over 100 communities in 44 states, performing everywhere from major concert halls to intimate rooms like ours. Expect a tight, deeply rehearsed unit with the kind of chemistry that only comes from years of shared commitment to the music. The Side Door Jazz Club is a dedicated jazz listening room located inside the historic Old Lyme Inn, 85 Lyme Street, Old Lyme, CT.