Show List

Caffe Vivace's Upcoming Shows

Blue Wisp Big Band

Blue Wisp Big Band

Wed, Sep 02

Jeremy Long — alto saxophone Jamie Walkenhauer — alto saxophone Brent Gallaher — tenor saxophone Dan Drees — tenor saxophone Larry Dickson — baritone saxophone Jeff Owen — trombone Clarence Pawn — trombone Brian Stevens — trombone Gary Langhorst — bass trombone Jeff Folkens — trumpet Hank Mautner — trumpet John Zappa — trumpet Kim Pensyl — trumpet Steve Schmidt — piano Mike Sharfe — bass Jim Leslie — drums Cincinnati's legendary Blue Wisp Big Band celebrates its 46th year of swingin' Big Band music at Caffe Vivace. Founded in January 1980 by drummer John Von Ohlen and trumpeter Don Johnson, the Blue Wisp Big Band got its start in and its name from the late Blue Wisp Jazz Club. Von Ohlen, a native of Indianapolis, moved to the Cincinnati area after many years on the road playing with world-class jazz orchestras, most notably those of Stan Kenton and Woody Herman. After hearing all of the fine musicians in the area, he felt there was a need to form a group because most of them “weren’t playing any jazz, which is the reason they started playing in the first place.” He felt the desire to start a “world-class big band and wanted to put it in a tavern, a beer joint.” Don Johnson, who had been on the Cincinnati scene for years, suggested which instrumentalists should play in the band. Von Ohlen states, “Don was the horn connection.” Pianist Steve Schmidt and bassist Michael Sharfe were already playing with Von Ohlen at the Blue Wisp in the Steve Schmidt Trio, Wednesday through Saturday nights, so the rhythm section was easily formed. Von Ohlen remembers approaching Paul and Marjean Wisby, the original owners of the Blue Wisp, with the idea, “Wednesday is a slow night. Why don’t we bring in a big band and blow the roof off the place? It worked real good.”Since its inception, the Blue Wisp Big Band has been the top jazz orchestra in Cincinnati. The hard bop-oriented big band started recording in 1981: first, an LP sponsored by the Cincinnati television station WKRC, and then four for the Mopro label, founded by Fred and Helen Morr, in the 1980s. The Mopro LPs were reissued in the mid -’90s on two CDs on the California label Sea Breeze, with one of the sets recorded in Los Angeles during a West Coast tour in 1984. Through the devoted and hard work of Helen Morr, the LPs were distributed around the country and Europe, garnering notice, good reviews, and airplay around the world. Among the group’s more notable members were trumpeter Tim Hagans and bassist Lynn Seaton. The band continued to perform at the Blue Wisp Jazz Club in Cincinnati on Wednesday nights until its closure in the summer of 2014. After a six-month tenure at Japp’s Annex in downtown Cincinnati, a short stint at Pirate’s Den in Westwood, and three years at the Urban Artifact in Northside, the band has a new home at Caffè Vivace in Walnut Hills. A $15 drink/food minimum is charged per person in the party, per set, if the total for beverages purchased by the party does not meet the minimum. Important Notices: If you do not check in by 15 minutes into the start of the set, we reserve the right to resell your seats with no refund. Tickets for this performance are non-refundable. If you are unable to attend, a one-time transfer to a future Blue Wisp Big Band show of equal value will be accepted. The transfer must be requested 24 hours before the start of the performance.
Greg Chako CD Release Concert – Hard Bop: For the Record

Greg Chako CD Release Concert – Hard Bop: For the Record

Thu, Sep 03

Greg Chako – guitar

Alec Davis – saxophone

Spencer Merk – trombone

David Lloyd – bass

Alex Merk – drums

Celebrate the release of Greg Chako's new Mint400 Records album Hard Bop – For the Record. Performed just hours before the album's worldwide release, this special concert will feature the complete album presented live with expanded arrangements and extended solos.

Inspired by the hard bop tradition and featuring ten original compositions, Hard Bop – For the Record is Greg's 25th album and one of his most personal and compositionally ambitious projects to date.

A $15 food/drink minimum is charged per person in the party, per set, if the total for beverages purchased by the party does not meet the minimum.

Important Notices:

If you do not check in by 15 minutes into the start of the set, we reserve the right to resale your seats with no refund.

Tickets for this performance are non-refundable. If you are unable to attend, a one-time transfer to a future show of equal value will be accepted. The transfer must be requested 24 hours before the start of the performance.

Skylar Tang Quartet

Skylar Tang Quartet

Fri, Sep 04

Skylar Tang — trumpet

William Schwartzman — piano

John Murray — bass

Ethan Oliver — drums


Skylar Tang is a multidisciplinary musician from the San Francisco Bay Area known for her dynamic trumpet playing and profound compositions. Skylar has emerged as a bright young voice in the international scene and was featured on Joshua Redman's latest album, Words Fall Short. In high school, she toured the US, Europe, and South Africa with Carnegie Hall's National Youth Orchestra Jazz Band. As the winner of the 2022 Essentially Ellington’s Student Composition/Arranging Contest, she conducted and performed her original composition "Kaleidoscope" with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. She recently completed a 2-month residency in Japan at Expo 2025, Osaka with close friend and pianist, William Schwartzman. Now based in New York, Skylar attends Columbia University and The Juilliard School studying History and Jazz Performance.


As a bandleader and composer, Skylar seeks to capture the moments in our lives where we feel truly present. Skylar’s thoughtful composition and her quartet’s elegant delivery cultivate an atmosphere that welcomes and affirms the listener.




A $20 drink/food minimum is charged per person in the party, per set, if the total for beverages purchased by the party does not meet the minimum.

Important Notices:

If you do not check in by 15 minutes into the start of the set, we reserve the right to resell your seats with no refund.


Tickets for this performance are non-refundable. If you are unable to attend, a one-time transfer to a future show of equal value will be accepted. The transfer must be requested 24 hours before the start of the performance.

Eric Lechliter Quintet - The Complete Study in Brown

Eric Lechliter Quintet - The Complete Study in Brown

Sat, Sep 05

Eric Lechliter - trumpet

Josh Kline - tenor saxophone

Sergio Pamies - piano

Peter Gemus - bass

Jim Leslie - drums & cymbals


Join the Eric Lechliter Quintet on September 5th for a tribute to the legendary Max Roach/Clifford Brown Quintet. This performance will feature complete album-faithful recreations of the classic albums Study in Brown (1955) and More Study in Brown (1955). Don't miss the chance to hear these timeless arrangements and compositions interpreted for the modern day by some of Cincinnati's finest musicians!


A $15 drink/food minimum is charged per person in the party, per set, if the total for beverages purchased by the party does not meet the minimum.


Important Notices:


If you do not check in by 15 minutes into the start of the set, we reserve the right to resell your seats with no refund.


Tickets for this performance are non-refundable. If you are unable to attend, a one-time transfer to a future show of equal value will be accepted. The transfer must be requested 24 hours before the start of the performance.

Brent Gallaher Quartet

Brent Gallaher Quartet

Tue, Sep 08

Brent Gallaher – tenor saxophone

Spencer Merk – trombone

Peter Gemus – bass

Alex Merk – drums


Caffè Vivace owner and saxophonist Brent Gallaher returns to the bandstand for a night of straight-ahead jazz rooted in the music of Duke Ellington, John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk, and other composers central to the tradition. The focus stays close to the ground—strong melodies, deep time, and real interplay—played in the room it was built for.


If the total amount of beverages purchased by the party does not meet the minimum, a $15 drink/food minimum is charged per person in the party, per set.


Ticket price is $15 per person.


Important Notices:


If you do not check in by 15 minutes into the start of the set, we reserve the right to resale your seats with no refund.


Refunds must be requested 24 hours before the start of the performance.