Jazz Jam, a Ray Vega Miles Davis tribute & two Saturn People’s Sound Collective dates in Central Vt. this week
May 18, 2026 | By Lisa ScagliottiThe local music scene is particularly busy this week with two jazz dates—the monthly Jazz Jam and the Ray Vega QuARTet—on TURNmusic’s calendar at The Phoenix this Wednesday and Friday, respectively.
The stars also have lined up for the adventuresome, eclectic, Saturn People’s Sound Collective to reconvene with some 20 Vermont musicians to play two modern big-band concerts this Friday at The Big Picture in Waitsfield and Saturday in Plainfield at Goddard’s Haybarn Theatre.
Details for each performance are below.
May 20: Jazz Jam at The Phoenix
One Wednesday per month, jazz musician Nina Towne and TURNmusic Director Anne Decker host Jazz Jam at The Phoenix Gallery & Music Hall on Stowe Street. This month’s is on Wednesday, May 20, from 6 to 9 p.m.
These loosely organized sessions have plenty of room for spontaneity, sparked by those who join in. The jam is about the energy from coming together to celebrate live jazz, a genre steeped in history, tradition, protocol, nuance and genius musicians. Juxtapose that with individuals at all skill levels and their raw and inspired interpretations and executions in the moment.
“Jazz is a journey, a destination, to which, even the greats say…you never arrive,” Towne muses.
Musicians and singers of all levels and ages are invited to join the jam. Players join in on the songs others bring, and/or bring copies of sheet music for the tunes they want to call. Many tunes are called from The Real Books. Singers are asked to bring copies of lead sheets or sheet music for tunes in their key.
Audience members are encouraged to bring a dessert to share during the show. Suggested donation: $5.
May 22: Ray Vega QuARTet celebrates a centennial of Miles Davis
The Ray Vega QuARTet has a special collection of jazz planned for Friday, May 22, to pay tribute to the legacy of Miles Davis on the 100th anniversary of his birth.
More than just a retrospective, Vega promises this concert will be a high-octane exploration of the “Prince of Darkness’s” transformative eras—from the cool jazz whispers of the 1950s to the searing fusion frontiers of the 1970s.
Renowned trumpeter and veteran educator Vega will lead his quartet through a reimagined journey of Davis’s most iconic compositions, infusing them with the rhythmic sophistication and "QuARTet" flair for which his ensemble is celebrated.
A giant on both the Latin Jazz and Hard Bop scenes, Vega brings his signature warmth and virtuosic command to the stage. Playing with his QuARTet, Vega treats the Miles Davis songbook as a living, breathing blueprint for improvisation.
“Miles Davis didn't just play music; he changed the way we hear the world. Our goal is to capture that restless, beautiful spirit and bring it into the present moment,” Vega said.
Showtime: 7:30 p.m. Tickets: Online at sevendaystickets.com and at the door, sliding scale $15-30; under 21 are free.
Vega’s QuARTet. Courtesy photo
May 22-23: Big band, big sounds of Saturn People’s Sound Collective
Saturn People’s Sound Collective boasts 18-22 band members per show. Photo by Luke Awtry Photography
Self-described as “22 pieces at the intersections of post-rock, creative big band and outer space,” the Saturn People’s Sound Collective is led by composer, musician and music educator Brian Boyes. Seven Days called the wide-ranging ensemble Boyes “one of the finest collections of Vermont musicians ever assembled.”
With over a decade of annual appearances, the band has built a solid following at Burlington Jazz Fest. In 2022, they produced a self-titled live album recorded in Burlington. Each year, the group performs just a few shows. Tony Award-winning Vermont musician Michael Chorney describes a Saturn show as “Absolutely stunning, lifting, inspiring. Simply one of the best concerts I have ever heard by anyone, local or not . . . one of those rare ones that reach the rafters.”
The sprawling talent of wind, brass, percussion, a few strings, and voices strikes a sweet spot as they perform original tracks and their unique takes on classics from the likes of Bjork, Radiohead, David Byrne, Jimi Hendrix and M.I.A and St. Vincent.
In addition to bandleader Boyes, who joins in on trumpet, the roster includes: four vocalists, Amber DeLaurentis, Stefanie Weigand, Nina Sklar and Cintia LaLovo; Jane Boxall on vibraphone; Dan Ryan and Andy Gagnon on percussion; Giovanni Rovetto on bass and Xander Naylor on guitar; Connor Young and Kevin Avery add trumpets and flugelhorn; trombones by Matt Avery, Jesse Metzler and Kyle Cassazza; Evan Crandell and Dan Liptak on saxophones and clarinets; Jake Whitesell on saxophones and flute; Hilary Goldblatt playing flute and alto flute; tenor sax by Zach Tonnissen; and Kyle Saulnier playing baritone saxophone and flute.
In a nod to many of the band members’ roles as music educators, (Boyes is band director and a music teacher at Harwood), two cutting-edge student bands are lined up to open the shows—Harwood Union High School’s Highland Jazz on Friday, and on Saturday, the mostly Central Vermont group, MINC, comprised of seven members from Harwood, Woodstock, Montpelier, and North Country high schools.
Advance tickets ($27) are running low for Friday’s performance at The Big Picture Theater. Boyce assures there will be several dozen tickets available at the door ($30). Student tickets are $17. Doors: 6:30 p.m. Showtime: 7 p.m. More information and advance tickets are online at brianboyes.com.
Advance tickets for Saturday’s performance at Goddard’s Haybarn Theatre at 7:30 p.m. are $27 for general admission, $17 for students. More information and the purchase link are online at brianboyes.com.
The band has a third upcoming date, June 5, 7-10 p.m., at Burlington’s SEABA Center. The ticket link is not yet live. See brianboyes.com/new-events.