🎷 Our Artists
Jazz lovers will absolutely FLIP over the list of FANTASTIC ARTISTS at the 2025 Mad Jazz and Wine Festival.Â
Learn more about our 2025 lineup below.
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A husband. A wife. An astonishing duo built on love, family, faith, culture and community.  These are the things that power The Baylor Project featuring Jean Baylor and Marcus Baylor. This enticing collaboration is steeped in the heart and soul of jazz.
The Baylor Project pays homage to their wide-ranging musical influences, and in doing so generate an eclectic sound whose overall effect is spiritual, buoyant, feel good music.
Soulful. Melodic. Authentic...we are so happy to have The Baylor Project as our featured artist for the 2025 Mad Jazz and Wine Festival!
2021 JUNO Award winner Jocelyn Gould has been called “a leader in the next generation of great mainstream jazz guitarists” by Howard Paul, CEO of Benedetto Guitars. Her joyful energy has captivated audiences around the world and her passion for music is as infectious as her unique ability to connect with audiences. Jocelyn has absorbed the influences of the jazz guitar greats and has woven them into an exciting personal sound, citing Wes Montgomery, Grant Green, Joe Pass and Kenny Burrell as primary influences on the guitar.
We are very pleased to have Jocelyn Gould on the Mad Jazz 2025 lineup.
Baltimore native, Kevin Jackson, has been taking the smooth jazz industry by storm since 2012. Throughout his career, Kevin has shared the stage with artists such as Selina Albright, Steve Cole, Wyclef, Alex Bugnon, Jeanette Harris, Maysa, Eric Darius, Sheila E, and Marcus Johnson.
Jackson's mix of original compositions and acoustic renditions take his listeners on a ​soulful and rhythmic journey​. His music offers something for every person’s taste, and we are so grateful to have him as a featured artist at this year's Mad Jazz and Wine Festival.
Jen Tal is an award-winning vocalist based in Charlottesville, Virginia, celebrated for her soulful voice, emotional depth, and stylistic versatility. Jen captivates audiences through both her original compositions and inventive mash-ups of familiar favorites.Â
The Jen Tal Band is a collaborative of versatile team of musicians, including singer/guitarist Jen Tal, drummer Jacob Tal, keyboardist JahSun, bassist Chris Connell, and mallet percussionist Trevor Williams. The band’s music reflects a mix of the musicians’ varied backgrounds and influences.
Cecil Alexander, an acclaimed guitarist, composer, and Heartcore Records artist, is a graduate of Berklee College of Music and William Paterson University. He has performed with jazz greats like Bill Charlap, Nathan East, and Antonio Hart, and has earned top honors in competitions including the Wilson Center Jazz Guitar Competition and Lee Ritenour’s Six String Theory. Cecil currently serves as Assistant Professor of Guitar at Berklee.  Ari Alexander is a Danish-American vocalist and songwriter with deep jazz roots, including a family legacy tied to jazz singer Teddi King. She has performed at the Copenhagen Jazz Festival, Django in NYC, and as part of the Niels Lan Doky Collective for the Danish royal family.
Together, Cecil and Ari reimagine jazz tradition with Scandinavian sensitivity and modern creativity, performing selections from their debut album duos and their upcoming album duos 2.
Champian Fulton is recognized as the “most gifted pure Jazz singer of her generation” . A Jazz pianist and vocalist for more than 20 years, she has released 18 albums as a leader and has performed in more than 25 countries, both in concert and on TV. She has been recognized with numerous awards, including Album of the Year in the NYC Jazz Record (2018, 2020, 2023) and Pianist and Vocalist of the Year (2019) by Hot House Magazine.
Olivia Chindamo is a New York-based jazz vocalist from Australia whose unique voice effortlessly carries and delivers stories and melodies with the highest level of integrity, honesty and musicianship. With a special love for improvisation, Olivia continually fuses an ever-expanding knowledge of jazz history with her modern sensibilities, impressive technique, vocal control and textural versatility.Â
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Carmen Bradford is jazz royalty, a 2024 Grammy Award winner for "Basie Swings the Blues – the Count Basie Orchestra.” She’s been nominated 5 times for Grammy Award and is the recipient of the LA Jazz Society's Jazz Vocalist Award. With her body of work, which reflects her vast experience, versatility, and technical brilliance, she has carved out her place in jazz history, and she continues to contribute to the preservation of Jazz.
Jazz & Sauce Lounge –
An Exclusive Culinary & Musical Experience
The Jazz & Sauce Lounge is an experience designed to indulge attendees in a unique fusion of flavor and world-class jazz. Guests will enjoy handcrafted pasta pairings created by local chefs, featuring a variety of signature pasta sauces, complemented by tastings of Jazz Legend Bernard “Pretty” Purdie’s signature wine collection.
Adding to the ambiance, renowned jazz guitarist Alyicyn Yafee will perform live, providing an intimate and soulful backdrop to this elevated tasting experience. The lounge offers seating, food tastings and wine pairings, and an atmosphere that blends sophistication with community-driven purpose.
This exclusive area highlights Mad Jazz commitment to bringing people together through food, music, and generosity—all while supporting the vital mission of the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank.
ALYICYN YAFEE
Alicyn Yaffee is a NYC-based guitarist, vocalist, and bassist with a BM in Jazz Studies from Cal State Sacramento. She has toured the U.S. and Europe, performed with artists like Becca Stevens and Benny Rietveld, and released her debut album Someone Else. Currently earning her master’s at Rutgers, she continues to perform and record diverse projects.