Alto saxophonist Wessell "Warmdaddy" Anderson grew up in the tough Bedford Stuyvesent and Crown Heights neighborhoods of Brooklyn, NY. By the time Anderson was 14 years old, he was deeply involved in the local jazz scene (thanks in part to his father, a drummer) and attending jam sessions at then-active Brooklyn and Queens jazz clubs like the Blue Coronet, Pumpkin's, and the Turbo Village.
Anderson later studied at Harlem's famed Jazzmobile workshops with the likes of Frank Wess, Charles Davis, and Frank Foster. Here, Anderson also met Wynton and Branford Marsalis, who were both playing with Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers at the time. At Branford's urging, Anderson soon departed New York to study with famed clarinetist Alvin Batiste at Southern University in Baton Rouge, LA.
It wasn't long before Anderson got his first big break, when Wynton Marsalis asked Anderson to tour with the Wynton Marsalis Septet. Soon, Anderson was off to the studio and the road with Marsalis, helping make some of the most defining music of the late-'80s and early-'90s jazz revival. Although Marsalis disbanded the group in 1995, Anderson is still the first string alto saxist with Marsalis' Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra.
It was during his time with Marsalis' group that Anderson began to develop his own sound: a mix of traditional New Orleans jazz and a sweeping blues style similar to that of Cannonball Adderley, and Wynton thus dubbed him "Warmdaddy" soul.
Tonight, he presents the Wess Anderson Quintet, featuring:
Wess "Warmdaddy" Anderson - saxophone
Ed Perkins - vocals
Victor Adkins - piano
Lex Warshawsky - bass
Peter Varnado - drums
Shows at 8pm & 10pm.
Doors at 7:00pm & 9:30pm.
Restuarant is Open 5pm - 10pm for dinner before or after your showtime:
Advance Ticket Holders can now automatically make dinner table reservations for the Dining Room online via OpenTable.com !
Advance Ticket-Holders can also make table reservations for dinner by Emailing info@snugjazz.com after your tickets have been purchased online. All dinner table reservations must be attached to advance concert tickets. Dinner Service without Advance Concert Tickets is first-come, first-served based on availability upon arrival.
Full Bar is Open 5pm - Midnight for all, on show nights, with or without tickets.
Kind Reminder: Snug Harbor does NOT serve food inside the Music Room. In order to preserve the integrity, quiet and focus of our world class intimate concerts, only cocktails and soft drinks are available for table service inside the Music Room. However, we encourage you to arrive at least 90 Minutes prior to your showtime in order to enjoy full, relaxing dinner service in the Dining Room right next door, before getting seated in the Music Room for the show.
Due to our intimate venue's limited seating capacity, advance tickets are strongly suggested in order to guarantee seats for this acclaimed show!