Three finished blog posts and the full monthly newsletter — written out and ready to paste into your blog and Brilliant Directories. Yellow [brackets] mark the few spots to personalize.
Every so often, an organization reaches a moment that asks it to be brave — to honor where it has been while stepping boldly into what's next. This August, the Tucson Jazz Society is living one of those moments, and I couldn't be more proud of where we're headed.
First, gratitude. For years, Brother John's Beer, Bourbon & BBQ was our Sunday home. It was more than a venue — it was a living room for our community, a place where musicians were paid and appreciated, where families showed up week after week, and where jazz simply lived. That was possible because of one of our own: board member John Aldecoa, whose generosity made those Sunday afternoons happen. As Brother John's closes its doors, I want to say plainly what every one of us feels — thank you, John. The music you made room for isn't ending. It's moving with us, and so are you.
Because here's the exciting part: on Sunday, August 23, we open a brand-new Sunday series at Tesori Latin Kitchen & Cantina, live jazz every Sunday from 2 to 4 PM for eight weeks. Sol Child kicks us off on opening day, followed by JazzMantics (Aug 30), Zona Libre (Sept 6), and New Devotion (Sept 13). New room, same heartbeat. I hope you'll come be part of the very first note.
And this is just the beginning of a season built to do more than we ever have. We're opening a Junior Advisory Board for high-school leaders. We're launching a Where As, Jazz Is learning challenge so anyone can explore the history and culture of this music. And we're building toward a 2027 Scholarship Program to invest directly in young musicians.
Everything we do comes back to four promises: support our musicians, support our partner venues, bring music education to everyone, and offer a strong lineup all year long, all across our region. Thank you for being part of it. The best of the Tucson Jazz Society is still ahead of us — and it starts this month.
See you Sunday at Tesori.
— Carl
Ask anyone who has spent a Sunday afternoon inside a live jazz set and they'll tell you: something shifts. Shoulders drop. Strangers become neighbors. For a couple of hours, the noise of the week goes quiet and something more human takes its place. That feeling isn't just nice — it's good for us.
Our own board director, Ron Burton, says it best: "Jazz is both relaxing and therapeutic — it tells a story through every instrument." He's naming something people have known for generations and that health and wellbeing experts increasingly point to as well — that music and connection are two of the most accessible tools we have for a healthier life.
That's exactly why the Tucson Jazz Society isn't only a concert calendar. It's a community-health engine dressed in a horn section. Every Sunday we host, every young musician we support, and every neighbor we welcome is a small deposit in the wellbeing of Southern Arizona.
Want a healthy habit that actually feels like a treat? Come to a show. Bring someone who's been isolated. Introduce a young person to the music. Sundays, 2–4 PM at Tesori Latin Kitchen & Cantina, starting August 23. Consider it a prescription — the fun kind.
Before we play our first note at Tesori, we owe a story to the room that carried us here.
For years, Brother John's Beer, Bourbon & BBQ was where the Tucson Jazz Society called home on Sundays. Behind it was one of our own — board member John Aldecoa — who did the quiet, generous thing that keeps community music alive: he made space for it. He paid the bands. He opened the doors. He let jazz fill a room week after week and asked for nothing in return but the music itself.
That kind of generosity rarely makes headlines, but it's the reason a small nonprofit can put live jazz in front of a community every single week. Countless musicians earned a stage there. Countless neighbors found their Sunday tradition there. And an entire chapter of this Society's story was written under that roof.
As Brother John's closes, we don't say goodbye to John — he remains on our board, still shaping what comes next. We say thank you. The spirit of that room, the welcome and the warmth of it, is exactly what we're carrying into our new Sunday home at Tesori.
So here's to Brother John's, and to John Aldecoa: the music you sheltered is about to fill a new room, and it carries your fingerprints. That's a legacy worth a standing ovation.
From the President. This month we turn a page. We say a grateful goodbye to Brother John's and the beloved room our own John Aldecoa gave us — and we open a bright new chapter at Tesori Latin Kitchen & Cantina. The music continues, the community grows, and the season ahead is our biggest yet. (Read Carl's full note on the blog →)
Live jazz is back on Sundays! Join us at Tesori Latin Kitchen & Cantina, every Sunday, 2–4 PM, beginning August 23 — an eight-week series to launch our new season. Free and open. Bring a friend and help us fill the new room. [link: event page / address]
Your opening lineup:
More dates to be announced through the 8-week run.
Are you a high-school leader — or do you know one? We're opening a Junior Advisory Board for students who want to sharpen real leadership and community-service skills while helping support live music in our region. Mentorship, service hours, and a genuine seat at the table. [link: interest form]
Jazz is history, science, and story — and now it's a challenge. Our new Where As, Jazz Is badge, part of the Force for Health Reality Health Games, is a Learn It · Live It · Share It journey through jazz history and culture, plus a Listening Lab Challenge where you listen to and score the Journey Through Genres. Free to play, launching this season. [link: coming soon]
We're building something lasting: a 2027 Scholarship Program, with scholarships to be gifted in Spring 2027 in support of young musicians and music education. Details and how to give are coming soon — stay tuned.
We're looking for partner venues across all four corners of the region to host a weekly Tuesdays with the Tucson Jazz Society, and we're always recruiting great players. Know a room or a musician who belongs in the lineup? [link: contact]
Before we look ahead, a grateful glance back. This spring, International Jazz Day brought our community together at Brother John's for a celebration worthy of Tucson's role as Arizona's representative for the day — live music, great company, and support for the Clarence Ezell Boykins Scholarship Fund. We also captured wonderful on-camera conversations with the voices who make this music matter — watch for those spotlights soon.
Then we donned our finest hats for a Kentucky Derby afternoon — a joyful, jazz-filled fundraiser and one more reminder that when this community gathers, magic happens. Thank you to everyone who showed up, played, poured, and gave. You carried us into this exciting new season. [add attendance/funds raised + a favorite photo]
Support live jazz in Southern Arizona. Become a member, sponsor a season, or volunteer at thetucsonjazzsociety.com. One email a month, all jazz, all community. 🎷