Virginia Arts Festival’s Attucks Jazz Series transforms Norfolk’s historic Attucks Theatre into an intimate jazz club, complete with cabaret tables, lighting and an impressive sound system.
“The concept behind this is to create a jazz club atmosphere,” says John Toomey, music director of the series. “It is an intimate setting with about 120 people at small tables, similar to a club, if you went into New York. They provide a beautiful grand piano and a sound system. There are lights, so everything is spot on.”
Toomey and bassist Jimmy Masters collaborate each year on artist selection, bringing some of the finest jazz musicians in the world to Norfolk.
“Jimmy…is pretty much at every concert and he and I work together every year to kind of think about who would we like to bring in. And then I start to reach out to them and see if we can work out a schedule with the dates available to make it happen,” Toomey explains. The result is a lineup of artists who regularly appear in top clubs and festivals worldwide, each offering something distinct for audiences.
The 2025–2026 season opens Sept. 20 with saxophonist Jaleel Shaw, a DownBeat Critics Poll winner known for his muscular tone and original compositions. “He’s an amazing saxophonist,” Toomey says. “He also writes his own compositions and that can be kind of different than playing standards, so we’ll be doing a bit of both.”
On Oct. 18, vibraphonist Joel Ross takes the stage. DownBeat has described his sound as “lush, high-powered and full of luminous energy.” Toomey calls Ross “really a strong force on vibes. Very excited. Yeah, he’s super strong.”
Clarinetist Ken Peplowski, often described as one of the finest living clarinetists, returns to the Attucks on Nov. 15. Toomey praised his artistry: “Ken Peplowski…extraordinary and also a very good saxophonist, just a beautiful player, and more traditional and straight ahead. He’s a great artist, also very, very funny too.”
The new year brings saxophonist Joel Frahm on Jan. 17, 2026. Known for his versatility and work alongside greats like Betty Carter and Brad Mehldau, Frahm has, as Toomey puts it, “been on the scene for decades…He’s so good. He’s been all over the place.”
Vocalist René Marie returns to the Attucks Jazz Club on Feb. 7. “She is rather well known, and I toured with her and was in her band for two years,” Toomey said. “I recorded with her in the cast in New York, so it’ll be kind of like a little bit of a homecoming for being in the city and music.”
The season concludes March 14 with vocalist Anaïs Reno, whose career is quickly ascending. “She is a very young but extremely successful jazz vocalist that I met at the Jazz Vocal Summit this summer,” Toomey said. “She just played at Dizzy’s. She’s been overseas recently. Very, very beautiful voice and kind of represents some of the younger artists that are coming up on the scene right now and doing quite well.”
Beyond the concerts, many of these artists also give masterclasses at Old Dominion University’s F. Ludwig Diehn School of Music, where Toomey teaches jazz studies. “It is called a masterclass and it involves student involvement,” he said. “They’ll give them immediate feedback… and it’s a nice way for people in the community to find out a little bit more about this artist before we actually present the concert on Saturday night.”
Toomey noted that nearly every show sells out well in advance. “Get your tickets early,” he advised. “I can just guarantee them that every artist coming in has something unique and special to offer. I’ve never had an unsatisfied customer. At the end of all these, it’s usually a standing ovation and people come up saying, ‘That was the best one.’ And then we’ll do another one.”
