As part of the 2014 Greater St. Louis Jazz Festival, presented by UMSL, The Touhill, and Jazz St. Louis, Jazz at the Bistro welcomes the return of pianist Reggie Thomas to St. Louis with an all-star quartet featuring bassist Rodney Whitaker, along with St. Louis area greats Willie Akins on tenor sax and Montez Coleman on drums. This special quartet will come together for one night only on Thursday, April 24th for two sets at Jazz at the Bistro.

One of the most in-demand pianists and educators in the country, Reggie Thomas’s soulful, hard-swinging brand of piano immediately grabs an audience and assures them that a swinging time is set to be had by all.

Rodney Whitaker is one of the leading performers and teachers of jazz double bass in the United States. He was a member of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and received national recognition performing with the Terence Blanchard Quintet. Whitaker has also toured internationally as a featured performer with the Roy Hargrove Quintet.

Nobody swings harder than Willie Akins. For years, St. Louis audiences have been fortunate enough to have the tenor titan in their own backyard. When touring jazz musicians come into town…they want to hear Willie Akins. Recent years have seen Akins lend his artistry to the bandstands of Greg Osby and Kurt Elling.

Montez Coleman, an East St. Louis native himself, has toured the world with some of the biggest names in jazz. A long-time member of the Roy Hargrove Quintet, Coleman has also worked with nationally recognized musicians like Rufus Reid, Russell Malone, and Wynton Marsalis, as well as local favorites Russell Gunn and Erin Bode.