20th Annual Muck JazzFest: Spring 2025

Eclectic, cutting-edge, and contemporary—join us for The Muck’s Jazz Festival in Spring of 2025. 

Schedule

Fullerton Jazz Orchestra with Ken Peplowski

May 8 @7:30pm

Fullerton Jazz Orchestra with Ken Peplowski has recorded over 70 CDs as a soloist, and close to 400 as a sideman – some of the artists he’s performed/recorded with include Charlie Byrd, Mel Torme, Rosemary Clooney, Erich Kunzel and the Cincinnati Pops, Hank Jones, Peggy Lee, Bill Charlap, Woody Allen, Benny Goodman, and Madonna. He travels at least half of every year, playing clubs, concert halls, colleges, and pops concerts. He has headlined the Hollywood Bowl, Carnegie Hall, Birdland Jazz Club, the Blue Note, and Dizzy’s Club amongst many other venues. 

Glenn Cashman

May 15 @7:30pm

Glenn Cashman and friends celebrate the 20th Anniversary of Muck Jazz! From 2005-17, Glenn served as Founding Artistic Director of the Muckenthaler Jazz Festival and on May 15 he returns for a special celebratory concert. 

Nick Mancini Collective

May 22 @7:30pm

Vibraphonist/Marimbist and Composer Nick Mancini began his professional career as a drummer. Nick has performed and recorded with such diverse luminaries as Arturo Sandoval, Peter Erskine, Poncho Sanchez, Solange, Kenny Werner, Amos Lee, and Jennifer Holliday. Nick has appeared at some of New York’s most notable venues such as The World Famous Apollo Theater; Showtime at the Apollo, Birdland, and Joe’s Pub. In LA he performs at The Blue Whale, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) Friday Night Jazz series, ACE Theater, Catalina Jazz Club, Vibrato, Zipper Hall, Vitello’s,and the Karen Carpenter Performing Arts Center.

Katie Thiroux Group

May 29 @7:30pm

A triple threat talent, Katie Thiroux has garnered considerable attention for her bravura bass playing, assured singing and compelling compositions. Her most recent album, “Off Beat,” from Grammy nominated label, Capri Records, collected rave reviews and was awarded a “Best Album Of 2017” by Downbeat Magazine and is featured on Emirates Airlines. She has received many awards including "Debut Record of the Year" from the Huffington Post, All About Jazz, Jazz Journalists Association and "Top 5 Debut Records of the Year" from NPR Jazz Critics Poll. Other accolades include being a 2015 semi-finalist in the Thelonious Monk Competition, featured on WBGO’s “The Checkout,” Downbeat Magazine “Player Profile” and NPR feature.

Marvin “Smitty” Smith Octet

Jun 5 @7:30pm

Marvin "Smitty" Smith has recorded 200 albums with various artists, as well as two solo albums. He has toured with, among others, Sting, Dave Holland, Sonny Rollins, Willie Nelson and Steve Coleman. He is a former member of The New York Jazz Quartet, and was the drummer for the Tonight Show with Jay Leno band, led by Kevin Eubanks, from January 30, 1995 until the show’s end.

Grant Geissman Group

Jun 12 @7:30pm

Guitarist/composer Grant Geissman is a popular Contemporary Jazz recording artist, with sixteen albums released under his own name. Geissman also co-wrote the music for all twelve seasons of the hit CBS-TV series Two and a Half Men, for all six seasons of the hit CBS-TV series Mike & Molly, and has also contributed specialty music for a number of other TV shows. As a studio guitarist he has recorded with such artists as Quincy Jones, Steve Tyrell, Burt Bacharach and Elvis Costello, Chuck Mangione (playing the now-legendary guitar solo on Chuck's 1978 hit  “Feels So Good”), Van Dyke Parks, Brian Wilson, Inara George, Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band, Paula Abdul, Ringo Starr, Keiko Matsui, David Benoit, Placido Domingo, Luis Miguel, and Julio Iglesias.

We look forward to having you at the show at 7:30. Feel free to bring your picnic early to enjoy the opening band that will play from 6:45-7:15.

All JazzFest performances are held in the outdoor amphitheater.

Ticket Information: 

$35/Performance

$175/Jazz Season Pass 

Buy Tickets

Festival Date and Time: May 8 - June 12, 2025

Thursdays, 07:30 PM- 09:30 PM

Location: Muckenthaler Cultural Center

1201 West Malvern Avenue

Fullerton, California 92833

Click here for more information