Haneef Nelson Quintet Up Next In Jazz Series At HPL

Trumpeter Haneef Nelson has been helping to keep the Hartford jazz scene energized and vibrant for some time now. Raised in Long Island, Nelson has been running the Hartford Jazz Society’s Monday night jams at Black-Eyed Sally’s.

Nelson studied with the masters, like Donald Byrd and Hartford legend Jackie McLean. From educators and mentors of that stature, Nelson learned that jazz is more than simply a style of playing with scales, modes, harmonic conventions, phrasing preferences and a repertory; he learned the art of playing one’s experience, transmuting life into music, and of the value and beauty of receiving a legacy from generations past and handing it down to young players today.

If you need proof that jazz is a living tradition nourished on roots in the past, reaching into the future, Nelson and his quintet are here to show you.

Haneef Nelson Quintet performs at the Hartford Public Library, 500 Main St., Hartford, on Sunday, Feb. 25, at 3 p.m. Admission is free. Information at hplct.org.