NYC’s unique jazz prayer service, Sundays at 5 since 1965. All are welcome. Free to attend!

ABOUT KEVIN HAYS (piano)

Kevin last appeared at Jazz Vespers in April, 2022. We’re delighted to have him back.

Grammy Award-winning jazz pianist, composer, and singer/songwriter Kevin Hays’s many recordings have received critical acclaim from The New York Times, Downbeat Magazine and Jazz Times, as well as the “Coup de Coeur” award from the Académie Charles Cros (France).

Kevin has appeared on numerous albums as a guest artist, recording with Chris Potter, Bill Stewart, Joshua Redman, Jeff Ballard, Nicholas Payton, and Al Foster, among many others. Notable collaborations include a piano duo project with Brad Mehldau (Modern Music – Nonesuch), world tours with James Taylor, Sonny Rollins, John Scofield, Joe Henderson, and Roy Haynes.

In addition to his celebrated work as pianist and composer, Kevin has become increasingly known as a gifted and expressive singer/songwriter. In 2015 he released the widely lauded recording New Day (Sunnyside), on which he performed his own songs along with a riveting performance of the Jimmy Webb classic ‘Highwayman’.

Hope, the highly anticipated 2019 collaboration with Beninese guitarist Lionel Loueke, was released on Edition Records. Their music moves effortlessly between melodic serenity and rhythmic interplay, highlighting the beauty and intimacy of the piano/acoustic guitar format.

Hays co-wrote several compositions on Steve Gadd Band’s eponymous album which garnered the 2019 GRAMMY Award for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album. The album features Kevin’s own ‘Spring Song’, the sole vocal track.

ABOUT CONWAY CAMPBELL, Jr. (bass)

Conway Campbell Jr. is an up-and-coming, New York City-based bassist, composer, arranger, and educator. Conway began playing the cello in the seventh grade and switched to the upright bass within less than a year. Raised in Worcester, MA, Conway began his study of the music with the Assumption College Jazz Band at 14. He attended Holy Name Central Catholic Jr./Sr. High School (2014-2018), where he learned of his affinity for jazz and found his love for composition and arranging. While in high school, Conway received scholarships to attend the Meet The Master’s Jazz, Berklee Camp, and Jazz in July Summer Camp Intensive. Campbell received the Louis Armstrong award for his outstanding achievements and dedication to the program as president of jazz band.

Conway completed his undergraduate degree in jazz performance at the University of Hartford’s Jackie McLean Insitute, where he studied under world-renowned musician Ron Carter, Gerald Cannon, and Nat Reeves. Conway is a member of the R&B group Mixed Company, and jazz fusion group Soul Space. He has taught at the Litchfield Jazz Camp, BackCountry Jazz Summer Workshop, and the BackCountry Jazz After-School Workshop. As an educator, he emphasizes theory, harmony, proper technique, and the history of African American music. He is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Jazz Studies at the Manhattan School of Music, studying under Buster Williams. Conway’s musical collaborations include Jeremy Pelt, Godwin Louis, Steve Davis, Joe Farnsworth, Bennie Wallace, and Stacy Dillard, among many others. Campbell performs regularly around New York and Connecticut. Campbell’s performance highlights include notable venues such as The Side Door Jazz Club, The Django, The Jazz Gallery, and Newport Jazz Festival.

ABOUT CHASE ELODIA (drums)

Chase is a composer and drummer living in Brooklyn. His album, Portrait Imperfect, was released on Biophilia Records in May 2022 and named one of the Best New Albums of the Year by Downbeat Magazine. A 2022 MacDowell Fellow in Composition, his work has been recognized by ASCAP, Avaloch Farm, the Boulder County Arts Alliance, the Café Royale Cultural Foundation, the Escape to Create Residency, and South Arts. His band, Perennials, has toured across the United States multiple times and given master classes at Oberlin Conservatory, the University of Denver, and Yale University. In early 2023, he organized a Biophilia Records stage at the Winter Jazz Festival, where he performed with his ensemble. He is currently at work on Walking in the City, a multidisciplinary project with poets from across Brooklyn, which is set to debut at National Sawdust in June. Perennials will continue to tour in the United States and Europe throughout 2023 and 2024.