2026 A2 JAZZ FEST
10 YEARS YOUNG!
SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 26 - RABBIT HOLE 210 S. FIRST ST.
2:00PM - 9:00PM
2:00pm - 3:30pm: THE LOFT
Jazz Improv Workshops
Middle and High School students are invited to participate in our exciting and FREE jazz improv learning opportunity. SIGN UP HERE
Sean Dobbins
A product of the Ann Arbor Public Schools, Sean Dobbins has stayed devoted to education throughout his life. Early mentor Louis Smith, Blue Note recording artist and Ann Arbor Public Schools band teacher, impressed upon Sean at an early age the importance of a good education. Dobbins’ sound can best be described as hard-driving, solid rhythm with refreshing melodic sensibility. He has received numerous awards and accolades throughout his career, including a Woody Herman Jazz Award for outstanding musicianship, and a Louis Armstrong Scholarship.
Sean is well known in his communities as a band director, drum teacher and positive influence for many. Notably, in 1999 Sean was asked to become the director of the Ann Arbor Public Schools Summer Jazz Program and under his leadership enrollment tripled within a year. His journey to his current role as Jazz studies professor at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, includes positions as Jazz Studies Director at Oakland University, Jazz Program Director at Community Music School–Detroit, and faculty member at the University of Michigan and Wayne State University. As a father of three, Sean knows, understands, and accepts the challenge of continuing the art form through clinics, master classes, and concerts for up and coming musicians.
Clif Metcalf
Clifton “Clif” Metcalf, Hammond B3 organist from Mid-Michigan, is a versatile musician and educator, proficient across multiple instruments including upright bass, tenor saxophone, and piano. He has shared the stage with Jazz and Blues greats including Sean Dobbins, Randy Napoleon, Diego Rivera, Harvey Mason, Larry McCray, and Thornetta Davis. Clif is passionate about sharing his musical knowledge and expertise with the next generation and currently serves as director of the Macatawa Bay 7th/8th Concert Band, West Ottawa.
5:30pm - RABBIT HOLE - OUTDOOR
Noah Hogan
The Noah Hogan Quartet features Noah Hogan (guitar), Rowan Tucker-Meyer (piano), Trevor Lamb (bass) and Jonathan Barahal Taylor (drums). For this year’s festival, the group will play original compositions and arrangements of Noah's inspired by his time spent in Brazil.
Noah Hogan is a guitarist and composer based in New York City, whose music draws from the worlds of jazz and Brazilian music. Raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Noah was immersed in music from a young age, and began performing at venues across Michigan at age nine. He has since made a name for himself as both a bandleader and sideman on stages across the US and abroad, including Le Duc Des Lombards in Paris, Beco das Garrafas in Rio De Janeiro, DROM in NYC, Cliff Bell’s in Detroit, and the Blue LLama Jazz Club in Ann Arbor. A versatile guitarist, he has also provided guitar for off-Broadway productions, and his playing can be heard on several recorded projects of various styles. A recipient of a Fulbright Award in 2025, Noah spent nine months living in Rio de Janeiro, exploring the traditional music styles of Brazil, from samba and choro, to forró and maracatú. He returns with an evolved musical and compositional voice, drawing from the rich rhythms, harmonies, and melodies he encountered there. Inspired by the likes of Milton Nascimento, Toninho Horta, Esperanza Spalding, and Pat Metheny, Noah aims to create a sound that is distinctly his own, while honoring the traditions that shaped it.
7:00pm - RABBIT HOLE - OUTDOOR
Tariq Gardner & Evening Star
Detroit drummer and bandleader Tariq Gardner leads Evening Star, an afro-futuristic jazz and neo-soul ensemble rooted in Detroit’s jazz tradition, while transcending the constraints of genre. Evening Star blends Jazz improvisation, neo-soul warmth, Afro-Cuban rhythms, hip-hop sensibilities, and contemporary Black American music. The band possesses an afro-futuristic aesthetic and is mission-driven by a focus on sonic healing and positive, immersive, communal experiences.
Tariq & Evening Star have been hosting successful community events in Detroit in the form of their Come One Come All community sing. For our 10th anniversary, this year’s 2026 A2JF is proud to bring this amazing community event to A2 with exciting and immersive visual supports! Come and see what’s happening!! 7pm 9/26!!
In 2025, Evening Star was named a winner of NPR Detroit/WDET’s “Sounds Like Detroit” contest and featured in the station’s music showcase. The ensemble has released two projects, Gateway Drug (2023) and Vice Tape (2024), the latter featuring Detroit poet Joel “Fluent” Greene. Evening Star has performed at the Detroit International Jazz Festival, Farm Block Festival, and Great Lakes Jazz Festival, as well as venues including Cliff Bell’s, Blue Llama Jazz Club, and The Alluvion.
7:00PM - RABBIT HOLE - INDOOR
Zekkereya El-magharbel
Zekkereya El-magharbel is an educator, composer, and designer based in Detroit. He is a member of the Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra, an Afro-futurist legacy ensemble that has been active for over 50 years. He earned his MFA in 2D Design from Cranbrook Academy of Art (2024) and his MMusic in Jazz and Contemporary Music from the University of Michigan (2021). He is a passionate educator and loves to make work that shows how, even though the world is so big, music and art can show us a common ground. His research is focused on melodic systems in regions of strong Islamic influence, studying traditional melodies to see how they work, then reconfiguring them to reflect the turbulence of finding beauty in the West.
8:00PM - RABBIT HOLE - INDOOR
Sean Dobbins Organ Trio
Sean Dobbins takes the stage for A2 JAZZ FEST 2026 with comrades Clif Metcalf (organ) and Ian Blunden (guitar).
Dobbins got his start as a sought-after Detroit area jazz sideman at a young age, when he would regularly play with Blue Note artist Louis Smith. As Sean’s career progressed, he found himself the recipient of many awards and accolades including the “Woody Herman Jazz Award”, an award for outstanding musicianship, as well as the Louis Armstrong Scholarship. Though still young by jazz standards, Dobbins has amassed an impressive list of playing companions. He has performed/toured/recorded with Johnny Basset, Benny Golson, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Frank Morgan, Joey DeFrancesco, George Cables, James “Blood” Ulmer, Marcus Belgrave, Larry Willis, Rodney Whittaker, Claude Black, Johnny O’Neal, Paul Keller, Tad Weed, Kurt Krahnke, Jon Hendricks, David “Fathead” Newman, Donald Walden, Cyrus Chesnut, Barry Harris, David Baker, Randy Johnston, Marion Hayden, Mose Allison, and a host of other great musicians. Sean’s sound can best be described as hard-driving, solid rhythm with refreshing melodic sensibility. Some of Sean’s influences include Art Blakey, Jeff Hamilton, Jeff “Tain” Watts, Ed Thigpen, Sonny Payne, as well as Detroit area greats Gerald Cleaver and the one and only Elvin Jones.
SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 27 - THE RAVENS CLUB 207 S. MAIN ST.
6:00PM - 10:00PM
6:00PM - Elvin Sharp Quartet
Elvin Sharp is an Ann Arbor based saxophonist who has been performing, educating, and touring for years including notable performances in Italy, Switzerland, and Slovenia. He is also an International Recording artist featured on tracks by Senegalese music Legend, Cheihk Lo. He is currently studying music at MSU under the direction of Jazz Legends, Rodney Whitaker, Walter Blanding, Randy Gelispie, and others. In addition to being a student, Sharp also leads and co-leads many music groups including Blou Reed and the Elvin Sharp Quartet.
7:30PM - Alex Hoberty Quintet
The Alex Hoberty Quintet features Alex Hoberty (bass), Vick Luna (trombone), Paloma Ximena (tenor and soprano saxophone), Sean Lebita (piano), Alonso Umaña (drums).
Alex Hoberty is a bassist, band leader, composer, and arranger from Indianapolis, IN. She is a Geri Allen Fellow and member of the Gathering Orchestra, and was selected for the 2026 Jazz Aspen Snowmass (JAS) Academy, led by Artistic director Christian McBride. She has performed internationally, at the Detroit Jazz and Lionel Hampton Jazz Festivals, and has graced the stage with legends such as Walter Blanding, Michael Dease, Diego Rivera, Jocelyn Gould, Dan Nimmer, Quincy Davis, Alicia Olatuja, Philip Manuel, Lizz Wright, Kurt Elling, Jason Moran, Ashlin Parker, Greg Ward II, Dave Stryker, Randy Napoleon, and Jamey Aebersold. Alex has had works premiered at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music, The Shepard, and the Detroit Institute of Arts. She is currently a master’s student at Michigan State University, studying under renowned bassist and educator Rodney Whitaker.
9:00PM - Junk Jazz
Pianist Aya Sekine presents Junk Jazz, her boundary pushing project with drummer Djallo Djakate, specially featuring saxophonist Jake Shadik.
Japanese Jazz pianist Aya Sekine, with over three decades of cross-continental experience, has solidified her position as one of Asia’s most illustrious Jazz figures. Sekine relocated to Detroit, Michigan in 2024, after being approved for an artist permanent residency (EB-1) in the United States based on her Extraordinary Ability. From her classical piano roots to prestigious stages in New York City and beyond, Sekine's journey is marked by a rich tapestry of experiences and seasoned expertise. Renowned for her unique style, often hailed as genre-bending, Sekine effortlessly weaves together traditional jazz and abstract expression, infusing her music with a playful charm and a touch of mischief. Her performances capture audiences with warmth and allure, while she swings hard, adding her original color to the classics. Whether collaborating with diverse artists or leading her own band, Sekine's magnetic stage presence and transcendent musical mixture continue to captivate audiences, cementing her status as an iconic figure in the global jazz community.