APRIL VARNER QUARTET
Five Spot Jazz231 East 9th Street, New York 10003
April Varner brings a quartet to Five Spot Jazz for a set featuring music from her upcoming holiday album, Winter Songs Vol. 3. The billed lineup is Varner on vocals, Will Hill III on piano, Isaac Beaumont on bass, and Joseph Fielder on drums.
A Toledo, Ohio native now based in New York, Varner is known for American Songbook repertoire, bebop technique and contemporary storytelling. The Django praised her “impressive range”; her honors include winning the 2023 International Ella Fitzgerald Jazz Vocal Competition and recognition in DownBeat’s 2024 Best Albums. Her collaborators include Postmodern Jukebox, Kurt Elling, Jane Monheit and John Pizzarelli.
Operating inside the compact East Village storefront of daytime café Hi-Collar, this revival of a storied downtown name shifts nightly into a dedicated jazz listening room with table seating and bar service. Listings for upcoming performances are cataloged on event calendars including Hot House Jazz. Guests sit close to the players as small combos, vocalists, and piano trios perform across multiple evening sets. The venue offers table reservations through booking platforms, with walk-ins accommodated on a first-come, first-served basis. Alongside the music, the bar serves a food menu featuring Japanese dishes, sake, whiskey, and cocktails. The audience gathers primarily to hear the music up close over dinner and drinks, preserving the legacy of the original mid-century café that once hosted landmark residencies by Thelonious Monk and John Coltrane.