Devon Gates: Modern Jazz Meets Broadway
54 Below254 W 54th St, New York 10019
Devon Gates brings Modern Jazz Meets Broadway to 54 Below with a quartet of rising figures from New York’s contemporary jazz scene. Together, they will recast musical-theatre songs as jazz standards, drawing on scores including My Fair Lady, The Sound of Music, The Light in the Piazza, Sunset Boulevard and The Rocky Horror Show. The other members of the quartet have not been named.
Born and raised in Atlanta and now based in Brooklyn, Gates is a bassist, vocalist and composer whose work crosses jazz, chamber music and soul. She studied anthropology and jazz performance at Harvard, Berklee and London’s Royal Academy of Music, and has performed with Terri Lyne Carrington, Vijay Iyer, Jen Shyu, Sara Serpa and Nicole Mitchell. Gates also drew wide attention for a viral a cappella rendition of H.E.R.’s “Hard Place” with the Harvard Opportunes, a background she brings to her treatment of showtunes. In 2024, The New York City Jazz Record named her among its “Up and Comers of the Year.”
A nonprofit cabaret venue dedicated to live music, 54 Below is a listening room where audiences gather to experience legendary artists performing in a dedicated space. The atmosphere is elegant and intimate, with a focus on the music and the performers. The room is designed for seated audiences, offering close proximity to the stage, and the experience is centered around the show rather than conversation or drinking. Shows are ticketed and require advance purchase, with a nonprofit mission that supports the arts. The venue has a strong reputation for excellence in theatre, as recognized by a 2022 Tony Award nomination.