DCJazzfest: Sharel Cassity

DCJazzfest and Jazz Kitchen Productions present saxophonist Sharel Cassity

• Doors open: 6:30 pm
• Show 7 pm
• All tickets: $25
• Parties of 4 or more can reserve a table for an additional $25. Send a request to [email protected]
• Minors are welcome but must be accompanied by parent or guardian.
• Free street parking, no food or drink minimum, no charge to stay for second set.

Sharel Cassity is a nationally acclaimed saxophonist recognized on both the national and international jazz scenes. She was named DownBeat Magazine's "Rising Star Alto Saxophone" of 2023. Throughout her career, Sharel has collaborated with multi-Grammy Award-winning artists, including Jennifer Hudson, Natalie Merchant, Aretha Franklin, Vanessa Williams, and Trisha Yearwood. She frequently performs alongside NEA Jazz Masters and Grammy Award winners like Herbie Hancock, Wynton Marsalis, Dee Dee Bridgewater, and Christian McBride. Additionally, she has worked closely with and mentored under jazz legends Roy Hargrove, Jimmy Heath, James Moody, and has played with a wide range of top jazz musicians, including Ingrid Jensen, Michael Dease, Cyrus Chestnut, Nicolas Payton and Orrin Evans.

As a bandleader, Sharel has released six albums, including her latest album “Gratitude,” that have topped the JazzWeek charts and garnered high praise in publications like The Chicago Tribune, The New York Times, JazzTimes and Jazziz, including cover features in DownBeat Magazine and Saxophone Journal. She earned her Master’s Degree on a full scholarship at Juilliard in NYC and currently serves as the Director of Jazz Performance at the University of Virginia.

In addition to touring with the Sharel Cassity Quartet, leading her all-female project, Alliance, and appearing at schools nationwide as a guest artist, Sharel is part of the Dizzy Gillespie All-Star Big Band and Dizzy Gillespie Afro-Latin Experience. She also directs her non-profit educational program, "Jazz Up!," which prepares high school students for collegiate and professional jazz.