MASTERFUL JAZZ VIBRAPHONIST JAY HOGGARD SEXTET 2 NIGHTS OF FREE CONCERTS!

A direct musical descendant of Lionel Hampton, Milt Jackson, Lem Winchester, and Bobby Hutcherson, Hoggard’s omni-directional artistry encompasses the myriad musical dimensions of the African Diaspora and its spiritual resonances

Jay Hoggard is a master vibraphonist, composer, educator, and spiritual artist whose music bridges jazz tradition, African diasporic rhythms, gospel expression, and contemporary improvisation. Born in Washington, D.C., and raised in Mount Vernon, New York, Hoggard grew up in a family shaped by faith, education, and music. His father was a bishop in the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, and his mother was an elementary-school teacher with a master’s degree in special education. A formative encounter with Duke Ellington at Harlem’s Mother AME Zion Church—where his father helped present Ellington’s Second Sacred Concert in 1967—made a lasting impression on the young musician.

At age 15, Hoggard began playing vibraphone after dreaming that he was performing on the instrument. He studied in Wesleyan University’s renowned World Music program, touring Europe and appearing at Carnegie Hall as a freshman. During his junior year, he traveled to Tanzania to study East African marimba traditions. After graduating in 1976, he returned to New York and quickly emerged as a distinctive new voice on vibraphone.

Hoggard’s 2023 releases on his JHVM label, Retro Focus and Raise Your Spirit Consciousness, reflect the breadth of his vision. Retro Focus gathers 13 remastered compositions from five earlier recordings, illuminating his vigorous, melodic approach to post-bop and mainstream jazz. Featuring longtime collaborators including Gary Bartz, James Weidman, Dwight Andrews, Leon Lee Dorsey, Belden Bullock, Winard Harper, Pheeroan AkLaff, Yoron Israel, and Willie Martinez, the collection honors the influence of masters such as Bobby Hutcherson, McCoy Tyner, Lionel Hampton, and Milt Jackson while affirming Hoggard’s own unmistakable voice.

Raise Your Spirit Consciousness, his eighth JHVM release, unites original music with inspired interpretations of works by Duke Ellington, Wayne Shorter, Thad Jones, and Stevie Wonder. Grounded in African-derived global rhythms, the recording seeks to merge sacred and secular experience in a joyful expression of gratitude. Hoggard performs with Dwight Andrews, Nat Adderley Jr., James Weidman, Pheeroan AkLaff, and Kenny Davis—friends and collaborators whose shared history spans more than four decades.

A tenured professor at Wesleyan University, Hoggard has directed the Wesleyan Jazz Orchestra for more than 32 years. His enduring work as a performer, composer, mentor, and cultural advocate continues to affirm jazz as a source of spiritual uplift, historical memory, and creative possibility.