Experience the enchantment of jazz like never before with Highmark Mann's Jazz Under The Stars series! Taking place on the Presser Foundation Stage in the TD Pavilion, the series highlights contemporary jazz artists, a beloved subgenre for enthusiasts and the perfect introduction for newcomers. Jazz Under The Stars is curated by Highmark Mann's first ever Jazz Curator-In-Residence, Gerald Veasley.
 

2026 marks the 100th anniversary of jazz legend John Coltrane’s birth with a once-in-a- generation celebration. This year’s Jazz Under The Stars series will feature two contemporary jazz artists paying tribute to Coltrane 100. On August 20, smooth jazz saxophonist Marion Meadows will honor Coltrane’s musical and cultural legacy. On September 30, Grammy-winning saxophonist Kirk Whalum, joined by his brother Kevin Whalum, will celebrate the 15th anniversary of his album Romance Language, a modern re-imagining of the beloved Coltrane recording. Both performances will feature Gerald Veasley, who stewards Coltrane’s legacy through his work as a bassist and curator in Philadelphia and beyond.
 

Tickets will be available on Friday, April 3 at 10AM via Ticketmaster.com.
 

About Marion Meadows
Marion Meadows was born in West Virginia and grew up in Stamford, Connecticut. He began playing the clarinet and studying classical music at the age of nine.
 

He started playing tenor sax in high school, and then migrated to soprano sax. His passion for various types of music led him down an eclectic musical path.
 

After studying jazz at Rippowam High School in Stamford, CT with Anthony Truglia, Meadows attended Berklee College of Music. There he majored in arranging and composition. He later went to the SUNY Purchase School for the Arts. During his college years he played in a number of bands including disco, R&B and various jazz ensembles and perfected his craft studying with Sonny Fortune, Joe Henderson, Dave Liebman and Eddie Daniels.
 

“Not long after I finished school, (drummer) Norman Connors recorded one of my songs, “Invitation” and then asked me to join his band. I later produced his Passion album with my colleague Jacques Burvick (Aquarium Dream,” said Meadows.
 

After that, things just fell into place. He hooked up with numerous artists and musicians, becoming a well-known sideman--recording or performing with Brook Benton, Eartha Kitt, Phyllis Hyman, Jean Carne, The Temptations, Michael Bolton, Angela Bofill, Will Downing, Bob Baldwin, Chuck Loeb, and John Lee, among many others.
 

In the late ‘80s, Meadows stretched his boundaries by becoming a member of a New York avant-garde band called the Aboriginal Music Society. In 1990 Meadows submitted a solo project to Steve Backer at Novus/RCA and was signed to a recording contract, thus marking the beginning of his solo career.
 

Meadows’ first RCA release “For Lover’s Only” in 1990 was a huge success and was followed by his groundbreaking “Keep it Right There” album in 1992.
 

He became a staple of the contemporary jazz format with his subsequent recordings, which include Body Rhythm (1994) and Forbidden Fruit (1996), Pleasure (1997), Another Side Of Midnight (1999), Next To You (2000), In Deep (2002), Players Club (2004), Dressed To Chill (2006), Secrets (2009) Whisper (2013) Soul Traveler (2015, Soul City (2018) and Twice As Nice (2021).
 

Meadows is a semi-pro cyclist, graphic artist and designer. Marion received a doctorate from Wilberforce University in 2016.

About Gerald Veasley
Gerald Veasley’s musical odyssey has taken him to the top of the contemporary music world as a bassist, bandleader, composer, producer, educator, and curator. His performance as a six-string bassist has been top shelf, as his extensive body of work attests. Veasley has recorded or performed with many of the world’s top artists in Jazz, R&B and Gospel including Grover Washington Jr., Joe Zawinul, Kirk Whalum, Will Downing, Chuck Loeb, Maysa, Nnenna Freelon, Special EFX, Pieces of a Dream, McCoy Tyner, and more. Gerald Veasley is also the curator of the Unscripted Jazz Series at SOUTH Jazz Club and the Artistic Director and Co-Founder of Gerald Veasley’s Bass BootCamp. Veasley also serves his community as President of the non-profit organization, Jazz Philadelphia. His life as a creative professional is clearly multifaceted. Indeed, he wears various “hats” yet he is motivated by a singular purpose – to translate his joy of music to the world – music without boundaries.
 

About Downstage @ Highmark Mann
Downstage @ Highmark Mann places both audience and artists together in the same space, on the Presser Foundation Stage in our TD Pavilion, for an up-close, under-cover, open-air setting. This intimate, in-the-round experience offers a new level of performance, engagement, and immersion. Downstage debuted in 2022, earning a 'Best of Philly' award from Philadelphia Magazine. Downstage @ Highmark Mann is presented in part by the William Penn Foundation.