March 2, 2025
Celebrating Women in Jazz
An electrifying celebration of Women’s History Month
with an all-star female jazz band!
Join us for an unforgettable evening.
Sunday, March 2, 2025
Monks Jazz Club
501 Pedernales Street, Austin, TX 78702
Doors Open: 6:45 pm
Showtime: 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm
Tickets: $25.00
Purchase here at Monksjazzclub.com
(Reserve seating only)
Get ready to be captivated by an incredible lineup featuring:
Sensational Vocalists: Pamela Hart & Kylie Phillips
Brilliant Pianist: Peggy Stern,
Dynamic Bassist: Jessica Valls
Powerhouse Drummer: Masumi Jones,
Vibrant Percussionist: Laura Mordecai
Soulful Saxophonist: Sanai Haymon-Jallow
Tickets are available at
For more information, visit womeninjazz.org or call 512-258-6947.
Prepare to be immersed in a night of rich, soulful jazz performed by some of Austin’s finest musicians and educators.
This is an event you don’t want to miss! Seating is limited, so secure your spot today!
Can’t make it in person? Enjoy the performance from the comfort of your home with Monks’ online livestream option.
Come celebrate Women’s History Month in style with an evening of unforgettable music and inspiration!
This project is supported in part by the City of Austin Economic Development Department.
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BIO Information
Pamela Hart – Vocalist
Pamela Hart, highly regarded as Austin, Texas’ finest jazz vocalist. Noted by Austin Women’s Magazine as “Austin’s First Lady of Jazz,” audiences rave about Pamela’s excellent pitch, clarity and soothing vocal quality. Her warm, clear tones and meticulously controlled pitch carry an illusion of effortlessness. Pamela’s sultry rendition of classic jazz standards, smooth jazz, contemporary & R&B music wins immediate acceptance by any audience. Professional, unique, & captivating… the Pamela Hart performs locally, regionally, and nationally for Concerts, Festivals, Weddings, Corporate Events, Banquets, Night Clubs, and studio recording sessions. Pamela and quartet band have repeatedly opened shows for, and shared stages with, many popular artists including Miss Nancy Wilson, David ‘Fathead’ Newman, Dianne Reeves, Nat Adderley, Jr., Kirk Whalum, Rachelle Ferrell, Patrice Rushen, Teri Lyn Carrington, Norman Brown & Richard Elliot, Jazz in Pink with Gail Jhonson, Bobbi Humphrey, Althea Rene, Jeanette Harris, Carmen Bradford, Kyle Turner, Michael Ward, and many more. Pamela’s appreciation for the great masters of jazz and R&B is apparent in her intonation, grace and style. She is also a vocal coach and loves educational music youth programs. She was inducted in the Austin Jazz Society Hall of Fame in April 2018. On September 1, 2020, she received the Malindy Award (honoring the Paul Lawrence Dunbar poem “When Malindy Sings”) from the JR Cumberbatch Productions, “If These Walls Could Talk” team, and preceded with many other awards and noteworthy recognitions.
Kylie Phillips – Vocalist
Kylie Phillips was born in Cincinnati, Ohio and now living in Austin, Texas metro area. Kylie has been singing in the Austin metro area since she was 10 years old, and still shares that same passion for music to this day. She has opened up for Kool & the Gang, Frankie Beverly and Maze and many more. Pamela Hart and the Women in Jazz association have mentored this young lady and helped mold her into the young lady she has become now. She is now currently attending Temple College and is planning to release more music in the new year with one of the title tracks being called “21 and under”.
Peggy Stern – Pianist
Peggy Stern has composed, played, recorded, and toured in a wide variety of situations: from solos to octets to jazz choruses. Her compositions range from highly original pieces to reharmonized jazz standards. “Everything she writes wants to dance, ” says Ken Dais of Jazziz. Peggy’s background would account for her varied musical tastes. She began playing classical piano at an early age, continuing her studies at the Eastman School of Music, and finishing a Masters Degree, still in Classical music, at the New England Conservatory. And then she began to improvise. She has toured throughout Europe, the US, Canada, Australia, and Japan. In addition, Peggy has worked as an educator for the past 20 years, at colleges in the US. She has given workshops throughout Europe (Switzerland, Sweden, Denmark, Italy), and the US. Since May 2013, Peggy makes her home in Austin, Texas, to be near her family. Joining the vibrant music scene there, she intends to create a new (for her) musical genre, to add to her already eclectic tastes (Latin, Classical, Brazilian, Progressive and Free jazz, etc). In 2004, Peggy created the Wall Street Jazz Festival (“where the traditions meet the progressives, and all the leaders are women”) in Kingston, NY; the Festival was held twelve consecutive years to date. In 2017 Peggy introduced LuluFest, currently approaching its sixth year, an eclectic music festival again featuring women leaders. For more information, music, videos, photos and performance schedule, visit https://peggystern.com/
Jessica Valls – Bassist
Double bassist Jessica Valls is an Austin, Texas-native musician who exemplifies the ubiquitous artistry of a true music lover, heeding to no one genre, discipline, or stage. Performing regularly with several orchestras including the Austin and San Antonio Symphonies, Jessica is previous principal bassist for Orquestra da Rádio e Televisão Cultura in São Paulo, Brazil, and enjoy traveling to Brazil to perform and teach. She appears with chamber ensembles, jazz, tango and bluegrass bands, in studio recording sessions, on film soundtracks, television and radio jingles, and popular festival stages around the world such as The International Festival at Round Top and Encontro Brasileiro de Contrabaixos in Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil. Currently Dr. Valls is on faculty at Southwestern University, Huston-Tillotson University, The Girls’ School of Austin and maintains a private studio of budding string players of all ages.
Masumi Jones – Drummer
Masumi Jones moved to the US from Japan to study at Berklee College of Music in 1995. Since settling in Austin, she has been playing with many Austin bands such as Alex Coke Quartet, Mitch Watkins Trio, Jitterbug Vipers, Sarah Sharp, 35mm, Austin Jazz Workshop, Tapestry Tap Dance Company, and more. Her group ‘Masumi and the Gentlemen’ had a weekly residency at Lamberts BBQ downtown from 2011 to 2017 and had live streaming shows weekly on the Lunch with Masumi website. The reunited Japanese piano trio G.G. (former Groovin’ Girls in 90’s in Boston) was featured in the short documentary film ‘Jazz Abroad’ in 2016, and also was featured on the NPR Live Sessions ‘Love Austin Music Profile’ on March 2020.
Laura Mordcai – Percussionist
Laura Mordecai is a percussionist and harmony vocalist for Stephanie Urbina Jones, Robin Mordecai and Javier Chaparro and Salúd. She’s recorded with these plus others including the legendary Beto y los Fairlanes. Laura is a member of the Recording Academy having proudly served terms as a Texas Chapter board member, Chapter Secretary and as Vice-President. She currently continues to serve as a member of the Chapter’s Education Committee. She is also a member of the American Federation of Musicians (AFM Local 433), Austin Texas Musicians and a founding member of the Austin Jazz Society.
Sanai Haymon-Jallow – Saxophonist
Born and raised in Arlington, TX, Sanai Haymon-Jallow is a young trailblazing saxophonist. Sanai was an ACTSO finalist and gold-medal winner for the NAACP ACT-SO competition under the category “Instrumental: Contemporary,” in July of 2024, connecting with musicians such as Langston Hughes the 2nd, Brandon Waddles, and other greats in the music world. Throughout high school, Sanai earned the spot of lead alto in the All-Region Jazz Band and earned over 10 awards at jazz festivals across the DFW for her lead alto playing in the Martin Jazz Program. She received the Louis Armstrong Jazz Award her senior year, the highest honor one can be given in their jazz band throughout schools in America. While Sanai has always had a love for music, she’s currently a computer science major at Huston-Tillotson University with aspirations to bridge the digital divide for underrepresented minorities, whilst still playing a crucial role as the lead alto in the Huston-Tillotson Jazz Ensemble. She gives all thanks to her saxophone teacher, Mr. Taylor, and former Jazz Band Director and Educator, Mr. Ragland!