Lydia's Cafe

Prené/Kirschner Gypsy Jazz
2026-06-06 19:00 - 22:00 (America/New_York)
Yvonnick Prene – harmonica
Jonathan Kirschner – guitar
Yvonnick Prené is a celebrated jazz harmonicist, bandleader, composer, and educator based in New York City. Known for his innovative artistry, he has released five highly praised albums as a leader, including *Listen!* (2023) and *Jobim’s World* (2024) on Sunnyside Records. Prené has collaborated with jazz greats such as Peter Bernstein, Rick Margitza, Bill Stewart, and Geoffrey Keezer.
An active performer on the global stage, he has appeared at renowned festivals like the Jersey City Jazz Fest, Winter Jazz Fest, and Bern Jazz Festival, as well as iconic New York venues including the Blue Note, Dizzy’s Club, Smalls, and Birdland. With over 100 performances annually, he is a leading figure in today’s jazz scene.
In addition to performing, Prené is a dedicated educator and founder of the New York Harmonica School and My Harmonica Studio, where he has taught over 1,000 students. As a Hohner ambassador, he represents their flagship Xpression chromatic harmonica. Originally from Massy, France, Prené holds degrees from Sorbonne University and the New School, having studied under jazz legends like Lee Konitz and Reggie Workman.

Jonathan Kirschner is a jazz guitarist and composer based in the NYC area. Originally from Massachusetts, Jonathan moved to New Jersey to study with legendary jazz guitarist Vic Juris at Mason Gross School of the Arts. Since then, Jonathan has made a name for himself as both a player and composer on the New York City jazz scene. He is a creative and exciting guitarist with a unique voice who blends a love of traditional jazz guitar with his own modern flavor in his playing and compositions. In 2025 Jonathan released his debut record “Clarity”, showcasing his strengths as a bandleader. The album features Jonathan’s trio performing his original compositions.

Neil Alexander & Nail
2026-06-13 19:00 - 22:00
Neil ’Nail’ Alexander (keys)
Brian Mooney (basses)
Nadav Zelniker (drums)

Keyboard virtuoso and composer Neil Alexander leads these extraordinary players on a fusionesk journey through or hearts and minds.
Tight performance, impeccable sound quality, high energy.

NEIL ALEXANDER is a world-renowned Pianist, Synthesist, Keyboardist & Composer who works with music in all forms and styles (including jazz, rock, funk, blues, electronica, ambient and contemporary classical). In a career spanning more than 4 decades Neil has made his mark on the local and international music scenes, having toured the US, Europe, Mexico and Canada.

Roland Vazquez Band
2026-06-20 19:00 - 22:00
Ron Horton (trumpet /flugelhorn)
Steve Bonacci (tenor, soprano, flute)
Elliott Steele (keys)
Nick Edwards (bass)
Roland Vazquez (composer/drums)

In 1977, Vazquez received a Jazz Performance Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, which supported his recording Urban Ensemble – The Music of Roland Vazquez (1979). Billboard Magazine called the album “funky-salsa-bebop … a decade ahead of its time.” From 1978 to 1981, he was a core member of Clare Fischer’s group Salsa Picante, appearing on the Grammy-winning album Salsa Picante 2+2.[2][3] In 2009, The Aaron Copland Fund for Music, Inc. awarded Roland Music RVCD (Red Hook, NY) a grant to record The Visitor as part of their “New American Recording Projects.”
He has released several albums as artist producer, including Feel Your Dream (1982), The Tides of Time (1988), No Separate Love (1991), Further Dance (1997), Quintet Live (2007) and The Visitor (2010). His compositions have been performed and recorded by ensembles and jazz orchestras around the world. He has performed and toured mostly with his octet and quintet (1975-2015), occasionally also leading his own big band

4th of July Celebration w/ Nancy Donnelly Quartet
2026-07-04 19:00 - 22:00
Outdoor event, weather permitting.
Buffet and dancing.
Reserve a table or bring lawn chairs

Nancy Donnelly -vocals
Vince Leggire-bass
Johnny YoungBlood -guitar
Philip Nestor-drums

Jimmy Madison & Friends
2026-07-11 19:00 - 22:00
Jimmy Madison – drums
Tim Regusis – piano
Tarik Shah – bass
Peyton Pleninger – saxophone
Drummer Jimmy Madison has performed with the greats of Jazz and Funk for over six decades, from Lionel Hampton, Roland Kirk, Chet Baker and Quincy Jones to James Brown, Maceo Parker and George Benson, among many others. But this quartet format allows he and his compatriots to do what they do best, improvising on themes both familiar and new. It’s pure Jazz at its best.
Tim Regusis is a Hudson Valley-based pianist who has been active in the jazz scene of the NYC region, as well as in the fields of R&B, Latin and various world musics for many years.
He has played and/or recorded with Patti Austin, Ruben Blades, David Byrne, Celia Cruz, Chuck Mangione, Johnny Pacheco, Daniel Ponce, Rick Margitza, Cindy Blackman, Jeff Williams, Akira Ohmori, Najee, Donna Summer, Chaka Khan, Jonathan Butler, Ofra Haza and others.
Tarik Shah is an African American Muslim with a career as a professional jazz musician. As the sole student of Slam Stewart, Shah began playing the upright bass at age 12 and went on to play with Betty Carter, Ahmad Jamal, Abbey Lincoln and Art Taylor among others. He is a composer, a jazz educator, and lyricist.

Teri Roiger Quartet
2026-07-18 19:00 - 22:00
Teri Roiger – vocals
John Menegon – bass

The Professors
2026-07-25 19:00 - 22:00
Vinnie Martucci – keys
Mark Dziuba – guitar
Rich Syracuse – bass
Jeff Siegel – drums

SUNY music professors come together on this special night to perform original works, jazz, world music and other musical gems.
Vinnie Martucci has had an exciting and diverse career as a performer, composer, arranger, producer, and educator. He has toured extensively on the international stage as co-leader of the Jazz Fusion Quartet “The Dolphins” with Dan Brubeck, as arranger, accompanist for Laurel Masse (Manhattan Transfer), arranger and performer for Blues artist Rory Block. He has recorded and toured with Graham Parker, Livingston Taylor, and others. He co-composed the off-broadway play “Clue, The Musical” as well as numerous cable network TV themes for Lifetime, the Travel Channel, CNN and underscores for daytime TV dramas “As the World Turns”, Guiding Light”. As a producer and recording engineer, he has worked with composer Baikida Carroll on recordings and productions for several theatrical and television projects, most notably the Tony award winning play “Having Our Say”. He has also given clinics in Jazz and improvisation in Europe, South America, as well as the Central Conservatory in Beijing, China. Currently, Vinnie is the chair of the music department at SUNY, New Paltz, where he also teaches jazz studies and recording technology courses.
Mark Dziuba has been a guitarist, improviser and composer for most of his life. He has performed with a who’s who of Jazz, Blues, Rock and Bluegrass musicians and has performed and taught at workshops and festivals internationally for over 40 years.
Mark is a tenured professor of music at the State University of New York at New Paltz where he directs the Jazz Studies program. He was a part of the internationally acclaimed National Guitar Workshop for 25 years and has been a part of the Crown of the Continent International Guitar Festival since its birth.
Mark is a published author and a featured soloist and composer on numerous recordings. He continues to explore the world of improvised live and virtual music and can be found performing often in the area and abroad. (dziubam@newpaltz.edu)
RICH SYRACUSE STRING BASSIST, ELECTRIC BASSIST, COMPOSER Rich Syracuse has been a mainstay on the New York area scene for more than three decades. While performing at an early age in New York City he was the winner of the prestigious Congress Of Strings Award. He went on to receive a Bachelor of Music degree from Manhattan School of Music in New York City. Rich performed with The Group For Contemporary Music under the Conductor Charles Wournin and Harvey Solberger, The Hartford Ballet and the New Jersey Lyric Opera Co. During the early part of his career he performed in Jazz groups featuring pianists John Mehegan, Joey Calderazzo and Ted Rosenthal. After moving to New York State’s Hudson Valley in the mid 1980’s he began a long-standing stint in the Nick Brignola Quartet playing clubs, festivals, and recording sessions. Besides his years with Brignola, he has performed with Mose Allison, Kurt Elling, Dave Liebman, Brubeck Brothers, Warren Bernhardt, SumiTonoka, David Torn, Mike DeMicco, Peter Levin, Sam Morrison, Bernard Purdy, Vic Juris, Dave Stryker, Chuck Lamb, Jeff “Siege” Siegel, Dena DeRose, John Medeski, Michael Musilliami and Ali Demogli, Rich had been the bassist for Jazz pianist Lee Shaw for over 25 years until her passing.
JEFF “SIEGE” SIEGEL
Drummer/Composer Jeff “Siege” Siegel is a veteran of the New York Jazz scene and has worked with a virtual “who’s who” of artists. A member of the Sir Roland Hanna Trio from 1994-’99, Siegel’s diverse career has also led him to perform and/or record with legends such as Ron Carter, Kenny Burrell, Jack DeJohnette, Benny Golson, Sheila Jordan, Helen Merrill, Mose Allison, John Medeski, Arthur Rhames, Dave Douglas, Stefon Harris, Pat Metheny, Kurt Elling, Ravi Coltrane, Ryan Kisor, Lee Shaw, Levin Brothers, John Medeski, Dena DeRose, Lee Shaw and many others. He has worked in the avant garde world as well with Wadada Leo Smith, Baikida Carroll. He’s performed over 30 European tours including four as leader of the Jeff “Siege” Siegel Quartet and several others as co-leader. The Jeff “Siege” Siegel Sextet performed a 3 week tour of Africa in the summer of 2019. Other recent tours include The Levin Brothers Japan, Mexico, Canada and the US west coast and Midwest as well as South & Central America. His 2017 CD release “King of Xhosa” features South African trumpeter Feya Faku and is on the ARC label. His most recent release with his quartet is the 2018 release on ARC entitled “London Live” and “When You Were There” (2019) with Hetko, Syracuse & Siegel.

Shiri Zorn
2026-08-01 19:00 - 22:00
Impeccable vocals by Shiri accompanied by TBA.

John Menegon Trio
2026-08-08 19:00 - 22:00
John Menegon – bass
Pete Smith – guitar
Matt Garrity – drums

Horton/London
2026-08-22 19:00 - 22:00
Amy London – vocals
Ron Horton – trumpet/flugelhorn
Neal Kirkwood – piano

Jeff “Siege” Siegel Quintet
2026-08-22 19:00 - 22:00
Erica Lindsay – tenor saxophone
Ron Horton – trumpet
Francesca Tanksley – piano
Rich Syracuse – bass
Jeff “ Siege” Siegel – drums

Peggy Stern
2026-08-29 19:00 - 22:00

Joel Harrison
2026-09-05 19:00 - 22:00

Pete McCann Quartet
2026-09-12 19:00 - 22:00

Mark Usvolk Septet
2026-09-19 19:00 - 22:00
Bassist, composer and Lydia’s Café owner Mark Usvolk has the rare privilege of featuring some of the finest musicians in New York in this annual performance of his original works written over the past 30 years.
Jazz, Latin, R&B and Classical styles with memorable melodies and rich harmonies.
Mark Usvolk – bass/composer
Ron Horton – trumpet/flugelhorn
Tim Armacost – sax/flute
Mark Dziuba – guitar
Tim Regusis – keys
Jeff Siegel – drums
Amir Halfon – percussion

Mark Usvolk received his Bachelor of Music from The University of North Texas eons ago as a guitarist, majoring in composition and theory. He then went on for the next 20 years or so making a living playing guitar and bass in a variety of groups performing Jazz, R&B, Salsa, Funk along with shows, recording dates and performances with the Tucson Symphony.
Usvolk started designing and building homes in Ulster County in 1986 and along with wife, Roni bought the Country Deli in 2006 from Roni’s mom, Lydia, turning it into the cafe and music venue of today. Which is how he got this gig.
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Since 1982, trumpeter Ron Horton has been an integral part of New York’s flourishing jazz scene and he stands out both as an exemplary instrumentalist and as a highly progressive composer and arranger. Whether called upon as a sideman or as a leader of one of his own ensembles, he shows that he is committed to further expanding the existing perimeters of jazz.
Horton has had many long musical associations with leaders such as saxophonist Jane Ira Bloom (1983-2000) and pianist Andrew Hill. He was a member of Hill’s sextet from 1998 until 2003, and appears on the group’s critically acclaimed cd, Dusk (Palmetto 2000). He was also musical director and co-arranger for Hill’s big band, and is featured on the cd, A Beautiful Day(Palmetto 2002).
Ron Horton was born in 1960 in Bethesda, Maryland, and has been frequently called on as a sideman to perform and/or record with such artists as Lee Konitz, Will Holshouser, Rez Abbasi, Phillip Johnston, Andy Laster, Mick Rossi, Matt Wilson, Bill Gerhardt, Bill Mays, Peggy Stern, Allan Chase, Andy Biskin, Ted Nash, Jon Gordon, John McKenna, Walter Thompson, Diana Perez, Billy Newman, Mario Pavone, Tina Marsh, Maryanne DeProphetis, Landon Knoblock, Sam Bardfeld, Maria Guida, Abigail Riccards, Angie Sanchez, Kris Davis, Darcy James Argue and many others.
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Saxophonist Tim Armacost’s music is known for its balance of lyrical invention, harmonic sophistication and exciting interplay among top-tier band mates. His improvisations are brimming with ideas, but organized into a naturally flowing narrative
Touring regularly around the world both as a sideman and a leader, Armacost has worked with a phenomenal number of jazz greats, including Al Foster, Jimmy Cobb, Kenny Barron, Tom Harrell, Billy Hart, Victor Lewis, Jeff “Tain” Watts, Peter Erskine, Ray Drummond, Roy Hargrove, Don Friedman and Randy Brecker.
Armacost has recorded 14 critically acclaimed albums as a leader, performed on more than 60 as a sideman, and has recorded over 100 original songs and arrangements. His most recent leader outing, Time Being, featuring Jeff ‘Tain’ Watts and Bob Hurst received 4 stars in Downbeat magazine, and has met with critical acclaim around the world.
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Tim Regusis is a Hudson Valley-based pianist who has been active in the jazz scene of the NYC region, as well as in the fields of R&B, Latin and various world musics for many years.
He has played and/or recorded with Patti Austin, Ruben Blades, David Byrne, Celia Cruz, Chuck Mangione, Johnny Pacheco, Daniel Ponce, Rick Margitza, Cindy Blackman, Jeff Williams, Akira Ohmori, Najee, Donna Summer, Chaka Khan, Jonathan Butler, Ofra Haza and others.
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Mark Dziuba has been a guitarist, improviser and composer for most of his life. He has performed with a who’s who of Jazz, Blues, Rock and Bluegrass musicians and has performed and taught at workshops and festivals internationally for over 40 years.
Mark is a tenured professor of music at the State University of New York at New Paltz where he directs the Jazz Studies program. He was a part of the internationally acclaimed National Guitar Workshop for 25 years and has been a part of the Crown of the Continent International Guitar Festival since its birth.
Mark is a published author and a featured soloist and composer on numerous recordings. He continues to explore the world of improvised live and virtual music and can be found performing often in the area and abroad. (dziubam@newpaltz.edu)
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JEFF “SIEGE” SIEGEL
Drummer/Composer Jeff “Siege” Siegel is a veteran of the New York Jazz scene and has worked with a virtual “who’s who” of artists. A member of the Sir Roland Hanna Trio from 1994-’99, Siegel’s diverse career has also led him to perform and/or record with legends such as Ron Carter, Kenny Burrell, Jack DeJohnette, Benny Golson, Sheila Jordan, Helen Merrill, Mose Allison, John Medeski, Arthur Rhames, Dave Douglas, Stefon Harris, Pat Metheny, Kurt Elling, Ravi Coltrane, Ryan Kisor, Lee Shaw, Levin Brothers, John Medeski, Dena DeRose, Lee Shaw and many others. He has worked in the avant garde world as well with Wadada Leo Smith, Baikida Carroll. He’s performed over 30 European tours including four as leader of the Jeff “Siege” Siegel Quartet and several others as co-leader. The Jeff “Siege” Siegel Sextet performed a 3 week tour of Africa in the summer of 2019. Other recent tours include The Levin Brothers Japan, Mexico, Canada and the US west coast and Midwest as well as South & Central America. His 2017 CD release “King of Xhosa” features South African trumpeter Feya Faku and is on the ARC label. His most recent release with his quartet is the 2018 release on ARC entitled “London Live” and “When You Were There” (2019) with Hetko, Syracuse & Siegel.

Laurel Masse & the Professors
2026-09-26 19:00 - 22:00

Jeff Ciampa/Chris Pasin Sextet
2026-10-03 19:00 - 22:00
Jeff Ciampa-gtr
Chris Pasin-tpt
Todd Anderson-sax
Bram Kincheloe-dr
Clayton Thompson-bass
–
Possibly Tim Sessions-tbn

The Saints of Swing
2026-10-10 19:00 - 22:00

Jimmy Madison & Friends
2026-10-17 19:00 - 22:00

Amir Halfon
2026-10-24 19:00 - 22:00

Bob Meyer & Circular Jazz
2026-10-31 08:00 - 17:00
Halloween Party Jazz: 10/31/26
Peyton Pleninger, tenor sax
Rich Syracuse, bass
Bob Meyer, drums and cymbals.

Tim Regusis & Friends
2026-11-07 19:00 - 22:00

Peter Einhorn
2026-11-14 08:00 - 17:00
Peter – guitar
Emily – vocals

Elsa Nillson
2026-11-21 19:00 - 22:00

David Gilmore
2026-11-28 19:00 - 22:00

David Heckendorn
2026-12-05 19:00 - 22:00

NYE Celebration w/ A Groove Gathering
2026-12-31 19:00 - 22:00
