April Varner
April Varner makes her debut at the Jax Vineyards Tasting Room with her Quintet! She will present music from her recently released new album, “Ella” as well as other exciting new arrangements!
NYC-based jazz vocalist with the curly red hair from Toledo, Ohio, April Varner is a name you won’t soon forget. Recognizable by her curly red hair and voice of an “old soul”, April brings her listeners to another place- one long ago when the giants of jazz were still gracing the stage. Amassing several viral videos of 1 million+ views on her social media of her challenging solo transcriptions, cleverly crafted vocaleses and acapella renditions of the Great American Songbook, April’s voice can fit itself into a myriad of different molds.
At the age of 28, April has immersed herself deeply into the jazz tradition and has performed/studied with a multitude of legendary artists and jazz luminaries such as Tierney Sutton, Russell Malone, Sachal Vasandani, Jane Monheit, Kurt Elling, Walter Smith III and others. April graduated in May of 2022 with her Master’s degree in Jazz Voice Performance from the Manhattan School of Music under the guidance of 2-time Grammy© nominated vocalist and teacher Theo Bleckmann. Soon after, she released her first EP, entitled "Hummingbird", featuring both original compositions and original vocaleses. She was awarded the 2023 Winner of the International Ella Fitzgerald Jazz Vocal Competition, 2024 Honorable Mention Award in the ASCAP Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composers Competition and a most recent mention in the 2025 73rd Annual Critics Poll in Downbeat Magazine as a “Rising Star Female Vocalist of the Year”.
April appears at JAX with San Francisco native SF native Eytan Schillinger-Hyman. Eytan is an accomplished upright and electric bassist and composer known for his versatility, rhythmic precision, and expansive musical voice. A recent graduate of The Juilliard School with a Master’s degree in Jazz Bass Performance, he trained under jazz luminaries including Gerald Cannon, Ron Carter, Ben Wolfe, Donald Vega, and Billy Drummond. Active across both the New York City and San Francisco Bay Area jazz scenes, Eytan has performed at major venues and festivals such as Blue Note NYC, Dizzy’s Club at Jazz at Lincoln Center, SFJAZZ, The Anthem in Washington, D.C. (opening for Lalah Hathaway), Smalls Jazz Club, and the Monterey Jazz Festival.
Free Admission, All Ages
Performance, 5:30 PM-8:00 PM
Wine, Beer, and Mocktails for sale at JAX bar
Pizza available for purchase from LaFenice Pizza pop up, 4:00 PM-9:00 PM
For reservations, please call (415) 446-9505 or reserve seats at https://www.exploretock.com/jaxvineyardssf
Sponsored by Jazz in the Neighborhood
Event Links
Website: https://go.evvnt.com/3732285-0
