THEATER FOR THE NEW CITY
Executive Artistic Director, Crystal Field
Presents
A Rome Neal Banana Puddin’ Jazz Production
“TIME FLIES”
Rome’s Birthday Bash
Monday, September 28, 2026 at 7:00 PM
Tickets: $20 General Admission
THEATER FOR THE NEW CITY
155 First Avenue (between 9th and 10th Street)
New York, NY 10003
Directions
*Limited seating — don’t sleep on this one!*
Now in its more than two-decade run, Rome Neal’s Banana Puddin’ Jazz has become a beloved fixture of the downtown New York jazz scene — a series that pairs top-tier live jazz with Neal’s homemade banana pudding, served to the whole house. What began at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe as an outgrowth of Neal’s acclaimed one-man show “Monk” has grown into one of the city’s longest-running and most community-minded jazz showcases, having presented hundreds of musicians over the years. “TIME FLIES” continues that tradition as a joyful birthday celebration featuring an all-star band and, following the concert, an open jam session inviting musicians and guests in the audience to sit in.
Rome Neal will take the stage in concert alongside a celebrated lineup of jazz musicians:
– **André Chez Lewis** — Grammy Award-winning Pianist
– **Lonnie Plaxico** — Bass
– **Dwayne Cook Broadnax** — Drums
– **Patience Higgins** — Saxophone
Following the concert, the evening continues with an open jam session, inviting musicians and guests to join in the celebration.
About the Artists
Rome Neal is a veteran actor, director, producer, and jazz vocalist who has been a driving force in New York’s jazz and Black theater communities for decades. He first became immersed in jazz while researching his acclaimed one-man play “Monk” (by Laurence Holder), in which he portrays Thelonious Monk — a role that earned him and Holder an AUDELCO Award. That experience inspired Neal to found Rome Neal’s Banana Puddin’ Jazz, a jazz concert series distinguished by his signature complimentary homemade banana pudding, which he has hosted for more than 20 years, presenting hundreds of artists along the way. Over the years the series has featured jazz greats including Dee Dee Bridgewater, Randy Weston, Onaje Allan Gumbs, Amiri Baraka, Barry Harris, and Samara Joy, among many others. Neal received the 2022 AUDELCO Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions to Black theater.
As a jazz vocalist, Neal has performed at Town Hall on Broadway, The Metropolitan Room, The Museum of the City of New York, Lenox Lounge, Joe’s Pub, St. Nick’s Pub, Minton’s Playhouse, Showman’s, 966 Jazz, Baker’s Keyboard Lounge in Detroit, Barclays Center, The Nuyorican Poets Cafe, and The Jazz Spot, and he has performed around town as lead vocalist for the Bill Lee Mo’ Better Quintet (led by Spike Lee’s father). He is the artist behind the CD “A Brighter Crooner,” and his live concert “All in the Puddin'” was recently released on DVD along with “Rome Neal’s Banana Puddin’ Jazz Jam… A Night to Remember.”
André Chez Lewis is a Grammy Award-winning pianist, music director, arranger, orchestrator, and instructor. He currently serves as music director and pianist for Dionne Warwick and is the keyboardist/organist for the Grammy-winning Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir, with whom he shared in the 2026 Grammy Award for the album “I Will Not Be Moved.” A protégé of the late pianist Dr. Barry Harris, Lewis has worked on Broadway and off-Broadway productions and has appeared on screen as a pianist, including portraying Bob Dylan’s pianist Paul Griffin in the film “A Complete Unknown” and as a jazz pianist in the television series “Godfather of Harlem.” He holds a BFA in Jazz and Contemporary Music from The New School.
Lonnie Plaxico is a Chicago-born jazz double bassist and one of the most versatile sidemen of his generation. He turned professional at fourteen and moved to New York at twenty, quickly working alongside Chet Baker, Dexter Gordon, Sonny Stitt, and Hank Jones. Plaxico came to wider prominence through Wynton Marsalis’s group before joining Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers (1983–86), recording twelve albums with the band, including the Grammy-winning “New York Scene.” He was a member of the M-Base collective alongside Steve Coleman, Cassandra Wilson, and Greg Osby, and has long served as musical director and bassist for Cassandra Wilson. His extensive credits also include Dizzy Gillespie, Jack DeJohnette’s Special Edition, David Murray, Branford Marsalis, and Alice Coltrane.
Dwayne “Cook” Broadnax is a Philadelphia-born drummer who has been a mainstay of the New York jazz scene for nearly four decades. Known for his powerful, in-the-pocket sound, he has performed with artists including Johnny Copeland, Little Jimmy Scott, and Bill Doggett, and leads his own groups at NYC jazz venues in addition to his extensive work as a sideman.
Patience Higgins is a New York-based saxophonist, flutist, and multi-reed specialist whose career spans jazz, gospel, R&B, and Broadway. He has performed and recorded with the Duke Ellington Orchestra, the Count Basie Orchestra, Lionel Hampton, Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Dee Dee Bridgewater (including her double Grammy-winning album “Dear Ella”), Barry Harris, Archie Shepp, and Sam and Dave, among many others. His Broadway credits include “The Wiz,” “Chicago,” “Dreamgirls,” “Avenue Q,” and “Motown: The Musical.” Higgins leads the long-running Sugar Hill Quartet, formerly the house band at Harlem’s Lenox Lounge and St. Nick’s Pub, and teaches at the New School and Jazzmobile.
Community Support
This performance is supported by a community of sponsors and partners, including John D. Smith, Stephen McKinley Henderson, the Jazz Foundation of America, Tracy Appleton, Dr. Mona Vaughn Scott, Sheryl Renee Productions, Malaika M. Scott MD, Assemblywoman Stefani Zinerman, Leila Lewis, Stephen Kornstein, Black Repertory Group Berkeley, Coombs Brooklyn Printing, and the Black Theatre Project (Documentary).
Those interested in becoming a Rome Neal Banana Puddin’ Jazz sponsor can learn more at **romeneal.com**.
