Jazz Night Thursday: The Compass Quintet
Bourbon & Branch
705 N 2nd St.
Philadelphia
July 23, 2026
Historically, the city of Philadelphia has enjoyed a global reputation as a jazz town. From Aqua Lounge and Mr. Silk’s on 52nd to Pep’s in South Philly and the golden strip of clubs along Columbia avenue in North Philly, jazz has always had a home in Philadelphia. Today, jazz may have receded into the background of popular culture, but the music still thrives here. On any given night, music lovers can venture out and find venues where jazz is being played by musicians of all ages and walks of life. Curated by trombonist and bandleader Bill Saurman, Bourbon & Branch presents live jazz every Thursday night.
On July 23, I made my way to the upstairs “Whiskey Room” at Bourbon & Branch to catch the tail end of the evening’s first set from The Compass Quintet. A woodwind ensemble made up of young musicians who all met at Temple University, TCQ plays a mixture of jazz and classical music, introducing some exciting and novel arrangements of established jazz compositions. When I arrived, the band was playing a lovely version of Antônio Carlos Jobim and Aloysio de Oliveira’s standard “Dindi” with Jackie Johnson as the guest singer. After a 30-minute break, TCQ came back and started the second set. Multi-instrumentalist and arranger Andrew Gioannetti introduced each tune and the ensemble flowed through a gorgeous and inventive set of songs. “Organic Lady” was a rich, swinging tune composed by jazz legend Dick Oatts. The band even covered Vince Guaraldi’s beloved, timeless classic Linus and Lucy, adding some lovely licks that ran counter to the song’s main melody. TCQ’s performance of “Armando's Rhumba” by Chick Corea was beautiful, understated and mystifying while Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn's “The Star Crossed Lovers” filled the small room with lush, colorful harmonies. The band showed that they were also adept at playing abstract, avant-garde compositions like “Evidence,” a quirky and abstract puzzle of a tune written by Thelonious Monk. This was a wonderful night of creative arrangements and powerful performances from an emerging band. With all of its deep and old history, jazz is still alive and well in Philadelphia. We should all take solace in the fact that the next generation has taken up the task of preserving its core ethos while expanding its possibilities.
