Kris Allen Quintet
Sunset Sounds Concert Series
Butler-McCook House & Garden
Hartford
Aug. 13, 2026
The afternoon shadows are getting longer. Back-to-school events are popping up everywhere. It’s getting cooler. Summer is entering its twilight.
But I couldn’t go the entire season without making it out to the Butler-McCook House & Garden in the heart of downtown Hartford for their annual Sunset Sounds concert series. It was the second concert in the three-part series, and it also featured the opening of a brand new art exhibit in the house (more on that later).
The evening’s performers were the Kris Allen Quintet, featuring the eponymous leader on saxophone, Nat Reeves on bass, Josh Evans on trumpet, Zaccai Curtis on keyboard and Philadelphia native Anwar Marshall on drums.
Jazz has gone through changes and phases across the decades. This year’s Sunset Sounds series set out to give audiences a glimpse of some of those eras. Allen and his quintet covered the hard bop era, a time where jazz musicians prominently incorporated influences from R&B, gospel and blues music.
Those influences were on display in the song “Repertoire.” Allen’s saxophone play is a sultry sound that weaves through the other instruments. His methodical style was reminiscent of a modern R&B song, where he slowly ratcheted up the volume until coming to the moving crescendo of the piece.
I don’t mean “volume” in terms of how loud he was. It was more like the expert accompaniment around him created a space, like an invisible room of sound, that Allen explored with each note until he filled the room.
Hard bop as a genre developed in the 1950s, just as Hartford’s jazz luminary Jackie McLean was bursting onto the scene. As I’ve covered jazz in Hartford, I’ve come to understand just how monumental McLean was to the scene. So many artists point to him as a mentor and friend, and even more have passed through the Jackie McLean Institute of Jazz or the Artists Collective, both of which he helped found.
Kris Allen is no exception, praising Jackie throughout his set and performing several of his songs. The most interesting, both aurally and for its backstory, was Capuchin Swing. Allen said that Jackie’s wife, Dollie, had a pet capuchin monkey named Mr. Jones that inspired the song.
One of the defining features of McLean’s music is a generosity towards the other instruments and performers. I was not expecting an extended piano solo to open a song composed by a saxophone player, but Zaccai Curtis took the ball and ran with it, so to speak. The interplay between Curtis and Reeves’ bass made me want to dance, and Marshall provided just the right amount of percussion to keep a steady, upbeat rhythm going without overwhelming his comrades.
It was a beautiful evening for jazz music, and never go wrong with a set that honors the great Jackie McLean. Kris Allen is keeping that legacy alive, with style.
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Jamil goes into the Butler-McCook house to see their newest exhibit.
