Wise Women
Black Squirrel Club
1049 Sarah St.
Philadelphia
April 23, 2026
Located in a repurposed steam plant built in the 1890s, Fishtown’s Black Squirrel Club has quickly become one of the best venues to see live jazz in Philadelphia. On April 23, about three dozen attendees gathered in church pews beneath the ornate chandeliers and rusted iron beams that criss-crossed the building's high ceilings. The evening’s program, dubbed "Wise Women," was a showcase of original jazz compositions by women musicians planned as part of the city’s Jazz Appreciation Month.
As the sun set and the house music faded, host and curator Lora Sherrodd took to the stage to greet the crowd and talk about her vision for the event. After noting that the great American songbook of jazz classics and standards was mostly written by men, Sherrod explained that tonight would be different, featuring new pieces composed by her and three emerging jazz musicians. New York-based pianist and composer Jihee Heo opened with Larry Shaw on drums and Sandy Eldred on bass. The trio immediately whipped themselves into a frenzy with Heo’s piece “New Yorker Step,” a furious, fast-paced bop piece. A player of astonishing power and virtuosity, Heo threw off her jacket in the middle of a call-and-response segment where she traded lightning-fast licks with Shaw.
Following the set of Heo’s originals, vocalist Atenzia took over and the trio of Heo, Shaw, and Eldred stayed on as the backing band for the evening. Her first piece, “Simple Symphony,” was a breezy jazz ballad with a hip-hop style bounce to the rhythm. “I'm With You” had a jazz/R&B hybrid feel, and Shaw’s quickly-paced playing added a drum'n'bass vibe to the piece. Eldred took a fantastic, melodically rich bass solo as well. For the performance of Atenzia’s final tune, “What We Will Be," trumpeter Bell Thompson joined before the reigns were passed off to her. Firing through a strong set of Latin-inspired hard bop and gorgeous, dreamy ballads, Thompson brought the story of each composition to life with her between-song narrations. Stating that many of the tunes were written with or inspired by friends, Thompson’s stories and the way that each musician comfortably performed each other’s music reiterated the collaborative nature of the event and the art form in general.
Lora Sherrod closed the evening by joining in and singing on Thompson’s piece “Always Like This,” a beautiful, slow-burning tune in which Sherrodd’s wordless vocals melded with Thompson’s trumpet melody. From there, Sherrodd tore the house down with a gorgeous set of originals. “Une Femme D’Un” (Woman of a Certain Age) was the standout, a lovely, swinging tune encouraging women to embrace the aging process. Above all, Wise Women challenged common assumptions about jazz and women’s place in the genre. Following in the steps of jazz greats like Mary Lou Williams, Alice Coltrane, and others, Sherrod, Thompson, Atenzia, and Heo packed the night with music created of the highest quality and care.
