HOUSTON, TX — January 5, 2026 — Jazz Houston proudly presents the Miles Davis Centennial Celebration, on January 17, 2026 at 7:00 PM at Houston Christian University Dunham Theater. A live concert honoring the enduring artistic legacy of Miles Davis, this performance features Vincent Gardner and the Jazz Houston Nonet with guest artists Marquis Hill and Summer Camargo.
Miles Davis’ music remains a living framework for creative risk-taking, ensemble leadership, and stylistic evolution, values that continue to shape contemporary jazz practice. This centennial program, curated by Jazz Houston’s Artistic Director, Vincent Gardner, reflects this legacy through contemporary interpretation, placing Davis’ music in dialogue with leading artists whose work embodies his spirit of innovation, mentorship, and artistic risk.
“Few musicians reshaped modern music as profoundly as Miles Davis. Across five decades, his work repeatedly redefined jazz while launching and inspiring generations of artists,” said Vincent Gardner, Jazz Houston founder and artistic director. “I am honored to bring this event to Houston and to celebrate the creativity of Miles Davis alongside two masterful Jazz artists, Marquis Hill and Summer Camargo.”
Featured Artists
Marquis Hill is an acclaimed trumpeter, composer, and bandleader whose work bridges jazz tradition with hip-hop, R&B, soul, and Chicago house influences. A Chicago native, Hill gained international recognition after winning the 2014 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Trumpet Competition and has since released multiple recordings as a leader, toured globally, and emerged as a defining voice in contemporary jazz.
Summer Camargo is one of the most prominent young trumpet artists of her generation. A graduate of the Juilliard School, Camargo performs regularly with the Saturday Night Live house band and has appeared with major ensembles including Jazz at Lincoln Center and the Mingus Big Band. Her work is noted for its clarity, command, and expressive range.
Vincent Gardner is an internationally respected trombonist, composer, and educator and serves as Artistic & Education Director of Jazz Houston. He is also a longtime lead trombonist of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. Gardner’s career reflects deep engagement with jazz performance, education, and repertory, positioning him to frame Miles Davis’s legacy as a living artistic lineage rather than a fixed historical moment.
“As jazz institutions and artists continue to reckon with legacy, authorship, and artistic succession, celebrating Miles Davis’s work in his centennial year offers more than commemoration, but an ongoing artistic conversation, situating his influence firmly in the present tense not as a closed chapter in jazz history,” said Summer Camargo. “It is a privilege to join Vincent Gardner and the Jazz Houston Nonet in this recognition and celebration.”
Event Information
Performed by the Jazz Houston Nonet with featured guest artists, Miles Davis Centennial Celebration draws from across Davis’s expansive body of work, exploring the musical ideas and ensemble approaches that defined his career. Rather than focusing on a single era, the program reflects Davis’s broader impact by allowing today’s artists to engage with his music through their own creative voices.
Miles Davis Centennial Celebration
January 17, 2026 · 7:00 PM
Houston Christian University, Dunham Theater
Tickets: jazzhouston.org
