ArtsFalmouth’s signature fall event, the Jazz Stroll, returns to downtown Falmouth on Saturday, October 17. The event, which is free and welcoming to all, takes place rain or shine from 3 to 7:15 PM in locations along North Main Street, Palmer Ave, and Main Street, and continues with an After-Stroll Concert from 6 to 9 PM at the Vine Restaurant. Refreshments will be offered at some Stroll locations.
“Jazz Stroll 2026 offers seven performances by well-known local jazz and blues musicians and introduces some new voices to Falmouth,” said Marilyn Rowland, president of ArtsFalmouth. “The music is outstanding, but so is the opportunity to explore local galleries, shops, and restaurants, to meet up with friends and neighbors, and to admire the many creatively decorated scarecrows along the way, thanks to Falmouth Village businesses.”
The Stroll features an eclectic array of jazz, blues, and contemporary music from American standards and international rhythms to progressive jazz and original compositions. The overlapping performances are each one hour and fifteen minutes long.
The event begins at 3 PM with the Tish Adams Trio at Byway Barber + Massage Co., 49 North Main Street. Vocalist Adams has an extensive and engaging repertoire of time-honored jazz standards with a dash of the blues. Joining Trish are two accomplished musicians: pianist Paul McWilliams and bass player Marshall Wood, who was Tony Bennet’s long-time bass player. They will play until 4:15 PM.
The Andrew Sexton Quartet will play at Coffee Obsession, 110 Palmer Avenue, from 3:30 PM to 4:15 PM. The group offers standards music from the 1930s and beyond, plus some originals. Singer/songwriter/guitarist Sexton will share the stage with Stephen Folino on mandolin, Klem Klimek on saxophone, and John Goldie on bass.
At 4 PM, Blue Train can be found at Falmouth Museums on the Green, 55 Palmer Avenue, playing gypsy jazz, also known as “hot club jazz,” made famous by Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli in France in the 1930s. The band, which will play until 5:15 PM, includes Jon Pachter on banjo, George O’Connor on mandolin, Stewart Roberts on guitar, Wendy Pachter on bass, and Alison Smith on violin.
Bongogenesis offers Afro-Cuban jazz from 4:30 PM to 5:45 PM at the First Congregational Church of Falmouth, 68 Main Street, a new venue for the Jazz Stroll this year. The band includes multilingual vocalist Olivia Yingling, Greg Polanik on guitar and Cuban tres, Sam Holmstock on percussion, Laird Boles on bass, and special guest Bill McManus on alto sax.
At 5 PM, the New Dreams Jazz Ensemble performs a playful and energetic eclectic mix of tunes at the Pickle Jar Kitchen, 170 Main Street. The band, which will play until 6:15 PM, includes Pat Ryan on guitar, Danny “Mo” Morris on bass, Dan Fox on trombone, and Rick Andre on drums, steel pans, and percussion.
The Dawna Hammers Trio performs from 5:30 PM to 6:45 PM at the Black Dog General Store, 214 Main Street. Joining singer/songwriter Hammers are her son John Graham on percussion and Scott Sheehan on upright bass. They will share songs by Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Thelonious Monk, Antonio Carlos Jobim, and more, as well as some originals.
At 6 PM, Long Lost Friend provides some jazzy blues at So French, 303 Main Street. The trio, which includes Chris LoCasio on piano, Bill Hayes on drums, and Ben Sloan on bass guitar, will play music by Thelonious Monk, Ray Charles, Eric Clapton, Taj Mahal, Dr. John, and Bob Dylan. They will perform until 7:15 PM.
There will be an After-Stroll Gathering with Bart Weisman’s Smooth Jazz Group at the Vine Restaurant, 824 Main Street, from 6 to 9 PM. Performing with drummer Weisman are Steve Hambleton on guitar and Ron Ormsby on bass.
Schedule cards will be available at Stroll venues and other downtown locations. Information is also available at artsfalmouth.org/jazz-stroll-2026/ or email artsfalmouthinc@gmail.com
ArtsFalmouth is grateful for the support of the host venues. as well as organizations and foundations who have helped fund and support not only the Jazz Stroll, but also ArtsFalmouth’s other events, Arts Alive, and the Woods Hole Trad Stroll. They include the Mass Cultural Council, the Falmouth Cultural Council, the Woods Hole Foundation, the Melody Tent, Leader Bank, the Falmouth Fund of the Cape Cod Foundation, and Falmouth Community Television.
