Uploaded September 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 hours ago
A 12-piece big band. Eight horns. One extraordinary voice.
Pianist, arranger and bandleader Brian Clemens returns from London to Campus JAX with acclaimed vocalist Tawanda Suessbrich-Joaquim for a live journey through big-band swing, Latin jazz, soul, Motown, ’70s R&B, pop and original music written in the Great American Songbook tradition.
TONIGHT’S BAND
Brian Clemens — piano, bandleader and arranger
Tawanda — vocals
Jessica Ragsdale — drums
Freddy Uyehara — bass
REEDS
Joe DiFiore — alto saxophone and flute
Steven Ragsdale — alto saxophone
John Lindsay — tenor saxophone
Glynnis McNamara — baritone saxophone
BRASS
Roger Garcia — trumpet
Emily Mikesell — trumpet
Paul Nelson — trombone
Richard Velzen — trombone
Brian Clemens is a Los Angeles-born pianist, composer and arranger now based in London. A former student of Grammy-winning pianist and arranger Bill Cunliffe, Brian leads big-band productions on both sides of the Atlantic and has appeared at major jazz rooms across Europe. His arrangements combine the power of a full horn section with a songwriter’s instinct for melody, movement and story.
Known simply as Tawanda, Tawanda Suessbrich-Joaquim is an award-winning jazz vocalist with German and Mozambican roots. A winner of the Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition and recipient of the 2023 BISTRO Outstanding Achievement Award for Jazz Vocalists, she has performed with Postmodern Jukebox and Jeff Goldblum’s band. Her Resonance Records debut album, Smile, arrived in 2022, and she was subsequently featured on Ivan Lins’ Grammy-nominated album My Heart Speaks.
Together, Brian and Tawanda have taken this project from Herb Alpert’s Vibrato Grill Jazz to recurring performances at Campus JAX. Tonight, the full band returns to the room where musical precision and live-wire spontaneity meet at human scale.
LIVE FROM CAMPUS JAX
Thursday, September 17, 2026
6:30 PM Pacific
Newport Beach, California
EXPLORE THE SHOW
jaxblast.com/events/brian-clemens-big-band-ft-tawanda-2026-09-17-1025?source=youtube_description
TICKETS & UPCOMING CAMPUS JAX SHOWS
campusjax.com/events/event/1025
BRIAN CLEMENS
brianclemensmusic.com
TAWANDA
tawandamusic.net
WATCH THEIR PREVIOUS CAMPUS JAX PERFORMANCE
youtube.com/watch?v=uQ6cY3zE-Mk
SUPPORT LIVE MUSIC FROM THE ROOM
Super Chats and Super Stickers during the livestream—and Super Thanks on the replay—help us preserve and share more exceptional performances from Campus JAX.
You can also support the music directly through Venmo: @JAXhideaway
Subscribe and turn on notifications so you never miss what is live and next from Campus JAX.
Campus JAX presents it.
MetaJAX captures it.
JAXblast makes it yours.
The Moment Stays with You.
#BrianClemensBigBand #Tawanda #LiveJazz
A 12-piece big band. Eight horns. One extraordinary voice.
Pianist, arranger and bandleader Brian Clemens returns from London to Campus JAX with acclaimed vocalist Tawanda Suessbrich-Joaquim for a live journey through big-band swing, Latin jazz, soul, Motown, ’70s R&B, pop and original music written in the Great American Songbook tradition.
TONIGHT’S BAND
Brian Clemens — piano, bandleader and arranger
Tawanda — vocals
Jessica Ragsdale — drums
Freddy Uyehara — bass
REEDS
Joe DiFiore — alto saxophone and flute
Steven Ragsdale — alto saxophone
John Lindsay — tenor saxophone
Glynnis McNamara — baritone saxophone
BRASS
Roger Garcia — trumpet
Emily Mikesell — trumpet
Paul Nelson — trombone
Richard Velzen — trombone
Brian Clemens is a Los Angeles-born pianist, composer and arranger now based in London. A former student of Grammy-winning pianist and arranger Bill Cunliffe, Brian leads big-band productions on both sides of the Atlantic and has appeared at major jazz rooms across Europe. His arrangements combine the power of a full horn section with a songwriter’s instinct for melody, movement and story.
Known simply as Tawanda, Tawanda Suessbrich-Joaquim is an award-winning jazz vocalist with German and Mozambican roots. A winner of the Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition and recipient of the 2023 BISTRO Outstanding Achievement Award for Jazz Vocalists, she has performed with Postmodern Jukebox and Jeff Goldblum’s band. Her Resonance Records debut album, Smile, arrived in 2022, and she was subsequently featured on Ivan Lins’ Grammy-nominated album My Heart Speaks.
Together, Brian and Tawanda have taken this project from Herb Alpert’s Vibrato Grill Jazz to recurring performances at Campus JAX. Tonight, the full band returns to the room where musical precision and live-wire spontaneity meet at human scale.
LIVE FROM CAMPUS JAX
Thursday, September 17, 2026
6:30 PM Pacific
Newport Beach, California
EXPLORE THE SHOW
jaxblast.com/events/brian-clemens-big-band-ft-tawanda-2026-09-17-1025?source=youtube_description
TICKETS & UPCOMING CAMPUS JAX SHOWS
campusjax.com/events/event/1025
BRIAN CLEMENS
brianclemensmusic.com
TAWANDA
tawandamusic.net
WATCH THEIR PREVIOUS CAMPUS JAX PERFORMANCE
youtube.com/watch?v=uQ6cY3zE-Mk
SUPPORT LIVE MUSIC FROM THE ROOM
Super Chats and Super Stickers during the livestream—and Super Thanks on the replay—help us preserve and share more exceptional performances from Campus JAX.
You can also support the music directly through Venmo: @JAXhideaway
Subscribe and turn on notifications so you never miss what is live and next from Campus JAX.
Campus JAX presents it.
MetaJAX captures it.
JAXblast makes it yours.
The Moment Stays with You.
#BrianClemensBigBand #Tawanda #LiveJazz
