The Brian Clemens Big Band Meets Tawanda

Pianist, arranger and bandleader Brian Clemens returns to Campus JAX with acclaimed vocalist Tawanda Suessbrich-Joaquim and a 12-piece big band for an evening of swing, Latin jazz, soul, R&B and more. With eight horns and a book of bold arrangements, the band moves from Basie-era swing and Latin jazz to Motown, ’70s R&B and pop, alongside original songs by Clemens in the Great American Songbook tradition.


Tawanda Suessbrich-Joaquim
Co-winner of the 2021 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition, New Mexico-native Tawanda is a multinational jazz vocalist based in Los Angeles, who has performed at leading jazz clubs and with Jeff Goldblum’s band and Postmodern Jukebox. An alumna of Santa Fe University of Art and Design, she received the BISTRO Outstanding Achievement Award for Jazz Vocalists in 2023. Her debut album, Smile, was released in 2022 on Resonance Records, and she was also featured on Ivan Lins’ Grammy-nominated album My Heart Speaks.


Brian Clemens
Originally from Los Angeles and now based in London, Clemens leads big band productions on both sides of the Atlantic. His big band holds a recurring engagement at Wilton’s Music Hall in London, while his jazz-pop group Luminoso has headlined clubs across Europe including Nardis Jazz Club in Istanbul, Jamboree in Barcelona and b-flat in Berlin. He is also a resident pianist at The Ritz London and studied under Grammy Award-winning pianist and arranger Bill Cunliffe.

Together, Clemens and Tawanda have brought the project to Herb Alpert’s Vibrato Grill Jazz in Los Angeles and return regularly to Campus JAX, pairing the sound of a full big band with Tawanda’s distinctive voice and a distinctive set that will leave you on the edge of your seat.