La Jolla Music Society’s October Lineup Brings Jazz Legends to The Conrad
La Jolla Music Society’s October lineup is looking absolutely incredible this year. We’ve been keeping an eye on what’s happening at The Conrad, and honestly? Three concerts that are totally different but all worth clearing our calendars for.
Bill Charlap Trio – Pure Jazz Magic
Saturday, October 11, 2025
First up, the Bill Charlap Trio is playing at Concerts @ The JAI, and if you’ve never seen these guys live, you’re missing out. Charlap’s piano playing is just smooth—like, effortlessly cool in a way that makes you wonder why you ever thought jazz was intimidating.
The whole trio thing with David Wong on bass and Carl Allen on drums just works. They’ve got multiple GRAMMY nominations under their belt, and Charlap actually won one back in 2016.
But here’s the thing—they don’t play like they’re trying to impress anyone. They just groove through jazz standards and make it look easy, which we all know it definitely isn’t.
McBride and Mehldau – When Legends Collaborate
Saturday, October 18, 2025
Two weeks later, we get Christian McBride and Brad Mehldau together at Baker-Baum Concert Hall, and this is one of those “how did we get so lucky” moments. McBride’s bass playing hits different—literally. You feel it as much as you hear it, and his groove is just infectious.
Mehldau brings this whole other vibe with his piano work that somehow mixes classical training with jazz in ways that shouldn’t work but totally do.
When these two get together, it’s like watching a musical conversation between old friends who happen to be ridiculously talented. The spontaneous moments are what make live jazz so addictive.
Dmitry Shishkin – Classical Talent on the Rise
Sunday, October 26, 2025
The month wraps up with something completely different. Dmitry Shishkin won the Geneva International Music Competition in 2018, and he’s bringing a program that spans everything from Bach to Prokofiev. The Tribune de Genève called him “flamboyant” and praised his “musical honesty,” which has us curious.
We love catching rising stars before they blow up, and classical piano at Baker-Baum Concert Hall is always stunning. Plus, there’s something about hearing Rachmaninoff and Scriabin live that streaming just can’t match.
See you there!
La Jolla Music Society really nailed it with this October lineup—three completely different musical experiences, all in one month at our favorite La Jolla venue.
🎟️ Tickets available here or call (858) 459-3728
ℹ️ More info here
See you there, San Diego!
