Da Lion’s Den II at 40 Loisaida Ave – New York, NY

In the golden age of Harlem, the piano cutting session was the ultimate proving ground. No backing band. No safety net. Just two hands, eighty-eight keys, and the nerve to step up and cut the man before you.

Da Lion’s Den II resurrects that raw, unfiltered tradition. Four pianists with serious chops go head to head — pushing each other harder with every chorus, raising the temperature with every round. The music will be hot, the room will be moving, and cocktails will be flowing all night long at the Francis Kite Club — an elegant intimate bar curated for exactly this kind of evening. This is Harlem Stride the way it was meant to be heard — loud, live, and dangerous.

The contenders:

Mike Lipskin: A direct protégé of Willie “The Lion” Smith A living link to the origins of Harlem Stride, Lipskin learned directly from the masters — Willie “The Lion” Smith, Eubie Blake, and Luckey Roberts. He produced the 1971 album California Here I Come with The Lion himself, and has spent decades championing the stride tradition across the United States and Europe, alongside trad jazz legend Dinah Lee. This is not borrowed knowledge. This is the real thing, passed hand to hand.

Jon Weber: perfect pitch · total melodic recall · no mercy. Largely self-taught, Weber is a freak of nature. He holds court every Tuesday night at the world famous hot jazz jam at Mona’s, where on any jazz legend can walk through the door and Weber will be ready. He has performed with heavyweights across the United States, Europe, South America, Australia… He has heard everything, and he will use it against you.

Jon Thomas Juilliard MM ’19 · next generation heat Trained equal parts the streets and at Juilliard and already running with the best — Samara Joy, Marquis Hill, Jazzmeia Horn. A regular at The Blue Note, Dizzy’s Club, Smalls, and Minton’s. Lauded as one of the most gifted rising forces in jazz today — and June 11th is his proving ground.

Brennen Ernst Philadelphia jazz veteran · NYC’s rising force A musical daredevil who has mastered piano, banjo, and guitar, Ernst has been a fixture of the Philadelphia jazz scene performing regularly with Drew Nugent & The Midnight Society. He is now swiftly emerging as one of the most in-demand talents in New York City, playing across Manhattan and Brooklyn with growing frequency. On June 11th he turns his focus to the greats of Harlem Stride. Do not underestimate him. That would be a mistake.

Dress the part. The floor is open for 20s Charleston and swing. Come ready for the kind of hot jazz that gets into your bones and doesn’t let go. One bandstand. Four killers. No mercy. You have been warned.