The Betsy Sets Its Fall and Winter Jazz Season on Ocean Drive

At a Glance

• The Betsy, home to Miami Beach's longest-running live music series since 2010, has announced its 2026-27 fall and winter jazz programming.
• The Piano Bar at 1440 Ocean Drive hosts nine live performances a week; every event is free and open to the public.
• The Overture to Overtown Jazz Legacy Series brings Carole Ann Taylor (Oct. 17, Nov. 21, Dec. 10), Nicole Yarling (Dec. 5) and LeNard Rutledge (Dec. 26).
• Finnish pianist Joonas Haavisto plays Thanksgiving week, Nov. 25 to 27, and Sofar Sounds debuts at The Betsy with JCHRIS as host.

The Betsy has set its fall and winter calendar, and the headline is the same one it has carried since 2010: nine live performances a week at The Piano Bar, all free, all open to the public. The 2026-27 season brings South Florida's most celebrated jazz voices, a Finnish pianist for Thanksgiving week, a new generation of players from the University of Miami and the first Sofar Sounds concerts on Ocean Drive.

The Betsy's live music program is Miami Beach's longest-running series, anchored by The Piano Bar and by the hotel's curatorial lead on the Sunday evening Promenade Music Series in Lummus Park. Across the season the room moves between Solo Piano Nights on the hotel's Steinway grand, Piano/Vocal Nights of standards, American Songbook and blues, interactive Taking Requests performances, and weekend Jazz Brunch solos and duos at LT Steak & Seafood.

Afro-Latin Jazz nights bring Cuban, Caribbean and South American rhythms into the mix. Intergenerational Jazz performances pair established musicians with rising talent. Music also runs through the hotel's art openings, poetry readings, book events and charitable gatherings.

The flagship program honors South Florida's Black musical heritage and the Overtown neighborhood once known as the "Harlem of the South." During the Jim Crow era, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Count Basie, Billie Holiday and Louis Armstrong performed at Miami Beach hotels but, under segregation laws, stayed in Overtown, where late-night jam sessions made the neighborhood a center of Black music and culture.

This season the series opens with longtime Miami vocalist and cultural advocate Carole Ann Taylor and the Angel Perez Trio on Oct. 17, Nov. 21 and Dec. 10. Vocalist, violinist and educator Nicole Yarling performs as a duo on Dec. 5. Overtown-born LeNard Rutledge, Miami's "Soulman of Jazz," closes the run as a duo on Dec. 26.

Finnish jazz pianist and composer Joonas Haavisto, known for a lyrical Scandinavian style that balances intricate melody with post-bop energy, holds the Thanksgiving week residency. He plays with singer-songwriter, pianist and producer JCHRIS (Chris Urquiaga) on Nov. 25 and multi-instrumentalist Pato Romero on Nov. 26, with a third performance on Nov. 27. Vocalist and violinist Yamit Lemoine and Vinyl Blvd carry the holiday weekend on Nov. 28, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

On Nov. 24, Grammy-winning pianist Tal Cohen and Grammy-nominated pianist and Frost School of Music educator Martin Bejerano present UM's Emerging Jazz Pianists at The Piano Bar, the season's Piano Masters / New Voices installment.

New for 2026-27, Sofar Sounds brings its intimate, unannounced-lineup concerts to The Betsy. JCHRIS, curator of Sofar Miami, hosts and performs, beginning Oct. 20, followed on Nov. 19 by Latin Grammy winner and Italian singer-songwriter Virginio. Further showcases are set for Jan. 14, April 15, July 8 and Oct. 14, 2027.

Overture to Overtown at The Piano Bar: Saturday, Oct. 17, 6 p.m. to midnight, Carole Ann Taylor with the Angel Perez Trio; Saturday, Nov. 21, 6 p.m. to midnight, Carole Ann Taylor with the Angel Perez Trio; Saturday, Dec. 5, 6 p.m. to midnight, Nicole Yarling Duo; Thursday, Dec. 10, 6 p.m. to 11 p.m., Carole Ann Taylor with the Angel Perez Trio; Saturday, Dec. 26, 6 p.m. to midnight, LeNard Rutledge Duo.

Thanksgiving week: Wednesday, Nov. 25, 6 p.m. to 11 p.m., Joonas Haavisto with JCHRIS; Thursday, Nov. 26, 6 p.m. to 11 p.m., Joonas Haavisto with Pato Romero; Friday, Nov. 27, 6 p.m. to midnight, Joonas Haavisto with a special guest to be announced; Saturday, Nov. 28, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Yamit Lemoine and Vinyl Blvd.

December continues with Festival of Lights performances and programming around Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year's Eve. The Piano Bar at The Betsy is at 1440 Ocean Drive, Miami Beach. All events are free; dinner reservations at LT Steak & Seafood before or during performances are available by calling 305.673.0044, and the full events calendar is at thebetsyhotel.com/calendar.

For more information, visit thebetsyhotel.com/calendar.