Vibraphonist Warren Wolf brings Americana jazz to Coral Gables Congregational Church

By Coral Gables Gazette staff

Warren Wolf began studying the vibraphone when he was 3 years old. Four decades later, after a career that has placed him among some of jazz’s most demanding bandstands, he is bringing that instrument’s bright, percussive voice to Coral Gables.

Wolf performs Thursday, July 9, at 7:30 p.m. as part of the Community Arts Program’s 2026 Summer Concert Series at Coral Gables Congregational United Church of Christ. He will be joined by bassist Kris Funn and drummer McClenty Hunter for a program billed as an America250 celebration built around Americana jazz standards and surprises.

A prodigy’s path to the vibraphone

Wolf’s training began in Baltimore under the guidance of his father, Warren Wolf Sr. He studied vibraphone, marimba, drums and piano as a child, later attending Peabody Preparatory, the Baltimore School for the Arts and Berklee College of Music.

That early classical foundation eventually gave way to a jazz career that has made Wolf one of the leading vibraphonists of his generation. He has performed with Christian McBride’s Inside Straight, the SFJAZZ Collective and the Aaron Diehl Quartet, along with artists including Wynton Marsalis, Bobby Watson and Tia Fuller.

Wolf’s recent album, History of the Vibraphone, looks backward as much as forward, paying tribute to major figures who shaped the instrument’s jazz language, including Lionel Hampton, Milt Jackson, Bobby Hutcherson, Cal Tjader, Gary Burton, Dave Samuels and Joe Locke. The project gives Thursday’s concert a useful frame: Wolf is not only a virtuoso player, but an artist working inside a long and specific lineage.

What the program promises

For the CAP series, Wolf appears in a trio format, with Funn on bass and Hunter on drums. That setting puts the vibraphone at the center, allowing it to move between melody, harmony and rhythm in a way few instruments can.

The America250 theme points the program toward American musical memory: standards, improvisation and the kind of rhythmic exchange that turns familiar material into something alive in the room. Listeners can expect a concert built less around nostalgia than transformation — songs and traditions refracted through Wolf’s speed, precision and command of color.

A Coral Gables summer tradition

Thursday’s concert is part of CAP’s 41st consecutive Summer Concert Series, one of Coral Gables’ longest-running cultural traditions. Since 1985, the series has brought more than 70,000 concertgoers to the church’s intimate Spanish Revival-style sanctuary.

The series is also tied to CAP’s year-round education mission. Its Conservatory for the Arts and Miami Jazz Institute serve children and youth from more than 59 Miami-Dade County schools, extending the organization’s work beyond the summer concerts.

What to expect

The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. General admission tickets are $35 in advance or $40 at the door. Patron tickets, which include reserved seating in the first nine rows, are $50 in advance or $55 at the door. Parking is free, and tickets may be purchased through the Community Arts Program.

The following morning, Friday, July 10, from 10 a.m. to noon, Wolf will lead a free CAP Summer Master Class and Jam Session at the same venue.

The rest of the series

Wolf’s performance falls midway through a six-concert season that opened June 11 with Empire Wild and continued June 25 with saxophonist Langston Hughes II. The series continues July 23 with classical guitarist Leonela Alejandro, Aug. 6 with pianist Clayton Stephenson and concludes Aug. 20 with vocalist Kate Kortum. All concerts begin at 7:30 p.m. every other Thursday through Aug. 20.

Author: Coral Gables Gazette News Staff

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