Leela James, Maysa and a roundup of music in Charlotte

MIDDLE C JAZZ

Grammy nominee Maysa returns to Charlotte on April 11 for a show at Middle C Jazz.

The latest events from stage, screen and exhibits in Charlotte:

March 12
Leela James plays the Carolina Theatre at 8 p.m. as part of the 2BHonest Tour.

James, who has released seven LP albums, channels some of the all-time R&B/soul greats with performances that are equal parts church and blues club. James has eight top-20 R&B radio singles, including two No. 1 tracks on the Billboard charts. Her 2021 single Complicated topped the Billboard Adult R&B songs chart for three straight weeks. 

Tickets are $68-$122 and available online at Ticketmaster.com.

March 15
Independent Picture House hosts its annual Oscars Viewing Party & Fundraiser at 4237 Raleigh St.

The party, emceed by "Positively Charlotte" hosts Alicia Quarles and Liza Mahachek,  raises money to support the cinema’s operations, programs, and mission to educate and engage the community through film.

Live music, complimentary food and drink, silent auction and trivia are among the festivities.
Information: independentpicturehouse.org.

Emmy and Grammy winner Braxton Cook (Not Everyone Can Go") plays Middle C Jazz, 300 S Brevard St. Tickets available at middlecjazz.com.

March 20
Saxophonist Mike Phillips plays 2026 Project Preview at Middle C Jazz, 300 S Brevard St. Tickets available at middlecjazz.com.

March 20-21
Charlotte Symphony Orchestra presents "Encanto in Concert" at Belk Theater, 130 N Tryon St.. The Oscar-winning Walt Disney Studios movie tells the tale of the Madrigals, a family living in a magical house in the mountains of Colombia. Watch the entire feature-length film as the symphony performs the score live.
Tickets: tix.blumenthalarts.org.

March 26
Selwyn Birchwood ("Electric Swamp Funkin' Blues") at Middle C Jazz, 300 S Brevard St. Tickets: middlecjazz.com.

March 28
"Chain of Ideas: An Afternoon with Dr. Ibram X. Kendi," Carolina Theatre, 2 p.m.

Kendi, a historian and leading antiracist scholar, is a professor of history and founding director of the Howard University Institute for Advanced Study, an interdisciplinary research enterprise examining global racism.

Tickets are $68-$82 and available at Ticketmaster.

April 3
Keyboardist Nicolas Cole ("Blue Magic") takes the stage at Middle C Jazz, 300 S Brevard St. Tickets: middlecjazz.com.

April 7
Contemporary soul trio Moonchild plays Knight Theater at 7:30 p.m. as part of the Waves Tour.

The Los Angeles-based threesome of Amber Navran, Andris Mattson and Max Bryk  combines neo-soul, jazz and electronic music into a genre-fluid sound. 

Tickets start at $52.77 and available at blumenthalarts.org/events/detail/moonchild-waves-tour

April 11
Two-time Grammy nominee Maysa ("Milestones") returns to Charlotte for a show at Middle C Jazz, 300 S Brevard St. Tickets: middlecjazz.com.

Through April 26
“In Pursuit of Home” at Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture, Levine Center for the Arts, 551 South Tryon St.

Artist Mario Moore's exhibit encourages viewers to reflect on how the meaning of home is changing in modern America and the inequalities intertwined with its pursuit. 

The exhibition explores the desire for homeownership in the United States, particularly among people in their 20s and 30s, and the barriers that make achieving it more challenging. 
Information: ganttcenter.org/exhibitions/in-pursuit-of-home.

May 2
R&B icons October London and Lalah Hathaway take over Ovens Auditorium, 2900 E Independence Blvd. for a concert event celebrating love, soul and timeless music. Showtime is 8 p.m. 

Tickets at Ticketmaster.com.

May 5
The Robert Cray Band, 7:30 p.m. Carolina Theatre, 230 N. Tryon St.

The blues-rock standout first picked up a guitar after seeing The Beatles on TV then, having witnessed Jimi Hendrix perform in Seattle, determined his destiny would follow a similar path. Cray’s developed into one of American music’s top music artists over the last half century.

Tickets range from $55-$174 and available at ticketmaster.com.

June 6
Grammy-nominated R&B singer Ari Lennox brings her North American tour to Skyla Credit Union Amphitheatre. The show is in support of her third studio album Vacancy. Tickets available at livenation.com.

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