A tribute to Monnette Sudler

Ars Nova Workshop is proud to present a tribute to the late guitarist and Philadelphia jazz legend Monnette Sudler at Solar Myth on Sunday, June 2 from 2-6pm.

Hailed as Philadelphia’s “First Lady of Guitar,” Monnette Sudler enjoyed a wide–ranging career beginning as a teenager in the early 1970s with the avant–garde collective Sounds of Liberation and branching out through jazz, blues, funk, spiritual jazz, vocal music, children’s songs, collaborations between jazz and spoken word, and much more. Over the ensuing half century she spanned the jazz and blues spectrums with her own work as a bandleader, guitarist and vocalist while collaborating with such legendary artists as Grover Washington, Jr., David Murray, and Archie Shepp, among others. She also gathered an array of fellow six–string wizards at her annual Philadelphia Guitar Summit — bringing together masters, emerging practitioners, and novices in a supportive and exploratory environment, which she hosted for nearly a decade prior to her death in 2022.

A host of local musicians and longtime colleagues, led by pianist and musical director Sumi Tonooka, will celebrate her life and music at this special event, proceeds from which will benefit a scholarship fund for young women instrumentalists in Sudler’s memory. Throughout the afternoon, an ample array of artists who shared stages with Monnette will present musical and poetic offerings that pay tribute to her musical genius and generous spirit.  Come when you can, and leave when you must.