Name: Richard Cortez w/Steve Schmidt Trio — Celebrating Sinatra
Start: 2025-11-21T19:00:00-05:00
End: 2025-11-21T22:00:00-05:00
Location: Caffè Vivace - Cincinnati, OH

$Richard Cortez w\/Steve Schmidt Trio \u2014 Celebrating Sinatra$

Richard Cortez — vocalist
Steve Schmidt — piano
Aaron Jacobs — bass
Jim Leslie — drums
Join us at Caffè Vivace on Friday, November 21, 2025, for a swinging tribute to Frank Sinatra with acclaimed vocalist Richard Cortez and the Steve Schmidt Trio. Known for his deep knowledge of the Great American Songbook and his fresh, heartfelt interpretations, Cortez brings warmth, wit, and style to Sinatra’s timeless classics. Don’t miss this evening of unforgettable songs, impeccable swing, and rich storytelling in the intimate setting of Cincinnati’s premier jazz venue.
Cortez, known for his ambition and extensive knowledge of The Great American Songbook, has shared the bandstand with some of New York City’s most celebrated and respected musicians — Sullivan Fortner, Adam Birnbaum, Paul Gill, Peter Bernstein, Grant Stewart, Alexander Claffy, Joe Farnsworth, Jerry Weldon, Joe Strasser, Nicole Glover, Russell Hall, and Emmet Cohen — to name a few.
Splitting his time between several weekly residencies at iconic LGBT venues across the city—among them: Club Cumming, Metropolitan Bar, and Rebar—Cortez has focused and refined his artistry while growing his wide fan base. Recent performances in distinguished productions such as Live at Emmet’s Place with the Emmet Cohen Trio or Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Jazz at Pride with drummer/bandleader Bryan Carter have marked the vocalist’s career for success.
Cortez’s openly gay renderings of timeless treasures by Cole Porter, Billie Holiday, Jerome Kern, and many others deliver sweetness, self-assuredness, and disarming vulnerability with a well-timed wit. Richard breathes exciting new life into this beloved material, forever reminding us that as we progress as a society, so do our stories told within these sacred songs.
A $15 drink/food minimum is charged per person in the party, per set, if the total for beverages purchased by the party does not meet the minimum.
Important Notices:
If you do not check in by 15 minutes into the start of the set, we reserve the right to resell your seats with no refund.
Tickets for this performance are non-refundable. If you are unable to attend, a one-time transfer to a future show of equal value will be accepted. The transfer must be requested 24 hours before the start of the performance.