Showtimes are at 5:30p & 7:30p for this performance. Doors open at 4pm for dinner. Seating begins at 5pm for “Dinner & a Show”. The second show starts seating at 7pm.
Tristan Cappel is a Detroit-born saxophonist, flutist, clarinetist, composer, and producer currently based in Los Angeles. A deeply expressive and versatile artist, Cappel bridges modern jazz, orchestral music, and forward-thinking creative projects with clarity, depth, and intention. Cappel returns to Cliff Bell’s for the first time since 2019 to celebrate the release of his sophomore album North Star. While the album officially releases June 19, it will be available on Bandcamp and vinyl beginning May 29. North Star features Miguel Atwood-Ferguson,
Telemakus, Adam Hersh, Max Gerl, Myles Martin, Alex Sil, Andrew Renfroe, and Kyla Moscovich. For this performance, Cappel will be joined by his Michigan contemporaries and all- star band: Ben Green (trumpet), Jordan Anderson (piano), Kenji Lee (bass), and Jonathan Taylor (drums).
His debut album, Wanderlust (June 7, 2024), introduced Cappel’s distinctive compositional and improvisational voice. The record features Los Angeles standouts Adam Hersh, Randal Fisher, Marlon Martinez, and Tim Rachbach, and highlights Cappel’s dual strength as both an improviser and storyteller. A sought-after collaborator, Cappel has become a fixture in the contemporary jazz and creative music scenes on the West Coast. In 2025, he performed at SFJAZZ’s Miner Auditorium with vibraphonist Sasha Berliner, appeared in multiple programs with the Coltrane Home celebrating the legacy of Alice Coltrane at the HAMMER Museum and in Berkeley, and joined bassist and composer Aubrey Situmorang for her sold-out Los Angeles bandleader debut and live album recording. That same year, he debuted a trio with Telemakus and Miguel Atwood-Ferguson and began recording North Star. Additional performance highlights include appearances with Sly5thAve at Grand Performances in CALIFORNIA LOVE: An Orchestral Celebration of Dr. Dre, Michelle Coltrane at the Hartford Jazz Festival, and Everybody’s LIVE with John Mulaney alongside Cypress Hill and orchestra. In 2024, he performed at Camp Flog Gnaw in A Tribute to MF DOOM led by Miguel Atwood- Ferguson, and appeared at the Hollywood Bowl with Imagine Dragons, Cynthia Erivo, and the LA Phil.
As a performer, Cappel has collaborated with artists including Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, Telemakus, Michelle Coltrane, Sasha Berliner, Sly5thAve, Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band, Bruno Mars, Aubrey Situmorang, John Daversa, Gary Novak, Daru Jones, Cypress Hill, Hugh Jackman, and Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox. He has toured internationally throughout the U.S., Australia, and New Zealand, and performed at festivals including the Detroit Jazz Festival, Hartford Jazz Festival, Iowa City Jazz Festival, and Java Jazz Festival (Indonesia). As a recording artist, Cappel has contributed woodwinds for artists such as Stanley Clarke, Lana Del Rey, Christina Aguilera, H.E.R., Smino, Mick Jenkins, Black Pumas, Lizzo, Sasha Berliner, Telemakus, Kyla Moscovich, Adam Hersh, and Robert DeLeo (Stone Temple Pilots).