Jackiem Joyner brings 'Every Part Of Me' to Middle C for Halloween weekend

The saxophonist, who has played Charlotte more than any other city in our records, takes two nights at Middle C Jazz with songs from his first Shanachie album.

For a saxophonist who has toured more than 30 countries, Jackiem Joyner spends a lot of time in Charlotte. In our records he has played here more than any other city, 10 shows, and Halloween weekend makes it two more: Joyner's own events page lists him at Middle C Jazz on Friday, October 30 and again on Saturday, October 31.

Check the night before you buy. The showtimes we saw differed between listings, so confirm them on the club's Etix ticket page. Either way, it's a seated jazz club, and on a holiday weekend the good tables go first.

This run comes with new material. Every Part Of Me, released January 16, 2026, is Joyner's first album for Shanachie Entertainment, and his site describes it as written, produced and largely performed by Joyner himself. It moves through funk, soul, R&B, rock and contemporary jazz, and it's built around themes he's put front and center: fatherhood, belonging, resilience and renewal. Ten months after release, these songs have had time to settle in on stage, and a two-night stand is where a player stretches them.

Fatherhood, belonging, resilience and renewal.

If your idea of smooth jazz is background music, Joyner is a good argument against it. His biography traces him from Norfolk, Virginia, where he found the saxophone young, to a debut album, Babysoul, in 2007 and nearly two decades of touring since. He's also a novelist: his debut novel, *Zarya: Cydnus Final Hope*, won a Silver Literary Titan Book Award in 2019. That makes him a rare kind of bandleader, one who writes on the page as well as on the horn, which is the angle Middle C itself took in its own feature, "composing on and off the page".

The room suits him. Middle C is a listening club, the kind of place where a sax player can drop to a whisper and the crowd goes with him. Our listing puts it around 200 people. That's close enough to hear the breath behind the notes, which is the whole point of seeing a horn player live instead of streaming him.

Halloween weekend in Charlotte usually means house parties and costume crawls. If you want something a little more grown-up, or just want to sit down for an evening, two nights of Jackiem Joyner at Middle C is a good alternative. Pick a night, book a table, and leave the costume at home. Or don't. It is Saturday the 31st.

Sources: Jackiem Joyner: Events (jackiemjoyner.com); Jackiem Joyner: Home (Every Part Of Me) (jackiemjoyner.com); Jackiem Joyner: Biography (jackiemjoyner.com); Jackiem Joyner: Discography (jackiemjoyner.com); Middle C Jazz: Jackiem Joyner, composing on and off the page (middlecjazz.com); Etix: Jackiem Joyner at Middle C Jazz Club (etix.com); Etix: Middle C Jazz Club upcoming events (etix.com); Charlotte Directory: Middle C Jazz - Jazz Near You (jazznearyou.com)