Alex Bugnon's Valentine's tradition returns to Ludlow Garage for an 11th year

The Swiss-born jazz pianist and guest Jeff Kashiwa play Saturday, Feb. 13, 2027 — tickets $35 to $65.

Some Cincinnati couples book a table for Valentine's weekend. A good number of them book Alex Bugnon. The jazz pianist's Valentine's show has become an annual fixture, and the 2027 edition is now on the calendar: Alex Bugnon with guest Jeff Kashiwa, Saturday, Feb. 13, 2027, at the Ludlow Garage, 342 Ludlow Ave.

The show was announced Oct. 19. Live Nation lists a 7:30 p.m. start, and admission runs $35 to $65 plus fees, with tickets through Ticketmaster. The event is billed as the 11th Annual Valentine's Day with Alex. Note the date: this year it falls on the Saturday before Valentine's Day, not on the 14th itself, so plan dinner reservations accordingly.

The pairing isn't new either. Bugnon and saxophonist Jeff Kashiwa shared the bill for the February 2026 edition too, a show The Voice of Black Cincinnati billed as celebrating ten years of the tradition. Bringing Kashiwa back keeps the format that has worked: piano-led contemporary jazz with a horn out front, in a room sized for listening.

If you don't know Bugnon's story, it starts a long way from Ohio. He was born in Montreux, Switzerland, began classical piano at 6, studied in Paris and Salzburg, and then came to Boston to continue at Berklee. After school he worked as a session player in New York, backing R&B and jazz acts, before his debut album Love Season in the late 1980s found an audience on both the pop and R&B charts. From there his records moved toward contemporary jazz. That mix — classical training, R&B session work, smooth-jazz instincts — is a good description of what a Valentine's set from him sounds like.

The 11th annual edition falls on Saturday, Feb. 13 — the night before Valentine's Day.

The Ludlow Garage is a fitting home for it. The 725-capacity room has built a calendar that runs from touring rock bands to nostalgia acts and jazz, and a seated, date-night show like this one plays to its strengths. Ludlow Avenue's restaurants are steps away, which makes the whole evening walkable.

When to buy: an 11-year tradition on Valentine's weekend is not the kind of ticket to leave until February. With the show announced in mid-October and pricing tiered from $35 up to $65, the better seats are the ones likely to go first. If you've been before, you know the drill; if you haven't, this is an easy way to give the weekend a plan.

Eleven years in, Valentine's weekend in Cincinnati still has a piano at the center of it.

Sources: Ticketmaster — 11th Annual Valentine's Day with Alex, Cincinnati 02-13-2027 (ticketmaster.com); Live Nation — Ludlow Garage Cincinnati events (livenation.com); Everything Cincy — Upcoming Ludlow Garage concerts (everythingcincy.com); The Voice of Black Cincinnati — Alex Bugnon & Jeff Kashiwa Valentine Show (thevoiceofblackcincinnati.com); Wikipedia — Alex Bugnon (en.wikipedia.org); All About Jazz — Alex Bugnon (allaboutjazz.com); Ludlow Garage - Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)