Dan Wilborn brings together a lineup of accomplished musicians for BATTLE OF THE HORNS, opening the Space Coast Jazz Society’s 2026–2027 concert season with the horns taking center stage.
A versatile multi-instrumentalist, Wilborn performs on alto, tenor and soprano saxophones as well as flute. His musical history on Florida’s Space Coast includes appearances with the Puzzlers, Equator, The Rainmakerz and the Space Coast Big Band, along with concert performances for WGRV radio and live appearances on WFIT. His association with WFIT stretches back more than a decade, including a 2013 live Taste of Jazz performance featuring Dan and Dexter Wilborn on twin tenor saxophones with guitarist Matt Heister, bassist Ron Pirtle and drummer Nick Chirico.
Wilborn has also appeared at the Melbourne Arts Festival, Suwannee Music Festival and Foosaner Art Museum in Melbourne. His history with the Space Coast Jazz Society includes leading a 2023 concert with Dexter Wilborn, Dan Latt, Ron Pirtle and Nick Chirico, as well as appearing with the Dexter Wilborn Quintet during the Society’s 2024 season.
Based in Melbourne Beach, Wilborn has been part of the Space Coast music community for many years, performing in settings ranging from jazz ensembles and big bands to festivals and radio broadcasts. For BATTLE OF THE HORNS, he brings that experience together in a concert designed around the sound, interplay and versatility of the horn section for an afternoon of live jazz on the Space Coast..
UPCOMING FALL 2026 CONCERTS!
RICHARD DREXLER TRIO
Sunday, October 11, 2026 | 2-4p
Multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger and producer Richard Drexler brings a career spanning decades of jazz performance, recording and education. Based in Florida since 1985, Drexler has toured extensively and performed with the Jeff Berlin Trio, Woody Herman Orchestra and John Allred, while accompanying vocalists including Mel Tormé, Tony Bennett, Diahann Carroll, Frankie Laine, Bob Dorough and Mose Allison.
Drexler has performed on or produced more than 100 albums and currently serves on the jazz faculty at the University of Central Florida. His music draws from jazz, classical and Latin traditions, bringing those influences together in a distinctive trio setting.
JON OXFORD TRIO
Sunday, November 8, 2026 | 2-4p
Guitarist Jon Oxford combines more than two decades of performing and teaching experience with a strong background in jazz composition and education. He currently serves as Director of Instrumental Activity at Eastern Florida State College, overseeing its Concert Band, Jazz Band, Chamber Orchestra and Community Orchestra, and previously taught jazz at Stetson University.
As a freelance guitarist, Oxford has performed with a wide range of ensembles and artists, including Sam Rivers’ Rejuvenation. He is also the author of “The Organized Guitarist” and “Rhythmic Elements of the Jazz Language,” reflecting a career devoted to jazz performance, scholarship and education.
VOCALIST MADDY WINER
Sunday, December 13, 2026 | 2-4p
The Space Coast Jazz Society celebrates the holiday season with vocalist Maddy Winer, whose career has been shaped by the Great American Songbook, jazz standards and classic popular music. Winer performed extensively with pianist and composer Loonis McGlohon, including a sold-out concert at Lincoln Center, and appeared in the touring production “North Carolina Is My Home” with McGlohon and Charles Kuralt.
Her career has included performances at Lincoln Center, the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami Beach, the Saint Louis Symphony and Toronto’s Saint Lawrence Centre for the Arts. She has also opened concerts for artists including Dave Brubeck, Lou Rawls, David Sanborn, George Shearing, Al Jarreau, Ellis Marsalis, John Pizzarelli and Diane Schuur.
The holiday concert includes decorations and a complimentary glass of wine.
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