“I was like, wow, this girl can do it! Really nice,” Borges recalled. “After she finished singing, we talked and realized that we could actually work on something together.”
Work they did—a lot—especially during the COVID years when very few musicians had gigs.
“We called it the Front Lawn Concert Series,” Borges said. “It was pretty much like a community event because the host would get together with a couple of neighbors to put a little money down and invite other friends and neighbors.”
Borges estimated that he and Preston played as many as 150 of the outdoor house concerts. “and because of COVID,” Borges added, “all the musicians were available. So we could have any band we want. That was nice.”
On Saturday, the pair will be joined by drummer Liam Smith, bassist Gary Aprile and saxophonist Chris Burge. “I couldn’t ask for any better,” Borges said. “Chris and Ava have this chemistry of solos on stage. They do this little ‘battle’ that is amazing.”
Preston can count on the stages getting bigger following her win at the 2026 International Ella Fitzgerald Jazz Vocal Competition held at Washington, D.C.’s storied Blues Alley.
“I was able to perform with Sachal Vasandani, and I love him so much. It was an incredible experience, and I’m so honored,” Preston said. “I also graduated from Juilliard in May. So it was a big year for me.”
For the record, her Juilliard degree is a masters, a heady achievement for someone who until last October, couldn’t legally buy a drink in the clubs where she sang. With that glossy credential in hand, Preston has opted to stay in New York after graduation and dive into the city’s mad musical scene.
“There’s a lot of talent,” she said of her new home base. “There’s a lot of clubs too, but it’s, different to start from a place where nobody really knows you. So, I’ve had to sort of forge my own thing again.”
Don’t count her out. This is an artist who annually booked 80 to 100 of her own gigs while she was still in high school. Still, her own thing might mean the chances to savor the great warmth, respect and rapport that Preston and Borges have developed on northeast Ohio stages could be fewer and farther between. Best to savor them while you can.
This week opens a window of opportunity to do so. “We have four dates that me and Moises are doing while I’m in Ohio for a little bit, but then I’m going right back to New York,” Preston said.
There’s a lovely Brazilian expression, saudade, that can’t be accurately translated, The best way to apprehend the meaning, which lives at the nexus of sadness, nostalgia and longing, is by listening to bossa nova.
Moises Borges Quartet Featuring Ava Preston, July 11, 8 p.m. BOP STOP, 2920 Detroit Rd., Cleveland. Tickets $25, available here.
For the most complete listing of jazz and jazz-adjacent events., look to Jim Szabo’s essential, weekly Northeast Ohio jazz calendar.
