Spend an evening with a saxophone legend, whose six-decade career as headliner and studio sideman has taken him all around the world, seen him share the stage with jazz immortals, and made him literally, a musical ambassador for the U.S.

Yavapai College invites you to the Jim & Linda Lee Performing Arts Center as it launches the 2023-24 Cabaret Season with Bill Saxton & The Harlem All-Stars at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Sept. 15-16.

An alumnus of Harlem’s famed Nick’s Jazz Pub, Saxton has performed and/or recorded alongside jazz legends such as Pharoah Sanders, Clark Terry and Tito Puente. His innovative Bebop sound has made him a favorite in Europe, Japan and the Caribbean. Saxton has made six feature albums and more than 80 compositions, including the critically acclaimed “Beneath the Surface,” “One for Booker” and “Priorities.”

The Harlem Jazz Museum has created exhibits honoring Saxton’s life; he has been inducted as a jazz legend at the Lincoln Center Library of Music; he was selected by the U.S. State Department as a musical ambassador to West Africa; and he was recently honored by the White House as part of its Black History Month celebrations.

Saxton is also the proprietor of Bill’s Place, the legendary 133rd Street speakeasy that became a Prohibition Era haven for the likes of Duke Ellington, pianist Willie “The Lion” Smith and a (then) up-and-coming Billie Holiday. Saxton acquired and reopened the spot in 2006, and it is recognized as one of New York City’s pre-eminent jazz venues, honoring the greats of yesterday and the artists of tomorrow.

Bill Saxton and the Harlem All Stars — bassist Zaid Shukri, drummer Timothy Angulo and pianist Jordan Williams — will launch the ninth season of the Performing Arts Center’s Cabaret Series, a uniquely personal experience where patrons can enjoy coffee, cocktails and dessert while they watch the world’s finest musicians in an intimate, club-style setting.

Tickets for Bill Saxton and the Harlem All Stars are $59 general admission, which includes seating at a table onstage, appetizers, desserts, coffee or tea and a cash bar. The Jim & Linda Lee Performing Arts Center is located on Yavapai College’s Prescott Campus, 1100 E. Sheldon St. The Ticket Office is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays. For reservations and more information, call 928-776-2000, or visit www.ycpac.com.

Information provided by the Jim & Linda Lee Performing Arts Center.