THE OLD SOUL OF
THE NEW CENTURY

Singer, multi-instrumentalist, vaudevillian,
songwriter, musical historian—and one of
today’s most irresistible entertainers

Halfway through 2026 may seem a little early to name a Performer of the Year, but I’m comfortable making the call. Bryce Edwards has earned it. I’m forever crawling under the table to retrieve my socks after he’s knocked them off.

Consistently my hands-down favorite all-around entertainer is only as old as this current century, but this guy is the ultimate old soul who knows old music and makes it newly, truly fresh and fun. Even with 2026 just half over, this confident is based on experience, exposure, and excitement. This year, he has had multiple impressive appearances, but his work in 2025 and before have been clear previews and predictors of an ever-growing charismatic stage presence and expertise.

Bryce Edwards (photo by Kevin Alvey)

Still only in his twenties, Edwards possesses the instincts, musicianship, and stage presence of someone who has spent a lifetime entertaining audiences. An unabashed devotee of early jazz and popular song, he revives music that’s often nearly a century old without treating it like museum material. Instead, he makes it feel fresh, spontaneous, and joyfully alive. And he’s even more versatile than one might guess at first, because he has been concentrating on jazz from the earliest decades of the 1900s, including century-old obscurities that are as rare as his talents. Far from an embryo or newly hatched newbie neophyte, he’s already quite the pro, having industriously studied and collected sheet music and musical instruments. Not only does he sing, he plays ukulele, banjo, guitar, novelty instruments you’ve probably never seen before—occasionally more than one at a time—and happily reaches for a slide whistle or antique megaphone when called for. Just as impressive is his encyclopedic knowledge of the music he performs. He’s as much historian as entertainer, sharing forgotten songs and fascinating stories with infectious enthusiasm that never feels academic.

The word Frivolity may suggest lightweight entertainment, but there’s nothing frivolous about Bryce’s dedication to preserving the music of the early twentieth century. He performs forgotten novelties, obscure gems, and familiar classics with equal affection, peppering the evening with bits of history that make audiences appreciate them all the more. Better yet, he never lectures. He simply invites everyone into his enthusiasm.

His talents extend well beyond vintage jazz. Musical theater audiences have already seen him onstage, and they should see much more of him there. He’s a natural actor, quick comedian, gifted storyteller, visual artist, songwriter, and collaborator. Whether performing with Drew Nugent and the Midnight Society, Buck and a Quarter, the Uptown Strutters, the Rivertown Vintage Jazz Band, The Wayfaring Strangers, and in guest appearances throughout the New York cabaret and jazz scene, he consistently leaves audiences smiling.

Bryce Edwards

Perhaps that’s what impresses me most. Bryce Edwards doesn’t merely perform for an audience. He welcomes one. His warmth, generosity, humor, and obvious delight in sharing music create the feeling that everyone in the room has been invited into a private party hosted by an old friend.

That’s why, halfway through the year, I’m already comfortable naming Bryce Edwards my Performer of the Year. If the second half of 2026 is anything like the first, he’ll only strengthen his case.

Bryce Edwards and Mike Davis

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Bryce Edwards
upcoming appearances:
The Red Room, 85 E. 4th Street, NYC: July 9, 2026
The Bryce Edwards Frivolity Hour! returns to Birdland Jazz Club, September 14, 2026
for more Bryce, visit, well, Bryce and Gobbydafoo (Instagram)

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