TAKE NOTE 

On prolific jazz trumpeter, producer, and composer Antoine Drye: The John Varvatos V536 sunglass from De Rigo REM is a retro round titanium silhouette elevated by a suspended browbar. Jacket courtesy John Varvatos.

NYC-based for the last 20 years, Drye has worked with a broad range of artists including Wilson Pickett, Taylor Mac, The Brand New Heavies, John Boutte, The Count Basie Orchestra, and Stew and the Negro Problem, as well as Ellis, Delfeayo, and Jason Marsalis. He can also be seen performing in the movie, "Can You Ever Forgive Me?" and Spike Lee's Netflix series "She's Gotta Have It." When not recording/producing at his studio, samuraihotel.com, Drye can be heard around NYC in the hottest clubs, including Fat Cat.

PRECISION 

(From left) Randolph USA's flagship Aviator channels cool-cat style with flash mirror blue lenses, and a design that surpasses rigid military-spec standards, featuring SkyForce Air lenses with precise optics and performance coatings.

The Lightec 30070L from Morel pairs a 3D-printed rim with beta-titanium temples equipped with the Omicron system—a flexible, screwless hinge exclusive to the company.

The Tema optical style from RetroSuperFuture features a metal construction highlighted by a wide, horizontal frame front and on-trend double bridge.

BLUE NOTE

On award-winning saxophonist Brent Birckhead: The Persol PO0649 from Luxottica is an iconic retro-modern-silhouette sunglass amped up with a keyhole bridge and classic Persol arrows on the temples.

Birckhead has played around the globe and toured with Lauryn Hill, Nas, and Dave Chappelle plus others + his debut album—“BIRCKHEAD”—is now available. The New York Times has called him “One of the most riveting young improvisers in New York.” brentbirckhead.com

FLUIDITY

On must-watch jazz trumpeter Philip Dizack: Lindberg style William 47 has a cross-dimensional shape punctuated by a thin titanium browbar and temples. Downbeat Magazine proclaimed Dizack “[one of 25] Trumpet Players for the Future.”

The brass master has released three solo albums and has been featured in numerous bands, including those of Melissa Aldana and Eddie Palmieri. philipdizack.com

DOWNBEAT

On Julliard-trained, sought-after bassist Russell Hall: MCM style MCM129S from Marchon Eyewear shines in gold metal with a deep modified aviator silhouette with rose-colored lenses.

Hailing from Kingston, Jamaica, Hall has performed and recorded with artists such as Branford and Wynton Marsalis, Jon Batiste, and Stay Human. He currently fronts his own group, The Enigmatics, which celebrates the legacy of legends like Thelonius Monk and Dizzy Gillespie. russellhallbass.com

SKY + WIND

On saxophonist Brent Birckhead: Selima Optique style Mustafa is a made-in-France modified round acetate frame in crystal sky blue with contrasting temples in crystal tangerine.

HARMONIOUS

On producer, composer, trumpeter Antoine Drye: MONSE x Morgenthal Frederics Nina, a red-and-ivory color-blocked round pure titanium style handmade in Japan.

RHYTHMIC

On 86-year-old jazz legend + drummer Billy Kaye: Evatik style E-9190 from WestGroupe, a navigator style in handmade, horn-patterned acetate finished with a brushed gray metal browbar poised on the top edge.

Entirely self-taught, legendary jazz drummer Billy Kaye has toured the globe and shared the stage with jazz greats including Count Basie, Charlie Parker, Thelonius Monk, George Benson, and Dinah Washington. Kaye, also an athletic talent who competed in track and field in the 1952 Olympic Games in Helsinki, still performs today in New York—including regular Monday late-nights at Fat Cat and he often hosts the Monday Night Jam at the Jazz Foundation of America, a nonprofit that assists struggling musicians.

KEYED UP

On globally known performer + pianist David Raleigh: Carrera style 195/S from Safilo is a classic, sophisticated round sunglass in black high-density acetate with an elevated, modernizing browbar.

Coined as the “Nat King Cole for a new generation” by Time Out Magazine, Raleigh is a singer, songwriter, and pianist with three albums to his credit—the last of which boasted a lead single that spent 10 consecutive weeks in Logo (MTV)’s Top Ten. He also recently recorded a version of “That’s What Friends Are For” with Billy Porter to benefit the Ali Forney Center. davidraleigh.com