The Women’s Jazz Festival, held at Hey Nonny in Arlington Heights last January, was so popular that they are bringing it back through Jan. 7, and co-owner Chip Brooks promises it will be even bigger and better.

“We’re doing four days instead of three days,” Brooks said. “We’ve got some amazing performers coming in.”There will be two early shows for $1: the Mary Halm Project and Emily Kuhn’s Helios Project on Jan. 5, and the Alexander/McLean Project by the Affinity Trio featuring Pamela York on Jan. 6. The Jan. 6 early show will also feature Chicago jazz singer Dee Alexander and guitarist John McLean.

Bassist Marlene Rosenberg’s Quintet opens the Jan. 5 show at 7:30 p.m. followed by Natalie’s Wood, led by Chicago saxophonist Juli Wood.

At 7:30 p.m. Jan. 6, Heirloom, a Milwaukee jazz Ensemble, will feature Hannah Johnson on Drums and Katie Ernst on bass as the opening act.

They will be followed by the Eunoia Society, a contemporary music group.

Chicago pianist Megan Stagl will perform on Jan. 7 at a jazz brunch from 10:30 a.m. to 1:45 p.m.

Reservations are required for this nonticketed event.

“Probably the most important thing that we’re doing is the Sunday afternoon show in the Metropolis Performing Arts Center here,” Brooks said.

The 3 p.m. event will open with Chicago native Alexis Lombre and her trio. Brooks called the pianist, singer, and composer “the hottest young piano player in the country right now.”

She will be followed by Brooklyn guitarist Mary Halvorson. Brooks said that Hey Nonny decided to host a Women’s Jazz Festival last year for a couple of reasons.

“We have had a lot of women jazz performers at Hey Nonny,” he said. “I could see that a lot of them were working on other people’s gigs but they weren’t getting a lot of opportunities to lead their own things.”

In addition, Brooks added, “We were looking for something fun to do at the beginning of the year.”

It turned out to be a perfect idea. Brooks said that they had great crowds. “The people loved it and the performers loved it,” he reported.

Sitarist Shanta Nurullah said, “It’s important to highlight the existence of women in jazz because we still don’t get enough work.”

Myrna Petlicki is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.