In a career spanning two decades and a wide range of musical endeavors, saxophonist Mark Turner is emerging as a powerful figure in the jazz community. With a distinctive, personal sound, exceptional improvisational skills and an innovative, demanding compositional approach, he has earned a reputation as one of the most original and influential figures in jazz […]
Christian Sands, jazz pianist and composer was mentored by pianist Billy Taylor, who allowed the teenager to close one of the sets that Taylor played at the Kennedy Center. Sands went on to study at the Manhattan School of Music. The school's Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra, led by Bobby Sanabria, recorded the album Kenya Revisited Live […]
Nicholas Payton – trumpet | Walter Smith III – tenor saxophone (Wed - Fri, 4/17 - 4/19) | Melissa Aldana – tenor saxophone (Sat - Sun, 4/20 - 4/21) | Renee Rosnes – piano | Peter Washington – bass | Al Foster – drums An all-star group performs the music of Joe Henderson, one of […]
Since jazz exploded in the second half of the 20th century, Harlem-born singer/guitarist/bandleader/composer Allan Harris has figured as the most talented and unique voice of his generation. The Miami Herald aptly described him as an artist with "the warmth of Tony Bennett, the swagger and sense of rhythm of Sinatra, and the elegance of Nat 'King' […]
NEA Jazz Master and four-time Grammy Award Winner Stanley Clarke has attained “living legend” status during his over 50-year career as a bass virtuoso. He is the first bassist in history who doubles on acoustic and electric bass with equal ferocity and the first jazz-fusion bassist ever to headline tours, selling out shows worldwide. A […]
Eugenie Jones is an American jazz vocalist, songwriter, and producer. She has collaborated with many jazz artists, including Reggie Workman, Bernard Purdie, Julian Priester, Bobby Sanabria, Lynn Seaton, Marquis Hill, Bill Anschell, and Lonnie Plaxico. She received the Jazz Hero Award by the Jazz Journalist Association in 2023. Jones writes original straight-ahead, swing, and soul-infused jazz lyrics and melodies and […]
Celebrated keyboardist, composer and studio musician, Brian Simpson has been the ‘go-to’ man for everyone from Janet Jackson and Teena Marie to George Duke, Stanley Clarke and Dave Koz, for whom he has had the distinction of being musical director for the past 15 years. The chart-topping musical chameleon who wrote the #1 R&B hit “The First Time” for Surface in the 1990s confesses, […]
Steve Turre Sextet with Andromeda Turre One of the world’s preeminent jazz innovators, trombonist and seashellist Steve Turre has consistently won both the Readers’ and Critics’ polls in JazzTimes, Downbeat, and Jazziz for Best Trombone and for Best Miscellaneous Instrumentalist (shells). Turre was born to Mexican-American parents and grew up in the San Francisco Bay […]
Christian McBride is an eight-time GRAMMY Award-winning bassist, songwriter and bandleader. He is the Artistic Director of the iconic Newport Jazz Festival, the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), the TD James Moody Jazz Festival, and the National Jazz Museum in Harlem. McBride is also a respected educator and youth advocate, serving as Artistic Director of Jazz […]
Featured artist: Anat Cohen, clarinet Maria Schneider, conductor & Scott Flavin, emcee | Shelly Berg, piano & Mark Nuccio, clarinet | Steve Guerra, composer Experience the magic of Brazilian music as Anat Cohen, the charismatic and prolific Grammy-nominated clarinetist and saxophonist, joins forces with The Henry Mancini Institute Orchestra, conducted by the renowned NEA Jazz […]
Year of ALICE, a Jazz Appreciation Month Special features the quartet performing the music of Alice Coltrane. Mala Waldron is a native of NYC whose first paid gig was playing keys and singing back-up vocals with a local R&B band, "Liquid Pleasure" at the Elk's club at age 15. Shortly after joining, the band was […]
Since her debut, Nicole Henry has established herself among the jazz world's most acclaimed performers, possessing a potent combination of dynamic vocal abilities, impeccable phrasing, and powerful emotional resonance.
Grammy nominated pianist, composer, and arranger is celebrating 40 years in the music business and 15+ years with the Orchard/Sony Music Distribution Bob Baldwin has proven to be one of the most ubiquitous and ingenious chameleons of Contemporary Jazz - both in his own projects and those he has endeavored upon for others - for […]
Singer/Songwriter Eugenie Jones is an exceptional vocalist and cleverly gifted lyricist who has released highly-praised, primarily original, soulful American Jazz vocal projects. She has been nominated for a Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Album and internationally ranked #7 on Jazz Week's Top 50 charts and #30 on Jazz Week's 2022 Top 100 Albums. Jones is […]
Known as the “mugician,” trumpeter/vocalist Keyon Harrold is a triple threat: unimpeachable trumpet virtuoso, soul stirring singer, and deep appreciator of many musical genres. This recipe leads to a musical synthesis that only he can concoct and makes him a trailblazer in 21st-century music. Harrold’s career is a spectrum of greatness, from touring and recording with Jay-z and […]
America's Songbird Myrna Clayton joins Big Band Jazz with the West Side Winds Jazz Orchestra, conducted by Jody Mayfield. Special guest vocalist during the evening performance of is the Enchanting Cheryl Johnson. Presented by Asa Music Production, Inc celebrating Jazz Appreciation Month. Senior 55+ discount tickets online ONLY. ***Not sold at the door event day. […]
In our new series with renowned solo performers from the jazz world, we present Jason Moran. It has been years since the American piano master last performed here. At that time, he was the leading light of the new jazz generation, with an eye for developments in hip-hop and contemporary art. He emerged as a […]
Described as a “New Jazz Power Source” by the New York Times, cellist extraordinaire Tomeka Reid presents her groundbreaking new work inspired by Duke Ellington. Be among the first to witness this Kennedy Center co-commission as Reid seamlessly captures the essence of Ellington, all while propelling jazz into bold new territories. Described as a “New Jazz […]
Renowned bassist from New York presents compositions from her album The Glass Hours. From rock solid accompaniment on double bass to elastic electric bass lines: Linda May Han Oh has mastered it, and always seems to become one with her instrument on stage. On top of that she is an excellent composer of tunes that seem […]
Guest vocalist and multi-Grammy Award nominee Jazzmeia Horn will perform with the North Carolina Central University Jazz Ensemble, directed by Robert Trowers and the Vocal Jazz Ensemble, directed by Dr. Lenora Helm Hammonds.
Vocalist, composer, producer, arranger and 7 time Grammy nominee Nnenna Freelon brings her talent to the Hayti Heritage Center on the campus of North Carolina Central University. She is joined by her ensemble including bassist John Brown, the NCCU Jazz Ensemble under the direction of Robert Trowers, and the NCCU Vocal Jazz Ensemble directed by […]
Singer and guitarist, he represents the quintessence of jazz vocals, heir to an art, that of crooners, which in the past has produced great performers. Born in Brooklyn and raised between Harlem and Pittsburgh, between jazz and country, over the course of his career he has received dozens of awards, among which the Downbeat critics' […]
If the paths of jazz, blues and pop mostly run in parallel, it is not at all uncommon for their paths to intersect and come together in a single, and generally quite intriguing, stretch. For some time one of these intersections has borne the name of Kandace Springs: the young singer, pianist and composer based […]
The trumpeter performed in New York's loft scene with various groups including the Melodic Art-Tet (Charles Brackeen, Roger Blank and Ronnie Boykins, later William Parker). Ahmed Abdullah formed his own band in 1972, and joined the Sun Ra Arkestra in 1975, working there on and off until 1993, when Sun Ra died. He stayed on […]
