Unity Jazz Festival

ABOUT THE CONCERT

Winter’s hottest jazz festival returns with an unforgettable weekend of music, energy, and community!

Headlining the festival is Kes and Friends, bringing their signature Caribbean sound and feel-good spirit to two exclusive concerts featuring Etienne Charles. These performances, held in Rose Theater on Thursday and the Appel Room on Friday, are included with the All-Access Pass, which gives you access to everything happening on your chosen night, including Kes’s concert with guaranteed assigned seating.

The Nightly Festival Pass (No Kes) offers access to all festival performances on your chosen night, except for the Kes concert. Experience sets celebrating the legacy of Eddie Palmieri, along with Tomeka Reid, DJ Logic, Solomon Hicks, Erena Terakubo, Gabriel Chakarji, Rajna Swaminathan, Kate Kortum, winner of the 2025 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition, and more, plus the Jazz Legacies Fellowship Honors All-Star Concert, spotlighting over 15 masters of the music including George Coleman, Amina Claudine Myers, Akua Dixon, Herlin Riley, and Billy Hart.

With every space across our halls activated and buzzing, audiences can discover the full spectrum of jazz, from timeless tributes to bold new sounds, all under one roof. Choose your pass, find your rhythm, and join us for an unforgettable weekend of music!

PERFORMANCE LINEUP & SCHEDULE*

Thursday, January 8
6:30–7:45PM: FUNMI'S JAM with Stacy Dillard & Brookyln Circle and Friends
6:45–7:45PM: Camila Cortina Trio
7–8:30PM: Jazz Legacies Fellowship Honors All-Star Concert 2026
7:30–8:45PM: Tomeka Reid Septet: In Tribute to Ellington
8:15–9:15PM: Wiliam Hill III Trio
8:15–9:30PM: Erena Terakubo Sextet
9:30–10:45PM: Veronica Swift
9:30–11PM: An Intimate Evening with Kes and Friends – Headliner
9:45–10:45PM: Rajna Swaminathan & Miles Okazaki 
10:15–11:30PM: DJ Logic and Friends with Herlin Riley, Luques Curtis, and Nicole Glover
11:15PM–12:30AM: Theme for Akiko: Organ Jam Celebrating Akiko Tsuruga

Friday, January 9
6:30–7:45PM: Etienne Charles & Creole Soul
6:45PM–7:45PM: Andre White Trio
7–8:30PM: Eddie Palmieri Experience: A Musical Retrospective
7:30–8:45PM: Kate Kortum
8:15–9:15PM: Samir LanGus Trio
8:15–9:30PM: Gabriel Chakarji Trio
9:30–10:45PM: Hometown Heroes: New Orleans Own Leroy Jones Quartet with Luther Allison, Yasushi Nakamura, Herlin Riley, Rashaan Salaam
9:30–11PM: An Intimate Evening with Kes and Friends – Headliner
9:45–10:45PM: Veronica Leahy & Emmanuel Michael
10:15–11:30PM: Solomon Hicks
11:15PM–12:30AM: Tivon Pennicott and Friends

*Subject to change.