This special summer concert features theJazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra (JLCO), with music direction by trombonist Chris Crenshaw, performing Duke Ellington’s pioneering 1943 masterpiece Black, Brown and Beige, a monumental three-movement magnum opus that was, in his words, a “tone parallel to the history of the Negro in America.” Vocalist Ekep Nkwelle and violinist Eli Bishop join the JLCO as special guests. This is Ellington’s most ambitious and profound work—a singular achievement in jazz history that will provide an unforgettable concert experience.

This concert is pay-what-you-choose and not part of subscriptions.

Wynton Marsalis interprets the music of jazz masters Thelonious Monk, Louis Armstrong, John Coltrane, Chick Corea, and other giants. Performed with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, these big band arrangements by Marsalis bring his imagination, intelligence, and insight to seminal works that are tuneful and substantive.

The Ertegun Jazz Concert

Two-time Grammy Award–winning vocalist Catherine Russell marks her 70th birthday with a joyful celebration honoring the music, the mentors, and the moments that have shaped her remarkable career. Born into a true royal family of jazz—her mother, Carline Ray, was a member of the pioneering International Sweethearts of Rhythm, and her father, Luis Russell, served as music director for Louis Armstrong’s big band in the 30s and 40s—Russell embodies jazz greatness across generations. She brings together a group of cherished collaborators and lifelong friends, welcoming audiences into the music with unmistakable warmth, class, and a deep sense of family.

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Songwriters Hall of Fame legend Steve Miller returns for a special milestone performance marking his 10th year on the Rose Theater stage. A masterful storyteller and bandleader in the Texas blues tradition, Miller brings his signature sound to the hall once again for an unforgettable evening, joined by special guests. 

Trombonist Wycliffe Gordon, an original member of the Wynton Marsalis Septet and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, is a walking revival. With his astonishing array of musical skills, a crackling septet, and the evocative five-person chorus Damien Sneed and Friends, Gordon presents his musical autobiography, Welcome to Georgia Town, a journey through his life experiences and upbringing in Georgia. This deeply personal original work reveals his vision of authentic music from the contemporary American South.

One of the great and true maestros of the world, virtuoso Cuban pianist and composer Chucho Valdés returns to Rose Theater to celebrate his 85th birthday. Recipient of Cuba’s highest honors, the National Prize of Music in Cuba and the Medal Félix Varela, he presentsa thrilling exploration of his deep roots in Jazz Norteamericano. Joined by an all-star quintet featuring legendary saxophonist Joe Lovano, innovative bassist John Patitucci, and prodigious drummer Marcus Gilmore, Valdés brings his fiery, erudite, and purposeful playing to the stage for an unforgettable birthday celebration. Don’t miss history in the making.

Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra (JLCO) explore the deep and enduring connections between jazz and the African diaspora. Featuring selections from three of Marsalis’ original suites—Ochas, Afro!, and Congo Square—the program blends Yoruba-inspired portraits, Afro-Cuban rhythms, and Ghanaian musical traditions with the communal heritage of jazz handed down from 19th-century New Orleans. The JLCO is joined by special guests Pedrito Martinez and Weedie Braimah—two musicians of genius with encyclopedic command of diverse musical languages—on drums, percussion, and vocals, and by soul-stirring vocalist Shenel Johns.

Step into the world of the composer, pianist, and bandleader Duke Ellington in this family-friendly concert with the Future of Jazz Orchestra big band collective curated by Jazz at Lincoln Center, featuring the rising young stars in jazz today. From sophisticated orchestral forms to elegant melodies and stomping blues, audiences of all ages will discover the originality, sophistication, and unbridled joy that made Ellington a true American cultural icon.

This program is funded through the generosity of Mica and Ahmet Ertegun and is supported in part by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.

Celebrate the global language of jazz and the spirit of place in Marsalis’ Swinging Cities. Featuring his Vitoria Suite, Shanghai Suite, and Marciac Suite, the program reflects Wynton Marsalis' global journey, distilling the cultures, experiences, and connections he and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra have formed across these years. Marsalis says, “This is a celebration of the uncommon embrace and unflagging support I have received from different cities during my nearly five decades on the road.”

Join us for an all-star concert honoring the lifelong devotion of pianist, arranger and composer Eddie Palmieri (1936–2025) to Afro-Caribbean music and jazz. Fittingly known as “The Sun of Latin Music,” Palmieri was a Puerto Rican visionary whose journey through the Afro-diaspora reshaped the sound of Latin jazz and salsa. His longtime collaborators—saxophonist Louis Fouché and bassist Luques Curtis—music direct a star-studded lineup of Palmieri alumni, including Brian Lynch, Conrad Herwig, Herman Olivera, Nelson Gonzalez, and more, to showcase his music across the decades.

The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, under the music direction of Chris Crenshaw, presents its sixth season of Journey Through Jazz, the popular and informative concert series exploring the fundamentals of jazz through performance and narrative. This edition delves into the Great American Songbook, spotlighting rising-star vocalists and fresh takes on classic tunes from the golden age of song.

Part of the Lynne and Richard Pasculano Jazz Series, this is a pay-what-you-choose performance and not part of subscriptions. Tickets available on May 20, 2025.

Celebrate the holiday season with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra (JLCO) and Big Band Holidays, a can’t-miss tradition now in its 13th year in the House of Swing. Under the music direction of Chris Crenshaw, the JLCO enlivens festive favorites through swinging arrangements by orchestra members. Long celebrated as a launching pad for jazz’s brightest voices—including Cécile McLorin Salvant, Samara Joy, and Gregory Porter—this year’s edition of Big Band Holidays introduces rising star Georgia Heers, whose vibrant voice brings youthful energy to beloved classics, alongside Catherine Russell, whose dazzling career and masterful interpretations of American song make her both a beacon and a mentor for this new generation. Together, they fill the room with warmth, joy, and holiday magic that keeps audiences coming back year after year.

Wynton Marsalis Quintet’s music features exploratory improvising and writing for two horns, rhythmic shifts, and strettos as well as unpredictable modulations of moods and keys. Above all, there is his hardcore belief in the dynamic power of swinging jazz. From 1984’s Black Codes from the Underground to the Integrity Suite (played before the U.S. Supreme Court in 2023), the music is spontaneous, highly interactive, and serious fun. This special lineup features a superb rhythm section of pianist Marcus Roberts, bassist Reginald Veal, drummer Jason Marsalis, and special guest tenor saxophonist to be announced.

The fourth annual Unity Jazz Festival showcases intergenerational and multicultural talent throughout the House of Swing, representing a 360-degree spectrum of 21st-century jazz and music associated with jazz. While many acts are still to be announced, the festival kicks off Friday night with the composer, bandleader, and “one of our greatest living pianists” (DownBeat) Arturo O’Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra, Myra Melford, and Weedie Braimah & The Hands of Time. Start the year surrounded by live, collaborative music that creates an inviting and vibrant community. 

Wynton Marsalis has always championed the vernacular music of America—what he calls “Root American Musics,” encompassing blues, folk, gospel, country, and spirituals. Equally influential is the American landscape itself: its shining skyscrapers, expansive highways, rural roads, and ever-changing terrains. These are the foundational elements in Marsalis' music. Growing up on a block between the railroad tracks and the Mississippi River, he was immersed in Americana, and traveling the country by car over the decades has given him a deeper understanding of its true breadth and depth. Showcasing his arrangements of fiddle reels, folk songs, blues, and ballads, this program also revisits Big Train, Jazz at Lincoln Center’s 1998 commission of a 12-part suite evoking the sound and meaning of trains—from the Underground Railroad and westward expansion to the Great Migration and the Glory Train. All aboard!

Multi-Grammy-Award-winning Brazilian pianist and vocalist Eliane Elias honors the 100th birthday of the legendary Brazilian composer and “father of bossa nova” Antônio Carlos Jobim. With sophisticated harmonies and iconic lilting melodies, songs like “The Girl from Ipanema” and “Desafinado” define a sound, a historic period, and a sensual approach to the music. Joined by acclaimed bassist Marc Johnson, Brazilian drummer and percussionist Rafael Barata, and Brazilian guitarist Leandro Pellegrino, Eliane will also feature songs from her new album in a concert filled with the internationally beloved sounds of bossa nova.

Florentina is a powerful new suite by pianist and composer Elio Villafranca. It is inspired by the life of Florentina Zulueta, a woman taken from West Africa and enslaved in Cuba. Born as Tolo-Ño, her name and identity were repeatedly erased. Villafranca gives her a voice in this story of loss, resilience, and dignity. Written for a 10-piece ensemble and choir, the work marks a major milestone following Villafranca’s 2023 Standing by the Crossroads and his Grammy-nominated album CINQUE.

Jazz is the art of the people. Wynton Marsalis, the son of a jazz musician, was raised in New Orleans clubs amid a cast of vivid characters, and his music is fueled by the creativity and intelligence of the musicians who bring it to life. This music is inseparable from the explosion of invention made possible by America’s democratic freedoms. Featuring New Orleans small ensembles, Jazz Age big band traditions, and the full Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, the program presents Marsalis' musical portraits of American legends—boxer Jack Johnson, cornetist Buddy Bolden, and drummer Art Blakey—alongside his concerto for the deeply soulful Scottish baritone saxophonist Joe Temperley. Marsalis will also unveil a new work set to the wise and practical words of American bards Benjamin Franklin, Walt Whitman, and Mark Twain, with passages selected by historian Geoffrey Ward. 

Made possible by the John and Jody Arnhold Innovation Fund.

“Dianne Reeves is one of our generation’s definitive jazz masters, a vocal stylist of extraordinary skill and vivacity.”— Huffington Post

NEA Jazz Master and five-time Grammy Award–winning vocalist Dianne Reeves sets the mood for Valentine’s Day weekend, continuing a beloved Jazz at Lincoln Center tradition (in its 15th year!). With her bold, dramatic flair, perfect intonation, and masterful delivery, Reeves is a riveting storyteller with a broad repertoire of love songs. She infuses each concert with a deeply personal touch, and the intimate warmth of Rose Theater—Reeves’ beloved “home away from home”—sets the stage for a truly magical Valentine’s celebration.

Pianist and bandleader Emmet Cohen—winner of the Cole Porter Fellowship in Jazz—brings his acclaimed online Live from Emmet’s Place series to the stage, capturing the warmth and spontaneity of an in-home jam session. This intimate, living room–style performance features Cohen and his expert trio alongside legendary musicians and surprise guests. Embracing jazz history and its communal traditions, Cohen approaches every note with imagination and respect. Equally compelling as a virtuoso soloist and a generous collaborator, he unites artists across styles, generations, and cultures, creating moments of shared joy and discovery. Don’t miss this unforgettable celebration of modern jazz.

Vocalist Ekep Nkwelle, a graduate of Duke Ellington School of the Arts, Howard University, and The Juilliard School, captivates audiences through her deep spirituality, poetic insight, and expansive repertoire—from powerful protest songs to tender ballads. She has the wisdom of the ancestors in her sound. Kate Kortum, vocalist from Houston, Texas, and Juilliard graduate, is the 2025 winner of the Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition. She interprets the Great American Songbook with an intensely personal musicality, harmonically sophisticated improvisation, and a focus on inhabiting the lyric story. Don’t miss these two rising stars in a double-bill premiere at the state-of-the-art Appel Room—New York City’s premier intimate concert hall, rightfully renowned for its 50' x 83' glass wall with spectacular views of Central Park and the Manhattan skyline.

Cuban-born alto saxophonist, clarinetist, composer, and NEA Jazz Master Paquito D’Rivera is a living cultural institution in Afro-Latin music, jazz, and classical music. A 16-time Grammy and Latin Grammy Award winner, D’Rivera joins as special guest in this celebration of Chick Corea’s music, an evening conceived by Spanish conductor Josep Vicent with arrangements by Argentine pianist and composer Emilio Solla. Taking inspiration from their collaboration RITMO: Tribute to Chick Corea, recorded live in July 2021 in Alicante, Spain, this U.S. debut concert unites symphony orchestra and jazz ensemble to reimagine Corea’s iconic works—including “Spain” and “Armando’s Rhumba.” It celebrates his deep connection to Latin music as well as his lasting influence on jazz.

Discover the power of jazz to tell stories of courage and hope in What Is Freedom? with the Future of Jazz Orchestra—Jazz at Lincoln Center’s curated big band of today’s top emerging artists shaping the next generation of the music. Inspired by the lawyer and social justice activist Bryan Stevenson, this concert combines jazz, spirituals, and spoken-word reflections. It is both entertaining and informative, illuminating the ways jazz celebrates resilience, justice, and freedom.

This program is funded through the generosity of Mica and Ahmet Ertegun and is supported in part by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.

Experience originals and bold new big band arrangements of Wynton Marsalis' most emotionally charged works. From In This House, On This Morning and Blood on the Fields to All Rise, From the Plantation to the Penitentiary, and last year’s Afro!, his most provocative pieces feature a heroine delivering the most significant idea. From 1983’s Hot House Flowers and 1989’s Blue Interlude to 1998’s The Midnight Blues to the third movement of 2026’s Cello Concerto, he returns again and again to the unscripted electricity between couples in mutual pursuit saying, “Love is the spark that gives life its sweetest magic.” This program showcases jazz’s enduring power to move the heart, heal the weary, and conjure up the moon on a starless night.

Made possible by the John and Jody Arnhold Innovation Fund.

This season marks the centennial of saxophonist and composer John Coltrane, who rose rapidly from unknown sideman in Dizzy Gillespie’s orchestra to rising star in Miles Davis’ quintet, master soloist with Thelonious Monk, and, ultimately, enlightened leader of his era-defining quartet. Today, he stands as one of the most celebrated figures in jazz. Born in North Carolina, Coltrane spent his teen years in Philadelphia alongside future greats like Benny Golson and Jimmy Heath—a city that continues to nurture young jazz talent today, including music director, drummer Justin Faulkner. As the volcanic heartbeat of the Branford Marsalis Quartet and leader of the Philadelphia Youth Jazz Orchestra, Faulkner brings urgency, precision, and fire to Coltrane’s music while carrying forward the city’s storied tradition of cultivating the next generation of inspired jazz musicians.

Wynton Marsalis combines the rhythmic language of New Orleans funk and the melodic influence of unsung Crescent City genius, drummer James Black, and a trio of soulful sirens, performed in this production by Christie Dashiell, Ashley Pezzotti, and Georgia Heers, to satirize the public’s descent into supporting a sectarian, con-man leader called Mr. Game. Set in contemporary America, Marsalis' 2018 rhyming oratorio seems to be prophetic in light of today’s national climate. At times humorous, infuriating, pathetic, and sobering, this non-partisan examination of the cost of apathy and the loss of empathy is sure to provoke deeper thoughts and feelings to inspire meaningful action. The Ever Fonky Lowdown uses theatrical, vocal, and dance elements to tell a contemporary tale in a most original way.

Iraqi oud virtuoso Naseer Shamma, Brazilian bandolim master Hamilton de Holanda, and Spanish jazz and flamenco pianist Chano Domínguez join the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis for an expansive program that celebrates jazz as a dynamic bridge across cultures, anchored in Marsalis' decades-long commitment to global musical collaboration with living masters of their traditions. Founder of the Arabic Oud House (a series of music schools throughout the Middle East and North Africa), a musicologist, and a UNESCO Artist for Peace, Shamma has earned international acclaim for elevating the oud and expanding the global reach of Arabic music. Winner of the Prêmio da Música Brasileira, de Holanda has redefined the bandolim’s role in Brazilian music, expanding its range through show stopping improvisation and compositions that span choro, jazz, classical, and popular traditions. Domínguez—a singular improviser at the intersection of jazz and flamenco, and the recipient of Spain’s National Prize for Current Music—is recognized for his bold, multilingual virtuosity. Through electrifying musical dialogue, the program weaves jazz with traditional and original melodies from flamenco, Brazilian, and Arab classical music to create vivid, emotionally resonant portraits of place and history that reveal a shared humanity.

The wondrously creative vocalist, storyteller, and MacArthur Genius Award recipient Cécile McLorin Salvant returns to the House of Swing, where she first captivated audiences with her daring artistry. A singular artist and true iconoclast, Salvant defies expectations at every turn, drawing from a vast repertoire that spans familiar standards in surprising new arrangements, original compositions, reinterpretations of centuries-old songs, and rarely performed gems from the Great American Songbook. In the intimate setting of her quartet featuring her frequent collaborator, pianist Sullivan Fortner—winner of the Cole Porter Fellowship in Jazz, the Larry J. Bell Jazz Artist Award, and 2026 Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Album—Salvant wields her preternaturally supple voice, unerring phrasing, and encyclopedic knowledge to create performances that are at once intellectually thrilling, emotionally profound, and unmistakably her own.

Garth Fagan Dance, New York City Ballet, Alvin Ailey, and Twyla Tharp are just a few of the legendary companies that have commissioned ballets by Wynton Marsalis. This evening showcases highlights from his celebrated collaborations with the world of dance. Performed by the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis, the program features dances drawn from this extraordinary canon, alongside new choreography by Atlanta Ballet’s Choreographer-in-Residence and Princess Grace Award Winner Claudia Schreier, and a restaging of selections from Spaces (2016), an animal ballet created and performed by the gravity-defying Memphis jookin’ innovator Lil Buck and Tony Award–nominated tap virtuoso Jared Grimes. Playful and intimate, acrobatic and sensual, the performance is brought to life with colorful spoken introductions for each animal—reminding us of a shared connection with animals, for example “because each nightingale can improvise up to 300 unique songs, they are often compared to jazz musicians.”

Made possible by the John and Jody Arnhold Innovation Fund.

Mulligan and Me is a vivid, deeply personal centennial tribute to the brilliant baritone saxophonist and composer Gerry Mulligan (1927–1996), music directed by Ted Nash—Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra alumnus and longtime Mulligan collaborator and protégé—and featuring current JLCO baritone saxophonist Paul Nedzela. Conceived by writer Iris Dart (Beaches) as a play with music about Mulligan’s creative partnership with actress and singer Judy Holliday in the 1960s, this work, directed by Rachel Dart, blends storytelling and performance into an intimate portrait of a profoundly important jazz innovator and American cultural icon. Audiences will be captivated by the rare combination of live jazz, theatrical narrative, and Mulligan’s inventiveness and charm, experiencing up close the artistry that helped define an important movement in modern jazz.

The members of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra bring a season-long celebration of Wynton Marsalis' artistic achievement to a thrilling close with their own bold interpretations of his most beloved compositions. For 35 years, this Orchestra has set the standard for modern big band performance, premiering landmark works and redefining what’s possible. Between 2008 and 2026 alone, its members created more than 1,200 original compositions and arrangements—a staggering output that speaks to the depth of artistry assembled in one room. One stage. Dozens of master soloists, composers, and arrangers. A thrilling finale to the JLCO season you won’t want to miss.

Made possible by the John and Jody Arnhold Innovation Fund.

The Wynton Marsalis Septet is an incredibly beloved group, often playing encores deep into the night. Bringing the feeling and sophistication of all styles of New Orleans music to the fundamental concepts of modern jazz—swing, blues, ballads, and the Afro-Latin diaspora—the septet produced a set of definitive recordings in the 1990s that added another chapter to the story of jazz. From 1990’s Citi Movement, the Jazz at Lincoln Center's 1992 Commission In This House, On This Morning to the landmark seven-CD Live at the Village Vanguard, the four-horn “big band” sophistication of Marsalis' long-form writing framed the unbridled creativity of their improvisations to create an intensely collaborative and disciplined band that sold out halls and excited audiences all over the world. Great musicians from every era of his septet, including Herlin Riley, Reginald Veal, Wycliffe Gordon, Dan Nimmer, Chris Crenshaw, Alexa Tarantino, Chris Lewis, and Abdias Armenteros, come together to offer a panoramic view of Marsalis' ever-evolving life in jazz.