Celebrate Black Excellence

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  • Freedom, Justice, and Hope with Bryan Stevenson

    In creative collaboration with social justice activist and Equal Justice Initiative founder Bryan Stevenson, Jazz at Lincoln Center presents Freedom, Justice, and Hope with Bryan Stevenson, a multi-disciplinary concert event performed by the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis. ...

  • Hugh Masekela

    The legendary trumpeter, flugelhornist, composer, and lyricist Hugh Masekela presented a retrospective extravaganza in Rose Theater to celebrate his 75th birthday and to mark the 20th anniversary of a democratic South Africa in this timelessly special performance from 2014.

    Since his passing in...

  • Black Art Jazz Collective

    The Black Art Jazz Collective is back, bringing their original music to the Dizzy's stage for a riveting performance originally captured in 2022. They are dedicated to celebrating African American culture and political icons, as well as preserving the historical significance of African Americans ...

  • Endea Owens & The Cookout

    Detroit-raised bassist Endea Owens has been mentored by jazz icons, is becoming a regular on Tiny Desk, and is known to be one of jazz’s most vibrant emerging artists.

    In 2020, during the pandemic, Endea founded the Community Cookout, a non-profit that provides meals and music to underserved n...

  • Elio Villafranca: Letters to Mother Africa

    Visionary Cuban pianist and composer Villafranca brings us an ambitious and culturally enlightening program. Leading an all-star band, Villafranca examines a wide range of jazz written with great reverence to Africa. Exploring jazz's deep, unifying roots in Africa, Villafranca incorporates musica...

  • Voices of Freedom

    Experience the essential works of some of the 20th century’s most powerful singers and songwriters, performed by the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis and vocalists Melanie Charles, Shenel Johns, and Ashley Pezzotti. Under the music direction of JLCO trombonist and vocalist Ch...

  • The Music of Miles Davis

    The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis performs Miles Davis’ groundbreaking music from the 1940s–60s. Davis’ work during these years is unparalleled in its stylistic range, impact, and enduring popularity, and this show will explore the pivotal musical moments on his quest towa...

  • Black, Brown, and Beige and The Best of Basie

    The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis play essential big band music by Duke Ellington and Count Basie. The first set finds the JLCO swinging through a number of classic Basie standards, including "April in Paris," "Swinging the Blues," and "Jumpin' at the Woodside." The second...

  • The Fantastic Mr. Jelly Lord

    The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis delivers a joyous celebration of New Orleans legend Jelly Roll Morton (1890–1941). Jazz's first great composer, musical intellect, and piano virtuoso, Morton gave us the musical blueprint of an eternal New Orleans and jazz as we know it to...

  • Isaiah J. Thompson

    This March, pianist Isaiah J. Thompson's first live album—The Power of the Spirit—is coming out on Blue Engine Records. "A young musician and composer with a mature touch and rare combination of talent, creativity, humility and honesty” (NPR), Thompson is an emerging, generational talent who has ...

  • Lush Life: Celebrating Billy Strayhorn

    Legend has it that Billy Strayhorn (1915-1967) wrote the American songbook icon, “Lush Life,” at the tender age of 16. Though this early date has been disputed by some scholars, what isn’t in question is that Duke Ellington's first recordings of Strayhorn’s work were published when Strayhorn was ...

  • Trio 3 - The Farewell Concert

    Trio 3 and special guests deliver the cutting-edge group's final performance. Join Oliver Lake, Reggie Workman, Andrew Cyrille, Bruce Williams, and Vijay Iyer for an unforgettable show.

  • Herlin Riley

    Founding Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra member Herlin Riley has been the drummer of choice for bandleaders such as Ahmad Jamal and Wynton Marsalis. Riley’s sound is rooted in his home of New Orleans, but his rhythmic vocabulary expands miles beyond any one style or location. Catch him at Dizzy’...

  • McCoy Tyner and Charles McPherson

    Pianist McCoy Tyner and saxophonist Charles McPherson, both 80 years old the night of this concert in 2019, were honored by the JLCO with Wynton Marsalis with a bevy of new arrangements featuring their compositions. McPherson, a singular bebop saxophonist, even joined the JLCO onstage for the per...

  • Azar Lawrence Experience

    A saxophonist for many of jazz's greats (including McCoy Tyner, Miles Davis, Freddie Hubbard and more), Azar Lawrence brings the seven-piece Azar Lawrence Experience to Jazz at Lincoln Center's Dizzy's Club. The Experience encompasses Azar's music, art and spirituality; in this performance, the g...