Jazz at Home Watch the JLCO, Paquito D'Rivera, and Lakecia Benjamin Live; Plus, The LA Scene and FREE Access to Jazz Congress

2020-21

 

Witness the World Premiere: Freedom, Justice, and Hope

Featuring the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis and Social Justice Advocate Bryan Stevenson

Premieres May 21 at 7:30pm ET

On-demand through May 26

Virtual ticket: $20  

In collaboration with Bryan Stevenson—a globally acclaimed activist, public interest lawyer, and founder of the Equal Justice Initiative—the JLCO with Wynton Marsalis will perform compelling and deeply personal new music by emerging composers Josh Evans (trumpet) and Endea Owens (bass; Jon Batiste’s Stay Human). Join us for this inspiring night of music.

Leadership support provided by Gregory Annenberg Weingarten, GRoW @ Annenberg  

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In these trying times, we plan to continue entertaining, enriching, and expanding the global community for jazz through online education and our social platforms. Please consider supporting Jazz at Lincoln Center at whatever level you can. 

Donate Now   Donate via PayPal

Live from Dizzy's Club is Back!

Join us from the comfort of your own home as we bring stunning New York views and the live jazz club experience to your living room. See the upcoming shows listed below and get your virtual ticket today.

Thursday, May 6 - 7:30pm ET

Paquito D'Rivera & Alex Brown (Buy Tickets)

Thursday, May 13 - 7:30pm ET

Lakecia Benjamin (Buy Tickets)

Thursday, May 27  - 7:30pm ET

Sullivan Fortner (Buy Tickets)

Register for Jazz Congress 2021

Registration is open for Jazz Congress, which will take place virtually on May 17-20, 2021. Presented by Jazz at Lincoln Center and JazzTimes, the conference for artists, media, and industry leaders in the global jazz community is free this year!

For a sample of what went down at last year's Jazz Congress, check out  "We Insist: Speaking Truth to Power,” the newest episode of the Jazz Congress Podcast, available now on all platforms.

Register Now   Listen to the Jazz Congress Podcast

Swing U Spring Term Now in Session!

 

Swing University - Spring Virtual Term

Now–June 30

$10-$12 for individual classes

All-Access package available

Swing University offers engaging virtual classes for jazz fans, enthusiasts, and students of all backgrounds and levels. This term, learn more about jazz legends like Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, John Coltrane, and more!

Our fun and informal classes are taught by industry experts like Seton Hawkins, Todd Stoll, and Justin Poindexter as well as members of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra including Victor Goines, Vincent Gardner, and more. Explore jazz history, discuss new and classic tunes, and discover listening methods that will improve your concert experiences.

ALL-ACCESS PACKAGE RATE: $200 (to purchase, please email swingu@jazz.org or call 212-958-9877

SINGLE CLASSES:  

$10 - pricing available through the Saturday prior to class

$12 - starting Sunday prior to class

Register Now

Watch: “It Come ‘Round ‘Gin”

In the spirit of #JusticeAndHope, the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra Septet with Wynton Marsalis gives a lively performance of “It Come ‘Round ‘Gin” from The Democracy! Suite. Listen to the full album out now on Blue Engine Records.

Watch the Video   Listen to the Album

Listen to the Sounds of Los Angeles With Our Playlist

From Lionel Hampton to Gerry Mulligan to Kamasi Washington, the City of Angels has been a West Coast hotspot for jazz innovation. Explore the evolution of LA jazz through our kaleidoscopic playlist.

Read Our Blog Post   Listen on Apple Music

Listen on Spotify   View All JALC Playlists

Watch JALC Live and Create Your Own House of Swing

Check out this week's digital offerings (all times ET) and view our full schedule here.

Wednesday, May 5

7pm - Swing University: Jazz 101 (Register)

Thursday, May 6

12pm - A Closer Listen with Seton Hawkins and Yunie Mojica (Zoom and Facebook Live)

7pm - Swing University: Boss Guitar: The Music of Wes Montgomery (Register)

7:30pm - Live from Dizzy's Club: Paquito D'Rivera & Alex Brown (Buy Tickets)

Friday, May 7

7pm - Swing University: Pops is Tops: Celebrating Louis Armstrong (Register)

Saturday, May 8

3pm - Swing University: 88 Keys: Iconic Jazz Pianists (Register)

Sunday, May 9

2pm - Swing University: Change of the Century: Ornette Coleman's Genius (Register)

Tuesday, May 11

12pm - A Closer Listen with Seton Hawkins and Yunie Mojica (Zoom and Facebook Live)

7pm - Swing University: The Life of John Coltrane (Register)

Register for Jazz Congress 2021

Jazz at Lincoln Center and JazzTimes are excited to announce that the fourth annual Jazz Congress will take place virtually on May 17-20, 2021. And this year, the conference for artists, media, and industry leaders in the global jazz community is free!

Additionally, check out Season 3 of the Jazz Congress Podcast, available on all platforms.

Register Now

Tune In for the 2021 Virtual Gala

Tune In for the 2021 Virtual Gala

Innovation + Soul

2021 Jazz at Lincoln Center Gala

Premieres Apr 14 at 7:30pm ET

On-Demand Apr 15–25

Performance Only Pass: $30

Performance Pass Plus: $35 (includes full recording)

Jazz at Lincoln Center is proud to announce the 2021 gala, Innovation + Soul, hosted by Dee Dee Bridgewater and honoring Jon Batiste and Charles Phillips. Enjoy special appearances by President Bill Clinton, dancer Lil Buck, conguero/vocalist Pedrito Martinez, vocalist Veronica Swift, trumpeter Michael Rodriguez, and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis. Together they will perform a collection of innovative and soulful arrangements in celebration of the contemporary sounds that have defined jazz as we know it. 

By tuning into our gala, you can help support and sustain Jazz at Lincoln Center’s ability to fulfill and further our mission. The hundreds of artists that perform in Rose Theater, The Appel Room, and Dizzy's Club and our dedicated JALC staff humbly thank you for your consideration and your generosity during this trying time for all.

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Become a Jazz Aficionado with Swing University

Swing University - Winter Virtual Term

Now—Apr 10

Price: $10 for individual classes

All-access package available

Swing University offers engaging virtual education for jazz fans, enthusiasts, and students of all backgrounds and levels. Explore jazz history, discuss new and classic tunes, and discover listening methods that will improve your concert experiences. Classes are taught by industry experts like Seton Hawkins as well as members of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra including Kenny Rampton, Marcus Printup, Chris Crenshaw, Sherman Irby, and more.

Purchase individual class sessions for $10 each or join us for the full term by registering for the All-Access Package (a total savings of over 60%). 

*Please note that all Swing University classes will be conducted live and are not archived for future viewing.

Register Today

WeBop: WeBop Spring Term Spots Are Filling Up!

WeBop Spring Term - Exploring Jazz Styles

Live Virtual Classes

Apr 6 - May 29

Price: $260 (special pricing available for siblings)

Single classes: $40

WeBop returns for a virtual spring term! This award-winning, early-childhood jazz education program is perfect for children ages eight months to seven years. Nurture your child’s natural ability to improvise, encourage them to explore creativity, and enjoy bonding time during these live, interactive classes. 

During the spring term, you and your child will discover the many styles of jazz by moving to the fast notes of bebop, playing hot Latin jazz rhythms, dancing in a New Orleans second line parade, and much more. Spring term on-sale begins tomorrow!

Learn More

Womens History Month: Betty Carter Performs The Music Never Stops

This week marks the 29th anniversary of legendary vocalist Betty Carter's The Music Never Stops performance. Joined by three trios, a big band, and a string section, Carter shone as she transitioned seamlessly and effortlessly between burning bebop and deeply felt ballads.

Listen to Blue Engine's release of this archival recording, available on our web store and all digital platforms.

JazzHistory: Max + Dizzy: Paris 1989 / Jazz at Lincoln Center (JALC)

On March 23, 1989, Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach united for a performance at the Maison de la Culture de Seine-Saint-Denis in Paris. The concert found these two icons engaging in a relaxed and at times humorous dialogue with the same ease and intuition that defined their nearly 50 years of collaboration. Wending their way through standards and originals, the duo offered up a concert released on record as Max + Dizzy: Paris 1989 that would stand as one of Gillespie's greatest late-career recordings.

Explore Jazz History on Facebook

Playlist: Voices of Freedom / Jazz at Lincoln Center (JALC)

 

In advance of our Voices of Freedom concert, check out our playlist, featuring essential works from some of the most powerful female performers and songwriters of the 20th century. Don't miss the JLCO's concert webcast which will highlight the music of Betty Carter, Billie Holiday, Abbey Lincoln, and Nina Simone on March 26-31!

Read our Blog Post

Listen on Spotify

Listen on Apple Music

View All JALC Playlists

Rubén Blades joins the JLCO for a style-straddling album of salsa and swing!

Coming Soon: Una Noche con Rubén Blades!

Blue Engine Records is proud to announce our next release: Una Noche con Rubén Blades by the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis featuring Rubén Blades. This record captures a historic 2014 meeting of New York's house band and the nine-time GRAMMY winning singer, songwriter, actor, and activist. For one very special night—music-directed by the JLCO's bassist and "emerging master in the Latin jazz idiom" (DownBeat) Carlos Henriquez—the worlds of salsa and swing collided. The result was a performance that the New York Times called "radically beautiful."

Make sure you'll have Una Noche as soon as it's released on October 19th! Preorder it today from our webstore as a standalone CD featuring a limited-edition maraca. You'll also get a discount to our 2018–19 opening weekend concerts!

Una Noche on RollingStone.com

Learn more about the album—and hear the first single, "Ban Ban Quere”—on RollingStone.com. The fiery salsa tune was composed by Calixto Varela Gomez and originally made famous by Ray Barretto's 1975 Fania Records release, Barretto. 

TRACK LISTING:

Carlos Henriquez Introduction

Ban Ban Quere

Too Close For Comfort

El Cantante

I Can't Give You Anything But Love

Apóyate en Mi Alma

Pedro Navaja

Begin the Beguine

Sin Tu Cariño

Ruben's Medley: Ligia Elena / El Número 6 / Juan Pachanga

Patria (Encore)

CLAUDIA ACUÑA: A Tribute To Abbey Lincoln at Dizzy's :: July 11-12, 2018 + HotHouse Cover feature

“Claudia sings in the tradition of the great ones. Her sound is her own.”

– ABBEY LINCOLN

CLAUDIA ACUÑA

A TRIBUTE TO ABBEY LINCOLN

JAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER’S DIZZY’S CLUB COCA-COLA

Wednesday, July 11 – Thursday, July 12

7:30pm & 9:30pm

CLAUDIA ACUÑA, vox

PABLO VERGARA, piano

JUANCHO HERRERA, guitar

CARLOS HENDERSON, bass

OBED CALVAIRE, drums

HOTHOUSE COVER FEATURE - JULY 2018

Claudia Acuña’s Life Lessons By Stephanie Jones

From an early age, vocalist Claudia Acuña realized her ear worked in way that’s similar to an identic memory. She could remember lines and chord progressions and recreate with her voice what she heard guitars and horns playing. As a young singer in Santiago, Chile with no access to music programs in private institutions, Claudia relied exclusively on what she did have at her disposal—the records. “I grabbed every tool that I could,” she says.

Deriving a strategy from pure listening, she would take her favorite recordings from Bill Evans and Erroll Garner, search for each track’s corresponding lyrics, then create her own vocal arrangement around the existing recording. “The arrangement, per se, or the recording was not made for me,” she says. “It was almost like jumping in to accompany the recording. So that made me dig into harmonies and see how I could fit the melody or improvise around what was already done.”

As a result of her early ear training, Claudia developed into a sensitive musician who approaches space, time and harmony in a receptive way. And when she traveled to New York to play professionally, she found herself among myriad artists who approached the music with equal sensitivity.

Her upcoming performance pays tribute to one of those artists—the person who would become her mentor and beloved friend: Abbey Lincoln. “To many singers, Abbey became an icon,” Claudia says. “To me, she was someone who always sang according to the message that she wanted to give. And after the greats before her—Ella and Carmen McRae and Billie—she and Betty [Carter] were the people that were around, and I was very honored and blessed that I became someone she considered a friend.”

Today Claudia’s known for her unique ability to interpret a song, connecting with the listener on a variety of levels. But as a young singer hitting the session scene, she spent many nights hanging around Abbey, listening not only to her music but to her inputs. Sometimes Claudia took a while to interpret and understand every piece of Abbey’s advice, but when she observed Abbey performing, that’s when everything would click into focus.

“She said this to me once, and then I saw her perform and it was a click: The only difference between my instrument and another instrument is that we have the power of words,” says Claudia. “Even though we play melodies, the difference between me and a saxophone player is that most likely I’m going to be singing lyrics. We’re storytellers. We’re not just singing a beautiful melody; the words are powerful and they exist for a reason.”

Another important lesson Claudia gleaned from her interactions with Abbey is the importance of conviction. Growing up with parents who challenged her devotion to a career in music, Claudia understood the power of inner strength from a young age. But when she began her informal apprenticeship with Abbey, she found a confidant whose own convictions had a profound influence on Claudia’s artistry.

“She taught you to hold your own and to stand for what you believe,” Claudia says, “regardless of what people think, regardless of where the business is going. If you have a vision and you believe in something strongly, then you need to stand for it.”

Claudia’s challenge—in addition to the Herculean task of sorting through Abbey’s repertoire—has been striking a creative balance between honoring Abbey’s legacy and expression and preserving her own artistic identity within Abbey’s music. She’s pored over countless repertoire selections and continues to work through arrangements whenever she has a free moment, which is rare for the busy artist. “I already have five songs and I have to pick another five, and I’m just like ‘Ah!!’” she exclaims.

“In the beginning, when I thought about that balance, I didn’t really get as deeply into the thought as I’ve been getting the past couple weeks. As I’m digging into her music, memories are coming back: Conversations, things I’m now remembering because maybe I ran into a note that she wrote or a song that we talked down.”

One way Claudia seeks to achieve such a balance is by choosing repertoire that reflects how she feels about today’s social unrest. “Abbey was very proactive and outspoken,” she says. “Right now, I feel the world, and this country, is going through so many things. How can I pick from that, that also represents how I feel today? So, at this point, I’m sort of letting the songs pick me.”

As she approaches the eighth anniversary of Abbey’s passing, Claudia reflects on how Abbey’s music has influenced the direction she has taken her own craft, and on the spirit of her upcoming performance: “I’m just trying to celebrate her birthday, her legacy and the inspiration that she is and always will be.”

Claudia Acuña: A Tribute to Abbey Lincoln features Pablo Vergara on piano, Juancho Herrera on guitar, Carlos Henderson on bass and Obed Calvaire on drums at Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, July 11-12.

Jazz at Lincoln Center - On Sale Now: 2018-19 Season

2018–19 Season On Sale Now

Be a part of our most diverse, inclusive, and ambitious season yet.

Our 2018–19 concert season is a fantastic selection of performances that bring together artists of all backgrounds. The artistic diversity of our lineup showcases how the versatility and inclusvity of jazz turns barriers into bridges. Join us as we swing into the 2018–19 season and celebrate America's music at its finest.

View the Season

OPENING WEEKEND

Spaces by Wynton Marsalis

Sep 13–15

8pm

Rose Theater

Wynton Marsalis' Spaces features the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra along with dancers Lil Buck and Jared Grimes. These opening weekend performances sold out in 2016, so get your tickets today!

Buy Tickets

Ella Sang the Blues with Brianna Thomas

Sep 14–15

7pm & 9:30pm

The Appel Room

Showstopping and souful vocalist Brianna Thomas reimagines Ella Fitzgerald's only all-blues album, These are the Blues. 

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Season highlights include: 

The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra Plays Miles Davis — The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis perform Miles Davis' groundbreaking works from the 1940s-60s.

Steve Miller with Marty Stuart: Music From Appalachia — Steve Miller and Marty Stuart will explore classica Appalachian blues and bluegrass styles .

Wadada Leo Smith: America's National Parks — Wadada Leo Smith brings us a multimedia concert experience including visual projections that blend real-time footage of the five-piece band with moving images which celebrate of America's National Parks.

Wynton Marsalis and Ken Burns: Country Music — In this collaboration bewtween documentarian Ken Burns and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis, we'll see clips of Burns' new documentary Country Music, paired with the JLCO's reimagining of classic country music tunes.

Learn more about what we have in store for our upcoming season. Review our season highlights and purchase your tickets today.   

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MORE SEASON HIGHLIGHTS

2018–19 Season

View the full lineup for our 31st Season.

View the Season

American Roots: Mark O'Connor Band & Friends

Jazz, Bluegrass, & Folk

Oct 5–6

7pm & 9:30pm

The Appel Room

Featuring fiddle virtuoso Mark O’Connor with Maggie O’Connor and Kate Lee on fiddle and vocals, Forrest O’Connor on mandolin and vocals, Geoff Saunders on banjo and bass, National Flatpick Guitar Champion Joe Smart, and vocalists Alvin Youngblood Hart and Lizz Wright.

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Joey Alexander with Strings

Oct 19–20

8pm

Rose Theater

Pianist Joey Alexander headlines in Rose Theater for the first time. He'll be joined by a string section with parts written and conducted by Grammy Award–winning composer and arranger RichardDeRosa.

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Diane Schuur Sings Basie

Nov 2–3, 

7pm & 9:30pm

The Appel Room

Diane Schuur and the Riley Mulherkar Big Band celebrate Count Basie with performances from Diane Schuur and The Count Basie Orchestra.

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Big Band Holidays

Dec 19, 7pm

Dec 20–22, 8pm

Dec 23, 2pm

Rose Theater

The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis celebrate the holiday season with special guest vocalists Vuyo Sotashe and Veronica Swift.

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Dianne Reeves

Feb 15–16

8pm

Rose Theater

2018 NEA Jazz Master Dianne Reeves returns to Jazz at Lincoln Center to serenade audiences with her annual Valentine's Day selections. 

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McCoy Tyner & Charles McPherson at 80

Apr 5–6

8pm

Rose Theater

Pianist McCoy Tyner and saxophonist Charles McPherson join the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis to play brand-new big band arrangements of their iconic compositions.

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Jazz & Popular Song Series

Apr 10–11

May 15–16

Jun 5–6    

The Appel Room

Michael Feinstein directs Jazz & Popular Song for the ninth consecutive season, celebrating Peter Allen, the Great American Crooners, and Lerner & Loewe.

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Ellington Through the Ages

May 3–4

8pm

Rose Theater

Wynton Marsalis and bassist Rodney Whitaker lead an all-Ellington showcase with 16 of the best young professionals on the scene, many of whom came up through our Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band program.

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To Purchase Tickets:

Online

Visit jazz.org

By Phone

Call CenterCharge at 212-721-6500

10am–9pm ET, Daily

In Person

Visit the Jazz at Lincoln Center Box Office

Broadway at 60th Street (ground floor)

Monday–Saturday, 10am–6pm

Sunday, 12pm–6pm