Jazz at Lincoln Center Announces 2019-20 Season
New York, NY (February 26, 2019) — Jazz at Lincoln Center and Managing and Artistic Director Wynton Marsalis announce the 2019 – 20 season of concerts featuring world premieres,exclusive collaborations, renowned guest artists, and events celebrating milestones and major figures in jazz. The concerts integrate multiple musical traditions, generations of performers, and artistic disciplines in a unique exploration of the profound and unifying cultural heritage that is jazz.
The new season,which begins on September 12, 2019 at Frederick P. Rose Hall, home of Jazz at Lincoln Center, features 27 unique programs in Rose Theater and The Appel Room,and more than 350 nights of music in Dizzy’s Club.
The organization also produces an extensive range of education and advocacy programs for all ages. Jazz at Lincoln Center’s signature education program, Essentially Ellington (EE)_, celebrates 25 years of instilling a broader understanding of Duke Ellington’s music by providing high school and college aged ensembles with free transcriptions of original Duke Ellington recordings, accompanied by rehearsal guides, teaching notes, original recordings, professional instruction, and more. In addition to the New York City Competition and Festival in May, EE co-produces over 20 non-competitive regional festivals across the U.S and five in Australia. The EE program has over 6,600 schools and independent bands in 55 countries – notable alumni featured this season include the JLCO’s Carlos Henriquez, Russell Hall, Anthony Hervey, Isaiah J. Thompson, Philip Norris, and Jamison Ross.
The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis (JLCO) opens the 2019 – 20 season with The South African Songbook (September 12 – 14), followed by the virtuosic big band’s first-ever tour to South Africa in honor of the 25th anniversary of South African democracy. Co-presented by the White Light Festival, the JLCO and 70-piece gospel choir Chorale le Chateau, under the direction of Damien L. Sneed, reprise Wynton Marsalis’ Abyssinian Mass (November 21 – 23). JLCO members Victor Goines and Chris Crenshaw (January 10 – 11), Ted Nash (January 30 – February 1), Vincent Gardner (April 3 – 4), and Sherman Irby (April 23 – 25) serve as music directors throughout the season, curating performances inspired by the solar system, the concept of transition, architecture, and more. The season concludes with a celebration of Duke Ellington’s vast works with Ellington Masterpieces (June 12 – 13), led by Wynton Marsalis.
“At Jazz at Lincoln Center, we challenge ourselves to represent the highest aspirations of jazz. Our mission is realized through the hundreds of concerts, tours,education programs, advocacy initiatives and Blue Engine Record releases we produce around the world, all year round,” said Wynton Marsalis, Managing and Artistic Director of Jazz at Lincoln Center. “The 2019-20 concert season features, as always, the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. The Orchestra consists of 15 virtuosos, composers, arrangers, educators, and unique soloistsin an unprecedented variety of styles – this might be the most flexible and all-encompassing ensemble in the history of our music. This season, we also celebrate the masters Duke Ellington and Art Blakey, whose music, philosophy and spirit of mentorship continue to influence everything we do as an organization. We welcome Chucho Valdés, Joe Lovano, Chick Corea, and DianneReeves, who are the most celebrated leaders in contemporary jazz. By highlighting Cécile McLorin Salvant, Etienne Charles, Emmet Cohen, Ambrose Akinmusire, Jazzmeia Horn, and others on our stages, we’re creating opportunities for you to enjoy the next stellar generation of musicians. Join us in the House of Swing, on our tours, or by tuning in to our free live webcasts. We invite you to enjoy our music and to be enriched by it.”
The complete 2019 – 20 season chronology is available online: jazz.org/2019-20-season
2019-20 Season Concert Lineup:
JAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER ORCHESTRA
“Let no one doubt that Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra aim to educate as well as entertain.” – Chicago Tribune
THE SOUTH AFRICAN SONGBOOK
CELEBRATING 25 YEARS OF DEMOCRACY
September 12 – 14 | 8pm | Rose Theater
The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis kicks off Opening Weekend in Rose Theater with a musical celebration of South African democracy, 25 years after Apartheid’s end. South Africa has long been a vibrant and unique jazz hub, and most of the featured guests helped shape the sound of jazz as a new South Africa was being born. Special guests include three New York-based South African vocalists — Nonhlanhla Kheswa, Melanie Scholtz, and Jazz at Lincoln Center fan-favorite Vuyo Sotashe - plus five top instrumentalists from South Africa: trumpeter Feya Faku, saxophonist McCoy Mrubata, pianist Nduduzo Makhathini, vocalist and pianist Thandi Ntuli, and traditional multi-instrumentalist Tlokwe Sehume on vocals, guitar, ram’s horn, and percussion.
A SWINGIN’ SESAME STREET CELEBRATION: 50 YEARS AND COUNTING
October 25 | 7pm | Rose Theater
October 26 | 2pm & 7pm | Rose Theater
Sesame Street comes to Jazz at Lincoln Center for a swinging celebration of Sesame’s 50th anniversary. See beloved feathered and furry friends, like Big Bird and Elmo, sing classic Sesame Street songs alongside the world-renowned Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis. It’s hard to imagine Sesame Street without its music. Many of the jazz greats have visited Sesame Street over the past 50 years, introducing countless children to Dizzy Gillespie,Herbie Hancock, Mary Lou Williams, and many more. Jazz at Lincoln Center’s own Wynton Marsalis even visited Sesame Street a few times, playing “Take the A Train” with the Duck Ellington Orchestra and joining Hoots the Owl on “No Matter What Your Language (Our Music Can Be The Same).” Likewise, the JLCO has reimagined Sesame Street favorites as big band bonanzas, and this show features brand-new arrangements of Sesame Street gems.
Proudly presented in collaboration with Sesame Workshop.
ABYSSINIAN MASS BY WYNTON MARSALIS
Presented in collaboration with Lincoln Center’s White Light Festival
November 21 – 23 | 8pm | Rose Theater
Featuring the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis with 70-piece gospel choir Chorale le Chateau, under the direction of Damien L. Sneed, Marsalis’ Abyssinian Mass is a joyful celebration of togetherness and the human spirit. Commissioned in 2008 to honor the bicentennial of Harlem’s famed Abyssinian Baptist Church, Abyssinian Mass has since become a best-selling record and performed in packed concert halls and churches around the country. The unique masterpiece now returns exclusively to its hometown for three nights in the House of Swing.
BIG BAND HOLIDAYS
December 18 | 7pm | Rose Theater
December 19 – 21 | 8pm | Rose Theater
December 22 | 2pm | Rose Theater
The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis and music director Marcus Printup continue a beloved New York tradition with Big Band Holidays.Featuring soulful big band versions of classics like “Jingle Bells,” “Joy to the World,” and “Brazilian Sleigh Ride,” Big Band Holidays is an uplifting holiday program that plays to sold-out audiences every December. Big Band Holidays is renowned for showcasing some of the most exciting and charismatic vocalists on the scene, with recent editions including Cécile McLorin Salvant, Gregory Porter, René Marie, Vuyo Sotashe, Veronica Swift, and Catherine Russell. This year the smooth-as-silk baritone vocalist Denzal Sinclaire andsupremely talented teenage phenom Alexis Morrast, winner of the nationally broadcast Showtime at the Apollo, join the JLCO as guest vocalists.
SPIRITUAL SOUNDS AND THE JAZZ AGE
January 10 – 11 | 8pm | Rose Theater
The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis reprises Victor Goines’ acclaimed Untamed Elegance, a thoroughly modern take on the wild and sophisticated music of the 1920s ‘Jazz Age;’ and Chris Crenshaw‘s soulful God’s Trombones, inspired by a poetic take on James Weldon Johnson’s God’s Trombones: Seven Negro Sermons in Verse,a 1927 book of poems patterned after a traditional Black American church sermon. Each suite highlights the composer’s boundless creativity and the peerless musical range of the JLCO’s individual members.
IN TRANSITION WITH GLENN CLOSE AND TED NASH
January 30 – February 1 | 8pm | Rose Theater
Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis saxophonist Ted Nash is a visionary composer at the top of his game. Nash’s most recent creation for the JLCO, The Presidential Suite, earned him Grammy Awards for Best Large Ensemble Jazz Album and Best Instrumental Composition in 2017. This concert is the world premiere of his new work, featuring the JLCO and award-winning actor and personal friend Glenn Close. This exclusive program explores the varied perspectives on the concept of “transitions.” As inspiration for each movement, Nash has enlisted notable writers and authors to share their thoughts on the subject. Glenn Close narrates their original contributions, and the JLCO performs each corresponding movement.
MASTERS OF FORM
FROM MINGUS TO MONK
April 3 – 4 | 8pm | Rose Theater
For two nights, the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis performs some of the most masterfully-structured pieces of the jazz canon, written by musical architects such as Jelly Roll Morton, Charles Mingus, Thelonious Monk, and George Russell. The evening’s program also includes the world premiere of Andy Farber‘s Usonian Structures, a suite inspired by architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Each movement of Usonian Structures is an interpretation or impression of one of Wright’s iconic designs.
SHERMAN IRBY’S SUPERNOVA
FEATURING THE JAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER ORCHESTRA WITH WYNTON MARSALIS
April 23 – 25 | 8pm | Rose Theater
JLCO saxophonist Sherman Irby leads the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis through a gravity-defying exploration of the universe in the world premiere of his new commission. Beginning, naturally, with the Big Bang, the suite’s subsequent movements evoke a series of galactic phenomena, from supernovas, stars, and black holes to the formation of galaxies and life itself. Introductions and anecdotes enhance the performance, presented by a well-known expert in the down-to-earth discipline of cosmology.
ELLINGTON MASTERPIECES
June 12 – 13 | 8pm | Rose Theater
The *Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis*closes the concert season with an audience favorite: an all-Ellington evening of long-form musical masterpieces. Over the course of six decades, Duke Ellington wrote well over 1,000 compositions, some of the richest and most enduring extended compositions of the past century. Across its staggering variety, Ellington’s music uplifts,enlightens, and rewards everyone from first-time listeners to lifelong fans. Duke Ellington was an American vanguard beloved around the world, and his timeless music, leadership, and artistic integrity represent the core of what Jazz at Lincoln Center is about.
COLLABORATIONS, COMMISSIONS& WORLD PREMIERES
Unique concerts demonstrate the collaborative nature of jazz
JOE LOVANO UNIVERSAL JAZZ ENSEMBLE
October 18 – 19 | 7pm & 9:30pm |The Appel Room
On top of being one of the world’s best saxophonists, tenor titan Joe Lovano is also one of the most restlessly creative leaders in music. His all-star septet features six artists from across the entire spectrum of jazz, each of them also a renowned composer, bandleader, and instrumentalist: pianist Kenny Werner, bassist John Patitucci, drummers Andrew Cyrille and Tyshawn Sorey, guitarist Liberty Ellman, and trumpeter Graham Haynes. This AppelRoom performance marks the debut of the Joe Lovano Universal Jazz Ensemble.
ECM RECORDS AT 50
WITH VIJAY IYER, BILL FRISELL, AND MORE
November 1 – 2 | 8pm | Rose Theater
Jazz at Lincoln Center celebrates 50 years of ECM Records, rightfully called “one of the defining sound-worlds of the past half-century of recorded music” by the New Yorker. The show features an outstanding lineup of performers including Joe Lovano, Craig Taborn, VijayIyer, Avishai Cohen, Meredith Monk, Bill Frisell, Larry Grenadier, Ravi Coltrane, Anja Lechner, Ethan Iverson, and Nik Bartsch. An independent label founded by visionary producer Manfred Eicher, this 50-year anniversary celebration is a proper salute to a record label that, with an unwavering commitment to quality, has contributed so uniquely and extensively to contemporary music.
CHUCHO VALDÉS
WITH SPECIAL GUEST CHICK COREA
November 15 – 16 | 8pm | Rose Theater
Pianists Chucho Valdés and Chick Corea are two of the all-time greats, living legends as musically prolific now as ever. They have won more than 30 Grammy and Latin Grammy Awards combined, while redefining modern music in the process. The first half of this concert is a master class in solo piano performance, with Valdés selecting and improvising pieces across a broad spectrum of Cuban, Afro-Latin, and jazz styles. Then pianist Chick Corea joins the second half in the pair’s first-ever performance together. These singular giants of jazz have spent their lives breaking new ground across musical traditions, and their debut collaboration is as immensely entertaining as it is historic.
NEW ORLEANS JAZZ ORCHESTRA
WITH RENÉ MARIE & DAVELL CRAWFORD
December 13 – 14 | 7pm & 9:30pm | The Appel Room
The Grammy Award – winning New Orleans Jazz Orchestra (NOJO), under the direction of drummer Adonis Rose, takes the sonic power and stylistic versatility of a big band, adds a healthy New Orleans emphasis on groove and accessibility, and applies it to an unusually expansive repertoire of originals, jazz staples, New Orleans classics, and pop, rock,R&B, and soul hits. Joining NOJO are vocalists René Marie and Davell Crawford.
HERLIN RILEY PRESENTS CUBANOLA
SOUNDS OF CUBA AND NEW ORLEANS
February 21 – 22 | 7pm & 9:30pm | The Appel Room
New Orleans drum extraordinaire Herlin Riley continues his exploration of the intersection of Latin jazz with the sounds of his hometown. Featuring Cuban percussionist Pedrito Martinez,*trumpeter(and fellow New Orleanian) *Nicholas Payton, and young bassist extraordinaire Russell Hall, the event showcases classic New Orleans repertoire reimagined and spiced up with Cuban music traditions.
MARY STALLINGS AND FREDDY COLE
WITH THE EMMET COHEN TRIO
April 17 – 18 | 7pm & 9:30pm | The Appel Room
Master vocalists Mary Stallings, Freddy Cole, and soon to-be-announced guest vocalists sing their hearts out alongside pianist Emmet Cohen‘s trio, featuring Russell Hall and Kyle Poole, with special guest tenor saxophonist Houston Person.
JOEY DEFRANCESCO, CHRIS POTTER AND JEFF “TAIN” WATTS
May 15 – 16 | 7pm & 9:30pm | The Appel Room
Witness the world premiere of a new all-star trio assembled exclusively for these Jazz at Lincoln Center performances – Joey DeFrancesco, arguably the greatest jazz organist alive on the pedals and keys; tenor titan Chris Potter, one of the best saxophone soloists across an enormous range of styles and instrumental configurations; and Jeff “Tain” Watts, a drum genius who has played on every Grammy Award-winning album that Wynton or Branford Marsalis has ever recorded. Each musician contributes brand-new music and revisit some old favorites for the occasion.
INNOVATORS AND BOUNDARY BREAKERS
The finest names in modern jazz demonstrate diversity and virtuosity across generations
CÉCILE MCLORIN SALVANT THE OGRESSE
September 27 – 28 | 8pm | Rose Theater
The Ogresse is a new musical journey created by vocalist Cécile McLorin Salvant, described as a dark and romantic “fairy tale-like” story. Musical support comes from L’ Orchestre L’ Ogresse – a 13-piece chamber ensemble comprised of top-tier jazz musicians and the MIVOS string quartet – led by composer and bandleader Darcy James Argue. Audience members receive a copy of Salvant’s full handwritten libretto, including lyrics to The Ogresse, illustrations, and a few unusual cooking recipes preferred by the titular ogress.
BRANFORD MARSALIS QUARTET WITH CITIZENS OF THE BLUES
February 28 – 29 | 8pm | Rose Theater
The multi-Grammy Award – winning Branford Marsalis Quartet is a standard-bearer of modern instrumental jazz. The group has maintained one of the most consistent lineups in jazz history, and their chemistry and mastery of craft put them in a league of their own. The quartet plays music from its brand-new record, The Secrets Between the Shadow and the Soul. The repertoire includes new originals by Marsalis and members of the band, as well as a couple of upbeat selections by Keith Jarrett and Andrew Hill. Citizens of the Blues opens the evening, showcasing four of the finest young musicians on the scene: Anthony Hervey, Isaiah J. Thompson, Philip Norris, and Domo Branch.
THE ARTISTRY OF JAZZMEIA HORN
LOVE AND LIBERATION
March 6 – 7 | 7pm & 9:30pm | The Appel Room
Jazzmeia Horn has taken the jazz world by storm since winning the 2015 International Thelonious Monk Vocal Competition, and she is truly coming into her own with the Love and Liberation tour. An ode to unapologetic self-love and honest expression, this is Horn’s first collection of almost-entirely original material. Her Appel Room feature debut includes the same band from the album: Josh Evans on trumpet, Stacy Dillard on saxophone, Sullivan Fortner and Victor Gould on piano, Ben Williams on bass, and Jamison Ross on drums and vocals.
AMBROSE AKINMUSIRE
WITH JACK DEJOHNETTE AND TOM HARRELL
March 27 – 28 | 7pm & 9:30pm | The Appel Room
One of the most exciting musicians to emerge in the 21st century, trumpeter and composer Ambrose Akinmusire creates distinctive and transportive original music. This performance is a rare opportunity to experience his banyan suite live, featuring living legends Jack DeJohnette and Tom Harrell.
BOBBY MCFERRIN
May 22 – 23 | 8pm | Rose Theater
Hailed as “one of the world’s most famous vocal chameleons” by the New York Times, Bobby McFerrin delivers one of the most transcendent experiences in live music.Truly a genre unto himself, the ten-time Grammy Award winner and multi-platinum-selling artist is a master of spontaneity, vocal ingenuity, and musical and spiritual openness.
ETIENNE CHARLES’ CARNIVAL
THE SOUND OF A PEOPLE
June 5 – 6 | 7pm & 9:30pm | The Appel Room
Trinidad & Tobago’s world-famous Carnival celebration comes to The Appel Room courtesy of trumpeter, percussionist, and composer Etienne Charles, right in time for Caribbean Heritage Month. This high-energy spectacle seamlessly blends American jazz traditions with the thrilling sights and sounds of Trinidadian Carnival. Charles’ intertwines beautiful jazz charts with the rapid percussion of an iron and steel band, the interlocking grooves of the tamboo bamboo, and the dancing and wild screams of the blue devils, who perform in full costume and character. Like any great live jazz concert, Carnival brings diverse communities together in a united celebration of individual freedom and shared history.
ART BLAKEY CENTENNIAL FESTIVAL
Just as Blakey’s timeless music is essential to jazz, so is the tradition of mentorship and cross-generational collaboration
ART BLAKEY CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION
October 7 – 13 | 7:30pm & 9:30pm | Dizzy’s Club
Dizzy’s Club kicks off a week-long celebration around what would have been Art Blakey’s 100th birthday on October 11 – preceding another festival later in the season. The Dizzy’s performances feature notable alumni of the legendary Jazz Messengers,as well as the next generation of talent Blakey’s legacy has inspired, over the course of seven nights.
ART BLAKEY: THE LEGACY CONTINUES
May 1 – 2 | 7pm & 9:30pm | The Appel Room
As a part of Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Art Blakey Centennial Festival, The Appel Room hosts a reunion of elite alumni from Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, led by Ralph Peterson, the only drummer ever to play in the band alongside the drum maestro himself. A quintessential jazz band for nearly 40 years, the Jazz Messengers remained vital thanks to a constant influx of top up-and-coming talent, including every musician featured in this show. Blakey’s reputation for hiring "only the best” provided his young players with experience, exposure, and life-changing apprenticeship, as seen in the musicians on the stage for this celebration – saxophonists Bill Pierce and Bobby Watson, trumpeter Brian Lynch, pianist Geoffrey Keezer, bassist Essiet Essiet, and drummer Ralph Peterson.
ART BLAKEY AT 100
May 1 – 2 | 8pm | Rose Theater
The unique legacy of drummer and bandleader Art Blakey makes this tribute especially exciting — and even personal — for Wynton Marsalis and his handpicked group of young musicians. Art Blakey first made a name for himself in the 1940s, playing with top contemporaries like Thelonious Monk and Dizzy Gillespie. When Blakey formed the Jazz Messengers in the 1950s, it quickly became a rite of passage that would launch the careers of artists from Wayne Shorter and Lee Morgan to Terence Blanchard and Wynton Marsalis. In honor of Art Blakey’s centennial, Marsalis and a group of young, up-and-coming jazz musicians — Jeffery Miller, Zoe Obadia, Anthony Hervey, Philip Norris, and Abdias Armenteros — play the music of Marsalis’ iconic jazz mentor, highlighting the sound that kept Blakey’s band vital and popular across the decades while showcasing the next generation of musicians to carry the art form forward.
PERENNIAL FAVORITES
Dynamic performers,entertainers and leaders back by popular demand
STEVE MILLER
CANNONBALL ADDERLEY & THE BLUES
December 13 – 14 | 8pm | Rose Theater
Renowned blues-rock guitarist, multi-platinum-selling singer/songwriter, and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Steve Miller continues his exploration of the blues at Jazz at Lincoln Center. With the help of the Patrick Bartley Sextet and vocalist Brianna Thomas, this concert is another soul-stirring dive into this enduring and diverse genre.
DIANNE REEVES
February 14 – 15 | 8pm | Rose Theater
NEA Jazz Master Dianne Reeves sets the mood for Valentine’s Day weekend, continuing a popular holiday tradition at Jazz at Lincoln Center (now in its ninth year!). A master vocalist and hypnotizing storyteller, Reeves has been hailed as “the most admired jazz diva since the heyday of Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald, and Billie Holiday” by the New York Times. With a powerful voice, bold dramatic flair, and penchant for spontaneity, Reeves inhabits every story she sings, taking mesmerized audiences along with her for the ride.
MICHAEL FEINSTEIN’S AMERICAN SONGBOOK
10 YEARS OF JAZZ & POPULAR SONG
June 5 – 6 | 8pm | Rose Theater
Singer,entertainer, and “Ambassador of the Great American Songbook” MichaelFeinstein celebrates ten years of his Jazz & Popular Song series with an all-star extravaganza. Capping off a historic run in The Appel Room, Feinstein now takes the show to Rose Theater for a grand reunion of the cr*è*me-de-la-cr*è*me. As fans of the best-selling series know, each Jazz & Popular Song concert features Feinstein as host, singer, and director; the ever-swinging Tedd Firth Big Band; and some extraordinary surprise vocalists announced closer to the show. Past guests have included jazz stars and cabaret legends Marilyn Maye, Ann Hampton Calloway, Catherine Russell, Christine Ebersole, Denzal Sinclaire, Vuyo Sotashe, and Veronica Swift.
JAZZ FOR YOUNG PEOPLE
One hour long interactive concerts designed for families with school age children to learn more about the history and figures in jazz
FAMILY CONCERT: WHO IS CHICK COREA?
October 5 | 1pm & 3pm | Rose Theater
Pianist,composer, and living legend Chick Corea has found endless delight in uncovering new musical wonders. Through acoustic and electric jazz, inspired duets, and all sorts of bold “fusions,” this musical explorer has remained one of the most popular figures in music, earning 24 Grammy Awards (and counting) while maintaining the deepest respect of his peers. This hour-long educational program features live performances of Chick’s game-changing music and tell the inspiring story of a lifelong dreamer who built a legacy alongside Miles Davis, Return to Forever, Herbie Hancock, Béla Fleck, and even the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis.
FAMILY CONCERT: WHO IS DAVE BRUBECK?
March 21 | 1pm & 3pm | Rose Theater
Music enthusiasts and their families learn about the life and art of the great jazz composer and pianist Dave Brubeck (in his centennial year!) in this hour-long interactive concert.Brubeck’s timeless music and inspiring leadership are at the core of what Jazz at Lincoln Center is about and this youth-oriented concert is a swinging celebration featuring the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra.
Dizzy’s Club
Dizzy’s Club, one of the three main performance venues of Frederick P. Rose Hall,produces world-class jazz performances nightly, often reflecting and augmenting the programming in Rose Theater and The Appel Room. Dizzy’s Club kicks off the season with the return of the popular Generations in Jazz Festival (September 2 – October 6) with the Oliver Lake Big Band (September 16), René Marie (September 19 – 22), Theo Croker’s Big Brother Big Band (September 23), and Buster Williams & Something More (September 26 – 28). Additional highlights throughout the season include Big Band Sound of Rufus Reid (October 17-20) and the return of Wycliffe Gordon‘s Thanksgiving celebration (November 26 – December 1).
Education
Jazz at Lincoln Center’s education initiatives continue to reach larger and more diverse audiences in 2019-20. The innovative “Education on the Road” program, led by members of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, continues to provide workshops, master classes, and other outreach activities as parts of the band’s national and international tours. The Jazz Academy Media Library, the organization’s online education portal, houses over 1,000 freely available instructional videos covering a wide range of musical and historical topics.
Jazz at Lincoln Center Youth Programs enters a 14th year of offering ensembles and classes for high school and middle school-age musicians in the tri-state area. The Youth Programs support instrumental jazz education through 18 ensembles with weekly sessions of the High School Jazz Academy and the Middle School Jazz Academy. The Jazz for Young People® outreach program “Let Freedom Swing” extends to schools and community-based organizations throughout all five boroughs of New York City, as well as Los Angeles, Detroit, Chicago, St. Louis, Washington,D.C., New Orleans, Mesa, London, Sydney, and Melbourne to present more than 600 concerts throughout the season. The Essentially Ellington (EE) program continues to reach band directors and students in more than 6,600 schools and independent bands worldwide. This year, more than 42,000 free original transcriptions of Duke Ellington and Benny Golson recordings were distributed, as well as other educational resources. Additionally, the program expands its educational reach through a series of 21 regional festivals in the U.S. and five in Australia that enhance students’ understanding and appreciation of the music. The companion Band Director Academy (BDA) program continues its annual offerings at New York City’s Frederick P. Rose Hall, home of Jazz at Lincoln Center. This year, BDA focuses on the essentials of teaching jazz through the music of the great Count Basie, while emphasizing hands-on learning and practical techniques (June 27 – 30, 2019).
Additional education programming includes:
- Summer Jazz Academy with Wynton Marsalis at Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, NY, July 15 – 28, 2019;
- Licensed WeBop® sites in New York City and national partners in Chicago, Seattle, Orlando, Las Vegas, and Omaha;
- An increased number of free pre-concert lectures to supplement most Jazz at Lincoln Center-produced events in Rose Theater and The Appel Room;
- Listening Parties to provide attendees with new depths of insight into major jazz artists’ aesthetics and inspirations;
- Syncopated Leadership workshops continue to offer a range of leadership training opportunities through jazz performance practice;
- Visiting Band Workshops encouraging band directors of student ensembles of all ages to bring their performing groups for a customized workshop at Frederick P. Rose Hall, home of Jazz at Lincoln Center, for an opportunity to work directly with Jazz at Lincoln Center clinicians and artists.
In addition, Jazz at Lincoln Center’s higher education program, Swing University expands its course offerings in 2019 – 20,building upon its flagship Jazz 101, 201, and 301 classes with specialty courses on South African Jazz, the Great American Songbook, the Music of Memphis, John Coltrane,and more.
Touring
The virtuosic Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis tours its expansive repertoire, including original works and arrangements by band members, around the world. In September and October 2019,the Orchestra tours South Africa for the first time on the 25th anniversary of South Africa’s democracy. Throughout December 2019, the band spreads good cheer along the Midwestern U.S. on its Big Band Holidays Tour, featuring guest vocalists Denzel Sinclaire and Alexis Morrast. The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis tours throughout Europe in February 2020. Residencies in Amsterdam, Brussels, London and Vienna may include free public concerts; and workshops, masterclasses, and Jazz For Young People concerts. In London, the Orchestra performs Wynton Marsalis’ “The Jungle_”_(Symphony No. 4) with the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sir Simon Rattle.
Blue Engine
Blue Engine Records, Jazz at Lincoln Center’s record label, continues distributing recordings from Jazz at Lincoln Center’s bountiful and impressive concert archives, illustrating its commitment to sharing Jazz at Lincoln Center’s music with audiences beyond the concert halls.
Ticket Information
Beginning today, current Jazz at Lincoln Center subscribers are invited to renew their subscriptions for all Rose Theater and The Appel Room concert packages,with savings of up to 15% off single ticket prices. To keep their same seats,current subscribers must renew beginning today through April 19, 2019. New subscriptions may be purchased beginning March 1, 2019.
Becoming a subscriber is the best way to lock in the best seats at the guaranteed best prices for the entire season, as single ticket prices will increase based on demand as concerts approach. Subscribers also have the benefit of utilizing free, unlimited ticket exchanges to manage their schedule.In addition to all other benefits, subscribers can select the TAKE 3,4,5 plan, creating a custom concert package of three or more performances throughout the season,personalized to individual interests and schedules, across both venues. TAKE 3,4,5 tickets come with a 10%discount off single ticket prices in addition to all other subscriber benefits.
For more information on 2019 – 20 season subscriptions, visit jazz.org/subs. To order a subscription or to request information, please call the Subscription Services hotline at 212-258-9999, e-mail subscriptions@jazz.org, or visit jazz.org/subs.
Membership Discount Jazz at Lincoln Center offers a robust Membership program with a wide array of benefits, including deep discounts on concert tickets. Individuals who join at the $75 level and above are eligible to receive VIP single ticket pre-sale access and discounted tickets to Jazz at Lincoln Center-produced concerts in Rose Theater and The Appel Room on the day of the event. Tickets must be purchased at the Jazz at Lincoln Center Box Office or online beginning at 12:01am the day of the performance. Members must show their valid membership card or log-in to jazz.org using their account credentials to receive this discount. Subject to availability. Learn more and sign up at jazz.org/membership.
VIP single ticket pre-sale for donors, members, and subscribers will be available starting June 18, 2019. Become a Jazz at Lincoln Center member by June 24 to access single tickets before the general public.
Pricing Ticket prices for Rose Theater are $40 and up dependent upon seating section,except where noted below:
- _Jazz for Young People_® tickets in Rose Theater are $10, $20 or $25.
Ticket prices for The Appel Room are $65 and up, dependent on seating section for the 7pm sets, and $45 and up, dependent on seating section for the 9:30pm sets.
Note: Hot Seats – $10 seats for each Rose Theater performance (excluding _Jazz for Young People_® concerts and other performances as specified) and select performances in The Appel Room – are available for purchase by the general public on the Wednesday prior to each performance. Tickets are subject to availability; please call 212-258-9877 for available Hot Seats performance dates.
Hot Seats are available only by walk-up at the Box Office; maximum of two tickets per person. Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Hot Seats Ticket Discount Program is supported by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.
Please note that a $10 Hot Seats. A. 7 handling fee also applies when purchasing tickets from CenterCharge or when purchasing tickets online via jazz.org.
All single tickets for The Appel Room and Rose Theater can be purchased through jazz.org 24 hours a day or through CenterCharge at 212-721-6500, open daily from 10am to 9pm. Tickets can also be purchased at the Jazz at Lincoln Center Box Office, located on Broadway at 60th Street, ground floor.
Box Office hours: Monday-Saturday: 10am to 6pm (or 30 minutes past curtain) Sunday: 12noon to 6pm (or 30 minutes past curtain).
Single tickets go on sale JUNE 25, 2019.
Additional information may be found at jazz.org | Facebook: facebook.com/jazzatlincolncenter | Twitter: @jazzdotorg | Instagram: @jazzdotorg | YouTube: youtube.com/jalc | Livestream: jazz.org/live
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