This fall\, JazzFest White Plains returns for its 13th year with more energy and excitement than ever. The five-day festival presents 18 live performances taking place acro ss downtown White Plains – from emerging talent to world-renowned artists\, including four Grammy Award-winners and nominees. More inf o here.
(artists and schedule subject to change)
12-1:15pm | The John Patitucci & Adam Rogers Duo | FREE
Downtown Music at Grace
33 Church Street\, W
hite Plains
A na tive New Yorker\, guitarist Adam Rogers has worked with some of the grea test names in jazz\, pop and world music\, including Cassandra Wilson\, Chr is Potter\, John Zorn\, The Gil Evans Orchestra\, The Mingus Orchestra\, No rah Jones\, Paul Simon\, The SFJazz collective\, Gonzalo Rubalcaba\, George Coleman\, Christian McBride and Billy Childs. Since May 2022\, Rogers has been a touring member of Steely Dan. He has appeared on more than 250 album s and toured extensively as a leader and sideman throughout the world.
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has been around for almost 30 years. During that time they have shared
the stage with some of music’s biggest and brightest stars. Legendary star
s like Nancy Wilson\, Joe Williams\, Ruth Brown and Little Jimmy Scott. New
er legends like Marion Meadows\, Gerald Albright\, Vesta Williams\, Peabo B
ryson\, Glenn Jones and Stevie Wonder.
8:00-9:00pm | Jazz & Poetry Collective | $10
ArtsWestchester Gallery
31 Mamaroneck Avenue
\, White Plains
The Jazz & Poetry Choir Co llective (J&PCC) will share original pieces and pay homage to artists w ho are known for working across poetry and jazz improvisation. J&PCC member s bring experience\, narrative and playfulness to the stage\, taking the ar t of spoken word jazz to a new level. The performance will feature Westches ter County Poet Laureate Phylisha Villanueva.
5:00pm – Kristina Koller
Shiraz Kitchen
| 80 Mamaroneck Avenue
6:15pm – Aaron Seeber Trio
Chazz Palminteri | 264 Main Street
7:30pm – Chembo Corniel Trio
Colombian House | 17
5 Main Street
FREE Admission does not i nclude food or drinks.
< img src="https://wpbid.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Selwyn-Birchwood-300x 223.jpg" alt=" Selwyn Birchwood" width="300" height="223" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-3797" />
6:30pm | Jazz Under the Starz |
Selwyn Birchwood
Including dinner served by Via Garibaldi
White Plains Plaza | One North Broadway
Dinn
er and performance $70 per person | Cash Bar
*price includes reception
\, performance\, tax and gratuity
Hailed by Rolling Stone as “a remar kable\, contemporary bluesman” and “a powerhouse young guitarist and soulfu l vocalist\,” Selwyn Birchwood has established himself as one of blues musi c’s most prodigious and visionary young artists.
Join us for a one-of -a-kind concert reception.
Advance ticket purchase includes:< /strong>
Appetizer:
Main Course:< /p>
Sides:
Dessert :
This performance will take place outdoors with advanced ticket purchase required for prime viewing. Non-ticket holders are welcome to enjoy the performance on the Pla za\, but must bring their own chairs. In the event of rain\, this event wil l be moved indoors.
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12-1pm | Jazz at Noon: Vanessa Racci Jazzy Italian | FREE
White Plains Public Library Plaza | 100 Martine Avenue
This program celebrates Italian Americans who made their mark on jazz. Descended from Southern Italian immigrants\, Vanessa Racci grew up li ving with her Barese grandfather who played Jazz and Italian classics throu ghout the house. Racci is known for creating her own unique sound\, blendin g jazz and Italian influences. Her most recent album\, Jazzy Italian (2022\ , Zoho Jazz label)\, was produced and arranged by GRAMMY Award-winner Steve n Feifke\, and was named among the Top 10 Traditional Jazz Albums of 2022 o n the RMR jazz chart.
7 and 9pm | Nicol
e Zuraitis Quartet
ArtsWestchester | 31 Mamaroneck Av
enue
SAVE
on Prime Table Seating purchased before July 1:
<
span style="text-decoration: underline\;">General Admission:
$45 (7pm or 9pm) | $80 (7pm AND 9pm)
<
strong>(Children under 12 FREE)
After June 30: Prime Table Seating $65/$120
Nicole Zuraitis is a 2024 GRAMMY® Award-winning jazz singer-so ngwriter\, pianist\, arranger\, New York-based bandleader and winner of the prestigious 2021 American Traditions Vocal Competition Gold Medal. All About Jazz recently referred to her as a “poetess and purely expressi ve artist like no other.”
Her sixth album\, How Love Begins\ , co-produced with eight-time GRAMMY-winner Christian McBride (2023)\, feat ures all original music and was awarded the 2024 GRAMMY Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album. In addition to leading her quartet\, Zuraitis is the premier vocalist for the Birdland Big Band and frequently headlines iconic NYC jazz clubs like Dizzy’s Club at Lincoln Center\, Birdland and Blue Note. She is a proud educator and currently vocal faculty at NYU and SUNY Purchase.
2pm-3pm | Th
e MCW Jazz Faculty Ensemble: The History of Jazz
3pm-
4pm | Jazz Jam with MCW Faculty
FREEMusic Conservatory of Westchester\, 216 Central Ave.
< a href="https://musicconservatory.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Music Conservatory Westchester (MCW) Faculty Jazz Ensemble presents The History of Jazz\, a concert with musical selections that represent the evo lution of jazz and its growth throughout the 20th Century. The concert\, wh ich will feature MCW’s world-class faculty\, will take place in the Conserv atory’s Recital Hall and will be streamed live online.
A jam session
will immediately follow the concert program. This session is open to all ag
es and levels of experience and will be facilitated by MCW faculty.
ArtsWestchester\, 31 Mamaroneck Avenue
SAVE on Prime Table Sea
ting purchased before July 1:
$55 Prime Table
Seating (7pm or 9pm) | $100 (7pm AND 9pm)
General Admission:
(Children u
nder 12 FREE)
After June 30: Prime Table Seating $65/$120
Compo ser/pianist Vijay Iyer\, one of the leading music makers of his generation\, come s to the JazzFest White Plains with his acclaimed trio\, featuring Linda May Han O h (bass) and Tyshawn Sorey (drums). Praised by NPR as “truly astonishin g” and by the New York Times as “the great new jazz piano trio” th e ensemble makes emotionally resonant music that is rooted in tradition yet steeped in innovation.
(All day event – Rain or Shine\, thanks to our mass
ive tent to keep you dry!)
FREE TO THE PUBLIC
12:30-7:30pm | White Plains Jazz & Food FestivalMamaroneck Ave. (between Main St. and Martine Ave.)
12:30-1:15pm | Westchest er Center for Jazz & Contemporary Music
The Westchester Center for Jazz & Contemporary Music provides opportunities for musicia ns of diverse backgrounds\, abilities and ages to develop their skills in j azz and other related musical forms. This performance features a selection of the Center’s top student musicians and faculty.
1:45-2:45pm | Anaïs Reno Quartet
Anaïs Reno has had a rapidly growing career as a singer with a love for jazz and the Great American Songbook. Since age 10\, she has been sing ing with acclaimed musicians including KT Sullivan\, Billy Stritch\, Tedd F irth\, Catherine Russel\, and Emmet Cohen\, to name a few. Her performance highlights include David Geffen Hall\, Rose Hall\, NJPAC\, Birdland and mor e. Reno’s debut album\, Lovesome Thing: Anaïs Reno sings Ellington & St rayhorn with the Emmet Cohen trio (2020)\, received international crit ical acclaim\, climbing to no 6 on the jazz chart after performing in the T op 10 for 4 consecutive weeks.
3:15–4:15pm | Brandon Sanders
Drummer Brandon Sanders is known for his hard-swinging yet soph isticated approach to acoustic post-bop jazz. He first garnered attention i n the early 2000s when he moved to NYC from the West Coast and began playin g with artists like Joe Lovano\, Mike LeDonne and Esperanza Spalding. In 20 22\, he made his solo debut with Compton’s Finest.
4:45–5:45pm | Julius Rodriquez
Julius Rodriguez is a rising star at the intersection of jazz\, soul\, gospel\, hip-hop an d blues. Rodriguez\, who grew up in White Plains\, initially grabbed audien ces’ attention while touring with A$AP Rocky and working on projects with J osé James\, Madison McFerrin\, Kassa Overall\, Meshell Ndegeocello\, Brasst racks\, and others. In 2022\, he made his solo debut for Verve Records with Let Sound Tell All.
6:15–7:15pm | Ekep Nkwell
The D.C.-born and New York-based Ekep Nkwelle is a jazz vocalist of Cam eroonian-American descent. She has trained at Duke Ellington School of the Arts\, Howard University and The Juilliard School and worked alongside jazz masters like Russell Malone\, Cyrus Chestnut\, Peter Washington and many o thers. She was featured at Radio City Music Hall with renowned classical pi anist Lang Lang in collaboration with Disney and has also performed at Linc oln Center\, The Kennedy Center\, and Newport and Montclair jazz festivals. The year 2023 marked a pinnacle in Ekep’s career as she was honored with t he prestigious Juilliard Career Advancement Grant\, a testament to her arti stry and character\, as she was nominated by jazz master trumpeter Wynton M arsalis. As one of Jazz at Lincoln Center’s newest rising stars\, Nkwelle i s poised to shape the future of jazz. Her artistry knows no bounds as she e ndeavors to share her soulful melodies with audiences worldwide.
JazzFest White Plains is made possible by the New York St
ate Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and
the New York State Legislature.