Grammy-nominated vocalist Nnenna Freelon returns for a world-premiere release concert of her newest compact disc, recorded live at the KC Jazz Club last spring. This frequent Billboard Jazz Chart-topper has “no doubt positioned herself in the very top echelon of jazz vocalists” (The Los Angeles Times).

This handsome and talented 19-year old pianist, singer, composer, and arranger is on track to bring pure jazz to a new generation. “He plays the piano like a bunch of greats rolled into one, sings with swagger and confidence, and keeps the crowd amused,” declares the Boston Globe.

St. Louis Post Dispatch said this Baltimore-born saxophonist “capture[s] the infectious groove of the tune.”

Newark Star-Ledger calls this young saxophonist “one of the most creative voices in modern jazz.”

A writer and performer of lyrics in the neglected art of vocalese (the setting of lyrics to established jazz orchestral instrumentals), UK’s The Guardian calls this hot, Grammy®- nominated Chicago vocalist and composer “truly a musical phenomenon.”

Featuring British saxophonist Tim Garland, pianist Geoff Keezer, and vibist Joe Locke, Storms/Nocturnes is an exuberant and riveting chamber jazz trio and also the name of the ensemble’s highly acclaimed debut CD, rated 4 1/2 stars by Down Beat.

Legendary songstress and actress Abbey Lincoln possesses a magical voice, “an agile heat ray shooting past the nerve endings toward the soul’s very core” (New York Newsday). Lincoln has made a career out of pursuing her art with integrity and the celebration of life through music. A recipient of one of the NEA’s prestigious 2003 American Jazz Masters Fellowships, Lincoln has a style that “remains unique in jazz, a blend of soulful idealism, an unpretentious melodicism that suits her understated rambling voice, and metaphysical leanings” (JazzTimes).

Grammy nominee Terence Blanchard returns to the Kennedy Center to perform selections from his premiere Blue Note recording, Bounce. Come see the innovative trumpeter Time Magazine says has "an expressive style reminiscent of the mid-1960s Miles Davis."

Steeped in the vibrant musical cultures of Africa, Randy Weston remains one of the world’s foremost pianists and composers. The Village Voice hails Weston for possessing “the biggest sound of any jazz pianist since Ellington and Monk, as well as the richest, most inventive beat.” Influenced by the genius of Art Tatum, Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, and others, Weston plays with “an infectious sense of spiritual enlightenment” (Chicago Sun-Times).

Named for one of New Orleans’s most famous landmarks, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band has been called “the best jazz band in the land” by the San Francisco Examiner. The musicians, ranging in age from 29 to 88, aim to preserve the music that evolved in New Orleans around the turn of the 20th century and bring it to contemporary audiences. The Los Angeles Times states, “The tradition of New Orleans Jazz championed by the Preservation Hall Jazz Band has to be the purest musical expression of the ‘melting pot’ ideal.”

Influenced by opera, classical music, rap, world music, fine art, and film, this Houston pianist’s music “is serious and directed, and some of the best live jazz around now” (The New York Times).

Innovative and outspoken, this saxophonist and composer has been a progressive force in jazz for nearly 20 years. “His live sets are some of the most rewarding experiences of the moment” declares the New York Times.

Graced with a classical music background, Grammy®- nominated Carla Cook is now one of the jazz world’s most accomplished contemporary voices: “With her gliding delivery, inventive twists, and assured timing, Cook gives each song her distinctive personal stamp” (The Chicago Tribune).

Israeli-born virtuoso composer and bassist Avishai Cohen brings his newly created quartet to the KC Jazz Club. With Sam Bar-Sheshet on piano, Mark Guiliana on drums, and Yosvany Terry on saxophone and chekere, the Avishai Cohen Quartet makes sparks fly with its blend of jazz grooves, funk, fusion, rock, classical, pop, swing, and world sounds and rhythms.

Chicago native Patricia Barber transforms jazz and pop standards with her “throaty, come-hither vocals and coolly incisive piano” (Time Magazine). The 2003 winner of a prestigious Guggenheim Fellowship in Music Composition, Barber is in the vanguard of the new school of female jazz vocalists who in the past decade have been exploring intriguing improvisational terrain beyond classic balladry and bop-infused standards. She is clearly “the most talented emerging jazz singer around” (The Boston Globe).

Bassist John and his younger brother, saxophonist Jeff, are masters of straight-ahead jazz. Along with drummer Jeff Hamilton and pianist Bill Cunliffe, they make up the Clayton Brothers Quartet, performing with “a unique depth of feeling to their music” (Jazz Times).

Vocalist Curtis Stigers returns to the KC Jazz Club following a popular Club performance in May 2003, performing selections from his new Concord compact disc, You Inspire Me. Through his expressive voice and deft interpretive prowess, this acclaimed singer and songwriter proves he "can swing as hard and sensitively as anyone...Stigers is not playing at jazz; he is he real thing." (Jazz Times)

Her musicality and elegant stage presence, along with a voice that is “supple and timeless” (San Francisco Chronicle), enchant audiences around the world. She’s been called “perhaps the best jazz singer alive today” (The New York Times).

With a unique blend of jazz, salsa, and all else that originates from south of the border, the Grammy Award-winning Caribbean Jazz Project is one of the most refreshingly innovative groups in Latin jazz today. Led by Dave Samuels (vibes, marimba), the ensemble also features Dario Eskanazi (piano), Ruben Rodriguez (bass), Dafnis Prieto (drums, timbales), Ray Vega (trumpet, flugelhorn), and Roberto Quintero (congas, percussion).

Saxophonist Charles Lloyd was booked to play at The Blue Note in New York City during the week of September 11, 2001, but his homecoming concert was delayed when the city came to a standstill.

Shortly thereafter, Lloyd went back into the studio to create Lift Every Voice, a stunning collection of original works, rearranged pop tunes, spirituals, and other songs. “It is one of the most beautiful and moving pieces of art to come out of the devastation of Sept. 11,” hails the New York Times.

Join the Kennedy Center and NPR in the Terrace Theater for a program featuring some of the top pianists in jazz performing their favorite holiday music. The concert will be recorded for broadcast on NPR. Past performers have included Henry Butler, Jason Moran, Toshiko Akiyoshi, Dave Brubeck, Diana Krall, and Chucho Valdes, among many others.

Internationally acclaimed Norwegian trumpeter, composer and producer Nils Petter Molvar brings his eclectic mix of vocal and jazz improvisation, and urban rhythms to the Terrace Theater in a one night only engagement.

Molvar's 1997 debut release Khmer was acclaimed as one of the best jazz albums of the 1990s and his follow-up recording of Sold Ether and NP3, further challenge the boundaries between jazz and electronica. Molvar will be accompanied by Elvind Aarset, guitar, Rune Arnesen, drums and DJ Strangefruit, turntables. With influences including Miles Davis, Don Cherry, Billie Holiday, and Bill Laswell don't miss this cutting-edge jazz gem.

This concert will be FREE, no tickets required. Seating will be on a first-come, first served basis.

Winner of two Grammy Awards for Best Jazz Vocalist, Diane Schuur brandishes the power to amaze with her supreme vocal versatility and sensational 3 1/2 octave range. This gifted singer has made an indelible musical mark, ever since she was presented by Dizzy Gillespie at the 1979 Monterey Jazz Festival. “Blessed with a clear ringing voice, Schuur has emerged as the singer most likely to succeed in carrying on the broad jazz-pop tradition of Ella Fitzgerald” (The New York Times).

A Jazz New Year's Eve, featuring Lizz Wright with her Trio, plus Cedar Walton and The Timeless All-Stars.

The New Year’s Eve Grand Foyer Party is open and free to anyone attending any Kennedy Center New Year’s Eve performance or to anyone dining in the Roof Terrace Restaurant. There will be waltzing and swing dancing from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m., with a big balloon and confetti countdown at midnight. Patrons will need to retain their ticket stub or dinner receipt to be admitted to the New Year’s Eve Grand Foyer Party. Restaurant Associates will have food and beverage available for sale.

The Washington Post raves the Paris group’s “level of musicianship and invention is consistently impressive.”

Grammy-nominated and classically trained Stefon Harris—a composer and “vibes player of considerable skill and feeling” (Rolling Stone)—brings Blackout, an exciting blend of electronic and acoustic sounds featuring Harris on Mallet Kat and vibraphone, along with Marc Cary on keyboards, Darryl Hall on bass, Terreon Gully on drums, and Casey Benjamin on sax.

This French cabaret jazz quintet creates modern urban poetry with crystalline vocals and haunting accordion.

Part of the Festival of France.

Legendary gypsy jazz guitarist Reinhardt’s “hot swing” style and music, which caused a sensation in Europe in the ’20s and ’30s, is still hot today. Celebrating his music in this concert are Cuban-born saxophonist Paquito D’Rivera and European stars Dorado Schmitt (lead guitar, violin), Samson Schmitt (rhythm guitar), Florin Niculescu (violin), Ludovic Beier (accordion), and Brian Torff (bass).

Part of the Festival of France.

This Grammy®-nominated pianist artfully combines the sophistication of classical training with a deep jazz sensibility. Stereophile Magazine raves, “When he plays, embers glow, then burst into flame.”

When she played during the inaugural performances of the KC Jazz Club in September 2002, René Marie proved she’s an exuberant and formidable “jazz singer with the talent to be included in the very top level of performers” (The Los Angeles Times).

For more than four decades, Britain’s internationally famous “Queen of Jazz” and Grammy® winner has enchanted audiences with her dazzling array of vocal styles. Possessed of a rare versatility, she is the only singer ever to be nominated for Grammy awards in the Female Jazz, Popular, and Classical categories.

Together, the celebrated singer and her jazz musician husband, John Dankworth, heat up the Terrace Theater with an evening that shows off Laine’s “smoky, bold, and imaginative voice” (Rolling Stone).

An accomplished arranger and conductor, as well as a virtuoso jazz and classical pianist, French composer Michel Legrand has won three Oscars, five Grammys, and an Emmy nomination. Legrand, who packs “more heart into [his] interpretations than most performers half [his] age” (The New York Times), is appearing with vocalist Patti Austin, who “brings a seamless blend of cool professionalism and impassioned smoky-voiced commitment to ballads that surge with an extravagant romanticism” (The New York Times) and the Kennedy Center All-Star Big Band.

Part of the Kennedy Center-wide Festival of France.

She’s a Grammy®-winning superstar hailed as “the best jazz singer of her generation” by Newsweek. Blessed with a distinctive and flexible voice and not afraid to take chances, Cassandra Wilson has a “Mississippi-bred contralto that is as rich, dark, and powerful as the river itself ” (People Magazine).

Bobby has become a leader in the Afro-Cuban and Jazz fields as a drummer and percussionist. Sanabria and Quarteto Ache were nominated by the prestigious Jazz Journalists Association as Best Latin Jazz Album of the year.

This dazzling Grammy®-winning jazz vocalist and Tony®- winning stage actress “carries forward the vital tradition of Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, and Betty Carter with an astonishing vitality, zest, and good humor” (The New York Times). For j’adore l’amour, Bridgewater performs a concert influenced by her time living in France, featuring traditional French songs and works by Michel Legrand, as well as songs from the Paris nightclubs of the ’20s.

Part of the Festival of France.

The Kennedy Center’s Artistic Advisor for Jazz, Dr. Billy Taylor ranks as one of the most influential and popular artists in the history of jazz music. The San Francisco Chronicle calls him “the best known jazzman alive.” Join Dr. Taylor and his trio—bassist Chip Jackson and drummer Winard Harper— as they demonstrate how great jazz is created.

This Texas trumpeter’s Directions in Music won the 2003 Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Album.

Living in Paris for over 50 years, Algerian-born pianist Martial Solal plays with a unique style that is impossible to label. At times “modern,” he sometimes also reminds the listener of the “classic” jazz masters, such as Art Tatum, Duke Ellington, and Thelonious Monk. He blends those elements with undertones of both French-North African folklore and European art music, creating a unified whole sound that is unmistakably Solal. The New York Times declares that this legendary musician “might be the greatest living European jazz pianist—and is at least the equal of any in the United States.”

Part of the Kennedy Center-wide Festival of France.

For nearly 40 years, conga player and bandleader Ray Barretto has been one of the leading forces in Latin jazz. Grammy Award winner Art Blakey—one of the most important drummers/bandleaders in the history of jazz—was a mentor to Barretto. In Homage to Art Blakey, Barretto pays tribute to this legendary musician. All About Jazz claims that “this might be Barretto’s best jazz yet.”

Smooth jazz merges with funky blues for a uniquely expressive style that is Keiko Matsui’s own. The Japanese-born pianist has turned countless pop fans on to serious jazz and opened the minds of straight-ahead jazz connoisseurs to her surprisingly complex arrangements. “Matsui and her able ensemble turn each piece of music into a graceful, highly evocative, and very accessible work of art,” hails Jazziz.

A two-time Grammy® nominee and Guggenheim Fellow, pianist and composer Fred Hersch has been described as “a master who plays it his way” by the New York Times. Hersch has been widely recognized in recent years for his ability to reinvent the standard jazz repertoire, investigating time-tested classics and interpreting them with keen insight, fresh ideas, and extraordinary technique. The New Yorker raves, “Hersch’s work has developed an intensity of intelligence and emotional directness unparalleled among his peers.”

South Bronx native Ray Vega is a veteran of salsa and Latin jazz bands of Tito Puente, Ray Barretto, Mongo Santamaria, Tito Nieves, and Celia Cruz to name a few. A multi-talented trumpeter, percussionist, composer, and arranger, he presents Latin jazz from a refreshingly original and contemporary perspective.

Pianist, composer, and arranger Bill Mays is one of those inspired artists called upon by many for his unique talents. The Toronto Star asserts he possesses “the finesse of Jimmy Rowles, the spirit of Art Tatum, and the drive of Horace Silver.”

Grammy-nominated saxophonist David Sánchez has performed with such artists as Paquito D’Rivera, Hilton Ruiz, Eddie Palmieri, and jazz legend Dizzie Gillespie. “To hear a David Sánchez saxophone solo is to hear genius at work” (Newsday).

The lush baritone voice of Johnny Hartman enriched many big bands in the Forties and Fifties including Dizzy Gillespie’s and Erol Garner’s, but it was the unlikely pairing with John Coltrane that brought out the luxuriant sound of the singer’s best work. Vocalist Kevin Mahogany—“the big man from Kansas City with the commanding stage presence” (Jazz Times)—honors the memory of the talented singer.

“It’s jazz, it’s funk, it’s rap, but most of all it swings,” says the BBC.

Though she was the epitome of the vocal cool movement of the 1950s, June Christy was a warm vocalist able to stretch out her impressive voice on bouncy swing tunes and set herself apart with her deceptively simple enunciation. Charlottesville, Virginia, vocalist Stephanie Nakasian—who “swings and scats with authority” (The Washington Post)— honors the memory of the talented singer.

This Baltimore-born pianist began his astonishing career alongside several celebrated jazz artists, including Wynton Marsalis, Terence Blanchard, and as a member of Betty Carter’s trio. Much like Ray Charles, he uses gospel roots to transmit a joyful, contagious affinity to early jazz forms, revealing “an orchestral command of the keyboard and a sophisticated sense of swing” (People Magazine).

For more information visit the Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Festival website.

This nine-year tradition at the Kennedy Center offers three evenings of star-studded performances featuring the world's top female jazz artists.

May 13, 2004-Miriam Sullivan, bassist and the Nitty Gritty Factor, Luciana Souza, vocalist, and her Quartet, and Carol Sudhalter’s Astoria Jazz Band

May 14, 2004-Jessica Williams, pianist, and her Trio, Janis Siegel, vocalist and her Group, and Jane Bunnett, saxophonist, and the Spirits of Havana

May 15, 2004-Geri Allen, pianist, and her Group, LaVerne Butler, vocalist and her Trio, and Karen Briggs, Violinist

SAVE when you purchase all three concerts together with the special $75 "Trio Package" and receive a free CD* featuring live performances by Kurt Elling, Dee Dee Bridgewater, LaVerne Butler, and many more of your favorite jazz artists. Ask for your "all three discount."
*While supplies last, one per order, one per household. Discount and CD available at Instant Charge and Box Office only.

Grammy®-winning saxophonist and composer Joe Lovano “fully justifies the growing view of him as an important, world-class jazz talent” (The Los Angeles Times). Growing up with a saxophone in his hands and a saxophonist for a father, Lovano was schooled not only in the basics, but also in dynamics and interpretation, and was regularly exposed to jazz artists. Influenced by Miles Davis, Lovano brings his nonet for a special concert featuring a re-invention of Miles Davis’s legendary nonet recording Birth of the Cool, with orchestration by Gunther Schuller.

The NPR's program "Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz" turns twenty-five with a celebratory silver anniversary performance in the Kennedy Center's Terrace Theater, with special guest vocalist and pianist Peter Cincotti. Master pianist McPartland will share musical moments with the twenty-something sensation Cincotti on public radio's longest-running jazz series as it is taped live for broadcast.