jazz

For over three decades, Jazz at Lincoln Center has been a leading advocate for jazz, culture, and arts education globally. Under the direction of Wynton Marsalis, Jazz at Lincoln Center has brought the art form of jazz from the heart of New York City to over 446 cities in more than 40 countries. Songs We Love was first presented as the 2016 season opener at Jazz at Lincoln Center. The program is a journey through the first 50 years of jazz song. Under the musical direction of trumpeter Riley Mulherkar, vocalists Vuyo Sotashe, Brianna Thomas, and Shenel Johns join Mariel Bildsten on trombone, Lucas Pino on reeds, Mathis Picard on piano, Barry Stephenson on bass, and TJ Reddick in this all-star ensemble celebrating the American art form of jazz. Combining their distinct talents, the group will sing their way through four decades of music, beginning with the early blues and jazz of the 1920s and ending in the early 1950s. Iconic singers to be explored include Ma Rainey, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, and Judy Garland.

The Los Angeles Times calls the Luckman Jazz Orchestra “one of the country’s finest musical organizations.” Under the direction of Charles Owens, the Luckman Jazz Orchestra has performed numerous concerts honoring jazz masters and has been joined on stage by some of the greatest living jazz vocalists today, including Dianne Reeves, Carmen Lundy, and Barbara Morrison. The orchestra was selected as an official cultural ambassador for Los Angeles and represented the city across the country and abroad in Sao Paolo and Berlin. This year, the LJO will present an intimate small combo session of jazz in its purest form.

Sonny Rollins is a prolific American jazz legend. Widely recognized as one of the most important and influential jazz musicians, his compositions have become classic jazz standards. Rollins has collaborated and recorded with jazz masters: Charlie Parker, J.J. Johnson, and Thelonious Monk; Miles Davis said of Sonny Rollins, “He was an aggressive, innovative player.” The Luckman Jazz Orchestra pays tribute to the Grammy Award-winning jazz icon.