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 across downtown White Plains – from emerging talent to world-renowned artists, including four Grammy Award-winners and nominees.

Schedule Of Events:

12:30-7:30pm - White Plains Jazz and Food Festival
Mamaroneck Ave. (between Main St. and Martine Ave.)

12:30-1:15pm - Westchester Center for Jazz and Contemporary Music

The Westchester Center for Jazz and Contemporary Music provides opportunities for musicians of diverse backgrounds, abilities and ages to develop their skills in jazz 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 singing with acclaimed musicians including KT Sullivan, Billy Stritch, Tedd Firth, Catherine Russel, and Emmet Cohen, to name a few. Her performance highlights include David Geffen Hall, Rose Hall, NJPAC, Birdland and more. Reno’s debut album, Lovesome Thing: Anaïs Reno sings Ellington and Strayhorn with the Emmet Cohen trio (2020), received international critical acclaim, climbing to no 6 on the jazz chart after performing in the Top 10 for 4 consecutive weeks.

3:15–4:15pm - Brandon Sanders Quintet

Drummer Brandon Sanders is known for his hard-swinging yet sophisticated approach to acoustic post-bop jazz. He first garnered attention in the early 2000s when he moved to NYC from the West Coast and began playing with artists like Joe Lovano, Mike LeDonne and Esperanza Spalding. In 2022, 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 and blues.  Rodriguez, who grew up in White Plains, initially grabbed audiences’ attention while touring with A$AP Rocky and working on projects with José James, Madison McFerrin, Kassa Overall, Meshell Ndegeocello, Brasstracks, 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 Cameroonian-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 others. She was featured at Radio City Music Hall with renowned classical pianist Lang Lang in collaboration with Disney and has also performed at Lincoln 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 the prestigious Juilliard Career Advancement Grant, a testament to her artistry and character, as she was nominated by jazz master trumpeter Wynton Marsalis.  As one of Jazz at Lincoln Center’s newest rising stars, Nkwelle is poised to shape the future of jazz. Her artistry knows no bounds as she endeavors to share her soulful melodies with audiences worldwide.