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:

Wednesday, September 11, 2024

12-1:15pm - The John Patitucci and Adam Rogers Duo - FREE
Downtown Music at Grace 33 Church Street, White Plains

Acoustic and electric bassist John Patitucci has been at the forefront of the jazz world for the past 30+ years and active in all styles of music. Patitucci is a four-time Grammy Award-winner, who has been nominated over twenty times and has played on many other Grammy Award-winning recordings. He has performed and/or recorded with jazz giants and pop stars alike, including Dizzy Gillespie, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Stan Getz, Wynton Marsalis, Alicia Keys, Joni Mitchell, Bono, Carole King and Paul Simon, among countless others. He has been active as a composer with sixteen solo recordings of his own and has been commissioned to write for various chamber music groups.

A native New Yorker, guitarist Adam Rogers has worked with some of the greatest names in jazz, pop and world music, including Cassandra Wilson, Chris Potter, John Zorn, The Gil Evans Orchestra, The Mingus Orchestra, Norah 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 albums and toured extensively as a leader and sideman throughout the world.

12:30-2:00pm - Jazmyn - FREE

White Plains Farmers Market 59 Court Street, White Plains

Jazmyn 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 stars like Nancy Wilson, Joe Williams, Ruth Brown and Little Jimmy Scott. Newer legends like Marion Meadows, Gerald Albright, Vesta Williams, Peabo Bryson, Glenn Jones and Stevie Wonder.

8:00-9:00pm - Jazz and Poetry Collective - $10

ArtsWestchester Gallery 31 Mamaroneck Avenue, White Plains

The Jazz and Poetry Choir Collective (JandPCC) will share original pieces and pay homage to artists who are known for working across poetry and jazz improvisation. JandPCC members bring experience, narrative and playfulness to the stage, taking the art of spoken word jazz to a new level. The performance will feature Westchester County Poet Laureate Phylisha Villanueva.

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JAZZ STROLL - FREE admissions does not include drinks
Take an evening stroll from Mamaroneck Avenue to Main Street and listen to the sounds of jazz coming at three popular locations.

5pm - Kristina Koller - Shiraz Kitchen - 80 Mamaroneck Avenue
6:15pm - Aaron Seeber Trio - Chazz Palminteri - 264 Main Street
7:30pm - Chembo Corniel Trio - Colombian House - 175 Main Street

Thursday, September 12, 2024

6:30pm - Selwyn Birchwood, including dinner served by Via Garibaldi
White Plains Plaza - One North Broadway
Dinner and performance $70 per person - Cash Bar
price includes reception, performance, tax and gratuity

Hailed by Rolling Stone as “a remarkable, contemporary bluesman” and “a powerhouse young guitarist and soulful vocalist,” Selwyn Birchwood has established himself as one of blues music’s most prodigious and visionary young artists.

Join us for a one-of-a-kind concert reception.
Advance ticket purchase includes:
- Live performance
- 3-course family style dinner (inclusive of tax and gratuity)
- Prime seating on the plaza
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 Plaza, but must bring their own chairs. In the event of rain, this event will be moved indoors.

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Friday, September 13, 2024

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 living with her Barese grandfather who played Jazz and Italian classics throughout the house. Racci is known for creating her own unique sound, blending jazz and Italian influences. Her most recent album, Jazzy Italian (2022, Zoho Jazz label), was produced and arranged by GRAMMY Award-winner Steven Feifke, and was named among the Top 10 Traditional Jazz Albums of 2022 on the RMR jazz chart.

7 and 9pm - Nicole Zuraitis Quartet
ArtsWestchester - 31 Mamaroneck Avenue
General Admission:
$45 (7pm or 9pm) - $80 (7pm AND 9pm)
(Children under 12 FREE)
Prime Table Seating: $65/$120

Nicole Zuraitis is a 2024 GRAMMY® Award-winning jazz singer-songwriter, 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 expressive artist like no other.”

Her sixth album, How Love Begins,co-produced with eight-time GRAMMY-winner Christian McBride (2023), features 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.

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Saturday, September 14, 2024

2pm-3pm - The MCW Jazz Faculty Ensemble: The History of Jazz
3pm-4pm - Jazz Jam with MCW Faculty
FREE
Music Conservatory of Westchester, 216 Central Ave.

The Music Conservatory Westchester (MCW) Faculty Jazz Ensemble presents The History of Jazz, a concert with musical selections that represent the evolution of jazz and its growth throughout the 20th Century. The concert, which will feature MCW’s world-class faculty, will take place in the Conservatory’s Recital Hall and will be streamed live online.

A jam session will immediately follow the concert program. This session is open to all ages and levels of experience and will be facilitated by MCW faculty.

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7 and 9pm - Vijay Iyer Trio, featuring Tyshawn Sorey and Linda May Han Oh
ArtsWestchester, 31 Mamaroneck Avenue
General Admission:
$45 (7pm or 9pm) - $80 (7pm AND 9pm)
(Children under 12 FREE)
Prime Table Seating: $65/$120

Composer/pianist Vijay Iyer, one of the leading music makers of his generation, comes to the JazzFest White Plains with his acclaimed trio, featuring Linda May Han Oh (bass) and Tyshawn Sorey (drums). Praised by NPR as “truly astonishing” and by the New York Times as “the great new jazz piano trio” the ensemble makes emotionally resonant music that is rooted in tradition yet steeped in innovation.

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Sunday, September 15, 2024

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.

Date: September 11-15, 2024

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