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It’s Summer, that special time when New York City opens its vast array of parks and outdoor spaces to the sound of music. Jazzmobile returns with its 58th annual Summerfest series, which takes over a myriad of stages throughout the city’s five boroughs with a dancing and diverse assemblage of nearly 30 jazz stars and emerging talents from July 6 to August 31. The much-anticipated return of Jazzmobile presents audiences with another year of Free top-notch musical performances that parallel New York City’s dynamic diversity – from straight-ahead, Latin, post-bop, blues, swing and beyond. To see the full schedule, please visit www.jazzmobile.com.

Join us on Friday, September 23, as we welcome GRAMMY-winning American jazz drummer and Queens native Lenny White for an exciting evening of jazz fusion at 8PM EST.

The performance will feature White's original compositions and deliver a beautiful, surprising, and daring tribute to the late virtuoso Chick Corea- a 23-time GRAMMY-winner, DownBeat Hall of Famer, and NEA Jazz Master beloved by Flushing Town Hall audiences and jazz fans around the world.

White will be joined by Tom Guarna (guitar), Quinton Zoto (guitar), Richie Goods (bass), and Vince Evans (piano and synthesizers).

Leonard "Lenny" White III, who was born in Jamaica, Queens, became interested in music at a young age. As a self-taught drummer, White began his career playing with groups in the New York jazz scene. At only 19 years old, the young White recorded the album "Bitches Brew" with his hero Miles Davis. White is, however, best known as one of the original members of the group Return To Forever founded in 1972 by the late Chick Corea. In the late 1980s, White became part of the Jamaica Boys, a Queens-based funk trio including Marcus Miller on the bass and singer Dinky Bingham, who replaced Mark Stevens, the brother of Chaka Khan.

White is often described as one of the founding fathers of the jazz-rock movement and has emerged as one of the premier drummers in jazz. White has played and collaborated with music artists such as Miles Davis, Joe Henderson, Gato Barbieri, Gil Evans, Stan Getz, Ron Carter, Woody Shaw, Freddie Hubbard, Jaco Pastorius, Herbie Hancock, Cedar Walton, Carlos Santana, Chaka Khan, and many more. Today, he is sharing his music knowledge as part of the Music Adjunct Faculty at NYU Steinhard as Composer-in-Residence.

White has won three GRAMMY awards, received more than two GRAMMY nominations, and won one Latin GRAMMY award.

The concert begins at 8:00PM. Tickets for the performance are $40 for general admission, $32 for members, and $20 for students with valid student ID. Table packages for 2 with refreshments are available for purchase for $130 or $110 for members.

For our 2022-2023 Season Opener, WMI revisits the Improvisations series, rooted at the intersection of NYC's jazz and improvised music scene and the music of our immigrant communities. A core member of the original series was composer and percussionist Adam Rudolph. On September 10th, together with Adam we reboot the ‘Improvisations’ series with an impressive lineup of musicians that honors the original participants from the series while looking forward to the next generation of improvisational artists.

The event will include old friends and veterans of the series, including NEA Jazz Master saxophonist Dave Liebman and Moroccan gnawa master Hassan Hakmoun, as well as a new crop of younger artists, including Brooklyn Raga Massive,  Joel Ross, Brandee Younger, Marcus Gilmore and Angel Bat Dawid.

The evening will also include Rudolph and Hassan Hakmoun performing in tribute to legendary jazz trumpeter and composer Don Cherry. Cherry performed in and illuminated many of the Improvisations shows; and recorded on Rudolph and Hakmoun's 1988 Gift of Gnawa project that WMI also hosted as part of the original Improvisations series.

Acclaimed jazz guitarist Andy Bianco brings his formidable quartet to Zinc on Monday, September 19. He’s supported by saxophonist Wayne Escoffery, organist Brad Whiteley, and drummer Paul Wells.

New York City-based guitarist/composer Andy Bianco has performed/recorded with Angie Stone, Ray Chew, Onree Gill, Kandace Springs, Elle Varner, Bob Moses & many others at such renowned venues as Smoke Jazz Club, Cafe Wha, The Bitter End, The Blue Note, SOB’s, and Joe’s Pub. He’s also the guitarist for the Grammy-nominated R&B artist Elle Varner, with whom he has completed a tour of Japan for Billboard Live. He was a finalist in the 2012 & 2015 USA Songwriting Competition, & his 2 official album releases as a leader have received domestic & international critical acclaim. Andy completed a 6-month tour of New Zealand & Japan as the guitarist with the critically acclaimed stage production entitled, “Empire.” He is a member of the jazz hip-hop supergroup, the Nickel & Dime OPS.

Showtimes are at 7:00 pm & 8:30 pm. Tickets: $25 in advance / $30 at the door. For more info, visit https://www.zincjazz.com.

“One of America’s premier living tenor saxophonists.” (Bergonzi)

—Jazz TImes

“A beacon of hard-won virtuosity and open-eared creativity.” (Garzone)
—The New Yorker

Acclaimed Tenor Saxophonists Jerry Bergonzi & George Garzone bring their formidable group to Zinc on Friday, September 23. They're supported by guitarist Peter Bernstein, bassist Peter Slavov, and drummer Adam Nussbaum.

Tenor saxophonist Jerry Bergonzi is an internationally recognized jazz performer, composer, author, and educator.

Bergonzi has performed throughout the world at all the major jazz festivals and jazz venues, with his own ensembles as well as with numerous jazz greats. His music is renowned for its innovation, mastery, and integrity. His discography includes more than 60 recordings, notably Standard Gonz with the Jerry Bergonzi Quartet on the Blue Note label; he also has 60 recorded song titles registered with ASCAP.

Saxophonist George Garzone is a member of The Fringe, a jazz trio founded in 1972 that includes bassist John Lockwood and drummer Bob Gullotti, that performs regularly in the Boston area and has toured Portugal. The group has released three albums. A veteran jazzman, Garzone has appeared on over 20 recordings. He began on the tenor when he was six, played in a family band, and attended music school in Boston. In addition, Garzone has guested in many situations, touring Europe with Jamaaladeen Tacuma and performing with Danilo Perez, Joe Lovano, Jack DeJohnette, Rachel Z, and John Patitucci, among others.

Showtimes are at 7:00 pm & 8:30 pm. Tickets: $30 in advance / $35 at the door. For more info, visit https://www.zincjazz.com.

Contemporary jazz band ‘Spin Cycle’ has been bringing their original music across the US and Canada. Co-lead by Scott Neumann (Drums) and Tom Christensen (Tenor and Soprano Sax), the band highlights their flexibility, reach and capacity. On any given song, you might encounter the modal influence of John Coltrane, the second-line funk of New Orleans, or the edgy experimentation of free jazz. The band also features guitarist Pete McCann and bassist Phil Palombi, both bandleaders and well-respected artists in their own right. The band’s fourth CD will be released soon on their label, Sound Footing Records.

Sets at 7.30pm + 9.30pm ET
John Escreet -piano
John Hébert -bass
Damion Reid -drums

Pianist John Escreet, hailed by Time Out London as a “transatlantic jazz genius,” continues his artistic ascent with the bold, exploratory new album Seismic Shift (Whirlwind Recordings). It is Escreet’s ninth album as a leader but his first at the helm of a trio, and also one of the first to see release since his move to the West Coast in early 2020.

The UK native, former Brooklynite and now Los Angeles transplant teams up with fellow Angelenos Eric Revis (bass) and Damion Reid (drums) for a set brimming with fire and invention. Seismic Shift offers ground-shaking evidence that Escreet, with his limitless technique, harmonic imagination and refined grasp of the improviser’s art, ranks as one of the top pianist-auteurs of our time. Equally at home in mainstream, electric, avant-garde and world jazz contexts, he has also built a reputation as a versatile sideman and collaborator with credits including Antonio Sanchez, Tyshawn Sorey, Amir ElSaffar, David Binney, and Evan Parker to name a few.

The world of Seismic Shift is on one level what the title implies: it involves tumult, rupture, earthquake. Escreet and his colleagues unleash a lot of power, whether freely improvising, sculpting sound with extended techniques, or for that matter playing elegant tonal harmony. “Any music I present needs to be varied,” Escreet says. “There needs to be beauty alongside the wild moments, moments of tonality against moments of abstraction. Most of all, any idea put forward, whether composed or improvised, needs to have clarity and purpose.”

Sets at 7.30pm + 9.30pm ET
John Patitucci -electric basses
Adam Rogers -electric guitars
Steve Cardenas -electric guitars
Nate Smith -drums

John Patitucci brings his all-star Electric Guitar Quartet featuring Adam Rogers, Steve Cardenas and Nate Smith. This versatile group plays everything from Monk to funk.

TJG Vinyl Series Presents Christian McBride & Johnathan Blake

Introduced in 2018, TJG Vinyl Listening Series is a unique opportunity to participate in a curated listening experience hosted by musicians and jazz luminaries in an informal and intimate setting.

Wine & Cheese are supplied and each evening guarantees great music and conversation.

Tickets are limited.

Sets at 7.30pm + 9.30pm ET

Brandon Ross -guitars/voice
Stomu Takeishi -acoustic bass guitar

Brandon Ross and Stomu Takeishi play CREATIVE MUSIC on acoustic guitar and acoustic bass guitar. The vocabulary is personal, adventurous, intimate and captivating. Bring your attention, your openness and your INNER ears along with you.

"...These are musicians so technically advanced, so experienced, that there is no barrier; a soundscape of original stories..." - Sue Edwards, The Jazz Shark