Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Dizzy’s Club continues its season of in-person performances in January and February 2022, with the return of mainstays like pianists Emmet Cohen and Cyrus Chestnut, as well as celebrations honoring the legacy of late jazz luminaries Ralph Peterson and Frank Wess. February’s lineup includes a performance by the Black Art Jazz Collective, paying tribute to jazz icons and featuring pieces inspired by the Thirteenth Amendment and the Tulsa Race Massacre, whose messages remain pertinent more than a century later.
DIZZY’S CLUB JANUARY LINEUP:
Emmet Cohen Trio with Special Guests
January 6-8, 2022 | 7:30 p.m. & 9:30 p.m.
January 9, 2022 | 5:00 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.
Pianist/bandleader Emmet Cohen is one of the most in-demand musicians in New York. Cohen’s trio—a popular headlining group in its own right—has become a first-call rhythm section for top vocalists and instrumentalists of all generations. In recent years, Cohen, the 2019 winner of the prestigious American Pianists Association jazz competition, has played with the likes of Tootie Heath, Ron Carter, George Coleman, Houston Person (appearing on January 7 only), and Veronica Swift. For his January performances at Dizzy’s, Cohen is joined by a rotating cast of special guests each night, including saxophonists Houston Person and Ruben Fox, as well as Postmodern Jukebox frontman trumpeter Benny Benack III.
BIGYUKI Solo and Yasushi Nakamura Trio
January 12, 2022 | 7:30 p.m. & 9:30 p.m.
This double bill showcases the traditional and the modern and everything in between. Bassist Yasushi Nakamura is praised for imaginative, quicksilver bass lines that deepen the groove. His blend of guitar-like precision and gut-level blues has sparked collaborations with artists such as Wynton Marsalis, Wycliffe Gordon, Toshiko Akiyoshi, Hank Jones, Dave Douglas, and Steve Miller. With his charismatic stage presence and artful, hard-swinging melodic touch, Nakamura is a first-call performer capturing new audiences and fans around the world. Masayuki Hirano, better known as BIGYUKI, is a ground-breaking songwriter and virtuoso keyboard player who blends jazz, soul, hip-hop, and electronica to create a sound that’s wholly his own. Alongside releasing his own inimitable music, BIGYUKI is highly sought-after as a performer and collaborator by the likes of A Tribe Called Quest, Kamasi Washington, and Lauryn Hill.
Chick Corea Afro-Caribbean Experience
With Elio Villafranca and Friends
January 13, 2022 | 7:30 p.m. & 9:30 p.m.
Chick Corea was quoted in a 2019 Billboard interview as saying, “That [Latin] flavor, I find, is mostly in everything I do; it’s a part of me.” For tonight’s celebration of jazz icon Chick Corea, who tragically passed in 2020, Cuban pianist Elio Villafranca will delve into the maestro’s music from a distinctly Afro-Caribbean-meets-jazz perspective, joined by a cadre of master musicians. When Jazz at Lincoln Center hosted a week-long Chick Corea Festival in 2013, Chick hand-picked the musicians he wanted to see and hear at Dizzy’s, with Elio Villafranca being one of them. Chick’s masterful storytelling knew no bounds – from Bach and Bartok to the blues, from Stravinsky to samba, Mozart to montunos, Ravel and rhumba – all tempered with the language of swing with the Spanish tinge.
Micah Thomas Trio
January 14, 2022 | 7:30 p.m. & 9:30 p.m.
Critics have heralded pianist and recent Juilliard graduate Micah Thomas as a breakout star who brings technical chops, wide-ranging influences, and a deep understanding of jazz history to bear alongside his distinctive musical point of view. In June 2020, the then 22-year-old Thomas released his debut album, Tide, which received positive reviews from The New York Times, JazzTimes, and The Financial Times, among others. In addition to performing as a soloist and with his trio, Thomas tours around the world as a sideman with Giveton Gelin, Immanuel Wilkins, Ambrose Akinmusire, Joel Ross, and Melissa Aldana.
Songs We Love featuring Vuyo Sotashe, Brianna Thomas and Shenel Johns
January 15, 2022 | 7:30 p.m. & 9:30 p.m.
January 16, 2022 | 5:00 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.
Three rising stars take audiences on a journey through some of the most iconic songs of early blues and jazz. Those virtuosic vocalists are Vuyo Sotashe, finalist of the 2015 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Vocals Competition; Brianna Thomas, whom The Wall Street Journal said “may be the best young straight-ahead jazz singer of her generation”; and Shenel Johns, who most recently performed with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis. Under the music direction of trumpeter, composer, and arranger Riley Mulherkar, the repertoire will include hits made famous by Bessie Smith, Ma Rainey, Billie Holiday, Frank Sinatra, Dinah Washington, and Sarah Vaughan.
Vanisha Gould and Lucy Yeghiazaryan: In Her Words
January 17, 2021 | 7:30 p.m.
New York-based vocalists Lucy Yeghiazaryan and Vanisha Gould perform at Dizzy’s in honor of their new collaborative album, In Her Words. Created with support from the New York Foundation Arts 2020 Women’s Fund, the repertoire is split almost evenly between standards by composers like Rodgers and Hart and Frank Loesser and originals by Gould and Yeghiazaryan. Described as an “unabashedly intimate recording offer[ing] a glimpse into the private lives of women told from their unique perspectives,” In Her Words is a beautiful collection of songs featuring a drumless rhythm section made up of guitarist Eric Zolan and bassist Dan Pappalardo.
A Ralph Peterson Celebration
Presented in collaboration with Winter JazzFest
January 18, 2022 | 7:30 p.m. & 9:30 p.m.
In collaboration with New York’s annual Winter JazzFest and The Ralph Peterson Jr. Musical Legacy, Dizzy’s Club presents a concert celebrating Peterson’s life and work, including the many contributions he made to JazzFest over the years. Peterson—a master drummer, bandleader, and composer—died on March 1st following a six-year battle with cancer. Ralph Peterson continued to advance the continuum of his late mentor Art Blakey on a 2020 release, Onward & Upward, his ambitious and expansive 25th release as a leader. For this evening’s presentation, one of Ralph’s core bands, The Messenger Legacy with Bill Pierce, Brian Lynch, Craig Handy, and Essiet Essiet, and special guests Tia Fuller and Tyshawn Sorey, will pay homage to this album and to a master who left us too soon.
Frank Wess Centennial Celebration
January 19-20, 2022 | 7:30 p.m. & 9:30 p.m.
In honor of what would have been Frank Wess’s centennial this month, Dizzy’s Club brings together an all-star octet, including Scott Robinson, Steve Turre, Michael Weiss, Rufus Reid, and Dennis Mackrel, to pay tribute to him. The NEA Jazz Master, who died in 2013, is revered for his smooth and swinging tenor saxophone playing and is one of the most influential flutists in jazz history. Wess joined Count Basie’s Big Band in 1953 and remained in the chair until 1964. Over the rest of his career, he played with Clark Terry’s Big Band, Dameronia, the Toshiko Akiyoshi Jazz Orchestra, the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis, and the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band. He also led his own big bands on world tours and played in the Dizzy Gillespie Alumni All-Star Big Band. His annual shows at Dizzy’s in the 2000s featured many of tonight’s band members, and this performance will evoke Wess’ swinging and bluesy spirit.
Cyrus Chestnut Trio
January 21-22, 2022 | 7:30 p.m. & 9:30 p.m.
January 23, 2022 | 5:00 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.
An adept jazz pianist, Cyrus Chestnut balances his lithe technical skill with a robust, soulful style that speaks to his deep spiritual roots and love of swinging hard bop. Drawing heavily on the gospel tradition, his love for Vince Guaraldi, and his experience as a longtime sideman for jazz legends such as Dizzy Gillespie and Wynton Marsalis, Chestnut’s sensitive keystrokes have earned him a faithful following around the world. With skillful versatility, playful showmanship, and universal appeal, the Cyrus Chestnut Trio is sure to delight audiences of all ages.
Charles Turner & Uptown Swing
January 26, 2022 | 7:30 p.m. & 9:30 p.m.
Charles Turner, vocals
A regular leader of Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Late Night Dance Sessions, Charles Turner & Uptown Swing bring their signature mix of vibrant swing, virtuosic bebop, and vital blues to the Dizzy’s stage at primetime this January. Turner, a charismatic young vocalist, is a graduate of the Berklee College of Music and has held residencies at Minton’s and Birdland. His shows always get audiences up on their feet and dancing.
Diane Schuur: Running on Faith
January 27-29, 2022 | 7:30 p.m. & 9:30 p.m.
January 30, 2022 | 5:00 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.
Two-time Grammy Award-winning vocalist and pianist Diane Schuur will perform songs from her latest recording Running On Faith, on which she arranges music by some of her favorite performers and songwriters—from Miles Davis to Percy Mayfield to Paul Simon—all with her distinctive, jazzy charm. For this performance, she has selected songs that make a statement about the current condition of the world, along with songs of hope. Showcasing music from Running On Faith, Schuur’s performance will include blues, straight-ahead jazz, and a few tunes that defy categorization. She is joined by an incredible cast of young, emerging talent, including trumpeter Riley Mulherkar, bassist Barry Stephenson, and drummer TJ Reddick.
DIZZY’S CLUB FEBRUARY LINEUP:
Black Art Jazz Collective
February 3, 2022 | 7:30 p.m. & 9:30 p.m.
Founded by saxophonist Wayne Escoffery, trumpeter Jeremy Pelt, and drummer Johnathan Blake, the Black Art Jazz Collective made their debut performance at Dizzy’s in 2013. For years, the BAJC members have been instrumental in the global jazz community, both as leaders and as invaluable members of ensembles led by Tom Harrell, Bobby Hutcherson, Kenny Barron, Wayne Shorter, Wallace Roney, Ron Carter, and others. Their sound is reminiscent of groups led by Jackie McLean, Miles Davis, Woody Shaw, and Art Blakey. For this performance, the Black Art Jazz Collective will perform music from their latest album, Ascension. The sets will showcase compositions celebrating jazz icons Harold Mabern, Larry Willis, and Jackie McLean in addition to pieces inspired by the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921 and the Thirteenth Amendment.
Trio 3 Final Concerts with Oliver Lake, Reggie Workman, Andrew Cyrille + Bruce Williams and a Special Guest
February 4-5, 2022 | 7:30 p.m. & 9:30 p.m.
February 6, 2022 | 5:00 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.
Co-founded in 1988 by Oliver Lake on alto saxophone, Reggie Workman on bass, and Andrew Cyrille on drums, the all-star trio will make their final appearance together as an ensemble. They will be joined by saxophonist Bruce Williams and a surprise special guest to commemorate this historic final residency.
John Beasley conducts the MSM Jazz Orchestra: Bird, Duke, Monk and Chick
February 7, 2022 | 7:30 p.m. & 9:30 p.m.
The talented young musicians who make up the Manhattan School of Music’s orchestra prove that the spirit of swing is alive and well and that the future of jazz is in extremely capable hands. Tonight, under the leadership of John Beasley—a multiple Grammy Award- and Emmy Award-nominated pianist, composer, arranger, producer, and music director—the MSM Jazz Orchestra will pay a timely tribute to the music of Charlie Parker, Duke Ellington, Thelonious Monk, and Chick Corea.
Kim Nalley Sings Songs of Love
February 10, 2022 | 7:30 p.m. & 9:30 p.m.
February 11-12, 2022 | 7:00 p.m. & 9:30 p.m.
February 13, 2022 | 5:00 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.
The incomparable vocalist Kim Nalley sings jazz’s greatest love songs over Valentine’s Day weekend. Returning to Jazz at Lincoln Center after sold-out runs in Dizzy’s Club and the Appel Room, the San Francisco-based Nalley boasts an expansive vocal range that can go from operatic to gritty blues on a dime, channeling real emotion into blistering scat solos, hushed ballads, and everything in between. Jazz vocalists have long been a favorite source of romance on Valentine’s Day, and Kim Nalley takes it to the highest level.
Valentine’s Day with Samara Joy
February 14, 2022 | 7:00 p.m.
With a voice as smooth as velvet, Samara Joy’s star seems to rise with each performance. Following her 2019 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition win, she released her debut album Samara Joy. As one of America’s most promising young vocalists, the 22-year-old Bronx native and recent SUNY Purchase graduate puts her spin on jazz standards from the Great American Songbook.
Ann Hampton Callaway Quartet
February 17-19, 2022 | 7:30 p.m. & 9:30 p.m.
February 20, 2022 | 5:00 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.
Ann Hampton Callaway is one of the preeminent voices of the American Songbook. Known for her Tony-nominated performance in the Broadway musical Swing! and for writing and singing the theme song for hit TV series The Nanny, Calloway is a tireless performer who has reached acclaim on Broadway, in theaters, on television, and in a variety of concert halls and jazz clubs around the country. Each of her projects puts a new spin on a popular subject, from tributes to Sarah Vaughan and Barbra Streisand to Jazz Goes to the Movies.
Juilliard Jazz Ensembles
February 21, 2022 | 7:30 p.m. & 9:30 p.m.
The Juilliard School has been a destination for world-class music education since it was founded, and the incredible young musicians performing in February will exemplify that legacy. The Juilliard School Jazz Ensembles feature some of the world’s most talented emerging jazz artists, many of whom are already professional musicians. No strangers to Dizzy’s Club, these ensembles have also performed at noted venues such as the Blue Note and Alice Tully Hall.
Josh Evans
February 24-25, 2022 | 7:30 p.m. & 9:30 p.m.
Trumpeter and composer Josh Evans will perform the complete Mansa Mali, an evening-length suite for quintet, which he first began composing in 2016 for MoMA and completed through the Omomuki Foundation’s 2021 Jazz Composition Grant. It is inspired both by the Mali Empire, which sent a flotilla of 400 ships across the Atlantic some 180 years before Columbus, and by the Dogon people, who described complex astronomical phenomena. He learned of these cultures from his mentor, the renowned saxophonist Jackie McLean, and drew on West African rhythms and melodies to present a jazz interpretation of the Mali Empire’s stories and history. Evans has toured and recorded with musicians such as Christian McBride, Billy Harper, Charles Tolliver, Roy Hargrove, Grachan Moncur III, Rufus Reid, and Oliver Lake.
George Coleman Quartet
February 26, 2022 | 7:30 p.m. & 9:30 p.m.
February 27, 2022 | 5:00 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.
NEA Jazz Master, saxophonist, and educator George Coleman performs at Dizzy’s in advance of his 87th birthday. From blues to modern jazz, this Memphis-born-and-raised musician has played with the likes of B.B. King, Miles Davis, Slide Hampton, Max Roach, and Cedar Walton. Coleman has played at festivals and in prestigious concert halls and top clubs around the United States and in Europe. This weekend, he is joined by Keith Brown on piano, Dezron Douglas on bass, and Joe Farnsworth on drums.
Jamie Baum Septet+ with Special Guest Sachal Vasandani
February 28, 2022 | 7:30 p.m. & 9:30 p.m.
NYC jazz flutist/composer, Sunnyside Records artist, and 2014 Guggenheim Fellow Jamie Baum released her sixth album Bridges in May 2018. Internationally recognized and listed in DownBeat Critics Polls annually since 1999, she’s toured in 35 countries and worked with renowned artists including Randy Brecker, Donald Brown, Mick Goodrick, Roy Hargrove, Tom Harrell, John Abercrombie, Kenny Barron to Dave Douglas, Fred Hersch, David Binney, Louis Cole, Anthony Braxton, and Wadada Leo Smith. This performance marks the Dizzy’s Club premiere of Baum’s Septet+ with special guest vocalist Sachal Vasandani.
azz at Lincoln Center will consider, on an individual basis, requests for reasonable accommodation to the vaccination requirement for individuals with a qualifying medical condition that prevents them from receiving the vaccination, or who objects to being vaccinated on the basis of sincerely held religious beliefs and practices. Please contact reasonableaccommodations@jazz.org for further information.
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Dizzy’s Club is located at Jazz at Lincoln Center, Columbus Circle, New York, NY
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