Five Days of Jazz at the White Plains JazzFest

Five Days of Jazz at the White Plains JazzFest: The 8^thannual JazzFest White Plains, produced by ArtsWestchester, The City of White Plains and The White Plains BID features a lineup of internationally renowned musicians spanning a weeklong celebration of jazz, culture and community from September 11-15, 2019. Turn over a rock in White Plains during JazzFest and you will hear jazz music. You can find jazz on the streets, at the farmer’s market, at the library, Grace Church and ArtsWestchester. Much of it for free!

Mwenso and The Shakes

High rollers can check out the line-up of jazz performances at Mediterraneo, Morton’s Steakhouse, The Ritz Carlton and at Sunset Restaurant Bar. And on Saturday night there’s a performance for the ages at the White Plains Performing Arts Center. When 2019 Cole Porter Fellowship Award-winner Emmet Cohen plays with saxophonist George Coleman and drummer Jimmy Cobb. Coleman performed on Herbie Hancock’s Maiden Voyage and Cobb was the drummer on Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue. Both are widely recognized as two of the greatest jazz albums of all time.

JazzFest culminates during the White Plains Jazz & Food Festival from 12 noon to 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, September 15. Music and entry are free, with food and beverage vendors taking over Mamaroneck Avenue in front of the historic ArtsWestchester building. Five bands will grace the stage throughout the day, ending on a high note with the New Orleans sounds of two-time Grammy-nominated trumpeter Alphonso Horne and The Gotham Kings.

Janet Langsam, CEO of ArtsWestchester, explains: “The 2019 JazzFest White Plains lineup presents a diverse roster of path-breaking artists from young rising stars Joel Ross (vibes), Melissa Aldana (sax), Emmet Cohen (piano), and Camille Thurman (voice/sax) to jazz legends George Coleman (sax) and Jimmy Cobb (drums). Featured artists are known for their work as performers and composers, bringing jazz into conversation with Afro-Brazilian music, Colombian folk rhythms, Cuban charango, hip-hop, Ashanti drumming, funk and reggae. There’s truly something for everyone at this year’s JazzFest.”

White Plains JazzFest Headliners

Camille Thurman

Hot Ticket Alert! Emmet Cohen Quartet feat. George Coleman & Jimmy Cobb, WPPAC, Sat. 9/14: 8pm: Recognized as a prodigy who began playing at age three, jazz pianist and composer Emmet Cohen is the recent winner of the American Pianists Association’s prestigious 2019 Cole Porter Fellowship. Here, his ensemble will be joined by two of jazz’s greatest figures, George Coleman and Jimmy Cobb. Coleman was recognized as a National Endowment of the Arts “Jazz Master,” played in Max Roach’s band, was a member of the Miles Davis quintet with Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter and Tony Williams, and played on Hancock’s landmark Blue Note recording, Maiden Voyage. WOW! Jimmy Cobb made his name in support of Dinah Washington, Cannonball Adderley, Miles Davis, Wes Montgomery and Sarah Vaughan, and on hundreds of studio sessions. As the drummer on Davis’ legendary album Kind of Blue, Cobb may be the most frequently heard (if not the best known) drummer in jazz history. (White Plains Performing Arts Center, 11 City Place, White Plains; www.wppac.org)

White Plains Jazz & Food Festival

Gotham Kings

Mwenso & The Shakes, Mamaroneck Ave. at Main St., Sun, 9/15: 2:10-3pm: Taking from the stylings of Fats Waller, Muddy Waters, James Brown and other American musical legends, Mwenso & The Shakes put on an electrifying show. Immigrating from Sierra Leone, London, South Africa, Greenwich Village, Madagascar, France, Jamaica and Hawaii, the Shakes now call Harlem their home.

Camille Thurman with The Darrell Green Trio, Mamaroneck Ave. at Main St., Sun, 9/15: 3:20-4:10pm: Camille Thurman is a “rising star” (Downbeat Magazine) who excels in both saxophone and vocals where she is know for her spirited “Fitzgerald-esque” (All About Jazz) scat.

Alphonso Horne and The Gotham Kings, Mamaroneck Ave. at Main St., Sun, 9/15: 4:30-5:30pm: Inspired by the music of the King Oliver Creole Jazz Band and Louis Armstrong, two-time Grammy Award-nominated trumpeter Alphonso Horne and his band, The Gotham Kings, brings the sound of New Orleans to White Plains.

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit: artsw.org/jazzfest

About ArtsWestchester

For over 50 years ArtsWestchester has been the community’s connection to the arts. Founded in 1965 it is the largest private not-for-profit arts council in New York State. Its mission is to provide leadership vision and support to ensure the availability accessibility and diversity of the arts. ArtsWestchester provides programs and services that enrich the lives of everyone in Westchester County. ArtsWestchester helps fund concerts exhibitions and plays through grants; brings artists into schools and community centers; advocates for the arts; and builds audiences through diverse marketing initiatives. In 1998 ArtsWestchester purchased the nine-story neo-classical bank building at 31 Mamaroneck Avenue which has since been transformed into a multi-use resource for artists, cultural organizations and the community. A two-story gallery is located on the first floor of ArtsWestchester’s historic building on Mamaroneck Avenue.