Jazz at Lincoln Center, in co-production with Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas, announces a unique concert event entitled Portraits of America: A Jazz Story at which the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis will premiere a new suite, Of Thee I Sing. The suite will include new compositions written by members of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and inspired by works in the Museum’s permanent collection. Bridging visual art and jazz composition, Portraits of America: A Jazz Story will take place in Rose Theater on June 7-8 at 8:00 p.m.

During Caribbean Heritage month, Dizzy’s Club celebrates the rich musical heritage of international jazz leaders and Caribbean American Heritage Month. Grammy Award-winning drummer and composer Dion Parson leads two different groups in June, showcasing the music of the U.S. Virgin Islands – Dion Parson & 21st Century Band (June 7-9) and VI Jazz Collective (June 10). The VI Jazz Collective represents the U.S. Virgin Islands both nationally and internationally as part of the “Made in the VI” campaign and features emerging artists, including trumpeter Keshawn Hardy, saxophonist Sherwin Williams, pianist Jairay Petty, bassist Uriel Rogers, drummer Joshua Farrell, and Eljhahe Brathwaite on the quintessential steel pan. June also marks the debut performance of musical collective L’ Ouverture, curated by bassist Jonathan Michel to honor the music and culture of Haiti (June 25).

In recognition of International Jazz Day (celebrated worldwide on April 30), Jazz at Lincoln Center announces the 2019 Ertegun Jazz Hall of Fame inductees: saxophonists Julian “Cannonball” Adderley and Frank Trumbauer; vocalist and pianist Dinah Washington; and drummer and bandleader Chick Webb. After gaining the majority popular vote cast by jazz fans around the world, the newest Ertegun Jazz Hall of Fame class will be celebrated with special performances at Dizzy’s Club on July 16–17, 2019.

After recently releasing CD and digital editions of The Music Never Stops, a historical 1992 performance recorded by Better Carter during one of Jazz at Lincoln Center’s earliest concert seasons, Blue Engine Records is proud to announce the special-edition, 180-gram, double-LP vinyl release of the album. The album will be available on vinyl on May 17, a day after what would have been the late Carter’s 90th birthday.

New Orleans jazz all-stars bring the Big Easy to the Big Apple in Jazz at Lincoln Center’s The Appel Room, May 31–June 1, to celebrate the legacy of their mentor Danny Barker. Music director Dr. Michael White, a virtuoso on clarinet and an essential voice in New Orleans jazz, leads a band featuring vocalist Catherine Russell, master trombonist Lucien Barbarin, trumpet legend Gregg Stafford, drummer Shannon Powell (also known as the “King of Treme”), original Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra drummer Herlin Riley, and trumpeter Leroy Jones, who Wynton says “was the best of all of us.” Guitarist and banjoist Don Vappie plays the role of “Mr. Barker,” as the musicians still call him. The show also features bassist/tuba player Philip Norris, a talented young musician from The Juilliard School who has already performed with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra.

To close out Jazz Appreciation Month, Jazz at Lincoln Center invites music lovers around the world to vote for the 2019 Ertegun Jazz at Fame inductees. The general public can vote online now for this year’s nominees at https://academy.jazz.org/hall-of-fame/. Voting ends on April 29 at 11:59 p.m. EST.