Throughout July, Jazz at Lincoln Center summer offerings include a pay-what-you-choose Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra concert, a preview of the Jazz at Lincoln Center 2025-26 season which celebrates Mother Africa, a Blue Engine Records album release, a new Swing University course, and single ticket on-sale.
On July 24-25, at 7:30 p.m., Reflections on Africa in Rose Theater offers a preview of the 2025-2026 season, in which the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, music-directed by Vincent Gardner, presents compositions that reflect the impact of African consciousness on music composed by American jazz masters. Selections may include pieces from Randy Weston’s Uhuru Afrika and Highlife albums, Cannonball Adderley’s Accent on Africa, John Coltrane’s Africa/Brass, as well as works by René McLean, Ahmed Abdul-Malik, Horace Parlan, and others.
Opening for the JLCO at this special performance are high school–aged musicians from Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Summer Jazz Academy, a two-week residential program for advanced jazz study.
Rose Theater is in Frederick P. Rose Hall, home of Jazz at Lincoln Center, located at 60th Street and Broadway in New York City.
Tickets for Reflections on Africa are available now and are Pay-What-You-Choose starting at $20.00. Purchases are limited to two seats per order online, over the phone, and in person at the box office.
Jazz at Lincoln Center’s 2025-26 season concert schedule is available on jazz.org/25-26. Single tickets for the season concerts which take place from September 18, 2025 to June 20, 2026 are on sale on July 22.
On July 25, Jazz at Lincoln Center’s in-house record label Blue Engine Records proudly releases The Roar and the Whisper, the fifth studio album by award-winning saxophonist and woodwind artist, composer, educator, and member of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Alexa Tarantino. Tarantino (saxophones, flutes) leads a group comprising some of the finest musicians in modern jazz including Steven Feifke (piano), Philip Norris (bass), and Mark Whitfield Jr. (drums), as well as special guests Cécile McLorin Salvant (vocals), and Keita Ogawa (percussion).
The Roar and the Whisper captures the full breadth of Alexa Tarantino’s artistry: from spirited, up-tempo improvisations to intimate, ethereal ballads. The album features Tarantino’s sophisticated compositions as well as her razor-sharp quartet. The Roar and the Whisper is streaming everywhere on July 25, vinyl and CD release dates to be announced. Pre-save the album at jazz.org/alexa.
The release of The Roar and the Whisper launches the milestone 10th anniversary of Blue Engine Records. In 2015, Jazz at Lincoln Center launched the label to release new studio and live recordings by the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis, the most celebrated musicians in modern jazz, emerging artists, as well as previously unreleased material from Jazz at Lincoln Center’s vast archives spanning nearly 40 years. The first Blue Engine Records title, Live in Cuba, recorded by the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis, was released on August 21, 2015. Blue Engine Records also has released archival recordings, including Betty Carter’s The Music Never Stops (March 2019) and Roy Hargrove’s The Love Suite: In Mahogany (October 2023) from the organization’s performance history.
As a lead up to the Mother Africa season, Jazz at Lincoln Center offers a new Swing University Summer Term: Hearing Africa in Jazz, with Aaron Rimbui & Seton Hawkins. This engaging series explores the centuries-old transatlantic exchange between Africa and jazz, revealing how every musical style is rooted in African rhythms. From July 28 through August 18, the virtual classes on jazz history, classic and contemporary tunes, and listening techniques are designed to enhance the audience’s concert-going experience in The House of Swing. Classes will be available for purchase on July 10 on jazz.org/swingu.
Jazz at Lincoln Center’s 38th season, Mother Africa, delves into the creative spirit that unites African and American musical traditions, and runs from September 18, 2025 to June 20, 2026. Dominating the season are concerts that explore the deep and enduring ties between jazz, the African continent, and its diaspora. The 2024-25 season includes: 19 unique weekends of Jazz at Lincoln Center concerts in the 1233-seat Rose Theater, nine concerts in the 467-seat Appel Room, and more than 350 nights of music at Dizzy’s Club, in addition to webcast performances and in-person and virtual education programs. The season also highlights new works, commissioned by Jazz at Lincoln Center, from renowned jazz artists in the organization’s new The Commission Series. The new season also includes celebratory concerts to honor the centennials of three towering figures in jazz – Miles Davis, Oscar Peterson, and Celia Cruz – further illuminating the far-reaching legacy of Afro-American and the African diaspora musical expression.
*Please note that a $3.50 Jazz at Lincoln Center Facility Fee applies to ALL ticket purchases, with the exception of $10 Hot Seats. A $7 handling fee also applies when purchasing tickets from CenterCharge or when purchasing tickets online via jazz.org.
All single tickets for the Appel Room and Rose Theater can be purchased through jazz.org 24 hours a day or through CenterCharge at 212-721-6500, open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Tickets can also be purchased at the Jazz at Lincoln Center Box Office, located on Broadway at 60th Street, Ground Floor.
Box Office hours:
Tuesday-Sunday: 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Monday: Closed