Jazz at Lincoln Center continues the organization’s 38th Season “Mother Africa,” a recognition of the worldwide influence of Afro-American and African diaspora musical traditions, with a powerful evening featuring two world premiere commissions by trumpeter Jeremy Pelt and bassist Endea Owens. The evening showcases vocalists, dancers, and full ensembles in Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Appel Room on Feb. 20-21, 2026.
Commissioned by Jazz at Lincoln Center and inspired by the music and spirit of Africa, these premieres offer bold, contemporary perspectives on Africa’s enduring impact on jazz. Brought to life through voice, rhythm, and movement, the program also features a special guest appearance by dance company Sekou McMiller + Friends.
Jeremy Pelt, celebrated for his virtuosic trumpet playing and collaborations with legends like Roy Hargrove and Cassandra Wilson, draws on his extensive experience as a bandleader and composer to create music that is both thoughtful and bold. This richly textural, Afro-futuristic work is centered on the stories and mysticism of masks, examining the folklore surrounding them and the spiritual power they hold. Featuring vocalist Candice Hoyes, the piece takes on an operatic dimension, with the human voice heightening its drama, ritual, and emotional scope.
Joining Pelt on the Appel Room stage for these concerts are Candice Hoyes (vocals), Jalen Baker (vibraphone & marimba), Misha Mendelenko (guitar), Lasse Corson (keyboards/piano), Leighton Harrell (bass), Jared Spears (drums), and Marie-Ann Hedonia (synthesizer), along with a special first-time collaboration: Pelt’s 14-year-old daughter, Charlie Pelt (flute).
Jeremy Pelt says, “The focus on this project has everything to do with Afrofuturism. A lot of people perceive anything that’s African as ‘primitive’—they think of what it’s supposed to sound like, or what instrumental textures they expect. But Afrofuturism is all-encompassing; it points to the richness and greatness of the land, and the prophecy of the future. It was important to me to approach this work in a way that really expands what people think of when they hear something coming from Africa.”
He continues, “When I know I’m writing an extended piece, I always think about a story. I was a film scoring major in school, and ever since I was a kid, I’ve been interested in how the music assists the story. The full title of the piece is Masks: The Folklore of the Mystics, and it’s very heavy on the storytelling aspect. Mysticism is deeply connected to masks in Africa, and when you learn about how they’re used, it begs for music. That’s where I chose to focus, on the mysticism of it all.”
Endea Owens, a member of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert band and a Juilliard graduate who has worked with Wynton Marsalis, Jon Batiste, and Diana Ross, infuses her music with passion and purpose shaped by her Detroit roots and deep commitment to community. Her newly commissioned work spans multiple genres, drawing from R&B, gospel, and blues, among others. Featuring vocalists and a special guest appearance by the dance company Sekou McMiller + Friends, the piece incorporates movement as a powerful physical and visual dimension, vividly animating themes of ancestry, grounding, and resilience.
Endea will be joined onstage by Irwin Hall (sax), Alphonso Horne (trumpet), Jeffery Miller (trombone), Keith Brown (piano, fender Rhodes), CV Dashiell (drums), and more to be announced.
Endea states, “I drew inspiration from the history of Black Americans in this country, and I wanted to create a piece that expresses the continuum of the music, the full picture from my lens. Everything goes together with the history of this music and this culture.”
She continues, “My personal journey as a bassist and as a human being has always been about keeping a standard of integrity and going against the grain; being myself. How do I respect myself through this music so my voice can be heard, but also so the voices of everyone who came before me can be heard? Having been to West Africa, specifically Ghana, I saw that connection firsthand, and I feel it every time I meet someone from the diaspora. To me, I’m setting the foundation at the start of the show with drum rhythms and chordal harmonies that pay homage to Mother Africa, and then I’m showing people everything that it has birthed.”
For tickets and more information, visit: jazz.org/peltowens