JAZZFEST 2023 | White Plains Jazz & Food Festival

The White Plains Jazz & Food Festival is the culminating concert of of FIVE days of jazz in White Plains.

Mamaroneck Avenue (btwn Main Street and Martine Ave)  comes alive with the sounds and rhythms of jazz with FREE concerts starting at 12:30pm. This event is rain or shine! 

A who’s who of musicians from Westchester and beyond will be performing.

12:30-1:15pm | Westchester Center for Jazz & Contemporary Music

The Westchester Center for Jazz & Contemporary Music provides opportunities for musicians of diverse backgrounds, abilities and ages to develop their skills in jazz and other related musical forms. This performance features a selection of the Center’s top student musicians and faculty.

1:45-2:45pm | Richie Goods & Chien Chien Lu

Bassist Richie Goods, one of the most versatile and accomplished bass players on the scene today, is the youngest person ever inducted into the Pittsburgh Jazz Hall of Fame. He came to prominence while touring and recording with the late Mulgrew Miller, whom he credits for much of his success. Goods went on to make a name for himself through recording and touring with a variety of jazz and popular artists, including Sting, The Headhunters, Louis Hayes, Lenny White, Milt Jackson, Whitney Houston and Christina Aguilera. His lengthy discography also includes Grammy Award-winning and platinum albums by Alicia Keys and Common.

Chien Chien Lu is a vibraphonist, contemporary percussionist and composer whose Taiwanese upbringing, classical music education and passion for R&B grooves crystallize into a fresh and distinctive approach to contemporary jazz. Lu’s fierce authenticity and jazz mastery shine on her September 2020 debut solo project, The Path, which spent 20 weeks on the Jazz Week’s Top 20 charts, earned three Golden Melody Awards nominations, four Golden Indie Music Awards nominations and led to Lu being named the “vibraphone rising star” in Downbeat Magazine’s 69th Annual Critics Poll.

3:15–4:15pm | Mike Freeman ZonaVibe

Vibraphonist and composer Mike Freeman has been a part of the New York jazz and Latin music scenes for decades. His recordings of original music include tributes to Cal Tjader, Tito Puente and NEA Jazz Master Bobby Hutcherson. Freeman’s recordings have received national and international attention and extensive radio airplay, charting on jazz, contemporary jazz, and World Music radio. Freeman is also known for his work and recordings with several acclaimed Latin groups. He has worked extensively with legendary percussionist Ray Mantilla’s Good Vibrations Band, Ray’s Tres Amigos, and as a regular guest with Space Station.

4:45–5:45pm | Endea Owens & The Cookout

Detroit-raised recording artist, bassist and composer Endea Owens is known as one of jazz’s most vibrant emerging artists. She has been mentored by jazz icons Marcus Belgrave, Rodney Whitaker, Ron Carter, and more. Owens has toured and performed with Wynton Marsalis, Jennifer Holliday, Diana Ross, Solange, Jon Batiste, Dee Dee Bridgewater and Steve Turre, to name a few. In 2018, She graduated from The Juilliard School and joined The Late Show with Stephen Colbert as a member of the show’s house band, Stay Human. Since then, Owens has won an Emmy Award, Grammy Award and George Foster Peabody Award. In 2020, she founded Community Cookout, a nonprofit organization that provides meals and music to underserved neighborhoods in NYC. To date,  the organization has helped feed close to 3,000 New Yorkers and has hosted more than a dozen free music concerts.

6:15–7:15pm | Mike Phillips

Mount Vernon native and contemporary jazz saxophonist Mike Phillips is one of the most electrifying instrumentalists today. Phillips combines smooth, romantic riffs with a funky, hip-hop-influenced sound. He is the first musician signed by Michael Jordan to the Nike Jordan Brand and is the only musician in the world to have recorded and toured with all of the legendary “Big Three” of American soul and pop music: Michael Jackson, Prince and Stevie Wonder. He has also distinguished himself with his own albums, including 2005’s Uncommon Denominator and 2020’s Pulling Off the Covers.

For information about other JazzFest events and programs, visit https://artsw.org/jazzfest