JazzFest White Plains Announces 2023 Lineup!

JazzFest White Plains Announces 2023 Lineup!

Headliners include the John Scofield & Joe Lovano Quartet, Cécile McLorin Salvant & Sullivan Fortner, Mike Phillips and More!

Artist Photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/artswestchester/sets/72177720308849494

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. (June 14, 2023) – JazzFest White Plains returns brighter than ever with more than 15 live performances taking place across five days, September 6-10, 2023. Jazz lovers will enjoy music by emerging talent and world-class artists, including four Grammy Award winners this fall in White Plains. This year’s festival is presented by Montefiore Einstein and produced by ArtsWestchester, the City of White Plains and the White Plains BID.  Free and affordable performances will occur on downtown streets and in intimate venues that include ArtsWestchester, Grace Episcopal Church and the White Plains Public Library.

“JazzFest features some of the most talented musicians you will ever hear, but it’s also so much more. It’s a celebration of cultures, communities and the artists who make the magic come to life,” says ArtsWestchester CEO Janet T. Langsam. “Tickets just went on sale for our paid concerts and they are going fast.”

White Plains Mayor Tom Roach explains, “The City of White Plains is excited to welcome back JazzFest to downtown White Plains.  This event continues to delight and entertain jazz enthusiasts and budding jazz appreciators from around the region. I am proud that the City is partnering with Montefiore Einstein, ArtsWestchester and the White Plains Business Improvement District to create and produce this high-quality musical event, which will provide free and affordable performances for all.  See you there!”

About the 2023 Featured Artists:

John Scofield and Joe Lovano

Across more than three decades, a half-dozen albums, and hundreds of gigs, the partnership of John Scofield and Joe Lovano has defined contemporary jazz.

Three-time Grammy Award winner John Scofield is considered one of the most important guitarists and composers in jazz. Possessor of a distinctive sound and stylistic diversity, Scofield is a masterful improviser whose music falls somewhere between post-bop, funk-edged jazz and R&B. He has prominently led his own groups in the international jazz and contemporary scenes, recorded more than 40 albums as a leader, and collaborated with current favorites and jazz legends, including Miles Davis, Pat Metheny, Charlie Haden, Herbie Hancock, Medeski, Martin & Wood, Bill Frisell, Brad Mehldau, Dave Holland and Phil Lesh, to name a few.

Grammy-winning, Cleveland native Joe Lovano stands out as one of the most successful saxophonists in jazz today. He has distinguished himself for some three decades as a prescient and pathfinding force in the arena of creative music. Lovano has earned praise, not just for his tone and improvisational abilities but also for his forward-thinking presentation of new musical ideas and ensemble concepts.

Cécile McLorin Salvant & Sullivan Fortner

Cécile McLorin Salvant has developed a passion for storytelling and finding the connections between vaudeville, blues, folk traditions from around the world, theater, jazz and baroque music. Salvant is an eclectic curator, unearthing rarely recorded, forgotten songs with strong narratives, interesting power dynamics, unexpected twists, and humor. She won the Thelonious Monk competition in 2010, is a three-time Grammy Award-winner for Best Jazz Vocal Album, and was the recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship and a Doris Duke Artist Award.

For the past decade, Sullivan Fortner has been stretching deep-rooted talents as a pianist, composer, band leader and uncompromising individualist. The Grammy Award-winning artist from New Orleans received international praise as both key player and producer for his collaborative work on The Window (Mack Avenue, 2018) alongside vocalist-composer Cécile McLorin Salvant.

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 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.

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.

Other notable artists scheduled to perform at the 2023 JazzFest White Plains festival include: Aaron Seeber, Helen Sung, Edmar Castañeda, The MCW Jazz Faculty Ensemble, Richie Goods & Chien Lu, Mike Freeman and more.

Jennifer Furioli, Executive Director of the White Plains BID explains “White Plains is known for being a beacon of creativity and the arts, and every year both come to life in the heart of our downtown thanks to the longstanding and well-known White Plains Jazz Fest. It’s a pleasure to participate once again as a partner in this event which activates our downtown, and brings diverse organizations, businesses and neighbors together united with the shared love of jazz.”

JazzFest White Plains is made possible with major support by Montefiore Einstein with additional support from Westchester County, Apple Bank, Bright Energy Services, Westchester Center for Jazz and Contemporary Music, News 12 and Westchester Magazine.

For a full festival schedule and to purchase advanced tickets, visit artsw.org/jazzfest.

About ArtsWestchester

For more than 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 create an equitable, inclusive, vibrant and sustainable Westchester County in which the arts are integral to and integrated into every facet of life. 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. Artsw.org

Media Contact: Ernie Garcia, Thompson & Bender | 914-762-1900 | ernie@thompson-bender.com