JazzFest White Plains 2026 | ArtsWestchester

Celebrating its 15th year, JazzFest White Plains returns this fall with a bold, artist-driven lineup that reflects the vitality of jazz today. Across five days, 19 performances will bring legendary artists, contemporary innovators and emerging voices to downtown White Plains. Featuring five GRAMMY Award winners and nominees, the festival offers audiences a rare opportunity to experience the living evolution of jazz—from its foundational masters to the artists defining its future.

Explore the 5-Day Schedule

September 23-27, 2026

Various venues in downtown White Plains, NY

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 23

12-1:15pm | FREE

Micah Thomas

Downtown Music at Grace (33 Church St.)

Micah Thomas is an internationally touring pianist, composer and bandleader known for his dynamic work in contemporary jazz. A Juilliard graduate and Jerome L. Greene Fellow, Thomas leads his own trio and is a steady member of the Immanuel Wilkins Quartet. He also performs regularly as a sideman for Joshua Redman, Ambrose Akinmusire, Joel Ross and Nicole Glover, among others. His debut album, Tide (2020), received widespread critical acclaim. Subsequent releases, including Piano Solo and Mountains (2024), further established his voice, with Piano Solo earning the Grand Prix du Disque Award. In 2024, he was named “Up-and-Comer of the Year” by NYC Jazz Record, “Best International Artist” by Jazz News, and was included in DownBeat’s “25 for the Future.”
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12-1pm | FREE

Matthias Schmidt Quartet

White Plains Farmers Market (Court St., between Main St. and Martine Ave.)

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5:30-7pm | FREE

Sound Shore Jazz Orchestra

Tenure Park Stage (26 Lake Street)

The South Shore Jazz Orchestra (SSJO) was founded in 2025 by a collective of professional jazz musicians and music educators in the New York City and Westchester areas with the goal of presenting intentional performances that entertain, connect with and educate audiences on the great art of big band music. Based in Rye, New York, SSJO dedicates itself to performing all eras of big band music from Basie and Ellington to Gordon Goodwin and Bob Mintzer, including arrangements by its own band members. Its 18 core members regularly perform at major jazz venues and headline jazz festivals around the world. The band is managed by Andrew Dolgon and conducted by Casey Howard. Co-music direction is by Pat Dougherty, and the band’s president is Ron MacKenzie.

THURSDAY, SEPT. 24

Jazz Stroll

5:30pm | FREE

Butter and Company

Chazz Palminteri Italian Restaurant (264 Main St.)

Butter and Company is a groove-driven musical trio led by drummer and percussionist Butter, whose soulful rhythms blend jazz, funk and hip-hop influences. Joined by guitarist Mark Bowers and organist Greg Lewis, the group delivers a smooth, energetic sound built on creativity, rhythm and live musical chemistry

7pm | FREE

Kat Gang

Shiraz Kitchen and Wine Bar (80 Mamaroneck Ave.)
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7-9 PM

Improvise: A Night of Jazz & Art

ArtsWestchester (31 Mamaroneck Ave.)

Doors open at 6:15PM.

Ticket Price:
EARLY BIRD – $20 General Admission + eventbrite fees until September 1 / $25 + eventbrite fees after September 1.

$5 off to ArtsW members. Become a member today and receive $5.00 off your ticket. Email [email protected] for membership discount code.

**Ticket price includes the live music and poetry and one complimentary beverage of your choice: alchoholic or nonalcoholic.

Calling all visual arts, poets, and jazz lovers!
Experience the energy and spontaneity of live improvised jazz and poetry as inspiration for your own creative expression. As musicians and poets perform and create in real time throughout the gallery, you are invited to create alongside them—responding through poetry, creative writing, painting, drawing, sketching, or mixed-media art as the music and spoken word unfold.

Led by renowned poet and ‘Medicine Woman of Jazz,’ Golda Solomon, joined by Christopher Dean Sullivan, Jazz Grio/Bassist and JD Parran, International Reed Player – members of the Po’Jazz Ensemble – this immersive experience offers a unique opportunity to experience improvisational jazz and poetry in the moment.

FOR YOU THE AUDIENCE
This is not an instructor-led workshop, but a self-guided experience where you are free to create and interpret the performance in your own way and at your own pace. There are no rules, no expectations, and no prior experience required.

Please Note: Art materials will not be provided. Participants are asked to bring their own supplies.

Suggested supplies for visual artists: Charcoal, graphite pencils, colored pencils, gouache, watercolors, brushes, paper, sketchbooks, canvas, and/or easels. Please do not bring oil or acrylic paints.

For poets: Bring your voice, your words, and your original poems.

FRIDAY, SEPT. 25

12pm | FREE

Jazz at Noon: Vanisha Gould Duo

White Plains Public Library (100 Martine Ave.)

Vanisha Gould is a vocalist, composer and bandleader recognized for her emotionally direct, story-driven approach to jazz. A Berklee College of Music graduate, she is a key voice in New York’s jazz scene, performing at leading venues and touring internationally. Her acclaimed albums In Her Words (2021), Life’s a Gig (2024) and She’s Not Shiny, She’s Not Smooth (2024) center women’s experiences with wit and honesty. In 2023, she received The Jazz Gallery Composition Residency Commission, advancing her work in large-scale, interdisciplinary performance.
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7pm & 9pm

Ben Wendel Group

ArtsWestchester (31 Mamaroneck Ave.)

Doors open 30 minutes before each show. Seating is first come, first served. No food or drink minimum.

General Admission:
$40 per show ($35 early-bird through August 1^st, 2026)

Premium Table for Four:
$300 per show – includes:

4 premium seats
1 bottle prosecco
1 artisanal charcuterie & cheese board for four people

GRAMMY Award-nominated saxophonist Ben Wendel is a leading voice in modern jazz who is known for his work as a performer, composer and producer. A founding member of the GRAMMY-nominated ensemble Kneebody, he has collaborated with artists including Tigran Hamasyan, Bill Frisell, Terence Blanchard and Snoop Dogg. Wendel’s honors include the ASCAP Jazz Composer Award, multiple New Jazz Works grants from Chamber Music America (2008, 2011, 2017) and the Victor Lynch-Staunton Award from the Canada Council for the Arts. His acclaimed project The Seasons was named one of the Best Albums of 2015 by The New York Times. With a prolific recording career spanning labels such as Edition, Motéma, and Brainfeeder, Wendel continues to push the boundaries of contemporary jazz through innovative compositions, high-profile collaborations and internationally recognized performances.

Ben Wendel: tenor saxophone, Gilad Hekselman: guitar, Harish Raghavan: bass, Nate Wood: drums

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SATURDAY, SEPT. 26

12-1pm | FREE (donations welcome)

1-2pm | Jazz Jam with MCW Faculty

The MCW Jazz Faculty Ensemble and Company

Music Conservatory of Westchester (216 Central Ave.)

The Music Conservatory of Westchester (MCW) Faculty Jazz Ensemble performs original works and arrangements in Stadther Hall for an afternoon of jazz. Led by drummer and assistant dean Jake Robinson, and comprised of some of the county’s top jazz players and educators, the ensemble features new and existing music composed by its members and showcases contemporary music rooted in the jazz tradition. The concert will also be live-streamed from MCW’s YouTube page. A jam session will immediately follow the concert program. This session is open to all ages and levels of experience and will be facilitated by MCW faculty. Those interested in participating should register on the sign-up form.
Contact: Jacob Robinson [email protected]

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3-4pm | $30 ($25 early-bird through August 1)

Sylvie Courvoisier & Mary Halvorson Duo

ArtsWestchester (31 Mamaroneck Ave.)

Doors open 30 minutes before each show. Seating is first come, first served. No food or drink minimum.

Pianist-composer Sylvie Courvoisier and guitarist-composer Mary Halvorson are two of the most influential and celebrated voices in contemporary jazz. Courvoisier, winner of the 2025 Swiss Grand Prix and American Academy of Arts and Letters Music Award, is renowned for blending European chamber music traditions with New York’s avant-jazz scene. Halvorson, a 2019 MacArthur Fellow and DownBeat’s Artist, Group, and Guitarist of the Year, has emerged as one of the most influential improvisers and composers of her generation. Together, the duo earned widespread acclaim for their 2025 collaborative album, Bone Bells, which won the 2025 Jazz Journalists Association Award for Duo of the Year and was widely praised as one of the year’s most innovative jazz recordings.
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5-6:15pm | FREE

Brian Carter Quartet

Freebird Kitchen & Bar (161 Mamaroneck Ave.)

Brian Carter, an international jazz drummer, percussionist, arranger and composer, formed the Brian Carter Quartet (BC Quartet) in 1998, performing across the United States, Canada and Europe. The ensemble, which specializes in traditional jazz and jazz fusion, has collaborated with Bob Baldwin, Tony Cimorosi, Ken Gioffre, Horacio “El Negro” Hernandez, Didier Lockwood and Gil Parris. Carter, a Westchester County musician and studio sideman, has served since 2007 as liaison with Association of Jazz in Août in La Rochelle, France to develop an international jazz exchange with New Rochelle, New York. He is a dedicated educator, having founded Kids For Drums and Westchester Rocks Music Camp & School.
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John Patitucci Trio with Danilo Pérez and Adam Cruz

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7pm & 9pm

John Patitucci Trio with Danilo Pérez and Adam Cruz

ArtsWestchester (31 Mamaroneck Ave.)

Doors open 30 minutes before each show. Seating is first come, first served. No food or drink minimum.

General Admission:
$40 per show ($35 early-bird through August 1^st, 2026)

Premium Table for Four:
$300 per show – includes:

4 premium seats
1 bottle prosecco
1 artisanal charcuterie & cheese board for four people

Four-time GRAMMY Award-winning bassist and composer John Patitucci leads a trio that features visionary Panamanian pianist Danilo Pérez and acclaimed drummer Adam Cruz — forming a trio of master improvisers whose collective artistry represents the highest level of contemporary jazz performance.
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Watch Danilo on YouTube

SUNDAY, SEPT. 27

Sunday Jazz Alfresco

12:15-7:30pm | FREE

(Mamaroneck Ave. between E. Post Road and Maple Ave.)

Reserve Your Spot

12:15-1pm

Luke Hart Collective

Luke Hart is a saxophonist and guitarist with a background in jazz, gospel, R&B, soul, Afro-Latin jazz and many other styles. Entering his senior year at SUNY Purchase, Hart is an emerging talent in the New York jazz scene, performing regularly at venues across the city and beyond.

1:30-2:30pm

Bertha Hope, with special guest Joe Boykin

Pianist Bertha Hope, one of jazz’s living legends, has toured globally with artists like Nat Adderley, Dizzy Gillespie and Eddie Henderson while being a respected educator and bandleader in her own right. She is a recipient of the National Jazz Museum in Harlem’s Legends of Jazz Award (2018), the Jazz Foundation of America’s Lifetime Achievement Award (2024), and was recently named a Jazz Legacies Fellow by the Mellon Foundation (2025). She will be joined by guest vocalist and local favorite, Joe Boykin.
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3-4pm

Papo Vázquez Mighty Pirates Troubadours

The Mighty Pirates Troubadours, led by acclaimed trombonist, composer and arranger Papo Vázquez, deliver a bold fusion of Afro-Caribbean rhythms, progressive jazz and global improvisation. A GRAMMY-nominated pioneer of Afro-Caribbean jazz, Vázquez has collaborated with legends like Tito Puente and toured internationally to critical acclaim. His compositions blend Puerto Rican traditions with progressive jazz, earning recognition for their originality and depth.
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4:30-5:30pm

Sarah Hanahan Quartet

Sarah Hanahan is an award-winning alto saxophonist and one of the most compelling emerging voices in jazz today. A graduate of The Juilliard School, she has performed with leading artists across the scene and earned recognition for her fiery improvisation and lyrical depth. Hanahan was a finalist in the prestigious Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition and has received honors from groups, including DownBeat Magazine. Her debut recordings have been widely praised, marking her as a rising star with a bold, modern sound that is rooted in tradition.
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6-7pm

Nat Adderley Jr. Quartet

Nat Adderley Jr. is an acclaimed pianist, composer and arranger best known for his work as musical director and arranger for Luther Vandross. He contributed to multiple GRAMMY-winning and platinum-selling albums, helping to shape Vandross’ signature sound. Adderley, a skilled jazz musician in his own right, has performed and recorded with major artists including Aretha Franklin and Natalie Cole. His career bridges jazz and R&B, earning him recognition for both his sophisticated arrangements and expressive piano style.
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