Jazz At Lincoln Center Hosts MLK Jr. Day Events

  I  

Jazz At Lincoln Center will celebrate the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. on Jan. 19 with a host of community events throughout New York.

Events include two family-friendly afternoon concerts by Wycliffe Gordon, opening with Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Middle School Jazz Academy Ensemble at the Irene Diamond Education Center; a free screening of the CNN broadcast “A Celebration Of America” with Wynton Marsalis and Sandra Day O’Connor in Jazz At Lincoln Center’s Rose Theater; and A Celebration of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., featuring performances by Cyrus Chestnut and saxophonist Stacy Dillard at Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola.

Cover charge for A Celebration will be $20, while all other events are free and open to the public.

More info: jalc.org/letfreedomswing



  • KP2_Print_copy.jpg

    ​Peplowski first came to prominence in legacy swing bands, including the final iteration of the Benny Goodman Orchestra, before beginning a solo career in the late 1980s.

  • John_Hammond_courtesy_johnhammond.com.jpg

    Hammond came to the blues through the folk boom of the late 1950s and early 1960s, which he experienced firsthand in New York’s Greenwich Village.

  • Screenshot_2026-02-03_at_5.17.03%E2%80%AFPM_copy.jpg

    ​“I play what I want and what I like,” said Andrew Cyrille. “I use my knowledge artistically and professionally.”

  • Wynton_Marsalis_by_Frank_Stewart.jpg

    Marsalis will, if he chooses to use it, have a strong voice in perpetuating his vision through a role in choosing his successors.

  • Lettuce_by_Sam_Silkworth_2026_copy.jpg

    Lettuce, from left: Eric Coomes, Adam Deitch, Ryan Zoidis, Eric Bloom, Adam Smirnoff and Nigel Hall