2026 NYC Winter Jazzfest playlists
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2026 NYC Winter Jazzfest Lineup Sampler
This playlist captures the spirit of NYC Winter Jazzfest 2026: jazz not as a fixed style, but as a living, adaptable scene—rooted in history while in constant conversation with the present. The music moves easily between groove and abstraction, the club, the church, the street, and the global underground.
From Kassa Overall to Lakecia Benjamin to Samora Pinderhughes, from Lady Blackbird to Endea Owens to Mei Semones, these artists pull from hip-hop, soul, Afro-diasporic traditions, experimental composition, electronic minimalism, and song craft. Some tracks invite close listening; others insist you move your body. We strive for a socially aware and rooted sound.
This playlist mirrors Winter Jazzfest’s core ethos: porous boundaries of what jazz is, intergenerational dialogue, and a belief that jazz remains most vital when it stays open to risk, new rhythm, and everything around it.
Jazz XL
The history of jazz is full of large groups - sometimes called orchestras, big bands, ensembles or large groups. We even have a Dynasty. From the Duke Ellington and Fletcher Henderson Orchestras to Mingus' Workshop to Carla Bley Big Band to Darcy James Argue's Secret Society and Snarky Puppy. We have a small selection here from this year's festival including Wilco guitarist and notable improviser Nels Cline's Lovers project to the Eurasian diasporic band, Silkroad Ensemble to the bleeding edge sound of Patricia Brennan's Tentet to Madé Kuti's Afrobeat 10-piece and Either/Orchestra's second Ethiopiques instellment of Ethiopian jazz. At the end there's a sampling of the great large groups we've presented in past years. There's something here for everyone.
Future Jazz
Our festival has always prided itself on expanding the definition of what can be called jazz today. Though the music is rooted in the Black American experience, there is a cornucopia of contributions from all around New York’s many scenes, all around the U.S. and all around the world. Here is a small sampling of the folks who aren’t playing that spang-a-lang but still have valid and vibrant things to say that tie into the lineage that came before them but also challenge any preconceptions you had about what jazz could be in 2026.
The Singers
Winter Jazzfest’s vocal legacy moves from Gretchen Parlato and Claudia Acuña through José James, Magos Herrera, and Roxana Amed, into boundary-breakers like Poppy Ajudha, Emma-Jean Thackray, Lady Blackbird, Samara Joy, Tyreek McDole, and Deva Mahal—voices redefining jazz, soul, poetry, and improvisation across generations on New York City’s most adventurous stages.
Fully Altered Artists
Artists associated with the Fully Altered Artists stage or on other stages of the festival which come from our stable of talent and taste. From Adam O'Farrill to DoYeon Kim to Nicole Mitchell to Lex Korten.
Giant Step 35.5 Anniversary Playlist
This playlist captures the vibe of the early days Giant Step from foundational classics like Pal Joey’s “Hot Music,” the Young Disciples, to Gang Starr’s “Jazz Thing,” and then into the mid-to late 90s wave with Nuyorican Soul, The Groove Collective, and Donnie Jody Watley, Femi Kuti, and other essential Giant Step sounds. Whether these tracks were played at the party, released on Giant Step Records, or simply part of the extended musical family, they all reflect the energy and community of that era. These were special times—enjoy the playlist. – Maurice Bernstein Co Founder and CEO of Giant Step.
Dada Strain Presents
The whole Dada Strain project (words, events, physical releases) is grounded in how rhythm, improvisation and community informs the moments we live in, and how they can potentially affect the ones that follow. This playlist consists of "Dada Strain @ WJF" bookings through the years, a sonically diverse cast from a community of improvisers and rhythmalists (Bklyn, but also global) who know how to throw a party for their musicking audience. Whether it's a listening party, a political party, or a dance party is for your ears to decide.
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