After a pandemic pause and a virtual presentation in 2021, the NYC Winter Jazzfest will return to form in 2022, with 10 nights of programming in Manhattan and Brooklyn.
Today the festival announced a theme — “The Feel Good,” in celebration of Black American music — and an initial wave of talent, including multi-instrumentalist, vocalist and composer Angel Bat Dawid, who is set to be the artist in residence.
Dawid will present the world premiere of “Afro-Town Topics: A Mythological Afrofuturist Revue.” She’ll also lead Sistazz of the Nitty Gritty as part of the Winter Jazzfest Marathon on Jan. 14, and spin a DJ set in the opening concert at City Winery.
That kickoff, co-presented by SummerStage on January 13, also has Terence Blanchard and the E-Collective with the Turtle Island Quartet; drummer, producer, and bandleader Makaya McCraven; and singer Samara Joy.
Questlove of The Roots will take part in a screening of his acclaimed film Summer of Soul at Roulette on January 16. An afterparty at House of Yes will feature DJ sets by Questlove, Georgia Anne Muldrow, and Madison McFerrin, and a live performance by trumpeter Maurice “Mobetta” Brown.
Other standalone Winter Jazzfest concerts include bassist Pino Palladino and multi-instrumentalist Blake Mills, at Le Poisson Rouge on Jan. 18; the International Contemporary Ensemble, performing new commissions by Kate Gentile and Fay Victor, at Roulette on Jan. 21; and an album-release concert for Ben Lamar Gay, with a solo set by Jaimie Branch, at Public Records on January 18.
NYC Winter Jazzfest will partner with BBC Radio 6 Music, whose Gilles Peterson will present an online showcase supported by PRS Foundation. Additionally, M³ (Mutual Mentorship for Musicians), cofounded last year by Jen Shyu and Sara Serpa to address gender inequity and underrepresentation in creative music, and to foster partnerships among women and non-binary musicians. Shyu and Serpa join more than 20 artists under that banner as part of this Winter Jazzfest; others include Michele Rosewoman, Val Jeanty, Monnette Sudler and Caroline Davis.