A Bu is an up-and-coming pianist whose youth belies his formidable talent. Born in Beijing, China, he began classical studies at age 4 and became enthralled by jazz after listening to a recording of Dominican jazz pianist Michel Camilo. A Bu has performed at the Beijing International Blues Festival, Montreux Jazz Festival, Nine Gates International Jazz Festival (Beijing), China Yangtze River Piano Festival, JZ Festival Shanghai, and Duc de Lombards jazz club in Paris. His 2014 debut release, 88 Tones of Black and White, received critical acclaim, with All About Jazz critic Karl Ackermann remarking that “Bu’s potential is almost off the charts.” A Bu currently studies at The Juilliard School in New York.

Pianist, composer and music director John Beasley is a musical chameleon with an amazing track record. He has performed and recorded with a wide range of legendary artists including Miles Davis, Freddie Hubbard, Dianne Reeves, Steely Dan, Queen Latifah, and Chaka Khan. Beasley has released 20 albums, garnering two GRAMMY awards and 13 nominations. As a first-call session musician and composer, Beasley can be heard in films and tv shows including Skyfall, Spectre, Finding Nemo, Finding Dory, and Star Trek: The Next Generation. Since International Jazz Day’s inauguration, Beasley has served as music director for the global gala concerts in cities around the world and at the White House concert hosted by President Obama, which earned him an Emmy nomination for Best Musical Direction for “Jazz at the White House.”

Kris Bowers is one of the most creative young pianists and composers on the scene today. A native of Los Angeles, Bowers received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from The Juilliard School and came to prominence in 2011 as the first-place winner of the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz International Piano Competition. He has performed or recorded with Ambrose Akinmusire, Mulgrew Miller, Terell Stafford and Ben Williams, among others, and performed in the 2016 International Jazz Day All-Star Global Concert at the White House. Bowers is also an accomplished film and television composer whose work appears in the critically acclaimed series “Dear White People” and Shonda Rhimes’ “For The People,” as well as the recently released film Green Book, starring Mahershala Ali and Viggo Mortensen.

Dee Dee Bridgewater’s exuberance, creativity, undeniable confidence and joyous spirit have earned her a place as one of the premier vocalists in jazz. Early in her career, Bridgewater spent two years as lead vocalist for the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra, followed by two years as Glinda the Good Witch in the Broadway production of The Wiz, for which she received a Tony Award. Her subsequent portrayal of Billie Holiday in Lady Day won her a Laurence Olivier Award nomination for Best Actress. Bridgewater received Horace Silver’s blessing to record an album of his music with vocals. The resulting Peace and Love brought her worldwide attention. A Doris Duke Artist, Bridgewater won her third GRAMMY for Eleanora Fagan (1917-1959): To Billie With Love From Dee Dee.

Saxophonist and bandleader Igor Butman is Russia’s premier jazz artist. Born in St. Petersburg, Butman studied at the Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatory and the Berklee College of Music. In 1983, he joined the Oleg Lundstrem Big Band and was soon invited to play with the acclaimed Russian jazz group Allegro. Butman also performed with touring jazz icons including Dave Brubeck, Chick Corea, Pat Metheny, Gary Burton, Louis Bellson and Grover Washington Jr. In 2011, Butman was named a People’s Artist of the Russian Federation. His newest release, Winter Tale, features pianist-vocalist Oleg Akkuratov, vocalist Victoria Kaunova and the Moscow Jazz Orchestra performing classic holiday tunes.

Joey DeFrancesco is the first name in jazz organ. Accompanying his father, also an organist, to gigs in his native Philadelphia, the young prodigy sat in with legendary players like Hank Mobley and Philly Joe Jones, who quickly recognized his prodigious talent. At age 15, DeFranceso gained worldwide recognition as a finalist in the inaugural Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz International Piano Competition. His subsequent debut record, All of Me, was widely credited with stimulating a resurgence in interest in the organ as a jazz instrument. A touring stint and recording date with Miles Davis followed, inspiring DeFrancesco to pick up the trumpet. Today, DeFrancesco is a four-time GRAMMY Award nominee with more than 30 recordings as a leader. His most recent release is In The Key of The Universe on Mack Avenue.

A modern day pop artist and musical revolutionary, piano iconoclast ELEW (Eric Lewis) is making a substantial impression on the music world with a thunderous new style of playing: an inspired melding of ragtime, rock and pop that he calls Rockjazz. ELEW has toured the world, recorded, and performed continuously with Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Elvin Jones, Roy Hargrove, and Cassandra Wilson, among others. He won the 1999 Thelonious Monk International Piano Competition, his mesmerizing piano theatrics even then hinting at the new musical paradigm he would one day create. ELEW’s new record, ELEW plays Rosenwinkel – CUBISM, features the genre-bending pianist alongside contemporary jazz legend Kurt Rosenwinkel in a daring leap into uncharted musical waters.

Elias is known for her distinctive and immediately recognizable musical style which blends her Brazilian roots, her sensuous, alluring voice with her impressive instrumental jazz, classical and compositional skills. With 23 albums to date demonstrating her unique gifts as a pianist, singer, composer and arranger as well as melding her immense talents in jazz, pop, classical and Brazilian music, Eliane Elias is as Jazziz magazine has called her, “A citizen of the world” and “an artist beyond category.” Elias’ new release, Made in Brazil marks a musical homecoming for her.  In her three-decade long career as a solo artist, Made In Brazil results from the first time she’s recorded a disc in her native Brazil since moving to the United States in 1981. Elias wears many hats on this project as producer, composer, lyricist, arranger, pianist and vocalist.

Oran Etkin is a dynamic clarinetist and saxophonist who creates unique music that blends cultures from all over the world. Etkin was born in Israel and moved to Boston when he was five years old. At fourteen, he began studying with Yusef Lateef and George Garzone. He attended Brandies University where he studied economics and classical clarinet before receiving a masters degree in jazz from Manhattan School of Music. After graduation, Etkin attended a dance class with Malian teacher Joh Camara. This experience inspired him to explore the music of Mali, leading to several educational trips to the country. He has since released three albums blending the music of Mali with traditional jazz. The recordings feature Malian musicians along with American jazz artists. Outside of performing, Etkin is a teacher who has developed his own method called Timbalooloo, which is designed to teach music to children as young as three years old.

With his authoritative voice and calm demeanor, Morgan Freeman is one of the most respected figures in cinematic history. Born in Memphis, Tennessee, Freeman made his acting debut at age 9. He turned down a drama scholarship to Jackson State University, opting instead to serve as a mechanic in the U.S. Air Force. In 1969, he appeared onstage in an all African-American production of “Hello, Dolly!” Freeman first appeared on television on “The Electric Company.” Two years later, he moved into feature films. Freeman received an Oscar nomination for his performance as a merciless hoodlum in Street Smart, and received a second Oscar nomination in 1989 as the patient, dignified chauffeur in Driving Miss Daisy. The same year, Freeman starred in the epic Civil War drama Glory. Other career highlights include his memorable performances in Unforgiven, The Shawshank Redemption, Amistad, and Million Dollar Baby, which won him the Best Supporting Actor Oscar. In 2011, Freeman was honored with the Cecil B. DeMille Award at the Golden Globe Awards. That same year, he received an AFI Lifetime Achievement Award. Committed to preserving and perpetuating the blues, Freeman is co-owner of the Ground Zero Blues Club in Clarksdale, Mississippi.

South African born jazz trumpeter and composer, Lwanda Gogwana is a three-time South African Music Award nominee for Best jazz, Best Newcomer and Male artist of the year. Born in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa, Gogwana graduated with a Bachelor of Music degree majoring in Composition and Arrangement from the University of Cape Town (UCT) under Prof Peter Klatzow and Prof Mike Campbell, and holds an Honours degree in African Musicology under the mentorship of Dr Sylvia Bruinders. He has worked with the Tete Mbambisa band, Bokani Dyer, Kyle Shepherd, Lulama Gaulana, Simphiwe Dana, Zamajobe, Freshlyground, Khaya Mahlangu, Morris Goldberg, Neo Muyanga, Jimmy Dludlu, Steve Dyer, Moreira Chonguica, John Fedchock, Thandi Klaasen, Judith Sephuma, Marcus Wyatt, Nomfusi, Buddy Wells and Max Vidima. He is currently trumpet player for the Jimmy Dludlu band. Gogwana has been actively involved in community building projects, and has continuously conducted workshops for the South African Association for Jazz Education (SAJE) conference and for the City of Cape Town Arts and Culture Department youth development projects.

World-renowned pianist and composer Herbie Hancock is one of the most innovative and influential musicians of our time. A modern music icon, he has shaped the direction of jazz, fusion, funk and hip-hop for more than six decades. From his recordings with the legendary Miles Davis Quintet to his solo jazz albums and pioneering music incorporating multiple genres, Hancock has always been on the cutting edge. He has earned 14 GRAMMY Awards including Album of the Year for River: The Joni Letters, and an Academy Award for his score for the film Round Midnight. A Kennedy Center honoree, Hancock serves as Creative Director for the Los Angeles Philharmonic and UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Intercultural Dialogue. He is the Chairman of the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz and a Distinguished Professor at the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz Performance at UCLA.

Sibongile Khumalo is a household name in South Africa. Born in Soweto, Khumalo developed an early interest in styles ranging from opera to jazz to choral music, always grounded in the traditional and folk musics of her native country. By turns silken, silvery and earthy, her vocal artistry has inspired new works from South African composers across the musical spectrum. Khumalo has appeared at every major theater and jazz festival in South Africa, as well as numerous prestigious venues abroad, and has served as an adjudicator for major choral and vocal competitions across the country. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including the inaugural Mbokodo Award, recognizing women in the arts, and the Order of Ikhamanga.

A revolutionary force in music, John McLaughlin has been forging his own path on guitar since the 1960s and is still pointing the way forward. Growing up in Yorkshire, England, McLaughlin studied violin and piano before gravitating to the guitar. He played in a variety of bands in London and later joined Tony Williams’ Lifetime band and moved to New York. McLaughlin soon found himself in the studio with Miles Davis recording what would become the classic album In a Silent Way. In 1971, he formed the Mahavishnu Orchestra, which brought together rock, jazz, and Eastern music and had a massive impact on musicians and music lovers around the world. The always creatively restless McLaughlin moved on to form Shakti, in which he played acoustic guitar and further immersed himself in Indian classical music. Throughout the following decades, he worked in a variety of groups and played on dozens of albums with artists including Stanley Clarke, Carlos Santana, Dexter Gordon and Wayne Shorter. McLaughlin’s most recent album is 2015’s Black Light, which features his jazz fusion quartet, the 4th Dimension.

Marcus Miller is one of the most influential artists of our time, appearing on more than 500 albums during his decades on the scene as a performer, composer, producer, arranger and humanitarian. A virtuoso on multiple instruments, Miller is best known for his unmistakable style on the electric bass. He has brought his distinctive sound to collaborations with Herbie Hancock, Elton John, Aretha Franklin, Chaka Khan, LL Cool J and Frank Sinatra, among many others. As a member of the Miles Davis group following the jazz legend’s return from retirement, Miller’s contributions as a bassist, composer and producer defined Davis’ style throughout the 1980s. A two-time GRAMMY Award winner, Miller works tirelessly as a UNESCO Artist for Peace to raise awareness of global impacts of the transatlantic slave trade.

Jane Monheit is a soulful vocalist who has collected fans the world over with her chart-topping recordings. Monheit grew up in Oakdale, New York, and at 17 began voice training at the Manhattan School of Music. At age 20, she was a winner in the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz International Vocals Competition. Soon after, she released Never, Never Land, voted Best Debut Recording by the Jazz Journalists Association. Monheit went on to release a series of acclaimed albums, including the GRAMMY Award-winning Taking a Chance on Love. Her 2007 release, Surrender, showcased her love of Brazilian music and paired her with Ivan Lins, Sergio Mendes and Toots Thielemans. Monheit’s newest release, The Songbook Sessions: Ella Fitzgerald, pays joyous tribute to the First Lady of Song.

Korean vocalist Youn Sun Nah has been described as “a discreet, diminutive vocal giant” recognized for her technical mastery and distinctive synthesis of jazz, Asian folk and Western avant-garde pop traditions. Born in Seoul, Republic of Korea, she was raised by musical parents and made her professional debut at age 23 with the Korean Symphony Orchestra. After moving to Paris in 1995, Nah began studies at the CIM Jazz School and the Conservatoire Municipal Nadia et Lili Boulanger. She formed her first Parisian quintet, which won a special jury prize at the national competition of the La Défense Jazz Festival. Beyond her sizable following in both France and her native country, Nah has performed on prestigious stages the world over, including the Blue Note Jazz Festival, Rochester International Jazz Festival, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Jazz in Marciac, Jazz à Vienne, Festival International de Jazz de Montréal, Java Jazz Festival, and Jarasum International Jazz Festival. In 2019, she was appointed Officier des Arts et des Lettres by the French Ministry of Culture, one of France’s highest honors for contributions to the arts. Nah’s latest release is 2022’s Waking World.

Danilo Pérez is a pianist, composer, educator and social activist who ranks among the most influential and dynamic jazz musicians of our time. Born in Panama, Pérez started his musical studies at age three with his father, a bandleader and singer. While still a student at the Berklee College of Music, he performed with Terence Blanchard, Slide Hampton, Claudio Roditi and Paquito D’Rivera. Since then, Pérez has worked with artists from Dizzy Gillespie to Tito Puente, most famously serving alongside drummer Brian Blade and bassist John Patitucci in Wayne Shorter’s renowned quartet. Pérez, who serves as a UNESCO Artist for Peace, is a vocal exponent of music as a force for building understanding and tolerance. His latest album, Children Of The Light, was released on Mack Avenue.

Evgeny Pobozhiy was born in Seversk, Russia, beginning classical guitar studies at the age of nine and later studying jazz at the Rostov State Conservatory in Rostov-on-Don. After completing his studies, he received an invitation from Igor Butman to join the renowned saxophonist’s Quintet, and the Moscow Jazz Orchestra. Pobozhiy has since performed on stages including the Montreal Jazz Festival, the Rochester Jazz Festival, Moscow’s Triumph of Jazz Festival and the International Jazz Day All-Star Global Concert in Saint Petersburg. In 2019, Pobozhiy was named the First Place winner of the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz International Guitar Competition, selected by a panel of distinguished judges including Stanley Jordan, Lionel Loueke, Russell Malone, Pat Metheny, Chico Pinheiro, Lee Ritenour and John Scofield. He currently maintains his own quintet, which combines elements of jazz, funk, hip-hop and modern classical music.

Five-time GRAMMY Award winner Dianne Reeves is one of the premier vocalists on the worldwide music scene. A native of Denver, she began her career touring with Sergio Mendes and Harry Belafonte, then signed to Blue Note in 1987. Her self-titled debut, featuring Herbie Hancock, Freddie Hubbard and Tony Williams, was nominated for a GRAMMY. Featured in George Clooney’s Good Night, and Good Luck, Reeves won the Best Jazz Vocal GRAMMY for the film’s soundtrack. In recent years, she has toured the world and collaborated with Lizz Wright and Angelique Kidjo for “Sing the Truth,” a musical celebration of Nina Simone. Reeves has performed at the White House on multiple occasions, including President Obama’s State Dinner for the President of China. In 2018, she was named a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master – the highest honor the United States bestows on jazz artists.

GRAMMY Award-winning guitarist Lee Ritenour has appeared on more than 3,000 sessions in virtually all styles of music. Ritenour played one of his first sessions at age 16 for The Mamas and the Papas. His albums in the ’70s, spanning jazz, pop and Brazilian music, were met with chart-topping success. In the ’90s, Ritenour was a founding member of the jazz group Fourplay, whose first album spent an unprecedented 22 weeks at number one on the Billboard contemporary jazz charts. Ritenour has appeared on albums by Dizzy Gillespie and Pink Floyd and received the top spot in numerous guitar polls. His most recent record is A Twist of Rit and includes John Beasley, Dave Grusin, Patrice Rushen, Makoto Ozone, Bob Sheppard and Rashawn Ross, among others.

Cécile McLorin Salvant was born and raised in Miami, Florida of a French mother and a Haitian father. She started classical piano studies at 5, and began singing in a children’s choir at 8 years old. Early on, she developed an interest in classical voice. It was in Aix-en-Provence, with reedist and teacher Jean-François Bonnel, that she started learning about jazz, and sang with her first band. In 2009, after a series of concerts in Paris, she recorded her first album “Cécile”, with Jean-François Bonnel’s Paris Quintet. A year later, she won the Thelonious Monk competition. In 2014, her second album, WomanChild (Mack Avenue Records) was nominated for a Grammy. Her third and fourth albums (For One To Love and Dreams and Daggers) both won Grammy Awards for Best Jazz Vocal Album. McLorin Salvant has collaborated with Archie Shepp, Wynton Marsalis, John Clayton, Jeff Hamilton, Renee Rosnes, Bill Charlap, Fred Hersch, Jacky Terrasson, Darcy James Argue, and many other distinguished figures from jazz and beyond. Her latest album, released in fall of 2018, The Window, was recorded duo with Sullivan Fortner (piano), featuring Melissa Aldana (tenor saxophone).

John Scofield has been a leading force of modern jazz guitar for the past four decades. After completing his studies at Berklee College of Music, he performed alongside Billy Cobham, George Duke, Gerry Mulligan, Charles Mingus and Jay McShann and released several albums of his own, eventually joining Miles Davis’ band in 1982. Scofield has recorded more than 30 albums as a leader, and collaborated with Pat Metheny, Charlie Haden, Eddie Harris, Bill Frisell, Brad Mehldau and Medeski, Martin & Wood. He has played and recorded with Tony Williams, Jim Hall, Ron Carter, Herbie Hancock, Joe Henderson, Dave Holland and Terumasa Hino, among other jazz legends. Today, the versatile guitarist manages to keep a hand in all of the musical worlds he has created, performing at festivals and clubs in any number of musical settings. His latest recording is Combo 66.

Alune Wade is an in-demand bassist and vocalist whose versatile and deep-rooted touch on his instrument is steadily establishing him as a key ingredient in bringing new vigor to the African jazz scene. Born in Dakar, Senegal, Wade grew up surrounded by music. His father was the leader of a local symphonic orchestra, and Wade ultimately developed a natural talent for music at the age of 6. At age 18, he auditioned and was chosen to perform with the great Senegalese musician Ismael Lo, touring all across the globe. Wade has since collaborated with a range of artists including Marcus Miller, Salif Keita, Oumou Sangaré, Béla Fleck, Bobby McFerrin, Wolfgang Muthspiel, Archie Shepp and late the Joe Zawinul, among others. His upcoming album, Sultan, slated for release in May, combines rhythms and sounds from Africa and the Middle East and features Christian Sands, Mustapha Sahbi, Cédric Duchemann, Hugues Mayot, Carlos Sarduy, Cyril Atef and Bobby Spark.

For more than a decade, Ben Williams has steadily become one of the most acclaimed and versatile bassists in modern jazz. In 2009, he won the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition which helped to launch his career and gave him the opportunity to record for the Concord label. He has performed and recorded with such giants as Pat Metheny, George Benson, Stefon Harris, David Sanborn, Lauryn Hill, Wynton Marsalis, Robert Glasper, Maxwell, and Nicholas Payton. Williams has received the DownBeat Magazine Critics Poll Rising Star Award for Bass on two occasions. He recorded and released his critically acclaimed debut album State of Art and his follow-up Coming of Age with his band, Sound Effect. His latest release is I AM A MAN, features Williams reaching beyond his jazz roots to incorporate elements of R&B and hip-hop into his politically-themed compositions.

Acclaimed vocalist Lizz Wright is a steward of American music who brings brilliant color and vibrancy to her original works and compositions by some of the greatest songwriters of our time. At age 22, Wright gained national recognition for her show-stopping performance in a touring concert tribute to Billie Holiday. The following year, she signed with Verve Records and released Salt, which topped the Billboard contemporary jazz charts. Her subsequent releases have received rave reviews, and her Freedom & Surrender recording appeared on NPR’s Favorite Albums of 2015 list. Wright’s most recent album Grace offers singular arrangements of music by Ray Charles, Nina Simone, Allen Toussaint and other musical greats whose songs bind together traditions of the American South. Her upcoming album is Holding Space, recorded during a 2018 live performance in Berlin and slated to be released on Wright’s own label, Blues & Greens Records.

Beirut-born Tarek Yamani is a pianist, composer and educator who taught himself jazz at age 19. He received the grand prize at the 2010 Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz International Composers Competition and has performed in venues worldwide including the Smithsonian Institution, Lincoln Center, Pierre Boulez Saal in Berlin, and United Nations General Assembly Hall. His work explores the relationships between African-American jazz and classical Arabic music. This is most evident in his second album, Lisan Al Tarab: Jazz Conceptions in Classical Arabic, and his latest release, Peninsular, which fuses jazz with quarter-tones and rhythms of the Arabian Peninsula. Yamani’s work combining, adapting and transforming jazz and Khaleeji musics has been called “trailblazing” by CNN. TSF Jazz describes his output as “a world-jazz heard nowhere else.”