Although the holiday season is quickly coming to a close, the most joyous time of the year is just underway. New York’s annual Winter Jazzfest is back and in full swing. Between January 9 and 15, the genre’s most prolific bodies of work and voices will be honored through a series of live performances, talks, and more.
Winter Jazzfest 2025’s lineup features the most forward-thinking contemporary jazz acts (both well-established and fresh faces), including Ravi Coltrane and his quartet, this year’s artist-in-residence Makaya McCraven, aja monet, Herbie Nichols SUNG (Fay Victor, Michaël Attias, Anthony Coleman, Ratzo Harris, and Tom Rainey), Michael Mayo, Matthew Whitaker, Adi Oasis, Tyreek McDole, and more.
Notable performances across the week include aja monet’s
January 9 show at (Le) Poisson Rouge featuring Herbie Nichols SUNG, IMPRESSIONS: Improvisatory Interpretations on
‘A Love Supreme’ on January 12 at Roulette, the Strata-East Rising tribute show on January 13 at (Le) Poisson Rouge, and Makaya McCraven’s show on January 14 at Public Records.
We spoke with Herbie Nichols SUNG’s Fay Victor and Michael Mayo about their upcoming sets. “Herbie Nichols SUNG is excited to perform at the opening night of the Winter Jazz Festival,” said Victor. “Our album, ‘Life Is Funny This Way (Tao Forms),’ made quite a buzz in 2024, and we cannot wait to share with the world the beauty and fun of the music of Herbie Nichols!”
Michael Mayo echoes something similar. “I’m excited to be coming back to New York to play a solo set at Winter Jazz Fest,” he said. “It’ll feature some music off my new album ‘Fly’ and maybe even some new tunes. I always loved Winter Jazz Fest when I was living in New York, so it’ll be a treat to come back and play the festival again.”
The 2025 New York City Winter Jazzfest will run from January 9 until January 15, 2025. To view a full schedule of events and to purchase tickets, click here.
