Grammy-nominated Afro-Cuban artist Cimafunk blends funk, Latin, and electronic music. Known for his 9-piece band La Tribu, he debuted with Terapia in 2018, followed by El Alimento in 2021 and Pa Tu Cuerpa in 2024. He has performed at major festivals like Coachella and Lollapalooza Chile.
Brooklyn-born bassist Marcus Miller is known for his contemporary jazz, funk, and R&B. After gaining acclaim in Miles Davis's 1980s band, he launched a successful solo career, winning a Grammy Award for his 2001 album M². He is also a prolific film composer and producer.
Cleveland-born Joshua Karpeh, known as Cautious Clay, is a multi-instrumentalist fusing R&B, indie pop, and jazz. His soulful songwriting is heard on hits like "Cold War" and "Wildfire." He has collaborated with John Mayer and John Legend, and Taylor Swift interpolated his work. Albums include "Deadpan Love," "Karpeh," and "The Hours" trilogy, which completed in 2026.
Based in New York, blind jazz organist and pianist Matthew Whitaker blends the Hammond B-3 tradition with gospel harmony and big-band arrangements. He has released four albums, including Outta the Box and On Their Shoulders, and collaborated with ensembles like the WDR Big Band.
The Soul Rebels are an eight-member collective known for their eclectic live shows blending horns and drums. They have collaborated with artists like Nas, G-Eazy, and Katy Perry, scored Disney's Haunted Mansion, and released the album Poetry In Motion.
Herbie Hancock is a legendary jazz innovator who gained fame with the Miles Davis Quintet and albums like Headhunters and Rockit. He has won 14 Grammy Awards, including the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and an Academy Award for his Round Midnight film score.
Bronx native Samara Joy won the 2019 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition in college. She released her breakout album Linger Awhile in 2022 and won a Grammy for her 2024 album Portrait, co-produced with Brian Lynch.
Bill Charlap is a Grammy-winning New York jazz pianist and post-bop improviser known for interpreting standards. Raised in a musical family, he debuted in the nineties and performed with jazz icons before gaining acclaim with his long-running trio featuring Peter and Kenny Washington. He has released numerous albums and collaborated with artists including Tony Bennett.
Nanaimo, BC-born jazz pianist/singer blending Songbook elegance with bossa/pop. Broke through w/ “All for You”; Grammy & Juno winner; worked w/ LiPuma, Bennett.
Havana-born Afro-Cuban rumba and Yoruba artist Pedrito Martinez moved to NYC in 1998. Founder of Yerba Buena and leader of The Pedrito Martinez Group (formed 2008); debut earned a 2013 Grammy nomination. Collaborators include Wynton Marsalis, Paul Simon, Eric Clapton.
French Caribbean singer-bassist & fashion icon Adi Oasis blends funky bass, soaring vocals + retro-futurist soul; “Lotus Glow” hit 200M streams; toured w/ Lenny Kravitz.
The Newport Jazz Festival, founded in 1954 by Elaine Lorillard and George Wein, revolutionized live jazz. It is celebrated for its open-minded embrace of jazz's evolution, from traditional to avant-garde, and its expansion into rock, soul, and other genres. The festival is renowned for launching careers and hosting legendary artists, with many iconic performances captured on record and film.
Chilean jazz vocalist Claudia Acuña, a Santiago native, discovered jazz at 15. She moved to New York in 1995, became a regular at clubs like Smalls and Sweet Basil, and collaborated with bassist Avishai Cohen. Her Verve debut, The Wind From the South, arrived in 2000.
Scary Goldings is a Los Angeles-based funk collective, a collaboration between keyboardist Larry Goldings and the internet sensations Scary Pockets. Known for their instrumental funk and jazz-funk style, they deliver heavy grooves and well-crafted tunes. They have collaborated with notable artists like John Scofield, MonoNeon, and Louis Cole. Albums include "The Holy Enchilada" and "Scary Goldings IV." They are recognized for their vibrant fusion of jazz and funk.
Somi (Somi Kakoma) is a Midwest-raised jazz vocalist, composer, actor, and playwright with Ugandan and Rwandan roots. Her Grammy-nominated Holy Room: Live at Alte Oper made her the first African woman nominated in any Grammy jazz category.
