09/18/2026
GILLES PETERSON
“Ahhhh Winter Jazz. Annual fixture for me. Deeply curated jazz and beyond. For me it became the stepping stone of a whole new generation of British musicians taking their first steps into the holy grail that is New York Jazz… and who can forget Ezra Collective in 2019!”
LAKECIA BENJAMIN
“The first music festival I ever played as a bandleader was Winter Jazzfest. I opened the night up on the Revive da Live stage hosted by Meghan Stabile. We played for a completely sold-out, soul-changing energetic crowd. Later that night I was able to see Gary Bartz, Ravi Coltrane and Cindy Blackman Santana and jam with my peers, mentors and legends.“
VIJAY IYER
“This festival has brought many marginal musical voices to the center, giving us a chance to play to packed houses of music fans, fellow artists, and industry folk. Because of this, over the years the festival has played an influential role in this corner of the music world, setting a new pace for listeners and concert programmers around the world.”
SHABAKA
“My first memory of Winter Jazzfest is hanging out with Pharoah Sanders backstage at (le) poisson rouge . I was supporting him with Shabaka and the Ancestors and the band hadn’t yet arrived. Nothing particularly exciting happened between us on that occasion. We made small talk, I asked the cursory geeky question about mouthpieces, but on the whole kept my inner fanboy at bay.“
CAROLIN3 DAVIS
“I remember playing a set at WJF in 2019 and hustling over to the Bowery Ballroom to catch Georgia Anne Muldrow with Nyeusi. So many friends, old and new, in the room, moving together - there wasn’t a questionable moment. It felt like we were all there together stripped down to our most essential form, pure love.”
SUNNY JAIN
“Wow, hard to believe it’s been 20 years that Winter Jazzfest has been going on. Such a great time in NYC to see and hear many friends and have been especially digging Gilles Peterson’s curation of artists from across the pond. Grateful to have been a part of many installations of WJF with Red Baraat, Wild Wild East, and Tongues in Trees.“
MEG OKURA
“In the heart of the legendary Knitting Factory during the 2008 Winter Jazzfest, the
