Jazz | The Charlie Parker Jazz Festival

Randy Weston African Rhythms Sextet - Randy Weston received a 2011 Guggenheim Fellowship for Music Composition that enabled him to compose An African Nubian Suite, a major new work for jazz orchestra. The piece is based on his lifelong research on and interest in the culture, heritage and music of Africa.

Cory Henry and The Funk Apostles - You might know Cory Henry as an in-demand, multi-instrumentalist and producer who’s worked with an array of musical legends across genres, including Yolanda Adams, Sara Bareilles, P. Diddy, Kirk Franklin, Kenny Garrett, Robert Glasper, Derrick Hodge, Shaun Kingston, Donald Lawrence, Michael McDonald, Boyz II Men, NAS, Bruce Springsteen, The Roots and as a member of the Grammy Award-winning collective Snarky Puppy.

Jazzmeia Horn - Winner of the 2015 Thelonius Monk International Vocal Jazz Competition and 2013 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition, Jazzmeia Horn has a name that speaks for itself capturing her very essence. Hailing from the great Dallas, Texas Jazzmeia has already earned a reputation in New York as a “Rising Star.”

Charles Turner III - The First Winner of the Annual Duke Ellington Vocal Competition in New York City, hosted by Mercedes Ellington, 27-year-old Charles Turner has taken the jazz scene by storm. Charles relocated to New York in 2011, and has performed in venues such as Smoke Jazz and Supper Club, Birdland, Ginny’s Supper Club, Smalls, Mintons in Harlem, and Gin Fiz, where he performs every Thursday with Marc Cary and the Focus Trio.

Samuel Coleman - Samuel Coleman is an Alvin Ailey School trained dancer and teacher, with a focus on lindy hop (swing) dancing. Coleman teaches in Harlem and Albany, and performs with the Big Apple Lindy Hoppers and the Rhythm Stompers. Coleman was a 2011 Frankie Manning Ambassador scholarship recipient.