SAVE THE DATE!
Free Live Jazz!
The 4th Annual Inwood Jazz Festival
will take place
Sunday, September 20, 2026
12 pm to 5:00 pm
Pat’s Lawn
Inwood Hill Park, Inwood, NYC (Enter at W 218th St and Indian Road)
Bring lawn chairs and anything else you need to be comfortable for a day at the park.
Bring the entire family!
It’s free!
Presented by Aaron Scott
Founder, Artistic Director and Producer of Inwood Jazz Festival (IJF)
Get ready to groove at the Inwood Jazz Festival! We're excited to bring back another year of amazing music and endless fun. Subscribe to our website for the latest updates on the schedule and line-up of talented artists. You won't want to miss this unforgettable event.
A Jazz Festival with the Heart of Inwood
2026 Inwood Jazz Festival Headliners
2026 IJF Artists
Elio Villafranca & The Jass Syncopators
Born in Pinar del Río, Cuba, Elio Villafranca is a GRAMMY nominated pianist, composer, Steinway Artist, and cultural activist whose work bridges jazz, classical music, and the rich traditions of the African diaspora. A 2021 Guggenheim Fellow, he has received numerous honors, including Jazz at Lincoln Center's inaugural Millennium Swing Award, the Sunshine Award, and recognition as a Rising Star Pianist and Keyboardist in the DownBeat Critics Poll. His acclaimed recordings include Incantations / Encantaciones, CINQUE, and Standing by the Crossroads, the latter named one of DownBeat Magazine's Best Jazz Albums of 2023.
Classically trained at Havana's Instituto Superior de Arte, Villafranca has become one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary jazz, creating works that unite historical narrative with musical innovation. His GRAMMY nominated double album CINQUE, inspired by the Amistad rebellion, solidified his reputation as a leading composer of Afro-Caribbean jazz. Most recently, he premiered TRES AGUAS, a large scale big band suite commissioned by Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, at Jazz at Lincoln Center's Rose Theater.
IMANI Winds
Celebrating nearly three decades of groundbreaking artistry, the GRAMMY®-winning and four time nominated Imani Winds has redefined the modern wind quintet through exceptional musicianship, innovative programming, and meaningful collaborations. Their repertoire spans classical masterworks, imaginative arrangements, and newly commissioned compositions that reflect the diversity, complexity, and urgency of contemporary life while elevating voices and stories too often overlooked.
Now in their 29th touring season, Imani Winds continues to perform at leading concert halls and festivals throughout the United States and around the world, including Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, Chamber Music Northwest, and the Banff Centre. Their acclaimed Legacy Commissioning Project has generated dozens of world premieres, including their 2024 release BeLonging, a collaboration with composer Andy Akiho that earned a 2025 GRAMMY® nomination and explores the human impact of mass incarceration.
Brandon Patrick George, Flute
Mekhi Gladden, Oboe
Mark Dover, Clarinet
Kevin Newton, French Horn
Monica Ellis, Bassoon
Blood Brothers
Blood Brothers is a quartet rooted in the lifelong musical bond between drummer Nasheet Waits and saxophonist Abraham Burton, whose friendship began in the vibrant artistic culture of New York City's Greenwich Village during the 1970s and 1980s. Joined by guitarist Marvin Sewell and bassist Luques Curtis, the ensemble draws upon decades of shared experience, presenting original music shaped by jazz, blues, gospel, Afro Caribbean, and Latin traditions, reflecting the rich cultural heritage of its members.
Each musician brings a distinct lineage to the group's sound. Burton's Belizean and Honduran roots, Waits' New York upbringing as the son of parents shaped by the Great Migration, Sewell's Chicago blues heritage, and Curtis' Puerto Rican and African American background combine to create a deeply personal musical narrative. Together, Blood Brothers honors the enduring connections of family, history, and community, transforming them into a vibrant, contemporary expression of jazz.
Abraham Burton, Sax
Nasheet Waits, Drums
Marvin Sewell, Guitar
Luques Curtis, Bass
David Kikoski Trio
David Kikoski is one of the most respected pianists in contemporary jazz, renowned for his virtuosic technique, lyrical imagination, and deeply swinging post bop style. Since emerging on the New York jazz scene in the 1980s, he has performed and recorded with many of the music's leading artists, including Roy Haynes, Michael Brecker, John Scofield, Dave Holland, Chick Corea, Roy Hargrove, Chris Potter, Pat Martino, Jack DeJohnette, and Marcus Miller. As a leader, he has released 20 acclaimed albums, including Presage, Consequences, Phoenix Rising, and Sure Thing.
A longtime member of the Charles Mingus Big Band, Kikoski won the 2011 GRAMMY® Award for Live at the Jazz Standard and received a 2024 GRAMMY® nomination with the ensemble for The Charles Mingus Centennial Session. He also earned a 2001 GRAMMY® nomination with Roy Haynes for Birds of a Feather: A Tribute to Charlie Parker. In addition to his work as a sought after sideman, Kikoski is co leader of BeatleJazz, a member of Opus Five, and performs with the acclaimed all star collective Something Else!, continuing to rank among the most influential and in demand pianists in jazz today.
David Kikoski, Piano
Boris Kozlov, Contra Bass
Johnathan Blake, Drums
Melvin “Tiger “ Vines & Beautiful Journey
Melvin “Tiger” Vines is a Harlem jazz institution whose artistry spans trumpet, flugelhorn, composition, bandleading, painting, and sculpture. Originally from Toledo, Ohio, Vines has become a beloved figure in Upper Manhattan’s jazz community, known for his fiery improvisation, creative spirit, and deep connection to the city’s historic jazz culture. A former bandleader at St. Nick’s Pub and a fixture at Paris Blues, he has performed alongside legendary artists including the Sun Ra Arkestra and bassist Jymie Merritt.
Leading ensembles such as the Harlem Jazz Machine, Vines continues to celebrate the communal spirit of jazz through performance and audience engagement. His music invites participation, welcoming singers, instrumentalists, and listeners alike to experience the energy, spontaneity, and fellowship at the heart of the jazz tradition.
Melvin “Tiger” Vines, Trumpet
Okaru Hoshino Love-Lace, Vocals
& Friends
Daniel Sky Quartet
Born in Warsaw, Poland, Daniel Sky is a New York City based trumpeter, composer, and bandleader whose performances blend lyrical expression with contemporary jazz innovation. A graduate of the Berklee Global Jazz Institute, where he earned both bachelor's and master's degrees, Sky studied with acclaimed artists including Joe Lovano and Danilo Pérez. He is currently touring in support of his second album, Songs For The World, following the release of his debut recording, Introduction to The Sky, in 2024.
Recognized with a prestigious grant from Poland's Ministry of Culture, a DownBeat Magazine Outstanding Solo Performance Award, and numerous trumpet competition honors, Sky has performed alongside distinguished musicians including Kenny Werner, Benito Gonzalez, Dayna Stephens, Stacy Dillard, and the late Zbigniew Namysłowski. He also served as music assistant to the late Ralph Peterson, contributing arrangements to Onward and Upward, an album considered for a GRAMMY® nomination.
Daniel Sky, Trumpet
Anastassiya Petrova, Piano
Stefano Battaglia, Upright Bass
Michael Ode, Drums
Lamine Thiam Trio
Lamine Thiam is a master Senegalese dancer, drummer, choreographer, and educator based in New York City. Born into a long lineage of griots, he carries forward the rich traditions of West African music, dance, and storytelling. Through performance and teaching, Thiam shares the deep connection between movement, rhythm, and everyday life in Senegal, offering audiences a powerful cultural experience rooted in history and community.
A dedicated teacher and lecturer, Thiam has studied traditional West African dance and drumming from Senegal, Guinea, and Mali. Throughout his international career, he has performed, taught, and choreographed across the globe, preserving and celebrating the musical, spiritual, and communal traditions of West Africa through dance, drum, and song.
Senegal Dance Master
Lamine Thiam
Senegal Drum Masters
Thiokho Diagne
El Hadji Faye
IPRP 1970, Inc. is a 501(C)(3) nonprofit organization
All Proceeds from merchandise sales benefit IPRP 1970, Inc. and support
the Inwood Jazz Festival (IJF)