Wynton Marsalis to headline inaugural BC Jazz Lounge in Nairobi
Marsalis, a global figure in jazz, serves as Managing and Artistic Director of Jazz at Lincoln Centre, Director of Jazz Studies at The Juilliard School, and President of the Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation.
Nairobi is preparing to host a historic jazz showcase as the Jazz at Lincoln Centre Orchestra (JLCO) music director, Wynton Marsalis, headlines the inaugural BC Jazz Lounge, an event under the BC International Jazz Festival (BCIJF), courtesy of Bob Collymore Foundation.
The concerts will take place on October 1 and 2, 2025, marking the start of the Orchestra’s first multi-country Africa tour.
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Led by Grammy and Pulitzer Prize-winning trumpeter and composer Wynton Marsalis, the 15-member ensemble is celebrated for its mastery across diverse musical traditions.
Alongside the Nairobi performances, the group will dedicate a day to nurturing young talent through workshops, including a master class for local artists and selected students from Ghetto Classics and other Nairobi schools.
Marsalis, a global figure in jazz, serves as Managing and Artistic Director of Jazz at Lincoln Centre, Director of Jazz Studies at The Juilliard School, and President of the Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation.
Since 1982, he has released 127 recordings across jazz, classical, and alternative music, earning worldwide acclaim and numerous awards.
Festival Director Wambui Collymore said hosting JLCO is both a milestone and a statement about the festival’s growing stature.
“We are incredibly honoured to be able to host the Orchestra as they take on their first multi-country Africa tour. The Tour indicates that our Festival has achieved yet another milestone in its quest to become an integral part of Africa’s growing jazz ecosystem,” she said.
The Tamarind Gardens will host the Nairobi concerts, with a VIP show scheduled for October 1 and a general show on October 2, following a special performance for schools.
Joining Marsalis and the Orchestra on the tour are guest performers including drummer Herlin Riley, percussionist Weedie Braimah, and vocalist Shenel Johns.
They will present Afro!, a new work by Marsalis, premiering just before the Africa tour. Afro! extends his earlier works such as Blood on the Fields (1996), Congo Square (2007), Ochas (2014), The South African Songbook (2019), and Kenya, released in 2023.
“The JLCO’s first tour of Africa is deeply profound. In the globally influential music and dance concepts of Africa, we can perceive how to find harmony and balance with nature, how to perceive and interact with the supernatural, and how to create endless variations on fundamental themes in pursuit of a good time,” Marsalis said, reflecting on the upcoming tour.
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