For International Jazz Day (April 30th), 2026, multi-instrumentalist Vincent York and the Jazzistry Band will present an event illustrating the international roots of jazz, conceived in the USA, but now beloved and performed worldwide. Vincent and company will present an all-ages concert tracing the multicultural origins of jazz and modern music, from the rhythms of enslaved Africans tempered with European melodies. Savor stories, rare photos, demonstrations, explanations of different rhythms, instruments, and eras of jazz. Vincent and the band trace the evolution of jazz from field hollers and work songs to marches, spirituals, gospel, the blues, ragtime, early jazz, swing, bebop, soul jazz, hardbop, cool jazz, contemporary jazz, and hip-hop. This International Jazz Day concert will be an extended version of the program Vincent and the band present at area schools and community centers. Jazzistry, which combines Jazz + History + Artistry, makes learning about a worldwide phenomenon fun!

Read more about Jazzistry at vincentyorkjazzistry.org.

Vincent York – saxophones, clarinet, flute, piccolo, oboe, and narrator
John Douglas – trumpet
Ron English – guitar, mandolin, and banjo
Taslimah Bey – piano
Josef Deas – bass
Jesse Kramer – drums and percussion