Oliver Lake’s creativity as an alto saxophonist, poet, big band leader, composer, and visual artist is as mesmerizing as the Manhattan Skyline. Like the structured Skyline’s whispered stories, Lake’s music and art share a vibrant voice of harmonies, scattered melodies, and rhythms that capture the ambition and resilience of city life which pulls you into the present while pushing you into the future.
On Jan. 8, Oliver Lake presents the “Now I’m Breakin’ Glass” opening gallery exhibition at The Jazz Gallery (1158 Broadway Ave.), 6 p.m. Lake’s theme represents a poem he wrote in honor of his mother. “It emphasizes all the various jobs my mother had to do to survive,” says Lake. “She owned a restaurant, pool hall, and a car wash but she also broke glass that she sold.” His poem starts “my momma usta’ break glass/I say what chu’ doing …/she breakin’ glass/she say — we get 25 cents for every bushel basket of glass” from his book of poetry, “If I Knew this & more” (published 2022). “This poem explains how my mother taught me to hustle and survive.”
Lake features 18 pieces of different media that illustrate art as an inventive oneness. His eclectic approach is best expressed by his popular poem “Separation”: “put all my food on the same plate!” Whether composing commissioned works, arranging, collaborating with poets Amiri Baraka and Ntozake Shange, leading his own organ quartet, big band, and collaborative ensembles the World Saxophone Quartet and Trio 3, Lake views it all as parts of the same whole.
The “Now I’m Breakin’ Glass” opening is free and open to the public, and will be on view through April 2026. For more info, visit jazzgallery.org.
Now, in its 22nd season, the annual Winter JazzFest has maintained New York’s reputation as “the city that never sleeps” with its multiple venues in Brooklyn and Manhattan presenting over 100 groups from around the world, who play into the cold hours of the morning.
On Jan. 8-13, the JazzFest continues its revolutionary jazz voice with rhythms sprouting from fusion, soul, electronic, and global traditions. Highlights include the igniting Manhattan Marathon on Jan. 9, at over ten venues. Take your pick, there are too many acts to name. If your venue of choice is sold out, take a bold leap into something different, avant-garde to straight-ahead. The Brooklyn Marathon takes off on Jan. 10 in a host of venues, swinging in dimensions and inventions.
On Jan. 11, celebrate 35.5 Years of Giant Step, featuring exclusive New York DJ sets from Gilles Peterson, Ron Trent, and a live performance from drummer, composer, producer Kassa Overall, 6 p.m. – 1 a.m. at Elsewhere (599 Johnson Ave. in Brooklyn). Jan. 8, William Parker Pocket Watch Orchestra. Parker, like his predecessor Charles Mingus, is known for taking his big band through uncharted terrain, 10 p.m. at NUBLU (161 Avenue C, Manhattan).
On Jan. 12, “My Country ‘Tis of Thee” Freedom Riders with Arturo O’Farrell, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Kurt Elling, Adegoke Steve Colson, Samora Pinderhughes, among others (LPR 155 Bleecker St).
This country’s leader has become an evil anarchist perpetuating the erasure of Black culture, banning books, deporting and arresting legal immigrants as a matter of course. Which makes it perfectly clear why this year’s festival theme is anchored in Maya Angelou’s “Still I Rise,” a visual anthem of resilience, power, and joy. This festival centers Black American music, where protest is joy, music is power, and gathering is resilience. The artists performing like those before them are playing jazz music deeply rooted in protest, healing and community building. For a complete schedule, visit winterjazzfest.com.
And further uptown on Manhattan’s west side, Lincoln Center (60th Street & Broadway) will be celebrating their third annual Unity Jazz Festival Jan. 8-9. Their headliner will be Kesthe Band featuring Etienne Charles, a celebration dedicated to global connections through jazz and cross-cultural storytelling. This year’s festival embraces the organization’s 38th season, “Mother Africa” — recognizing the worldwide influence of African American and African diaspora music traditions, as well as Africa’s continuing imprint on jazz.
Some of the more than 20 acts performing will include; Veronica Swift, Eddie Palmieri Experience: A Musical Retrospective, Harlem’s own Solomon Hicks, Tomeka Reid Septet: In Tribute to Ellington, Jazz Legacies Fellowship Honors All-star Concert 2026: featuring Valerie Capers, Amina Claudine Myers, Bertha Hope, Roscoe Mitchell, Herlin Riley, Akua Dixon, Johnny O’Neal, and Reggie Workman among others. A must-see performance on Jan. 8, 7 p.m. in the Rose Theater.
For a complete listing, visit jazz.org.
The artist Rashid Johnson is known for bodies of work in different media, including photography and painting, as well as audio installations, video, and sculpture. The Freestyle exhibition at the Studio Museum in Harlem in 2001 is credited with launching Johnson’s career.
On Jan. 10, as part of Guggenheim New York’s exhibition “Rashid Johnson: A Poem for Deep Thinkers,” the museum will present a daylong celebration of Rashid Johnson’s two major installations — “Sanguine,” a monumental site-specific work on the building’s top ramp with an embedded piano, and “Rotunda Stage.”
At 11 a.m. “Rashid Johnson: A Poem for Deep Thinkers” Performance Series Wrap Party. Enjoy live music, spoken word, and poetry from performers of all ages. “Performance: Rotunda Stage” at 1 p.m. and the 8 p.m. final performance features “Rotunda After Dark: A Cosmic Concert” with the Sun Ra Arkestra. The original afro-futurist Arkestra will be led by the 100-year-young alto saxophonist Marshall Allen, an original band member, who has been leading the ensemble since 1995. In February 2025, Marshall released his first album as a solo artist titled “New Dawn” (Week-End Records 2025).
The exhibit that closes on Jan. 19 includes about 90 works of Johnson — from black-soap paintings and spray-painted text works to large-scale sculptures, film, and video. “A Poem for Deep Thinkers” is by Amiri Baraka, which he presented at a 1977 performance, but it was never published.
“This is not the story of my art career but the story of my life,” said Johnson. For complete details visit Guggenheim.org.
Please have a most prosperous and healthy New Year!!!!