Guest Of Honor Wynton Marsalis Performed At Jazz At Lincoln Center Annual Gala

Wynton Marsalis, the founder of Jazz at Lincoln Center (JALC), was the guest of honor and performed at this year’s annual gala, Rhythms That Move the World.

According to The New York Post, the musician, who created JALC in 1987, was acknowledged during the event, hosted by Angela Bassett and featuring former American Express CEO Kenneth I. Chenault and his wife, Kathryn, who received the 2026 Ed Bradley Award for Leadership in Jazz. He announced in January that he would step down as artistic director next year.

The event was held on April 15 at JALC’s home, Frederick P. Rose Hall, in New York City.

Weedie Braimah, a Ghanaian djembe virtuoso, received the 2026 Award for Artistic Excellence, and Joan Chamorro, Band Director of the Sant Andreu Jazz Band in Barcelona, Spain, was honored with the Global Citizen Award.

Marsalis played his trumpet and performed with the orchestra during the evening. 

During Chenault’s speech, he celebrated Marsalis as “our founder, our heartbeat, and a true American original.”

“He built an enduring institution that stands today as a beacon of excellence and creativity. And, while he’s changing roles, he will remain a vital part of [JALC]. He is and will always be our founder,” he told the crowd that evening. 

When the Board of Directors of Jazz at Lincoln Center announced that Marsalis would be stepping down from his role at JALC next July, it also said that he will remain in an advisory capacity as founder until his contract ends in June 2028. After that, he will continue to serve on JALC’s Board as founder in perpetuity. 

“When we established Jazz at Lincoln Center in 1987, our goal was to build an enduring jazz institution that would both entertain and educate by exposing multi-generational audiences to an often-overlooked aspect of American culture, and I am proud of the tremendous progress we’ve made,” said Marsalis in a written statement. “JALC and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra have always been my main artistic priority as a musician and a citizen.”

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