JazzArts Charlotte Announces the JAZZ ROOM 2026-27 Season:

Jazz Lives Here

Grammy winners Joe Lovano and Emmet Cohen anchor a season of Afro-Cuban fire, Creole New Orleans, storytelling vocals, and a four-piano holiday tradition

CHARLOTTE, NC. JazzArts Charlotte, the region’s premier nonprofit dedicated to jazz education and performance, announces the 2026-27 Season of The JAZZ ROOM, the premier jazz concert series in Charlotte, opening September 11, 2026 at the Booth Playhouse. For over 14 years, The JAZZ ROOM has presented the best in local, regional, and national artists in an intimate setting where audiences sit close enough to hear the music breathe. The 2026-27 Season carries the theme “Jazz Lives Here”. Tickets are available now at www.thejazzarts.org or by calling 704-372-1000.

“This is one of the best seasons we have ever presented,” says Lonnie Davis, JazzArts Charlotte President, CEO, and Co-founder. “Jazz Lives Here is not a slogan for us — it is a description of what happens in the space every time we present. Eight weekends, eight completely unique experiences, from a living legend to Afro-Cuban rhythm to Creole New Orleans, and every one of them presented by artists at the very top of the art form. We built this season for people who have loved jazz their whole lives and for people walking into their first live jazz set.”

The season kicks off in September with Grammy-winning saxophonist Joe Lovano, a living legend at arm’s length, and closes in May with pianist Emmet Cohen, returning for a sixth consecutive year. Along the way, the 2026-27 Season brings Havana-born percussionist and vocalist Pedrito Martinez, vocalist and storyteller René Marie, Grammy-winning trumpeter and innovator Nicholas Payton, award-winning Creole New Orleans banjoist Don Vappie, and saxophonist Sharel Cassity leading an all-female ensemble, to name a few. The JAZZ ROOM’s holiday piano tradition also continues in December with the Holiday Edition: Piano Night benefit concert.

Every JAZZ ROOM weekend features two sets on Friday (6pm & 8:15pm) and two on Saturday (7pm & 9:15pm) at the Stage Door Theater and Booth Playhouse in uptown Charlotte. Full artist details, dates, and set times for all eight weekends are available at www.thejazzarts.org.

Tickets and Group Sales Season tickets and single tickets are available at www.thejazzarts.org or by calling 704-372-1000. Group and community rates are available; contact JazzArts Charlotte at info@thejazzarts.org or 704-334-3400 for group booking.

About JazzArts Charlotte JazzArts Charlotte is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to building community through the power of jazz. Founded in 2009, the organization is dedicated to the promotion, education, and preservation of jazz and related art forms in the greater Charlotte region. Through signature programs including The JAZZ ROOM, JazzArts Academy, and Nuestro Tiempo Latin Jazz Youth Orchestra, JazzArts connects people of all ages and backgrounds to the vibrant legacy and future of America’s original art form.

For more information, visit www.thejazzarts.org and follow JazzArts Charlotte on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn.