Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis

Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra play the Byham Theater on Saturday, October 17, from 7:30 to 9:30 PM. It's a big band of more than a dozen jazz soloists and ensemble players, and they build their sets around the music of the great jazz composers alongside original works.

There's a bit of weight to this one. The orchestra is in the middle of what they're calling a milestone season: at the end of the 2026-2027 season, nearly 40 years after he founded Jazz at Lincoln Center, Marsalis will step down as Artistic Director and as Music Director of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. This is one of his last performances leading the group.

Marsalis is on trumpet, and the rest of the band fills out the full big band sound. Carlos Henriquez is on bass, Dan Nimmer on piano, and Obed Calvaire on drums and tambourine. The trumpet section adds Ryan Kisor, Kenny Rampton, and Marcus Printup; the trombones are Chris Crenshaw, Vincent Gardner, and Elliot Mason. Chris Lewis plays tenor and alto sax, clarinet, and flute; Alexa Tarantino, Sherman Irby, and Abdias Armenteros cover alto, tenor, and soprano sax, clarinet, and flute; and Paul Nedzela takes the baritone sax and bass clarinet. It's a large ensemble, and the program draws from both the jazz canon and the orchestra's own writing.

The show is at the Byham Theater, 101 6th St in downtown Pittsburgh, on Saturday, October 17, from 7:30 to 9:30 PM.