Presented by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, part of the Dentons Cohen & Grigsby Trust Presents series.

Jazz at Lincoln Center Presents: Songs We Love - Byham Theater, Downtown

Songs We Love is a journey through the first 50 years of jazz song. Under the musical direction of Riley Mulherkar, 3 guest vocalists will join an all-star band made up of New York’s rising stars. Combining their distinct talents, the group will sing their way through four decades of music, beginning with the early blues and jazz of the 1920s and ending in the early 1950s. Iconic singers to be explored include Ma Rainey, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra and Judy Garland.

Riley Mulherkar has been recognized as a “smart young trumpet player” by The New York Times, praised by The Wall Street Journal as a “youngster to keep an eye on”

Brianna Thomas has worked with a host of premier jazz educators and performers including renowned vocalist Carmen Lundy, Winard Harper and Nathan Davis.

Shenel Johns has performed and recorded with an impressive array of leaders in the field including Dominic Farinacci, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Ulysses Owens, Jr., Ronnie Burrage, and Eddie Palmieri, among numerous others.

Young South African jazz vocalist, Vuyo Sotashe, is making his mark in the New York jazz scene after being awarded the prestigious Fulbright Scholarship to pursue Master of Music (Spring 2015) at William Paterson University.

Jazz at Lincoln Center - photo by Frank Stewart

The JAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER PRESENTS touring initiative provides an affordable opportunity to present great jazz programming, featuring up-and-coming musicians who have been identified as rising stars by JALC.  The initiative also allows for expansion of the mission of JALC “to entertain, enrich and expand a global community for jazz through performance, education, and advocacy.”

The Jazz at Lincoln Center Presents Songs We Love was first presented as the 2016 Season Opener at Jazz at Lincoln Center.

Riley Mulherkar Photo by Kevin W. Condon