Ten Free Jazz Concerts in Newark, New Jersey, USA this Spring.

Tuesday, February 03, 2026

New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) will present a series of free live jazz events at various venues around Newark during February, March, April, May and June 2026. Press release attached.

We have received the following press release;

10 Free Jazz Concerts in Newark Thanks to the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), February-June 2026
Sponsored in part by TD Bank

Sat 2.07 @ 6:00 p.m. Baptist Church Jazz Vespers | Joe Locke Trio  
Co-presented by Bethany Baptist Church and NJPAC, the free monthly Bethany Vesper Concert Series continues combining jazz music and worship. February welcomes the Joe Locke Trio. It’s always “good vibes” when jazz vibraphonist Joe Locke takes the stage. He plays with personality, emotion and incredible skill, practically dancing with his instrument. This unique combo features force-of-nature Allyn Johnson on the organ and master drummer Tim Horner. 
Tickets: FREE. This event will be held at Bethany Baptist Church, 275 W. Market Street, Newark, NJ.

Thu 2.19 @ 7:30 p.m. Jazz Jams at Clement’s Place
Co-presented by NJPAC’s Jazz Advisory Committee and Rutgers RU_N’s Institute for Jazz Studies, Jazz Jams at Clement’s Place is a monthly Jazz Jams Session concert series featuring top-flight New Jersey musicians directed by pianist and bandleader, James Austin, Jr. T.  Audience members immerse themselves in the relaxing sounds of jazz music that stimulate the player’s and listeners’ minds. All novice and seasoned jazz musicians and singers are welcomed to jam and improv with the professional band throughout the night. Co-producers: Wayne Winborne, Executive Director, IFJS and Eyesha Marable, AVP, Comm Engagement, NJPAC.
Tickets: FREE. This event will be held at Clement’s Place, 15 Washington Street, Newark, NJ.

Sat 3.07 @ 6:00 p.m. Baptist Church Jazz Vespers | James Carter Quartet  
Co-presented by Bethany Baptist Church and NJPAC, the free monthly Bethany Vesper Concert Series continues combining jazz music and worship. March welcomes saxophonist James Carter and his formidable quartet: pianist Sharp Radway, bassist Hilliard Greene and drummer Kahlil Kwame Bell. The New York Times lauds Carter as “one of the most charismatic and powerful soloists in jazz” with “access to every riff ever recorded.”
Tickets: FREE. This event will be held at Bethany Baptist Church, 275 W. Market Street, Newark, NJ.

Thu 3.26 @ 7:30 p.m. Jazz Jams at Clement’s Place
Co-presented by NJPAC’s Jazz Advisory Committee and Rutgers RU_N’s Institute for Jazz Studies, Jazz Jams at Clement’s Place is a monthly Jazz Jams Session concert series featuring top-flight New Jersey musicians directed by pianist and bandleader, James Austin, Jr. T.  Audience members immerse themselves in the relaxing sounds of jazz music that stimulate the player’s and listeners’ minds. All novice and seasoned jazz musicians and singers are welcomed to jam and improv with the professional band throughout the night. Co-producers: Wayne Winborne, Executive Director, IFJS and Eyesha Marable, AVP, Comm Engagement, NJPAC.
Tickets: FREE. This event will be held at Clement’s Place, 15 Washington Street, Newark, NJ.

Sat 4.04 @ 6:00 p.m. Baptist Church Jazz Vespers | Winard Harper & Jeli Posse
Co-presented by Bethany Baptist Church and NJPAC, the free monthly Bethany Vesper Concert Series continues combining jazz music and worship. April aka Jazz Appreciation Month welcomes drum wizard Winard Harper with his juicy jazz combo, Jeli Posse. Their big sound swings from sophisticated to soulful to hard bop to blues. Featuring Ted Chubb on trumpet, Jalin Shiver on sax, Anthony Perez on bass, Brandon McCune on piano, and Ahadu Chase on percussion.
Tickets: FREE. This event will be held at Bethany Baptist Church, 275 W. Market Street, Newark, NJ.

Thu 4.16 @ 7:30 p.m. Jazz Jams at Clement’s Place
Co-presented by NJPAC’s Jazz Advisory Committee and Rutgers RU_N’s Institute for Jazz Studies, Jazz Jams at Clement’s Place is a monthly Jazz Jams Session concert series featuring top-flight New Jersey musicians directed by pianist and bandleader, James Austin, Jr. T.  Audience members immerse themselves in the relaxing sounds of jazz music that stimulate the player’s and listeners’ minds. All novice and seasoned jazz musicians and singers are welcomed to jam and improv with the professional band throughout the night. Co-producers: Wayne Winborne, Executive Director, IFJS and Eyesha Marable, AVP, Comm Engagement, NJPAC.
Tickets: FREE. This event will be held at Clement’s Place, 15 Washington Street, Newark, NJ.

Sun 4.26 International Jazz Day Celebration
NJPAC celebrates International Jazz Day, April 30, 2025, with a free musical celebration featuring 100+ young local musicians performing together. Co-produced by NJPAC’s TD Jazz for Teens and JAZZ HOUSE KIDS, this one-night only concert unites some of the brightest youth ensembles of New Jersey and New York: NJPAC’s TD Jazz for Teens’ Moody Jazz Orchestra and The George Wein Scholars Ensemble, JAZZ HOUSE KIDS, and local schools’ bands TBA. International Jazz Day in Newark highlights the power of jazz as a force for freedom and creativity, promotes intercultural dialogue through respect and understanding, and unites people from all corners of the region.
Tickets: FREE. This event will be held at NJPAC’s Victoria Theater.

Sat 5.02 @ 6:00 p.m. Bethany Baptist Church Jazz Vespers | Orrin Evans Trio        
Co-presented by Bethany Baptist Church and NJPAC, the free monthly Bethany Vesper Concert Series continues combining jazz music and worship. On May 2nd, three-time GRAMMY®-nominated jazz pianist Orrin Evans (Walk a Mile in My Shoe) will lead his elite trio (with bass and drums) embodying everything we love about good jazz: joyful spontaneity, fierce musical intelligence and a crackling interplay between the performers. They swing with blues-infused hardcore jazz, spiritual jazz, avant-garde traditions and more.
Tickets: FREE. This event will be held at Bethany Baptist Church, 275 W. Market Street, Newark, NJ.

Thu 5.28 @ 7:30 p.m. Jazz Jams at Clement’s Place
Co-presented by NJPAC’s Jazz Advisory Committee and Rutgers RU_N’s Institute for Jazz Studies, Jazz Jams at Clement’s Place is a monthly Jazz Jams Session concert series featuring top-flight New Jersey musicians directed by pianist and bandleader, James Austin, Jr. T.  Audience members immerse themselves in the relaxing sounds of jazz music that stimulate the player’s and listeners’ minds. All novice and seasoned jazz musicians and singers are welcomed to jam and improv with the professional band throughout the night. Co-producers: Wayne Winborne, Executive Director, IFJS and Eyesha Marable, AVP, Comm Engagement, NJPAC.
Tickets: FREE. This event will be held at Clement’s Place, 15 Washington Street, Newark, NJ.

Thu 6.18 @ 7:30 p.m. Jazz Jams at Clement’s Place
Co-presented by NJPAC’s Jazz Advisory Committee and Rutgers RU_N’s Institute for Jazz Studies, Jazz Jams at Clement’s Place is a monthly Jazz Jams Session concert series featuring top-flight New Jersey musicians directed by pianist and bandleader, James Austin, Jr. T.  Audience members immerse themselves in the relaxing sounds of jazz music that stimulate the player’s and listeners’ minds. All novice and seasoned jazz musicians and singers are welcomed to jam and improv with the professional band throughout the night. Co-producers: Wayne Winborne, Executive Director, IFJS and Eyesha Marable, AVP, Comm Engagement, NJPAC.
Tickets: FREE. This event will be held at Clement’s Place,15 Washington Street, Newark, NJ.

About NJPAC
New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), located in downtown Newark, New Jersey, is an anchor cultural institution for both the city of Newark and the state of New Jersey. It is an artistic, cultural, educational and civic center where great performances and events enhance and transform lives every day. NJPAC brings communities together both on and off of our campus – on stages, in schools and community settings – providing access to the arts for all and showcasing the state’s and the world’s best artists, while acting as a leading catalyst in the revitalization of its home city.  Through its extensive Social Impact programs, NJPAC leverages the arts to advance positive outcomes in education, health and well-being, civic engagement and community development. NJPAC has attracted more than 12.7 million visitors (including more than two million children) since opening its doors in 1997. Learn more at http://www.njpac.org.     

Sponsorship
About TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank®
For the 14th consecutive year, TD Bank is the title sponsor of all jazz programming during NJPAC’s season, including free community performances and educational events, as well as mainstage concerts showcasing jazz superstars. TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank, is one of the 10 largest banks in the U.S. by assets, providing over 10 million customers with a full range of retail, small business and commercial banking products and services at more than 1,100 convenient locations throughout the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Metro D.C., the Carolinas and Florida. In addition, TD Auto Finance, a division of TD Bank, N.A., offers vehicle financing and dealer commercial services. TD Bank and its subsidiaries also offer customized private banking and wealth management services through TD Wealth®. TD Bank is headquartered in Cherry Hill, N.J.
To learn more, visit http://www.td.com/us. Find TD Bank on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/TDBank and on Instagram at http://www.instagram.com/TDBank_US/. 
TD Bank is a subsidiary of The Toronto-Dominion Bank, a top 10 North American bank. The Toronto-Dominion Bank trades on the New York and Toronto stock exchanges under the ticker symbol “TD”. To learn more, visit http://www.td.com/us.