Brass Queens brass band marches into the Mica and Ahmet Ertegun Atrium at Jazz at Lincoln Center

Local 802 and the AFM partnered to send representatives to the 2026 Jazz Congress, which was hosted by Jazz at Lincoln Center on January 7 and January 8.

An estimated 600 people registered for this year’s event which included panel discussions, networking opportunities, and live musical performances.

Some of the more popular panels included: Jukebox Jury; The Artist as Builder: Designing and Modifying Instruments in Jazz (featuring Long Time 802 member Scott Robinson); a keynote address by actor Wendell Pierce; Ron Carter and Todd Barkan in Conversation; It’s Complicated: Presenting Jazz and Education in Cuba; Women in Rhythm; Jazz and Spotify  —  how streaming is reshaping jazz for listeners and artists alike; the future of public radio, etc., etc.

Local 802 members attending included Christian McBride, PR specialist Lydia Liebman, Akua Dixon, Kenny Washington, Marcos Varela, Uri Gurevich, Loren Schoenberg, Sammy Figueroa, Bertha Hope and Scott Robinson.

“The importance of Jazz Congress,” said nine-time Grammy-winning bassist, composer,and bandleader McBride, “lies in its ability to bring the entire community into the same room once a year. It’s where inspiration turns into action, where artists are heard, and where the future of the music we love so much is shaped.”

Other participants included promotions guru Jim Eigo, managers Karen Kennedy and Gail Boyd and many presenters from across the country.

According to conference organizers, event attendance has continued to grow and is up more than 20 percent from 2025.

Jazz Business Rep Todd Weeks represented Local 802 and was accompanied by AFM Organizing Director Gabriel Kristal.

Information on the event can be found at https://jazzcongress.org/

Local 802 Principal Jazz Rep Todd Weeks

Todd Weeks and Jazz Congress Producer Lee Mergner

Todd Weeks and jazz percussionist Sammy Figueroa, a longtime Local 802 member

Todd Weeks with Jazz Promo Services guru Jim Eigo and singer-journalist Joan Watson Jones

Regina Bain, Executive Director of the Louis Armstrong House Museum (right), with LAHM staff members Charanya Ramakrishnan (left) and Hyland Harris (center)

Jazz Congress 2026

Todd Weeks with bassist and New School Faculty Member Marcos Varela

Todd Weeks with Loren Schoenberg, the tenor saxophonist, conductor, educator and historian.