Wynton Marsalis’s visit forms part of the ensemble’s first-ever African tour
This October, Ghana will welcome one of the most celebrated figures in modern jazz, Wynton Marsalis, alongside the Jazz at Lincoln Centre Orchestra (JLCO). Their visit forms part of the ensemble’s first-ever African tour, a landmark moment in the Orchestra’s 38-year history.
From October 8 to 12, Marsalis and the JLCO will be in Accra, engaging with local audiences and musicians. The Ghana stop is one of four on their African itinerary, which also includes South Africa, Kenya, and Nigeria.
Marsalis, an American trumpeter, composer and educator, is widely regarded as one of the most influential jazz musicians of his generation. Coming from what is often described as the “First Family of Jazz,” he has long championed the deep ties between jazz and Africa. This tour makes those connections tangible, with a new Marsalis composition titled Afro! exploring the music’s African roots and diasporic reach.
The JLCO itself is a world-class ensemble of soloists, composers and arrangers who carry the tradition of jazz into new spaces. Their time in Ghana will not only include concerts but also educational exchanges with students and musicians, echoing the Orchestra’s mission of passing the language of jazz on to future generations.
For Ghana, the visit represents more than performances: it is a symbolic homecoming of jazz, a genre that traces its lineage directly to the rhythms and expressions of the African continent.
