Jazz News: Wendell Pierce keynotes Jazz Congress; Winter Jazzfest lineup stumps the DJs

You might recognize the voice of actor Wendell Pierce from his current role as Captain C.W. Wagner on the CBS show “Elsbeth,” or as trombonist Antoine Batiste in the HBO series “Treme.” Pierce gave the keynote address at last week’s Jazz Congress at Jazz at Lincoln Center. His remarks were profound.

"In this moment, in a fractured world, art becomes a meeting place. Art is not separate from life. It is how life explains itself. I believe strongly that artists are not merely creators but caretakers, that institutions matter, that memory is a battleground, that joy is a form of resistance, that listening is political, that spirituality and justice are not opposites. 

So let me end where I began. Music and the arts still matter, not because they are pleasant, although they can be sometimes. (They gon’ be swinging tonight.) But because they are necessary. They carry memory, they defend dignity, they teach us how to listen. And when the music disappears, what follows is not silence. It is amnesia. And I have spent my life refusing to forget I refuse to forget. 

I know this is a difficult moment. The country is fractured and good people feel exhausted. Listening is rare. And too often - let's be real now - being a jazz musician can feel like speaking a language fewer people are willing to learn. But I'm here today to say this to you as clearly as I can. Please don't stop trying to reach people. Don't stop building community. Don't stop teaching hearts and minds, because whether they know it or not, people still need what you do, especially now. Jazz has always been a model for democracy and community. You bring together individuals with distinct voices. You ask them to listen deeply to one another, to allow space for risk and disagreement. And somehow, through trust and discipline, you create something larger than any one person. That's not just music, that's a vision of what this country could still be. And every time you step onto the bandstand - this sacred and hallowed ground - you are rehearsing that vision in public." 

(SOURCE: Jazz Live: 2026 Wendell Pierce Keynote)