Come Sunday: The Sacred Works of Duke Ellington
About This Event
Event: Come Sunday: The Sacred Works of Duke Ellington Venue: Jazz at Lincoln Center Join acclaimed tap dancer John Manzari and Grammy Award-winning pianist Luther S. Allison as they perform Duke Ellington’s deeply personal compositions in the Appel Room, featuring views of Columbus Circle and Central Park. This unique event blends tap dance with sacred jazz in an intimate setting.
About Sacred Works(oratorio)
*Sacred Works* looks to Duke Ellington’s concert-length sacred compositions, where jazz language is used to frame prayer, testimony, and community ritual. Now at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Appel Room, it brings together Godwin Louis with The JLCO, vocalist Kate Kortum and Preservation, plus tap dancer John Manzari in close dialogue with pianist Luther S. Allison. Ellington first introduced these works in the 1960s, insisting they belonged on major stages rather than in the margins of “church music.” The program’s earned insight is simple: it treats jazz as a civic, spiritual vocabulary, not a style in search of approval.
About the Artists
Godwin Louis The JLCO
The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra (JLCO) is a prominent jazz ensemble led by Wynton Marsalis, known for its performances and educational outreach in the jazz genre.
Kate Kortum
Kate Kortum is a musician and performer known for her contributions to jazz music.
and preservation
and preservation is a jazz artist heard in New York City at Jazz at Lincoln Center, where their work sits in conversation with the institution’s repertory tradition. They have performed with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Dectet, as well as collaborators including Godwin Louis (JLCO), Kate Kortum, John Manzari, Luther S.
John Manzari
Official website of dancer, choreographer, teacher, and artist John Manzari.
Luther S. Allison
Luther S. Allison is a Grammy Award–winning jazz pianist heard regularly in New York City at Jazz at Lincoln Center. His work sits inside the Ellington tradition, shaped by collaborations with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and JLCO members including Godwin Louis, as well as artists such as Kate Kortum, C.
C. Anthony Bryant
C. Anthony Bryant is recognized as one of the most versatile, powerful, and technically sound voices of our day. A highly sought after vocalist, vocal instructor, teacher, composer, choral conductor and coach, Bryant has performed in houses of worship, clubs, and concert halls, both in the United States and abroad.