TSQ LIVE Announces Lineup with Jazz at Lincoln Center for Thursdays in August and September 2025

(NEW YORK, NY — August 6, 2025) — The Times Square Alliance is pleased to announce the lineup for TSQ LIVE’s Jazz in Times Square series, taking the stage at 46th and Broadway every Thursday at 5pm in August and September. This series is building on a partnership with Jazz at Lincoln Center (JALC) that started in 2019, from small ensembles to 21-piece big bands and everything in between. JALC, the non-profit organization, dedicated to entertaining, enriching, and expanding a global community for jazz through performance, education, and advocacy, will take over Times Square to bring New York City’s jazz scene to Broadway. JALC will infuse the area with good vibrations, featuring some of the most talented emerging artists amidst the hustle and bustle of Times Square.

TSQ LIVE is one of New York’s largest free outdoor event series which serves hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers and visitors alike every summer. Featuring an eclectic array of performances and workshops, the program reflects the diversity, creativity, and talent that defines New York City, while bringing audiences from all walks of life together. The series highlights both established institutions and emerging talents by turning over Times Square as a platform to showcase their work and reach a cross-section of the district's hundreds of thousands of daily visitors.

TSQ LIVE 2025 Jazz in Times Square Lineup

In Partnership with Jazz at Lincoln Center

● Aug 07 - Ginita y La Orquesta Esa Big Band

● Aug 14 - King Solomon

● Aug 21 - Antonio Hart Quartet co-presented with the Charlie Parker Jazz Festival

● Aug 28 - Miki Hayama

● Sept 04 - Tony Rosa

● Sept 11 - The Empress

● Sept 18 - Natu Camara

● Sept 25 - Igmar Thomas’ Revive Big Band

ABOUT OUR PERFORMERS AND PARTNERS

8.7.25 - Ginita y La Orquesta Esa Big Band

Led by the pen of trombonista Ginita, La Orquesta Esa Big Band, is a dynamic Latin ensemble whose songbook commemorates icons like Willie Colon, Tito Puente, Chucho Valdez, and Omara Portuondo. Their vibrant energy draws their audiences to the dance floor time and time again with the stars of the show being the original music.

8.14.25 - King Solomon

Solomon Hicks (aka King Solomon Hicks), the 29-year-old blues phenom from New York City, is best known as a guitarist, vocalist and composer. Hicks won the 2021 Blues Music Awards for Best Emerging Artist for his 2020 CD release, Harlem on Provogue Records. He was WXPN’s “Artist to Watch” for August 2020; his original song “421 South Main” made the Top 20 Blues songs of 2020 on Spotify; and the song “What the Devil Loves” still gets spins on “Sirius Bluesville” Radio. He's shared stages with Buddy Guy, Samantha Fish, Tony Bennett, Jeff Beck, Ringo Starr, Jimmie Vaughn, Beth Hart, Mavis Staples, Burton Cummings, Robert Cray, Eric Gales and many others. Hicks paid his own success forward by teaching music for the Children's Aid Society, working with the Harlem Arts Alliance and the New York City Jazzmobile. He will have a new record released in 2025 on Provogue/Mascot Records.

8.21.25 - Antonio Hart Quartet, co-presented with the Charlie Parker Jazz Festival

Hart studied jazz at the Berklee College of Music in Boston and Queens College. He has recorded eight CDs as a bandleader, including his second recording, 'Don't You Know I Care,' was produced by the great Jimmy Heath, and his 1997 release, 'Here I Stand,’ which earned Hart a 1997 Grammy nomination for 'Best Jazz Instrumental Solo.' Hart balances his time as Director of Jazz Studies at The Aaron Copland School of Music, Queens College, and travels with his band, The Dave Holland Big band and The Dizzy Gillespie Big Band.

8.28.25 - Miki Hayama

A Grammy-nominated pianist originally from Kyoto, Japan, Miki’s musical journey began with a classical piano degree from Osaka College of Music and further jazz training with the esteemed Sadayasu Fujii at Fuji Jazz School in Kyoto. She won the first prize in the Yokohama Jazz Competition in 1996. Miki has performed and recorded with a stellar lineup of jazz legends including Kenny Garrett, Ralph Peterson, Sean Jones, Tia Fuller, Michael Dease, Vincent Herring, Roy Hargrove, Gary Thomas, Don Braden, Greg Osby, Mark Shim, Cindy Blackman-Santana, Nnenna Freelon, Jazzmeia Horn, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Christian McBride, Eric Harland, Victor Lewis and even the queen of soul, Aretha Franklin. Her impressive discography includes acclaimed albums such as “Prelude to a Kiss” and “Wide Angle”, the latter earning Swing Journal’s Gold Disc Award and Production Award. Recently, Miki served as the musical director, arranger, and keyboardist for Nnenna Freelon’s GRAMMY-nominated album “Time Traveler”. Beyond her jazz career, she enriches her musical versatility by playing Hammond organ at the Greater Cathedral United Apostolic Ministries in the Bronx.

9.4.25 - Tony Rosa

Born in New York, Tony Rosa is a four-time Grammy Award Winner and Percussionist Maestro. Rosa has found himself time and time again sharing stages around the world with such talents as the Arturo O'Farrill's Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra; Manny Oquendo y Conjunto Libre; Tito Puente; Celia Cruz; Israel Lopez (Cachao); Orlando Puntilla Rios; Francisco Aguabella (1990 MTV Award); Poncho Sanchez; Nelson Gonzalez; Paquito de Rivera; Miles Pena; George Lamond; Kid Frost; Kenny Loggins; El Chicano Group; and others. In his Lincoln Center appearances, he accompanied some of the great Jazz artists such as Jon Faddis, Joe Lovano, Charnett Moffet, and Lew Soloff. His never-ending search for harmony and musical creativity have led him to record and perform his musical expressions with artists from Latin music to R&B to Rap to Rock.

9.11.25 - The Empress

The Empress is an all-female jazz saxophone quartet founded and led by alto saxophonist Pureum Jin. With four commanding voices at its core, the group delivers a sound that is sharp, soulful, and deeply expressive. Their debut album, Square One (Cellar Music Group), recorded at the legendary Van Gelder Studio, reimagines classic jazz standards and originals with urgency, elegance, and fire. Formed out of a desire to push musical boundaries while creating space for underrepresented voices, the group has quickly gained attention on the jazz radio charts and beyond, praised for its bold ensemble sound and compelling vision. Balancing precision and spontaneity, The Empress offers music that celebrates tradition while carving out a space entirely its own.

9.18.25 - Natu Camara

If you merged Miriam Makeba with Nina Simone, added a dose of Tracy Chapman and sprinkled on some Tina Turner, you might begin to explain Natu Camara. Hailing from the heart of West Africa, Natu is a dynamic singer and songwriter whose music not only reflects her rich heritage but also electrifies stages with her mesmerizing performances. The co-founder of West Africa’s first ever female R&B/hip-hop ensemble, the Ideal Black Girls, Natu now splits her time between Guinea and Harlem, creating music that addresses issues like forced child marriage and disunity in Guinea while shedding light on loneliness and sadness in the developed world. She has performed at the Madison World Music Festival, The International Festival de Louisiane, Global Arts Live, globalFEST, NPR's Tiny Desk Concert series, Summerstage, Celebrate Brooklyn, Lincoln Center, Savannah Music Festival, the Francophone Festival in NYC, Carnegie Hall, and more. Natu also founded the Harlem Meet Africa Festival and Guinea’s Dimedi Foundation for girls' mentorship and children's education.

9.25.25 - Igmar Thomas’ Revive Big Band

Igmar Thomas is a visionary trumpeter, maestro, composer, arranger, and artistic director at the forefront of modern music. As the founder and conductor of the acclaimed Revive Big Band, his genre-defying sound has electrified stages from Carnegie Hall to the MTV VMAs. Igmar has served as Guest Conductor and Arranger for the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, and has arranged and music directed for legends including Ms. Lauryn Hill, Nas, LL Cool J, and Queen Latifah. He has performed with jazz greats such as Esperanza Spalding, Robert Glasper, Terence Blanchard, Gregory Porter, and Lionel Hampton. His original works and arrangements are performed by top institutions like Berklee, Brown, Purdue, the University of North Texas, and Peabody Institute at Johns Hopkins.Currently, Igmar is the Artistic Director of Music & Music Education at Newark Symphony Hall, where he is developing a visionary new school of music. He also serves as Director of Music Operations at Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy and Professor of Music at William Paterson University, leading an ecosystem of ensembles and youth-focused programs.

###

ABOUT THE TIMES SQUARE ALLIANCE

The Times Square Alliance works to improve and promote Times Square - cultivating the creativity, energy and edge that have made the area an icon of entertainment, culture, and urban life for over a century. Founded in 1992, the Alliance keeps the neighborhood clean and safe, promotes local businesses, manages area improvements and produces major annual events with partners including New Year's Eve, Solstice in Times Square and Taste of Times Square. As the custodians of Times Square, the Alliance works every day to improve the quality of life for the neighborhood residents and businesses while driving economic growth in New York City.