Midday Jazz Midtown
WEDNESDAYS at 1:00 P.M. for the midtown community
Jazz greats such as Junior Mance, Bucky Pizzarelli and Sheila Jordan have been among the featured performers at Midday Jazz Midtown, one of the longest‐running, regularly presented jazz events in New York City.
Midday Jazz is a partnership initiative with Saint Peter’s Church. Programs are generally in the Church’s Sanctuary, which is accessible from the Street and Plaza Levels.
Presented every Wednesday from September through June, concerts begin at 1:00 P.M. and conclude at 2:30 P.M. A nominal donation to cover presentation costs is requested at the door. The programming is overseen by jazz pianist Ronny Whyte.
Story
The late Edmund Anderson created Midtown Jazz at Midday in partnership with Saint Peter’s Church and the Midtown Arts Common to provide opportunities for the community of midtown Manhattan to hear good jazz music over the typical business lunch hour. The program has run continuously since it’s founding in 1982.
A personal friend of Duke Ellington, Anderson was a music lover who wrote lyrics for Ellington and Billy Strayhorn, and helped produce Duke’s Black, Brown and Beige concert at Carnegie Hall. Prior to his death in 2002, Anderson was beloved to and highly active in the jazz ministry at Saint Peter’s Church. Joan Uttal Anderson served as a production consultant until her death in 2012.