2026 Midday Jazz

Midday Jazz began in 1982 as Midday Jazz Midtown, during the early years of the new Saint Peter’s Church at Citicorp Center. The program grew out of the church’s expanding commitment to presenting jazz not only as part of its Jazz Ministry and Sunday Jazz Vespers, but also as a regular part of Midtown’s cultural life.

The series was programmed by Edmund Anderson, a close friend and collaborator of Duke Ellington who had retired from his professional career and become the first Executive Director of The Common (which then became The Midtown Arts Common).

Rather than being an evening club date, Midday Jazz brought professional jazz into the middle of the workday, serving the growing Midtown community of office workers, residents, visitors, and musicians.