Composed of 15 top soloists, The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra is one of the world's leading large jazz bands ensembles. Their current band leader (and artistic director) is the great Wynton Marsalis, famed trumpeter and composer, who has played with everyone from Herbie Hancock to Dizzy Gillespie.

The world's top-selling instrumental artist Chris Botti has charm and talent in spades; the Italian American contemporary jazz trumpeter breathes new life into a range of different genres from American songbook standards to bebop classics by the likes of Miles Davis. Botti is not only a highly skilled musician but a consummate entertainer, with a gleam in his eye his onstage banter calls to mind the performers of jazz's golden age.

Don't miss the divine Mavis Staples, as she blesses us with her incredible voice and back catalogue of gospel, soul, R & B, with a little rock thrown in for good measure! One of the most powerful voices in the 'biz, Staples has been making music since the 1960s when she and her family formed the group The Staples Singers. Throughout the decade, they became synonymous with the Civil Rights Movement, offering spiritually strong messages through their songs.

A performance by Lila Downs is always a colorful and unforgettable experience of Mexican culture and arts, as the singer-songwriter incorporates traditional music and dance from a variety of Mesoamerican cultures, as well as native languages and ancient traditions and folklore.