Article Contributed by Big Hassle Media
Published on January 12, 2026
THE NEARNESS OF YOU CONCERT to feature performances by JAMES TAYLOR, CHRIS BOTTI, LISA FISCHER, RICHARD BLANCO, AND SPECIAL GUESTS Hosted by SUSIE ESSMAN
The Nearness of You Concert – the all-star benefit event honoring the memory of 15x GRAMMY Award-winning saxophonist Michael Brecker by supporting cancer research at Columbia University Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center (HICCC)— will return for the fifth time on Monday, February 9, 2026 at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Appel Room in New York City at 7:30 pm (ET). A post-concert celebration follows at 9:00 pm. Hosted by Susie Essman, the concert will feature performances by James Taylor, Chris Botti, Lisa Fischer, inaugural poet Richard Blanco, and special guests.
Concert proceeds will support cancer research at HICCC – specifically the pioneering work of Azra Raza, MD and Siddhartha Mukherjee, MD, DPhil. Co-produced by Michael Brecker’s widow, Susan Brecker, and his longtime manager, Darryl Pitt, previous events have raised more than $5 million dollars and have featured Paul Simon, Elvis Costello, Diana Krall, Chaka Khan, Wynton Marsalis, Dianne Reeves, Branford Marsalis, and Christopher Cross, to name a few.
“Join us for an inspiring evening where music and medicine unite to advance the future of cancer research, bringing new treatments and hope to countless patients around the world. Together, we can help drive the science that saves lives,” said Sid Mukherjee, 2011 Pulitzer Prize Winner, Associate Professor of Medicine, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons.
“Our goal is audacious but simple: never let cancer start. Find the first cell, and you save a life,” added Azra Raza, Clinical Director, Edward P. Evans Center for Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS), Chan Soon-Shiong Professor of Medicine, Columbia University.
“I am humbled and fortunate to be able to honor Michael with this concert,” said co-producer Susan Brecker. “It presents an opportunity for all of us to support the vital research to end cancer in our lifetimes.”
“Nearness concerts are unlike other fundraisers I’ve produced,” said Darryl Pitt. “If you’re interested in an evening guaranteed to blow the dust off your heart, consider The Nearness of You.”
Tax-deductible tickets for The Nearness of You Concert are on sale now HERE. Tickets are also available by calling Center Charge at 212-721-6500, online at www.jazz.org, or at the Jazz at Lincoln Center box office on the ground floor of the Columbus Circle Center (Broadway & 60th). Tickets purchased at Jazz at Lincoln Center, CenterCharge, and www.jazz.org are not tax deductible. For more information, www.facebook.com/
