Cookers Jazz Ensemble Cancels Kennedy Center New Year’s Eve Shows After Trump Renaming

A veteran jazz group, the Cookers, has canceled its New Year’s Eve performances at the Kennedy Center, becoming the latest artists to withdraw following the institution’s controversial decision to add U.S. President Donald Trump’s name to its title. In a statement, the ensemble said jazz was rooted in struggle and freedom of expression, adding that their history and values guided the decision to step back from the event.

The Kennedy Center had promoted the Cookers as an “all-star jazz septet” set to deliver high-energy performances at the Terrace Theater. Richard Grenell, a close Trump ally appointed as the center’s president, criticized the cancellations as a “form of derangement syndrome,” arguing that many of the artists pulling out were booked under the institution’s previous leadership. He has previously dismissed the withdrawals as political gestures.

The move adds to a growing list of cancellations since the board voted earlier this month to rename the venue The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, or the Trump Kennedy Center. A Christmas Eve concert was canceled last week, and other performers, including Doug Varone and Dancers, have withdrawn from upcoming shows. The decision has sparked legal and political backlash, with Democrats and members of the Kennedy family condemning the renaming as damaging to President Kennedy’s legacy.

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