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1. Jon Batiste performs a quick number during his Q&A with NAMM CEO John Mlynczak on the morning of Jan. 23. 2. From left: Toca Percussion’s Jim Rockwell, Dave Cywinski, Rick Taylor and Brad Kirkpatrick. 3. Women of NAMM’s Julia Olsen, Natalie Morrison and Stephanie Lamond during their Revoicing the Future session in the Member Center on Jan. 24. 4. John Mayer plays the PRS Guitars 40th anniversary party at the Anaheim House of Blues on the evening of Jan. 24. 5. Martin’s Tim Teel, Chris Martin and Craig Thatcher showcase a new model during the company’s Gear Preview event on Jan. 22. 6. NAMM’s John Mlynczak is joined onstage during Global Media Day with the event’s presenters in a show of solidarity for musicians affects by January’s LA wildfires. 7. Casio’s Stephen Schmidt, Brian Piccolo and Rich Formidoni. 8. Gretsch’s Paul Cooper and Andrew Shreve with Gewa’s Hans-Peter Messner and Marcel Messner at the Gewa Music booth. 9. Theo Wanne’s Stephanie Pierce, Justin Maurer, Thomas Harris, Theo Wanne and Bryan Vance.
8. ANAHEIM!
By Katie Kailus
our demo rooms every half hour, which we couldn’t do last year.” Yamaha’s consistent performance schedule saw its third-floor booth packed throughout the three days. “The show exceeded our expectations,” said Tom Sumner, Yamaha Corp. of America’s president. “We met with the dealers, educators and partners that we wanted to meet with, had productive meetings, and were able to show off our product in the best way at the display. We also were able to provide great entertain- ment to attendees with our in-booth concerts and the concerts at the Grand Plaza Stage. Great crowds that really got into the music.” SERIOUS STAR POWER The aforementioned Grand Plaza Stage saw some of today’s hottest artists, including
gospel legend CeCe Winans, who graced the stage during Thursday evening’s annual Night of Worship. On Friday, Grammy and Oscar-winner Jon Batiste played the Grand Plaza Stage a day after his morning Q&A session with NAMM CEO John Mlynczak where he shared the obstacles he faced in his musical journey, as well as his thoughts on his first NAMM show. “Somebody was playing a [Robert] Schumann [song] and somebody was playing Charlie Brown at the same time,” Batiste said. “I find that to be my dream. I love that.” The White Stripes frontman Jack White received the Innovation Award at NAMM’s annual TEC Awards on Thursday night, while ’90s singer-songwriter Paula Cole received a She Rocks Award on Saturday
night. Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Jacob Collier joined NAMM’s Mlynczak onstage during the Grand Rally for Music Education, while British rocker Peter Framp- ton lent his musical expertise at Martin’s Gear Preview event the Wednesday before the show’s start — as well as at NAMM’s Global Media Day later that afternoon. On Friday evening, PRS Guitars held its 40th anniversary party at the House of Blues Anaheim and included sets by guitarists Orianthi, Herman Li, David Grissom and John Mayer. Flip through the following pages for an in-depth look at what was happening across The NAMM Show campus during the five- day event. The 2026 NAMM Show will be held January 20–24, 2026, at the Anaheim Convention Center. MI
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