Monterey Jazz Festival

Monterey Jazz Festival Celebrates its 65th Anniversary September 23-25, 2022 with Return Visits from Gregory Porter; Moodswing Reunion with Joshua Redman, Brad Mehldau, Christian McBride, and Brian Blade; Melody Gardot; Charlie Hunter

Butcher Brown, Brandee Younger, Veronica Swift, Keyon Harrold, Samara Joy, Nate Smith + KINFOLK and Many Others Point to the Future Sound of Jazz

Debut of New Edition of MJF on Tour Led by Christian Sands to Include Dee Dee Bridgewater, Kurt Elling and Others

Ravi Coltrane and Cosmic Music Explores the Works of John and Alice Coltrane with Special Guest Brandee Younger; Chucho Valdés to Open Festival with Rare Performance of "La Creación"

Schedule: https://montereyjazzfestival.org/schedule/

The Monterey Jazz Festival offers 20 acres of magnificent oak-studded grounds for fans to enjoy, featuring films, conversations with the Festival's stars, exhibitions, food and beverages, an international shopping bazaar, and multiple stages of live jazz entertainment spread throughout the grounds.

Lineup:

* Friday, September 23

ARENA:
Chucho Valdés - La Creación (w/ the Yoruband Orchestra directed by Hilarío Durán & John Beasley)
Incognito w/special guest Maysa

GROUNDS:
Akira Tana & Otonowa
The Bad Plus
Berklee Jazz and Gender Justice Group
Emmaline
John Hanrahan Quartet
Julian Lage Quartet
Nicholas Payton
Mo'Fone
Reunion Trio (w/ Bruce Forman, John Clayton & Jeff Hamilton)
Samara Joy


* Saturday, September 24

ARENA:
Artemis (w/ Renee Rosnes, Ingrid Jensen, Alexa Tarantino, Nicole Glover, Noriko Ueda, Allison Miller)
Butcher Brown
Las Cafeteras
Monterey Jazz Festival On Tour - Celebrating 65 (w/ Dee Dee Bridgewater, Kurt Elling, Lakecia Benjamin, Christian Sands, Yasushi Nakamura, Clarence Penn)
Moodswing Reunion (Joshua Redman, Brad Mehldau, Christian McBride, Brian Blade)
Veronica Swift

GROUNDS:
Artemis (w/ Renee Rosnes, Ingrid Jensen, Alexa Tarantino, Nicole Glover, Noriko Ueda, Allison Miller)
Butcher Brown
The Cookers (w/ Eddie Henderson, David Weiss, Donald Harrison, Billy Harper, George Cables, Cecil McBee, Billy Hart)
Dan Wilson
Dave Stryker Eight Track Band
Emmet Cohen Trio
Fleurine
Joel Ross "Good Vibes"
Matthew Whitaker
MJF Women in Jazz Combo (led by Katie Thiroux)
Moy Eng - The Blue Hour Project
Sal's Greenhouse
Terrie Odabi


* Sunday, September 25

ARENA:
Gregory Porter
Melody Gardot
Next Generation Jazz Orchestra Directed by Gerald Clayton (ft. Artist-in-Residence Christian Sands)
Ravi Coltrane Cosmic Music (ft. Special Guest Brandee Younger Trio)

Contemporary Exploration into the Music of John and Alice Coltrane
SuperBlue - Kurt Elling ft. Charlie Hunter

GROUNDS:
Brandee Younger Trio
Brubeck Brothers Quartet
Gerald Clayton Trio
Keyon Harrold
Kim Nalley
Kyle Eastwood Group
Emil Afrasiyab Trio
Emma-Jean Thackray
Flor de Toloache
Michael Zilber Quartet
Molly Miller Trio
Nate Smith + KINFOLK
Sunday Morning Gospel (w/ Brown, Sturgis & Brown)


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Monterey Jazz Festival celebrates its 65th anniversary in 2022, a major milestone for the world's longest continuously-running jazz festival. Over its long and distinguished history, Monterey Jazz Festival has earned a reputation for paying homage to jazz greats, but also for its focus and passion for new and diverse sounds; 2022 is a reaffirmation of both principles.

Icons at the forefront of the 65th anniversary year include Monterey Jazz Festival favorite Gregory Porter with his warm vocal mix of gospel, blues, and jazz. Another powerhouse group, The Cookers will feature sounds from veteran artists like Eddie Henderson, David Weiss and Billy Harper; while two-time Grammy Award-nominated triple-threat drummer, composer, and producer Nate Smith, is not to be missed. Moodswing Reunion pulls together the original four members, saxophonist Joshua Redman, pianist Brad Mehldau, bassist Christian McBride, and drummer Brian Blade, to celebrate the iconic 1994 Moodswing album. Nicholas Payton will also honor the legacy of Black American Music in his irrepressible style.

Looking outward has always been a mantra for Monterey Jazz Festival, and there is a wealth of international influence showcased in 2022, led by Cuban pianist and bandleader Chucho Valdés, who will open the festival Friday with a rare performance of his magnum opus "La Creación" with the Yoruband Orchestra. Catch appearances from young Northern UK supernova Emma-Jean Thackray, a singer, bandleader, beat-maker, radio host, DJ and label head; the NYC-based all female mariachi ensemble Flor de Toloache; the irrepressible Chicanos, Las Cafeteras, whose music straddles musical genres and physical borders to inspire social change and dancing; or explore the Japanese jazz influence through Akira Tana's Otonowa.

This year sees the Monterey Jazz Festival redoubling its focus on artists that will shape the future sound of jazz. Whether it's the studious-yet-freewheeling approach of Butcher Brown, who are steeped in musical history but blend jazz, funk, rap and soul to eschew tradition, the trumpeter Keyon Harrold who wields his instrument to fight against racial injustice and is as likely to collaborate with Pharoahe Monch, Mac Miller or Gary Clark, Jr. as he is to star in a Miles Davis biopic; or the harpist Brandee Younger who carries the legacy of Dorothy Ashby and Alice Coltrane on her shoulders while pushing the harp into popular consciousness. Expect exceptional performances from Julian Lage Quartet, arguably the most prodigious guitarist of his generation, and "Good Vibes" vibraphonist-composer, Joel Ross, exploring fresh rhythms onstage. In 2022, Monterey Jazz Festival is celebrating artists moving jazz forward on their own terms.

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The San Jose Mercury News has described the Monterey Jazz Festival "a cultural colossus" and "a mecca for true jazz fans" by the San Francisco Chronicle. Featuring hundreds of artists performing on 8 different stages - more than 30 hours of live music over 2 days and 3 nights, accompanied by an array of international cuisine, shopping, arts exhibits, educational events, seminars and conversations with iconic and emerging jazz artists.


Image Credits:

1st Image - 2022 Monterey Jazz Festival Flyer
2nd Image - Credit: Monterey Jazz Festival / Roberto Cifarelli
3rd - 5th Images - Credit: Monterey Jazz Festival / Jim Stone