JAZZ NEWS: 19th Annual DC JazzFest Runs August 30 – September 3

DC JazzFest Set to Officially Launch August 30
19^th Annual Celebration with an All-Star Lineup Through September 3

WASHINGTON, D.C. – August 16, 2023 – DC JazzFest 2023 is set to welcome an impeccable array of regional, national, and globally renowned artists at a constellation of venues across DC neighborhoods, August 30 – September 3. The 19^th edition of the DC JazzFest will culminate in our big tentpole over Labor Day weekend on the scenic Potomac Riverfront at The Wharf.  For ticket and schedule, visit: www.dcjazzfest.org.

DC JazzFest will deliver a stylistically broad, artistically exceptional array of great talent to our nation’s capital including Gregory Porter, Samara Joy; NEA Jazz Masters Charles Lloyd Kindred Spirits, Terri Lyne Carrington New Standards, Big Chief Donald Harrison and Dave Holland Trio feat Kevin Eubanks and Eric Harland, among others. DCJF will debut the inaugural GENERATIONS Series curated by DCJF Artist-in-Residence Orrin Evans featuring George Cables, Benny Green, Shamie Royston, Hope Udobi, Jazzmeia Horn, Jeff “Tain” Watts, & Kris Funn.

Latin and Caribbean artists Omar Sosa Quarteto Americanos, Etienne Charles Creole Soul, and Arturo O’Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Ensemble will serve some Afro-Latin rhythms, while DCJF Artist-in-Residence Orrin Evans will bring his quintet with special guest vocalist Sy Smith. The winner of the ASCAP’s Herb Alpert Composers’ competition, Chase Elodia’s Perennials, will present new music too.

DC JazzFest at the Wharf will highlight some of the finest talent on the regional, national and international jazz scene including Warren Wolf, Sunna Gunlaugs, The String Queens, Ludovica Burtone, Isabella Olivier, the Vinny Valentino Group feat. Marshall Keys, Frederico Peña, and Dennis Chambers; Brass-A-Holics, BIRCKHEAD, Leigh Pilzer Startet, Mark G. Meadows, JoGo Project, and Veronneau.  2022 DCJazzPrix winner Julieta Eugenio Trio returns to perform on Transit Stage while Levine Music returns as a supporter of some of DC’s student ensembles on the Levine Stage featuring the Levine Adult Combo, Stuart Hobson Jazz Ensemble, and the Duke Ellington School of the Arts Jazz Combo.

The Kennedy Center Millennium Stage will feature George V. Johnson Jr., Landon Paddock, and AYO (Aug 30-Sept 1). A host of activities take place in neighborhoods across the city including Corcoran Holt Group feat. Marquis Hill, Lisa Sokolov, Jose Luis Martin, and Alex Hamburger in the Takoma DC neighborhood; and Langston Hughes II brings his band to Salamander DC.

The DCJazzPrix Finals returns to Union Stage on Saturday, September 2 with three bands, Birckhead; Ember; and New Jazz Underground, competing for a coveted $15,000 prize.

Opening Day will feature the JazzDC All-Stars directed by Allyn Johnson at Eaton DC and The String Queens and Sunna Gunnlaugs at the House of Sweden.

For the full lineup, visit DC JazzFest Lineup
For the daily schedule, visit: DC JazzFest Daily Schedule

For Frequently Asked Questions about DC Jazzfest at The Wharf, visit: DC JazzFest at The Wharf FAQ

Recognized as the largest and most distinctive music festival in the region, the DC JazzFest reaches more than 60,000 visitors of all ages to enjoy great music and explore our great city’s environs each and every year.

For more information about the 2023 DC Jazz Fest, including concert updates and ticketing information, stay connected to the DC Jazz Festival at dcjazzfest.org.

Complete DC JazzFest 2023 day-by-day schedule:
 
WED August 30:
JazzDC All-Stars dir. by Allyn Johnson         5:00 PM          Eaton DC
AYO                                                                6:00 PM          Kennedy Center Millennium Stag
String Queens and Sunna Gunnlaugs Trio    6:30 PM          House of Sweden
 
 
THURS August 31
George V. Johnson Jr.                                   6:00 PM          Kennedy Center. Millennium Stage Luis Jose Luis Martin and Alex Hamburger     6:00 PM      The Parks at Walter Reed     
Lisa Sokolov                                                   7:00/9:00 PM  Rhizome
Corcoran Holt Group feat. Marquis Hill          7-10:00 PM     Takoma Station Tavern         
GENERATIONS feat. George Cables, Benny Green,          
Orrin Evans, Shamie Royston, Jazzmeia Horn,
Jeff “Tain” Watts & Kris Funn                         7:30 PM          Arena Stage KOGOD Theater
 
September 1
ANACOSTIA JAZZ HOP feat. Black Alley, Brass-A-Holics and the JoGo Project, Joe Falero Band, Yusha Assad, The Experience Band & Show
12:00 PM        Anacostia Arts District
 
Landon Paddock                                             6:00 PM          Kennedy Center Millennium Stage
Leigh Pilzer Startet                                         6:30 PM          Union Stage
Gregory Porter; The String Queens               8:00 PM          The Anthem
Orrin Evans IMANI Records Jam Session     9:30 PM          Union Stage
 
September 2
DC Jazzfest at the Wharf                   Noon – 10PM  ,
CHARLES LLOYD Kindred Spirits feat. Gerald Clayton, Marvin Sewell, Reuben Rogers, and Kendrick Scott      , Terri Lyne Carrington New Standards. Arturo O’Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Ensemble, Omar Sosa Quarteto Americanos, Orrin Evans Quintet w/special guest Sy Smith, Chase Elodia’s Perennials, Isabella Olivier feat. Rez Abassi, Julieta Eugenio Trio, Veronneau
Levine Jazz Band dir. By Paul Bratcher, Capital City Voices dir. By Allison Crockett, Stuart-Hobson Jazz Ens. Dir by BJ Simmons, Duke Ellington School of the Arts Jazz Combo dir. By Reginald Cyntje
 
DCJazzPrix Finals:                             2:00 PM          Union Stage
 BIRCKHEAD; Ember; New Jazz Underground (hosted by Aaron Myers)
Warren Wolf & History of the Vibes               6:30 PM          Union Stage
Next Jazz Legacy; Orrin Evans JAM                                     Union Stage   
 
Langston Hughes II                                                                Salamander DC Jazz in the Garden

September 3
Kenny Garrett, Samara Joy, Dave Holland Trio, Big Chief Donald Harrison, Etienne Charles Creole Soul, Ludovica Burtone, Vinny Valentino Group feat. Marshall Keys, Frederico Pena, Dennis Chambers, BIRCKHEAD, Mark G. Meadows

Learn more about the DC Jazz Festival and all of our programs by visiting www.dcjazzfest.org.

About DC Jazz Festival: The DC Jazz Festival®, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and its 2023 programs are made possible, in part, with major grants from the Government of the District of Columbia, Muriel Bowser, Mayor; National Capital Arts and Cultural Affairs program and the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts; and with awards from the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, Doris Duke Foundation, Galena-Yorktown Foundation, The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation, Wells Fargo Foundation, Gillon Family Charitable Fund, Venable Foundation, The Dallas Morse Coors Foundation for the Performing Arts, Compass of Greater Washington, The Max and, Victoria Dreyfus Foundation, Kaiser Family Foundation, John Edward Fowler Memorial Foundation, and The Leonard and Elaine Silverstein Family Foundation.