Blog • Jacksonville Jazz Festival

May 24, 2018

Join Us: ‘First Coast Connect’ Is Live Downtown Friday At 9 For Jazz Fest

First Coast Connect is hitting the road for Friday morning’s episode. We’ll be broadcasting and streaming live from Chamblin’s Uptown at 215 N. Laura Street, Friday at 9 a.m., as a nod to this weekend’s Jacksonville Jazz Festival. Listen in at 89.9 FM, wjct.org, NPR One or in the WJCT app. Or, stop by and see us on location. We’ll have live music and our Weekly Roundtable with Florida Times-Union reporter Andrew Pantazi, David Cawton from the Daily Record along with regular contributor...

Jacksonville Jazz Fest News

May 24, 2018

What to expect at this weekend’s Jacksonville Jazz Festival

For the first time since 2009, Jacksonville will not use the Landing as a venue for the Jazz Festival, instead utilizing space in front of the courthouse. But those who plan on attending can still expect a full lineup of acts, including "after hours" performances. The festival this year features names such as Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, Dianne Reeves, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Vijay Iyer, The Pete Escovedo orchestra and more. Jazz Fest After...

Jacksonville Jazz Fest News

May 23, 2018

Jacksonville Jazz Festival Prepares For Rain

All of the rain in the forecast is expected to make for a wet Jazz Festival this weekend. Organizers told WJCT News they’ll be monitoring the weather onsite and working with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and Fire-Rescue to ensure the safety of everyone that attends. Any postponements or cancellations will be posted on the Jacksonville Jazz Festival website, the organization’s Facebook page and on Twitter at @JaxJazz@Fest. Attendees will be allowed to bring umbrellas this year, according to organizers. Music fans attending...

Jacksonville Jazz Fest News

May 19, 2018

Jacksonville Jazz Fest returns to downtown Friday-Sunday

One of the performers at next weekend’s Jacksonville Jazz Festival, Sheila E., had a Top 10 pop single, toured three times in Ringo Starr’s Band and spent years as musical director for Prince. Her father Pete Escovedo, who is also on the bill, is a former member of Santana and a titan in the Latin jazz community. There’s a performer, sax man Charles Lloyd, who was named Down Beat magazine’s Jazz Artist of the Year...

Jacksonville Jazz Fest News

May 15, 2018

2 Posters Unveiled For 2018 Jacksonville Jazz Festival

Unique art has been a part of the Jacksonville Jazz Festival since 1980 with an official event poster unveiled each year. This year the festival is featuring two poster designs created by local artist Jeff Whipple. A rarity compared to previous years, the 2018 posters pay homage to the jazz performer and fan. Each piece of art incorporates Whipples’s distinctive and highly recognized three-line motif. “I use three lines because three repetitions of an element are a pattern, and...

Jacksonville Jazz Fest News

April 10, 2018

2018 Jacksonville Jazz Festival Lineup Announced, Courthouse Location Added

Sheila E, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue and Big Bad VooDoo Daddy will be among the performers at the 2018 Jacksonville Jazz Festival. The annual festival will be held in downtown Jacksonville over the Memorial Day weekend, May 24-27. This year the Swingin’ Stage is being relocated to the front lawn of the Duval County Courthouse while the Groovin’ Stage will once again be at Hemming Park. The Breezin’ Stage will be at the corner of...

Jacksonville Jazz Fest News

May 25, 2017

Blue crabs, watermelons and lots of music: It’s a festival kind of weekend in Northeast Florida

If an extra day off and the opening of a new $9 million amphitheater aren’t enough to get you excited about this weekend, try one of these on for size: JACKSONVILLE JAZZ FESTIVAL When: Friday-Sunday Where: Downtown Jacksonville What to expect: World-class jazz on three stages (Hemming Park, Jacksonville Landing, Main and Adams streets). Cost: Free, but VIP seating is available. Details: jacksonvillejazzfest.com SOURCE...

Jacksonville Jazz Fest News

May 25, 2017

14-year-old stuns crowd, wins Jacksonville Jazz Festival Piano Competition

There was a lot familiar about the scene on the Florida Theatre stage during Thursday night’s Jacksonville Jazz Piano Competition — the shiny Yamaha grand piano sitting center stage, the contestants calming their nerves before launching into their pieces, the stand-up bass and simple drum kit. But there was also something different this year: No Noel Freidline. The jovial jazz pianist, who has hosted the competition for the last decade, was unavailable, so Courtney Lewis,...

Jacksonville Jazz Fest News

May 22, 2017

Jacksonville Jazz Festival brings groovin’ time to town this weekend

The Jacksonville Jazz Festival gets cranking Thursday evening with a spirited contest — the Jacksonville Jazz Piano Competition at the Florida Theatre. But the tone shifts for the three days of free music that follow this weekend. The event takes place largely on three outdoor stages downtown, and their names reflect the relaxed, inviting nature of the festival: the Groovin’ Stage in Hemming Park; the Swingin’ Stage, at Main and Adams streets; and the Breezin’ Stage...

Jacksonville Jazz Fest News

May 18, 2017

Jacksonville Jazz Piano Competition coming to Florida Theatre

The Jacksonville Jazz Festival is always an invitation to kick back and enjoy. But it begins with a feeling of suspense. Five talented musicians are playing to win when they take part in the Jacksonville Jazz Piano Competition, the traditional opener for the three-day celebration that follows. Victory next week at the Florida Theatre brings prize money and a spot in the festival’s weekend lineup. The event, set to begin at 7 p.m. on Thursday, has become one...

Jacksonville Jazz Fest News