Whether you like your jazz traditional or contemporary, smooth or jamming, with a big band swing or Latin groove, this weekend’s 35th annual Atlanta Jazz Festival has your beat.
The event, which has featured performances in parks, restaurants and clubs all month long, culminates this weekend with three full days of free, yes, free, music in Piedmont Park. It’s presented by the City of Atlanta Office of Cultural Affairs (join them on Facebook at AtlantaJazzFestival or follow on Twitter at @AtlantaJazzFest). Festival details HERE.
This year’s lineup includes returnees Roy Ayers, Cyrus Chestnut, Kathleen Bertrand, Russell Gunn, Edy Martinez, Ojeda Penn and Johnny O’Neal. Newcomers include the rhythmic Tito Puente Jr. Orchestra, soulful singer/saxophonist Grace Kelly, and the R&B and hip-hop-influenced Robert Glasper Experiment.
Although Piedmont Park is jazz central for the fest, three events convene at the Loews Atlanta Hotel in Midtown. Details:
Thursday: Jazz pianist Ojeda Penn plays in Bar Eleven. 8-10 p.m. Free.
Friday: Neo-bop jazz pianist Johnny O’Neal (right) headlines the AFJ35 Kickoff Cabaret in the Mercer Ballroom. O’Neal portrayed legendary jazz pianist Art Tatum in the 2004 movie Ray. Doors open at 7 p.m. for an 8 p.m. performance. Atlanta vocalist Jennifer Freeman opens. $35; $200 for a reserved table for four. At www.ticketalternative.com.
Sunday: Jason Orr of Funk Jazz Kafe Atlanta hosts AJF35 Late Night Jazz Jam in the Ellington Ballroom. 10 p.m.-2 a.m. $35 at www.ticketalternative.com.
The Midtown park will host music lovers from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday through Monday, with two stages of live music beginning at 1 p.m. daily. Two KidZone areas will provide family fun from noon to 6 p.m., and a Go Green Jazz Eco Village will provide all sorts of environmental know-how. As usual, vendors will be on hand to empty your wallets and fill your stomachs with barbecue, gyros, burgers, Caribbean food and the like. The site also will include booths with art, clothing and jewelry for sale.
Here’s a day-by-day look at the performance lineup:
SATURDAY
Main Stage
1 p.m.— Youth Jazz Band Competition 3rd-place winner.
3 p.m. — Dwight Andrews, multi-instrumentalist and composer.
5 p.m. — Cyrus Chestnut Trio, post-bop jazz with Chestnut on piano.
7 p.m. — Vocalist Kathleen Bertrand, an Atlanta resident with an international reputation.
9 p.m. — Roy Ayers, vibraphone.
International Jazz Stage
2 p.m. —Tropical Breeze, Dixieland.
3:30 p.m. — Andre Rievers, guitar.
5 p.m. — Ernest EC3 Coleman, drums.
6:30 p.m. — Edy Martinez & His Jazz Orchestra, Latin jazz and salsa from the pianist and his 18-piece band.
SUNDAY
Main Stage
1 p.m. — Youth Jazz Band Competition 2nd-place winner.
3 p.m. — Mushy Widmaier Quintet, a blend of modern jazz, Haitian folklore and European art music.
5 p.m. — Gregoire Maret, post-bop instrumentalist (harmonica).
7 p.m. — Lionel Loueke Trio, led by the West African guitarist, with bass and drums.
9 p.m. — Tito Puente Jr. & His Orchestra, Latin jazz.
International Jazz Stage
2 p.m. — Mace Hibbard, saxophone.
3:30 p.m. — Laura Coyle Quintet, led by the Atlanta vocalist.
5 p.m. — Son Jazzy Orchestra, salsa, merengue, Latin jazz, Afro-Cuban and Caribbean rhythms, from Roswell.
6:30 p.m.— Nadav Remez/Omer Avital Quintet, a collaboration between the guitarist and the stand-up bass player.
MONDAY
Main Stage
1 p.m.— Youth Jazz Band Competition winner.
3 p.m. — Yolanda Rabun, vocalist.
5 p.m. — Russell Gunn & Elektrik Butterfly, the jazz/hip-hop/soul trumpeter and his band.
7 p.m. — Grace Kelly Quintet, vocals and saxophone.
9 p.m. — Robert Glasper Experiment, quartet with Glasper on piano, plus a bassist, drummer and saxophone-vocoder player.
International Jazz Stage
2 p.m. — Saunders Sermons, the soul and jazz singer-songwriter and trombonist from Miami.
3:30 p.m. — Marea Alta, a Latin pop and smooth jazz band now based in Atlanta.
5 p.m. — Melvin Jones, the Atlanta-based trumpeter.
6:30 p.m. — Mausiki Scales & the Common Ground Collective, Afro-beat and funk-jazz with piano, trumpet, saxophone, percussion, vocals and more.
