by Willard Jenkins, DC JazzFest Artistic Director DC JazzFest 2026 will once again deliver a veritable cornucopia of jazz flavors and vivid colors, presenting a tantalizing bounty of the music that makes 21 st  century jazz an evolving, multi-stylistic expression. As an international jazz festival, one of our primary responsibilities is to showcase an appealing and mind-expanding range of the stylistic nuances that make jazz such a broad and vibrant art form, including presen

WASHINGTON, DC – March 5, 2026 – The DC Jazz Festival (DCJF) today announced the confirmation of four new Board members. Now comprising 30 leaders from across the District’s civic, artistic, and corporate communities, the DCJF Board reflects a dynamic group of stakeholders committed to strengthening DC’s cultural fabric. Together, this accomplished body will help guide the organization’s growth – further enhancing DC JazzFest as one of the city’s signature cultural events and

By Sunny Sumter   I’ve watched the Olympics my whole life, on living room floors with my grandparents, squeezed onto sofas with elders telling stories between routines, and later holding my babies while the world gathered around one stage. To me, it has often felt a little like jazz — improvised dreams on a global bandstand.   Recently, one of my closest friends blessed our home with a visit, arriving with curated treats from DC’s Union Market, and we settled in to watch the

Dee Dee Bridgewater, Joshua Redman, Kurt Elling, Cory Henry & The Funk Apostles,   Danilo Pérez, Bill Frisell, Nate Smith and More to Headline September 2-6, 2026 Citywide Celebration WASHINGTON, DC — February 24, 2026 — The DC Jazz Festival ®  (DCJF) today announced the first wave of artists for the 2026 DC JazzFes t , taking place September 2-6, 2026 , across 20 venues spanning a dozen neighborhoods across Washington, DC, highlighting the city’s vibrant cultural corridors f

Dear Friends,   What a year. DC JazzFest 2025 reminded us that jazz is more than music—it is expression, community, and a shared language that connects us. From the first notes downtown to the final performances along The Wharf, our city came alive with creativity and possibility. We didn’t just present a festival—we helped energize a movement.   Our goal this year was simple but bold: open doors wider . We brought world-class jazz back to downtown, transformed Anthem Row int

By Willard Jenkins, Artistic Director, DC Jazz Festival Last winter I was delighted to be selected as a Jazz Scholar for 2025.  In subsequent weeks leading up to my LOC talk on Wednesday, June 18 – as a pre-concert conversation to that evening’s performance by NEA Jazz Master Gary Bartz – I spent some very valuable hours examining some of the LOC’s vast jazz Collections.  Here’s my report from that wonderful experience. As a Jazz Scholar at the Library Of Congress, I eagerly

By Jason Toney On trumpeter and composer Nicholas Payton ’s latest album, TRIUNE , Esperanza Spalding sings: “Jazz is a four-letter word. It’s not either or. It’s this and that and this and that and this and that.” Payton, a native of New Orleans and a GRAMMY Award winner, has dedicated his career to challenging rigid definitions of jazz, often referring to his work as "Black American Music." Spalding, a four-time GRAMMY winner and MacArthur Fellow, is celebrated for her ex

Jazz legends, hometown heroes, and next-gen stars bring the festival to more than a dozen neighborhoods citywide WASHINGTON, DC (July 29,...

By Jason Toney “I feel like, as an artist, the whole point of the platform, other than making music, is to inform. However we do that,...