The second-annual celebration of jazz features the critically acclaimed Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, under the leadership of musical director Wynton Marsalis. Events, such as lunchtime concerts, late night jams, second-line parade and youth jazz competition are free.
Festival-goers can also catch intimate club performances at the Harvey Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture and the Mint Museum Uptown, tented events at Romare Bearden Park, and a jazz brunch at Wells Fargo Atrium.
The main stage shows at Knight Theater, featuring the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra (JLCO), are sure to delight audiences with “Celebrating Dizzy Gillespie” on Friday and “The Jazz Age: Untamed Elegance” on Saturday.
The festival is hosted by Blumenthal Performing Arts and sponsored by The Leon Levine Foundation. Blumenthal officials say the 2017 festival will be bigger and better than last year’s inaugural event, which sold out. Get your tickets now.
THURSDAY
FIRST NIGHT CELEBRATION WITH HERLIN RILEY QUINTET
Romare Bearden Park; 7:30 p.m.; $15-$34.50 GET TICKETS
Kick off this year’s festival with a jazz party featuring legendary jazz drummer Herlin Riley, known for his effervescent style and free-wheeling command of rhythm. The New Orleans native is a regularly featured musician at Jazz at Lincoln Center.
FRIDAY
RENE MARIE
Romare Bearden Park; 5:30 p.m.; $15-$34.50 GET TICKETS
Rooted in jazz traditions laid down by Ella Fitzgerald, Dinah Washington and other past leading ladies, vocalist René Marie borrows elements of folk, R&B, classical and country to create a captivating hybrid style.
CELEBRATING DIZZY GILLESPIE
Knight Theater; 7:30 p.m.; $20-$92.50 GET TICKETS
Celebrate as the JLCO, percussionist Roman Diaz, and vocalist Brandie Sutton dig deep into the musical world of Dizzy Gillespie. Vincent Gardner – JLCO trombonist and the night’s music director – will lead the Orchestra in new and classic arrangements of Dizzy’s music.
FRIDAY NIGHT HOT JAZZ WITH BRIA SKONBERG
Mint Museum Uptown; 9:30 p.m.; $15-$24.50 GET TICKETS
Trumpeter and jazz vocalist Bria Skonberg lights up the Mint Museum with her distinctive medley of classic jazz and world percussion, reimagining standards through a modern prism.
JOE MCBRIDE PLAYS THE MUSIC OF BROTHER RAY: A TRIBUTE TO RAY CHARLES
Gantt Center; 9:30 p.m.; $15-$24.50 GET TICKETS
The ultimate tribute to the blues legend: Singer/pianist Joe McBride makes the lines between jazz, R&B, soul, funk, pop, hip-hop and other styles indistinguishable. Saxophonist Kenny Blake’s sound combines traditional jazz with modern rhythm and blues.
SATURDAY
CREOLE JAZZ BRUNCH
Wells Fargo Atrium; 11:00 a.m.; $19.50 and $24.50 GET TICKETS
Close your eyes and be transported to the French Quarter at this Saturday morning feast. The Ocie Davis Quintet, joined by acclaimed jazz vocalist Sasha Masakowksi and trumpeter Wendell Brunious (right), returns for a delectable New Orleans-style brunch.
LITTLE JOHNNY RIVERO & HIS GIANTS
Romare Bearden Park; 4:30 p.m.; $15-$34.50 GET TICKETS
Legendary conguero, percussionist, and bandleader Little Johnny Rivero performs with some of the best musicians the world of salsa and Latin jazz has to offer. Little Johnny currently tours with nine-time Grammy winner Eddie Palmieri.
THE JAZZ AGE: UNTAMED ELEGANCE
Knight Theater; 7:30 p.m.; $20-$92.50 GET TICKETS
The JLCO transports audiences to the wild and sophisticated 1920s. The Orchestra will showcase the hot jazz of New Orleans, the sweet sounds of 1920s dance bands, and demonstrate how the integration of the two led to the Swing Era of the 1930s.
SAMMY MILLER & THE CONGREGATION
Romare Bearden Park; 10:00 p.m.; $15-$34.50 GET TICKETS
Sammy Miller and The Congregation rocked Charlotte audiences last year and they’re back. The band is on a mission to put the generosity back into jazz and bring art back to the people.
RELATED STORY: Charlotte Jazz Festival returns with lots of Free Fun!
Ticket buyers will receive Levine Center for the Arts museum passes with each order of Charlotte Jazz Festival event tickets. Passes can be used for one visit each to the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture, Mint Museum Uptown, and the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art. Visit before or during the festival – passes will be valid through April 23, 2017.
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