WASHINGTON, DC: DC Jazz Festival (DCJF), the only city-wide jazz festival in the mid-Atlantic region, is a true city-wide jazz festival, with performances in over 20 neighborhoods across all four quadrants of the city, showing off the real DC to visitors and residents alike. The 2019 DC Jazz Fest presented by Events DCoffers an exceptional mix of universally-renowned masters and emerging artists from across the jazz spectrum and beyond, 100+ bands, 300 artists, 40+ venues, 20 neighborhoods, from June 7-16.
Destination DC is working with District hotels to offer DC JazzFest festival-goers exciting packages, deals, discounts and more. Featured hotels include Washington Marriott/Renaissance Hotels, Rosewood Suites, Washington Hilton, Holiday Inn Central-White House, Capitol Skyline, The Madison and more. Check here for more on participating hotels. https://washington.org/places-to-stay/dc-jazz-festival-packages
Artists have already been announced for the Festival’s final weekend at The Wharf – including two ticketed shows at The Anthem plus outdoor performances on three stages. They include: Jon Batiste & Stay Human, Snarky Puppy, Joshua Redman Quartet, Michael Franks, Stefon Harris & Blackout, 14-year old Joey Alexander. Terri Lyne Carrington, Lean on Me: José James Celebrates Bill Withers, the 2018 DCJazzPrix winning band Cornerstore, Ralph Peterson &GenNext Big Band celebrating the Art Blakey Centennial, a host of international artists on the International Jazz Stage and much more.
“DC JazzFest draws over 110,000 music lovers from around the world to celebrate all things jazz in June,” said DCJF Executive Director Sunny Sumter. “Each year, the out-of-town festival-goers grow and we anticipate that trend to continue. We are pleased that Washington Marriott/Renaissance Hotels, Holiday Inn Washington, DC-Central/White House and Rosewood Washington D.C. will help our artists and festival-goers make the most out of their visit.”
There’s much more to the DC JazzFest presented by Events DC than The Wharf, which has quickly become a true city hotspot. DC JazzFest presents renowned artists in settings throughout the capital city. The artsy H Street NE community hosts performances in the Atlas Performing Arts Center and Gallery O/H with Mr. Henry’s nearby on Capitol Hill offering jazz and good neighborhood conversation. In Southeast’s historic and artsy Anacostia, performances are offered through the East River JAZZFest including Anacostia’s Busboys and Poets and Anacostia Playhouse; and Ivy City, a tiny Northeast enclave experiencing a renaissance, includes City Winery and Ivy City Smokehouse on the schedule.Lively, diverse and laid-back, Northwest DC is home to the Takoma, Dupont Circle, Downtown, Foggy Bottom, Georgetown, Logan Circle, Van Ness, and U Street neighborhoods with a plethora of diverse venues including The Hamilton Live, Ben’s Next Door, Ashbury United Methodist Church, Kreeger Museum, Brixton, Eaton Workshop, Sotto, Twins Jazz, UDC, Acadia Foods and Wine, Franklin Park, and Rhizome.
DC has a deep jazz heritage, of course, personified by legendary DC native Duke Ellington who performed along the U Street corridor – known as “Black Broadway” because of its constant stream of jazz performances by African American artists. Today, historic U Street is bustling, diverse and home to multiple clubs and theatres hosting DC JazzFest performances
All ticket sales information may be found at dcjazzfest.org.
SIGNATURE EVENTS
DC JazzFest at The Wharf Presented by Events DC (June 14-16), featuring four main stages. Artists will include: Snarky Puppy, Lean on Me: José James Celebrates Bill Withers, Jon Batiste & Stay Human, Michael Franks, Joshua Redman Quartet with Aaron Goldberg, Reuben Rogers & Gregory Hutchinson, Joey Alexander Trio, Ralph Peterson &GenNext Big Band (honoring the Art Blakey Centennial), Sean Jones Dizzy Spellz, DCJazzPrix winning band Cornerstore, TarusMateen& Beyond Genre, and an international stage featuring guitarist Olli Soikkeli (Finland), saxophonist Evan Harris (Australia), Girls In Airports (Denmark), pianist Witness Matlou Trio (South Africa), with more talent to be announced. Concerts on the District and Transit Piers are free to the public. Concerts at The Anthem are ticketed. Snarky Puppy (José James opening) on sale now here. Jon Batiste & Stay Human (Brass-A-Holics, opening) on sale here.
DC JazzFest Tribute Concert at The Kennedy Center Concert Hall (June 16), as well as free Millennium Stage concerts that are part of Jazz in the ‘Hoods. This year’s Millennium Stage series June 9-16, The Nat King Cole Legacy, will feature singing piano players in the Cole tradition. Main concert to be announced soon.
Jazz in the ‘Hoods Presented by Events DC (June 6-16), Jazz takes over the district in 20+ neighborhoods with presentations curated by Jazz in The Hoods partners including the Hamilton Live and City Winery. Artists and schedule to be announced soon.
Jazz ‘n Families Fun Days (Prelude Weekend, June 1-2), In partnership with The Phillips Collection, the Jazz ‘n Families Fun Day weekend celebrates jazz and the visual arts with performances by more than a dozen regional artists and rising star ensembles. Artists and schedule to be announced soon.
For more information about the 2019 DC Jazz Fest presented by Events DC, including concert updates and ticketing information, stay connected to the DC Jazz festival at dcjazzfest.org.
About the DC Jazz Festival: The mission of the DC Jazz Festival is to present world-renowned and emerging artists in celebration of jazz; unify diverse communities and enable connections between artists and audiences; advance jazz and music education with exciting, adventurous and diverse musical experiences for all ages and backgrounds; shine the spotlight on DC-based jazz musicians; and highlight DC as a premier cultural destination. Our signature programs are the annual DC JazzFest, now in its 15th year with 150 performances in 40 venues including Jazz in the Hoods and DC JazzFest at The Wharf; the year-round DCJF Music Education Program in partnership with DC public and charter schools; the Charlies Fishman Artist Embassy Series ; and DCJazzPrix, an international band competition The DC Jazz Festival won the 2018 DC Mayor’s Arts Award for Excellence on Creative Industries. In 2015, The New York Times named DC JazzFest one of “50 Essential Summer Festivals.” For more information, visit dcjazzfest.org.
Keep up with the DCJF:
Twitter: @dcjazzfest
Facebook: facebook.com/dcjazzfest
Instagram: @dcjazzfest
The DC Jazz Festival®, a 501(c)(3) non-profit service organization, and its 2019 current programs are made possible, in part, with major grants from the Government of the District of Columbia, Muriel Bowser, Mayor; with awards from the National Endowment for the Arts, the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, an agency supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Office of Cable Television, Film, Music & Entertainment; the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development; and, in part, by major grants from the Galena-Yorktown Foundation, The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation, Gillon Family Charitable Fund, Wells Fargo Foundation, The NEA Foundation, Venable Foundation, The Dallas Morse Coors Foundation for the Performing Arts, The Max and Victoria Dreyfus Foundation, and The Reva& David Logan Foundation. ©2019 DC Jazz Festival. All rights reserved.
Presenting Sponsor: Events DC
Platinum Sponsors: The Washington Post, LCG, Inc, Sage Communications, The District Wharf
About Destination DC: Destination DC, the official destination marketing organization for the nation’s capital, is a private, non-profit membership organization of 1,000 businesses committed to marketing the area as a premier global convention, tourism and special events destination with a special emphasis on the arts, cultural and historic communities. washington.org.
Source: DC Jazz Festival
