ANAHEIM, Calif. — Kamasi Washington, Leon Bridges, Digable Planets and Samara Joy are among the artists slated to play the Hollywood Bowl Jazz Festival in June, the LA Phil announced on Thursday.
The annual two-day festival, formerly known as the Playboy Jazz Fest, will take place over Father’s Day weekend June 17-18. Tickets will go on sale March 14 when a full lineup will also be released at hollywoodbowl.com.
Co-curators for the 43rd annual event are iconic jazz pianist Herbie Hancock and Los Angeles’ jazz saxophonist Kamasi Washington. While Washington will perform at the festival, Hancock will not, though he does have a concert set for April 2 at the Walt Disney Concert Hall.
“I was thrilled when the LA Phil asked me to co-curate this festival with Kamasi and explore his extraordinary artistic vision,” Hancock said through a press release issued on Thursday, Jan. 26. “Our celebration this year includes so many artists – both emerging and established – at defining moments in their musical journeys. Together, we hope to create community and connection through the music we make and leave audiences feeling uplifted and inspired.”
Washington echoed Hancock’s sentiments in a statement of his own.
“Herbie is one of the greatest musicians to ever live and I am so grateful to be working with him on this special show,” he said in the same press release. “Herbie and I have been working with the LA Phil team to create a one-of-a-kind experience that we hope will leave the audience with excitement, joy, life, soul and most of all great music.”
Actor and TV personality Arsenio Hall will host the festival, which also features West Coast Get Down, St. Paul and the Broken Bones, Poncho Sanchez, Aziza, Soul Rebels with Big Freedia, Lionel Loueke and Gretchen Parlato, Boukman Eksperyans, Butcher Brown, Andrew Gouché and Prayze Connection.
In addition, young musicians in student ensembles will perform including the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz Performance Ensemble at UCLA, the Cardinal Divas of SC; LACHSA Jazz; LAUSD Beyond the Bell All-City Jazz Band and more.
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