Jazz music just sounds better when it’s played outside, whether it’s underneath blue skies or the moon and stars. But that’s not to say jazz isn’t as good when it’s played at concert halls, ballrooms, cafes and other indoor venues — because it is.
During February, the heart of winter, great jazz festivals are going on coast to coast, some outdoors, others indoors where it’s certainly warmer this time of year. February offers a calendar full of jazz designed to help you break out of the winter blahs. These six festivals offer a blend of well-known, established artists with newcomers and veterans alike.
North Carolina Jazz Festival
Wilmington, North Carolina
Feb. 2-4
Wilmington, perched on the banks of the Cape Fear River, is filled with historic sites related to the Revolutionary and Civil wars, plus myriad boutiques and shops, art galleries, museums and restaurants. The festival performances are all indoors, held in the ballroom of the Hotel Ballast. Among the artists scheduled to appear in each jazz-packed performance are Steve Washington, Lenore Raphael, Steve Hobbs, Nate Najar, Jeff Rupert and Adrian Cunningham. The festival, now in its 43rd edition, is one of the oldest in the country and is among the largest traditional jazz events in the Southeast.
The North Carolina Jazz Festival is held at Hotel Ballast, 301 N. Water St., Wilmington. General admission tickets are $15-$65, with patron tickets at $215-$240, including Patrons’ Musical Brunch. Visit www.ncjazzfestival.org for more information and to purchase tickets.
Fort Mose Jazz and Blues Series
St. Augustine, Florida
Feb. 10-19
The Fort Mose Jazz and Blues Series returns to Fort Mose Historic State Park, the site of the first legally sanctioned free African settlement in what is now the United States. The event, held outdoors beneath a canopy of live oaks and pines and surrounded by the marshes of the Florida Intracoastal Waterway, is in its second year. The impressive lineup of musicians includes Gladys Knight, Mavis Staples, Christian McBride’s New Jawn, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram with special guest Tinsley Ellis, Rhiannon Giddens and Valerie June. This year’s series will once again benefit the Fort Mose Historical Society in its effort to raise awareness of the fascinating site that dates to the late 1600s when the first former slaves arrived in St. Augustine to live as free men and women.
Fort Mose Historic State Park, 15 Mose Trail, St. Augustine. Tickets are $42-$132 and are available at Ticketmaster or www.discoverfortmose.com.
Biamp Portland Jazz Festival
Portland, Oregon
Feb. 16-25
The Biamp Portland Jazz Festival, known also as the PDX Festival for the three-letter code for Portland International Airport, features an opening performance by the Bill Frisell Four, with the closing weekend highlighted by Dave Holland and the Derrick Hodge Trio, Dumpstaphunk with Jon Cleary, Three Sacred Souls and Orquestra Pacifico Tropical, Keifer and the Aaron Burnett Trio. Dozens more prolific artists, including NEA Jazz Masters and Grammy Award winners, are scheduled to appear at the event, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary. PDX Jazz Executive Director Chris Doss sums up the festival by saying it “highlights our commitment towards sharing the full breadth of jazz, its roots, its future, music that has influenced jazz, and the music influenced by jazz.”
Portland Jazz Festival events are held at venues scattered throughout the city. Ticket prices vary by performance. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.pdxjazz.org.
Hudson Jazz Festival
Hudson, New York
Feb. 16-26
The 2023 Hudson Jazz Festival: The Shape of Jazz Today is held at Hudson Hall, a historic landmark building dating to 1855 that is the home of New York state’s oldest surviving theater. The magnificent performance hall, in the picturesque Hudson Valley and about two hours north of New York City, is the ideal venue for the festival that this year features Sarah Elizabeth Charles, Marquis Hill: New Gospel Revisited, Michael Mayo, Ulysses Owens Jr. and Generation Y, Lucy Yeghiazaryan and Vanisha Gould: In Her Words, Aaron Parks and Samantha Rise: Dreaming Home and Endea Owens and The Cookout. Don’t miss Marine Penvern’s Body and Soul exhibition that also begins Feb. 16 and runs through Apr. 2 and features the renowned artist’s paintings, textiles and clothing.
Hudson Jazz Festival is held at Hudson Hall at the Hudson Opera House, 327 Warren St., Hudson. Tickets are $30-$60, while festival passes are $102-$336. Visit www.hudsonhall.org for tickets and detailed information.
Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival
Rockville, Maryland
Feb. 17-19
The Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival, presented by the Jazz Academy of Music Inc., is a three-day event that occurs every year over President’s Day weekend. Four stages run simultaneously, with three of them for paid performances and the last an open-air atrium that offers free performances. Among the artists scheduled to appear are the Fran Vielma Orchestra, Jazz Academy of Music Orchestra with special guest Randy Brecker, the Texas Tenor Titans, Chelsey Green and the Green Project, and 2022 DC JazzPrix winner Julieta Eugenio Trio. Also offered are master classes, live interviews with performing artists, line and swing dancing and jam sessions that are free and open to the public.
The Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival is held at the Hilton Hotel and Executive Meeting Center, 1750 Rockville Road, Rockville. Tickets are $25-$85. Grounds passes are $5-$12. For more information and tickets, visit www.midatlanticjazzfestival.org or call (888) 909-6330.
San Diego Jazz Party
Del Mar, California
Feb. 24-26
Experience the rhythm of jazz on Southern California’s coast. The San Diego Jazz Party turns 25 years old, having begun in 1988 in downtown San Diego but now moved to the more intimate, stylish and vibrant Hilton San Diego Del Mar. The impressive list of musicians includes Chuck Redd, Dan Barrett, Danny Coots, Duke Heitger, Ed Metz, Harry Allen, Houston Person Jr., Jason Wanner, Jon-Erik Kellso, Ken Peplowski, Paul Keller, Peter Washington, Richard Simon, Rossano Sportiello, Vinny Raniolo, Evan Christopher and Russ Phillips. It’s all about the smooth sound of drums, vibes, trumpets, clarinets, saxophones, pianos and guitars, with vocals by the renowned Lia Booth.
The San Diego Jazz Party is held at the Hilton San Diego Del Mar, 15575 Jimmy Durante Blvd., Del Mar. Tickets are $85-$145. All-access patron passes are available at $250 and include a free-bar cocktail party and a jazz breakfast. Visit www.sdjp.org for additional information and tickets.
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