Grace Jones, Pat Metheny, Robert Glasper, the Anderson .Paak/Knxwledge project NxWorries, and the soon-to-retire from touring Buddy Guy lead the lineup for the 12th annual Blue Note Jazz Festival, which runs from May 31 to July 2 at venues throughout New York, including the iconic titular West Village club.
Jones will kick off the festivities on May 31 at Hammerstein Ballroom with her first New York show in four years. Glasper (joined by Lalah Hathaway and Bilal), NxWorries, and BJ the Chicago Kid will perform June 24 in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park as part of the Celebrate Brooklyn series, marking the first time Blue Note has rented out the venue for one of its own ticketed shows. Other venues featured during the festival include the Beacon Theatre, Sony Hall, Town Hall, and Central Park SummerStage.
Other highlights of the programming include Bruce Hornsby & the Noisemakers, Cortex, Talib Kweli, Soulive, Ron Carter, Brazilian music legend Sergio Mendes, Meshell Ndegeocello, the Harlem Gospel Choir, Lettuce, the Snarky Puppy side project Ghost-Note, and the Manhattan Transfer.
“The Blue Note Jazz Festival is celebrating the pulse and culture of New York City, and there is no better way to do that than by experiencing iconic artists throughout iconic venues this summer,” Blue Note director of programming Alex Kurland says. “We’re proud to spotlight multi-generational, legendary artists who have had an extraordinary impact and influence on music and culture.”
Meanwhile, the festival will once again return to Napa, Ca., this summer with another stacked lineup to be announced in the coming weeks, along with dates and venue details. Last year’s inaugural incarnation featured a guest-laden Glasper performance hosted by Dave Chappelle, Maxwell, Black Star, Snoop Dogg, Thundercat, Flying Lotus, and DOMi and JD BECK.
Here is the lineup for the Blue Note Jazz Festival:
May 31: Grace Jones — Hammerstein Ballroom
June 1-4: Ghost-Note — Blue Note
June 1: Mashina — Beacon Theatre
June 2: Ms. Lisa Fischer — Sony Hall
June 3: Avery Sunshine — Sony Hall
June 3: Bruce Hornsby & the Noisemakers + John Scofield, Kenny Garrett, Christian McBride — Town Hall
June 4: Harlem Blues Project — Blue Note Brunch
June 5—7: Talib Kweli and the Whiskey Boys — Blue Note
June 8-9: Lettuce & Friends – Blue Note
June 9: Manhattan Transfer — Sony Hall
June 10-11: Lettuce & Friends – Blue Note
June 10: Cortex — Sony Hall
June 10: Chucho Valdés & Paquito D’Rivera — Town Hall
June 11: Harlem Gospel Choir — Blue Note Brunch
June 12-14: Talib Kweli and the Whiskey Boys — Blue Note
June 15-18: Soulive – Blue Note
June 18: Buddy Guy — Central Park SummerStage
June 18: Harlem Gospel Choir — Blue Note Brunch
June 19: TAUK — Blue Note
June 20-21: The Motet – Blue Note
June 21: Meshell Ndegeocello — Sony Hall
June 22-28: Ron Carter — Blue Note
June 22: Omara Portuondo — Sony Hall
June 23: Sergio Mendes — Sony Hall
June 24: Pat Metheny Side-Eye — Beacon Theatre
June 24: NxWorries, Robert Glasper with Lalah Hathaway & Bilal, BJ the Chicago Kid – Celebrate Brooklyn
June 25: Harlem Gospel Choir — Blue Note Brunch
June 26: Julius Rodriquez — Blue Note
June 28: Harlem Gospel Choir Sings Nina Simone — Sony Hall
June 29-30, July 1-2: Soulive – Blue Note
