Introduction: The Changing Stages of Jazz
As a jazz enthusiast who has spent decades soaking up the atmosphere at festivals across the UK and beyond, I’ve witnessed a fascinating transformation. Jazz festivals, those vibrant hubs of music and community, have always been special. But how they are put together – the programming – has evolved dramatically. Once primarily focused on celebrating the established traditions of jazz, many festivals today are dynamic spaces embracing innovation, diversity, and offering experiences that go far beyond the main stage. It’s a journey from honouring the roots to exploring exciting new horizons, reflecting the very nature of jazz itself – a music form constantly reinventing itself.
Honoring the Roots: Foundations of Festival Programming
You can’t appreciate where jazz festivals are going without understanding where they came from. The early days were about establishing platforms to celebrate this incredible music and its heritage. Think of the legendary Newport Jazz Festival, founded in 1954. Visionary George Wein created a blueprint, mixing jazz giants with emerging players, showcasing, as current curator Christian McBride notes, artists like Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and Ella Fitzgerald who “set the tone for what jazz actually means.” Wein’s vision, detailed in Downbeat’s look at McBride continuing his legacy, was about presenting the full spectrum of contemporary jazz styles.
Similarly, the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, born in 1970, was deeply rooted in celebrating Louisiana’s unique musical gumbo. Its origins are tied to Congo Square, a historically significant site for African musical traditions, as detailed on the festival’s Wikipedia page. The initial focus was squarely on local sounds and heritage, a history meticulously chronicled in the Jazz Fest Database. Even smaller festivals, like the Burlington Discover Jazz Festival, often started as “a very locally generated undertaking,” driven by local musicians seeking a stage, highlighting the community-centric origins of many events. Early festivals like Jacksonville also kicked off with legends like Dizzy Gillespie, cementing their jazz credentials from the start. These foundational events laid the groundwork, establishing jazz festivals as vital cultural institutions.
The Drive Towards Innovation: Expanding Horizons
While honouring tradition remains crucial, the real excitement in recent years has been the accelerating drive towards innovation. Festivals are adapting, expanding, and redefining what a jazz festival can be.
Broadening the Definition of ‘Jazz’
One of the most noticeable shifts I’ve seen is the broadening definition of ‘jazz’ itself. Festivals are increasingly weaving in a richer tapestry of sounds. Cheltenham Jazz Festival, for instance, looked towards the successful ‘European model’, as highlighted by co-CEO Ian George in a SoGlos interview. This meant bringing in top-tier pop, soul, and R&B acts alongside stellar jazz, creating a more diverse lineup that attracts wider audiences. We see this elsewhere too: Jazz in the Park embraces world music, seeing jazz itself as a form of world music born from community. The London Jazz Festival actively promotes fusion, electro-jazz, and global sounds, reflecting jazz’s boundary-pushing nature. Bulgaria’s A to JazZ Festival champions world and improvised music alongside jazz.
This expansion isn’t about dilution; it’s about reflecting jazz’s influence and its ongoing conversation with other genres. Festivals like BRIC JazzFest in Brooklyn focus on presenting ‘cutting-edge jazz talent’, showcasing artists defining the future sound. Even established festivals like Newport and Burlington have featured “jazz-adjacent” artists like New Orleans bounce queen Big Freedia, acknowledging the interconnectedness of contemporary music (Newport data, Burlington data). The iconic Blue Note brand, expanding to LA, taps genre-bending artists like Robert Glasper to curate events, signalling a commitment to “take the genre in bold new directions,” as reported by Pollstar News.
The Curator’s Touch and Artist Input
Increasingly, festivals are bringing artists into the programming process itself. Guest curators inject fresh perspectives and unique artistic visions. Adi Oasis brought a “bold, genre-mashing collection of artists” to the Burlington Discover Jazz Festival, intentionally platforming artists she felt deserved more recognition. Harpist Brandee Younger’s journey at BRIC JazzFest from performer at the inaugural event to artist curator a decade later exemplifies this trend and the festival’s commitment to artist development.
At Newport, Christian McBride carefully continues George Wein’s vision, balancing legends with newcomers, while Cheltenham saw success inviting Jamie Cullum and Gregory Porter as guest curators. Robert Glasper’s curatorial role for the Blue Note LA launch further underscores this move towards artist-led curation, adding authenticity and often broadening the festival’s appeal. Having practising musicians like McBride or Chris Collins at the Detroit Jazz Festival involved in selection ensures a deep understanding of the music itself.
Nurturing the Future: Spotlight on New Talent
A truly heartening evolution is the growing emphasis on nurturing the next generation of jazz talent. Festivals are actively creating platforms for emerging artists. The DC Jazz Festival established DCJazzPrix, a competition specifically for finding and promoting rising jazz bands. The Detroit Jazz Festival employs an open submission process and an initial “blind listening” phase to ensure music is judged purely on merit, giving everyone an equal shot. Chicago’s Hyde Park Jazz Festival has actively commissioned numerous new works, directly investing in the creation of new jazz music. This commitment, along with BRIC JazzFest’s focus on new voices, is vital for the continued health and dynamism of the genre. It’s about ensuring jazz doesn’t just look back, but constantly pushes forward.
Beyond the Music: Enhancing the Festival Experience
Modern jazz festivals are increasingly about more than just the concerts. They aim to create immersive cultural experiences. Bulgaria’s A to JazZ Festival offers a fantastic example, featuring jam sessions, an art bazaar, kids’ programs, mini-conferences (“A to JazZ Talks”), and even musical yoga alongside the main performances. The DC Jazz Festival runs extensive year-round Education Programs and family-friendly Jazz ‘n Families Fun Days. Canada’s Guelph Jazz Festival incorporates colloquiums and aims to foster dialogue and community.
Technology also plays a role. Cheltenham Jazz Festival partnered with Birmingham City University on research using the CHIME mobile app to better understand audience behaviour and enhance engagement, as detailed by BCU. Cheltenham also pioneered free stages and a “Jazz Village” concept to create a more accessible, social atmosphere, breaking down perceived barriers to entry, a strategy discussed in the SoGlos interview with Ian George. And as festivals become more complex, unofficial resources like Jazzfest Grids emerge, helping dedicated fans navigate the sheer wealth of music happening around major events like the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.
Navigating the Tension: Balancing Acts in Programming
This evolution isn’t always smooth sailing. Programming a modern jazz festival involves navigating inherent tensions and balancing competing priorities.
The Curatorial Challenge
The biggest challenge is often balancing tradition with innovation. How do you honour the legacy of jazz while embracing new sounds? How do you satisfy the purists while attracting younger, more diverse audiences? Curators like Christian McBride at Newport wrestle with this, needing to present both established legends and “up-and-coming artists who people don’t know yet.” Bold programming choices can sometimes face pushback, as seen with some criticism directed at Adi Oasis’s genre-bending lineup for the Burlington Discover Jazz Festival, where some felt the festival was moving too far from its traditional jazz roots and local focus. It’s a delicate tightrope walk.
Audience, Access, and Economics
Festivals also grapple with balancing accessibility and financial viability. The history of the Jacksonville Jazz Festival shows a recurring negotiation between free admission to encourage broad access and introducing fees to cover rising costs. While Cheltenham champions the idea that “culture is for everybody,” aiming for maximum accessibility, the economic realities of staging large-scale events are undeniable. Finding the right model to attract diverse audiences without pricing people out remains an ongoing challenge.
Representation and Inclusion
Thankfully, there’s a growing consciousness around representation. Festivals are making more deliberate efforts to reflect the true diversity of the jazz world and society. The London Jazz Festival actively works to showcase female musicians and underrepresented cultures. The Detroit Jazz Festival considers diversity across cultural, stylistic, generational, and gender perspectives in its curation. The Guelph Jazz Festival aims to “stage diversity and recast the histories and identities of diverse, and often marginalized, peoples.” Curators like Adi Oasis in Burlington explicitly state their intention to feature more Black women. This commitment to inclusivity is a vital and welcome part of the evolution.
Conclusion: The Ever-Evolving Encore
Watching jazz festival programming evolve over the years has been truly exciting. From their foundational role in celebrating jazz heritage, they’ve transformed into dynamic, multifaceted cultural events. The journey involves embracing a broader musical palette, empowering artist curators, nurturing new talent, creating richer audience experiences, and consciously striving for greater inclusivity.
Of course, the balancing act between tradition and innovation continues, sparking debate and pushing boundaries. But that tension is perhaps what keeps things interesting. Modern jazz festivals, at their best, manage to honour the giants on whose shoulders they stand while simultaneously providing fertile ground for the future of the music. They are no longer just about presenting jazz as it was, but about actively participating in what jazz is becoming – a constantly evolving, thrillingly diverse, and enduringly essential art form. As a festival-goer, I can’t wait to see what the next encore brings.