Stanley Jordan Trio headlines this year's 15th annual Arlington Jazz Festival. April 8-12, 2026

Mark your calendars for the 15th annual Arlington Jazz Festival, running from April 8-12, with the grand finale concert, featuring the Stanley Jordan Trio, to be held on April 12th at the Regent Theatre, located in the heart of Arlington Center. The Trio includes master guitarist Stanley Jordan accompanied by Wes Wirth (bass) and Kenwood Dennard (drums).

In a career that took flight in 1985 with commercial and critical acclaim, guitar virtuoso Stanley Jordan has consistently displayed a chameleonic musical persona of openness, imagination, versatility and maverick daring. Be it bold reinventions of classical masterpieces or soulful explorations through pop-rock hits, to blazing straight ahead jazz forays and ultramodern improvisational works-solo or with a group, Jordan can always be counted on to take listeners on breathless journeys into the unexpected.

Jordan is the master of a special technique on the guitar’s fretboard. Instead of conventional strumming and picking, Jordan’s innovative “touch technique” is an advanced form of two-handed tapping. While a handful of other players use similar techniques, Jordan’s fluid, multi-layered textures and sheer virtuosity has raised the bar for excellence. However his technique, though impressive, is always a means to a musical end. His music is imbued with a warmth and sensitivity that has captured the imagination of listeners worldwide. More on his personal approach to the technique can be found at https://www.stanleyjordan.com/Technique/starting.html#.

A classically trained pianist before playing guitar, Jordan wanted greater freedom in voicing chords on his guitar, so he applied piano principles to do so. Jordan’s touch technique allows the guitarist to play melody and chords simultaneously with an unprecedented level of independence. It also allows Jordan to play simultaneously on two different guitars, or even on guitar and piano. He says that “I think of it as a single instrument, but one with a wide range of tonal colors -- that’s why I do it.” One of the many examples of his technique, “Stanley Jordan plays Blues” (Live in London 11/05/2023): https://youtu.be/oF5ByJSU5G4?si=GqnZD0sNt5bHIpcP. But you can also see where Jordan is headed from early on: https://youtu.be/aGoGyGSnVuA?si=4wAjie1CwmeNXOFL.

Visit stanleyjordan.com/ for further background, including Jordan’s explorations into Music Therapy and his Integral Arts Academy. His bass player Wes Wirth posted his gratitude to “guitar master Stanley Jordan, for having me as a member of his trio, and for sharing his integrated arts approach to guitar virtuosity, extraordinary musicianship, incredibly inventive study of harmony, music theory, physics, astronomy, coding, and so much more … and demonstrating/living the dynamic connections between music and other realms.”

“As with all of his performances, Jordan’s set served as a demonstration of virtuosic guitar wizardry. His uncommon technique allows him to create intricate melodies, harmonies, and rhythms simultaneously.” (Matt Hoffman, Glide Magazine)

Leading up to this year’s Arlington Jazz Festival’s headliner concert, Dan Fox, founder and chief coordinator of the annual jazz festival, is putting the finishing touches to the entire festival schedule. All the concerts leading up to April 12th will champion the vibrant local jazz scene that already flourishes in this area. As the Festival’s custom, an abundance of local talent will be on full display this year, performing in several different venues around the town from April 8-12.

Final details for the entire festival will be available by early March; current basic info is as follows:

Arlington Jazz Festival. 15th annual runs from April 8-12, with headliner the Stanley Jordan Trio, with guitarist Stanley Jordan, with Wes Wirth (bass) and Kenwood Dennard (drums), on Sunday, April 12, 7:30 pm. Tickets for the Stanley Jordan Trio concert at the Regent Theatre on sale now: $27-65 (including fees). Presented by Arlington Jazz. Festival schedule details available in early March. For further information: arlingtonjazz.org, arlingtonjazzfestival@gmail.com, 617-909-7776.

Further background information:

The nonprofit Arlington Jazz is coordinated with assistance from Arlington-based Morningside Music Studio under the direction of Dan Fox, an Arlington resident, who is a multi-instrumentalist and dedicated music educator. The Arlington Jazz Festival has been held annually since 2012, usually in the month of April, which has become known internationally as Jazz Appreciation Month. Since 2018, Arlington Jazz has also embarked on presenting a series of additional workshops and concerts throughout the year. Many of the events are either free or for minimal admission cost. The 2026 Arlington Jazz Festival is funded in part by the Arlington Cultural Council, a local agency that is funded by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency. Arlington Jazz also relies on generous donations from its growing fan base. arlingtonjazz.org