MONTCLAIR, NJ — The following news release comes courtesy of the Montclair Jazz Festival. Find out how to post announcements or events to your local Patch site.
On August 15, the 17th annual MONTCLAIR JAZZ FESTIVAL Downtown Jamboree returns to the heart of downtown Montclair, New Jersey at the historic, eight-acre Lackawanna Plaza. Presented by the nationally-recognized nonprofit JAZZ HOUSE KiDS, headliners this year include Dianne Reeves, Christian McBride Big Band with Bilal, Patrice Rushen, Spanish Harlem Orchestra, Joel Ross' Good Vibes, and Take Me to the River New Orleans All Stars featuring Cyril Neville (underwritten by the Gia Maione Prima Foundation). MONTCLAIR JAZZ FESTIVAL has grown to be the region's largest outdoor summer jazz fest, welcoming tens of thousands of music fans to Montclair each year. Set times were announced today and are listed below.
This year, the Smithsonian Institution has selected MONTCLAIR JAZZ FESTIVAL as a collaborating festival for "Of the People: The Smithsonian Festival of Festivals," one of a select number of festivals chosen to help commemorate the 250th anniversary of the nation's founding. For this occasion, the Smithsonian is taking its oldest and largest public event—the annual Folklife Festival—on the road to communities across the country for a stop at this year's MONTCLAIR JAZZ FESTIVAL. By taking the Folklife Festival beyond Washington, DC to places like Montclair, the Smithsonian will join millions of people in their own communities to commemorate the nation's semiquincentennial, amplifying how festivals serve as enduring tools for civic engagement and cultural exchange.
As part of the Smithsonian's participation, festivalgoers will have the opportunity to take part in We Hold These Truths, a mobile storytelling project that invites visitors to share personal reflections on community, culture, history, and what the nation's 250th anniversary means to them. These short interviews will become part of the Smithsonian's Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, preserving local voices as part of America's shared story.
"We're honored to welcome the Smithsonian's We Hold These Truths project to this year's MONTCLAIR JAZZ FESTIVAL," says JAZZ HOUSE Founder Melissa Walker. "Jazz has always been about sharing stories, building community, and preserving our collective history. This activation gives our audience the opportunity to add their own voices to our nation's story, ensuring that the experiences and perspectives of our community become part of the historical record for generations to come."
In addition to commemorating the United States semiquincentennial, the 2026 MONTCLAIR JAZZ FESTIVAL will celebrate the centennials of seminal figures Miles Davis and John Coltrane, honoring their legacies with a special tribute performance, and through the festival's artwork by visual artist Andres Chaparro. The JAZZ HOUSE stage at the festival site will feature centennial celebrations of Miles Davis and John Coltrane from the JAZZ HOUSE Collective, an ensemble of JAZZ HOUSE Faculty who teach at the program's esteemed Summer Workshop. Also performing at the JAZZ HOUSE Stage will be the JAZZ HOUSE All Stars, made up of rising star alums, and JAZZ HOUSE Emerging Talent, featuring 150 students studying at the JAZZ HOUSE this summer.
Fitting with the theme of honoring America's quintessential original artform, MONTCLAIR JAZZ FESTIVAL artistic director Christian McBride has selected performing artists to spotlight major US jazz cities that have shaped our culture and tell our national story. Christian McBride and his GRAMMY-winning Big Band featuring Bilal will pay tribute to McBride's hometown of Philadelphia, performing repertoire showcasing the famous Philly sound and his favorite composers. Singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and NEA Jazz Master Patrice Rushen will celebrate her birthplace of Los Angeles. Multi-GRAMMY-winning NEA Jazz Master Dianne Reeves will represent the city of Detroit. New York City will be represented by the two-time GRAMMY-winning salsa and Latin jazz band Spanish Harlem Orchestra.
"The programming at this year's festival gave us the opportunity to celebrate not only extraordinary artists, but the communities that have shaped America's musical identity," says McBride. "Every performance reflects a different chapter in jazz's ongoing story, honoring the regional sounds, traditions, and innovators that continue to keep this music vibrant. It's a lineup that reminds us jazz has always been a conversation between places, people, and generations."
As the birthplace of jazz, New Orleans will be heavily represented at MONTCLAIR JAZZ FESTIVAL: Take Me to the River New Orleans All-Stars' set at the Downtown Jamboree will feature Crescent City legends Cyril Neville, Omari Neville, Ian Neville, and Big Chief Bo Dollis Jr. (underwritten by the Gia Maione Prima Foundation). Earlier that week on August 13, the documentary Take Me To The River: New Orleans will be screened at The Clairidge Theater in collaboration with Montclair Film Festival, followed by a live Q&A with the Take Me to the River New Orleans All Stars band and film producer Martin Shore. Led by trumpeter Alphonso Horne, The Gotham Kings will kick off the Downtown Jamboree with a New Orleans-inspired second line band marching down Bloomfield Avenue from Park Street to the Downtown Jamboree at Lackawanna Plaza. On August 4, GRAMMY-winning New Orleans favorites Rebirth Brass Band will perform a Soundcheck Series event at The Wellmont Arts Plaza.
"MONTCLAIR JAZZ FESTIVAL is the perfect place to celebrate what makes New Orleans so special," says Cyril Neville. "The Montclair Jazz Festival is reminiscent of our city's Jazz and Heritage Festival,where there's something for the whole Family. Our city's music has always been about bringing people together, and that's exactly what festivals like this do. We're looking forward to making Montclair feel a little bit like New Orleans for the day."
New this year, attendees can support the summer tradition they know and love with a 2026 MONTCLAIR JAZZ FESTIVAL JAM PASS. As the event has grown to become the largest jazz festival in the region, fans will be required to register for a JAM PASS to attend the Downtown Jamboree at Lackawanna Plaza. In keeping with the JAZZ HOUSE's commitment to make the festival accessible to all, a "Pay What You Wish" option is available, and everyone who registers for a JAM PASS will be entered for a chance to win a Take 5 VIP Club membership and VIP tent access, plus express entry in the new JAM PASS lane. As production costs rise, your support helps sustain the MONTCLAIR JAZZ FESTIVAL for years to come. More information and JAM PASS registration can be found at www.montclairjazzfestival.org
AUGUST 15 DOWNTOWN JAMBOREE ARTISTS at LACKAWANNA PLAZA
11AM SECOND LINE BAND FROM CHURCH + PARK TO LACKAWANNA FESTIVAL
SITE - The Gotham Kings
MAIN STAGE 12PM - 8PM:
JAZZ HOUSE STAGE 12PM - 8PM:
BLOCK PARTY (presented by United Airlines [official airline]) 8PM - 10PM:
Together with their sponsors including United Airlines, National Endowment for the Arts, Gia Maione Prima Foundation, New Jersey Division of Travel and Tourism, Xfinity, Optimum, and more, MONTCLAIR JAZZ FESTIVAL welcomes all who want to celebrate America's rich history of jazz, youth development and community building.
For more information on how to get involved as a volunteer, sponsor, vendor and business or individual supporter, visit the website www.montclairjazzfestival.org and download the MONTCLAIR JAZZ FESTIVAL App in the Google or Apple store.
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