The Monterey Jazz Festival is an annual music festival that takes place in Monterey, California, United States. It debuted on October 3, 1958, championed by Dave Brubeck and co-founded by jazz and popular music critic Ralph J. Gleason and jazz disc jockey Jimmy Lyons.

History

The festival is held annually on the 20 acre, oak-studded Monterey County Fairgrounds, located at 2004 Fairground Road in Monterey, on the third full weekend in September, beginning on Friday. Five hundred top jazz artists perform on nine stages spread throughout the grounds, with 50 concert performances. In addition, the Monterey Jazz Festival features jazz conversations, panel discussions, workshops, exhibitions, clinics, and an international array of food, shopping, and festivities spread throughout the fairgrounds. From 1992 to 2010, Tim Jackson was general manager and artistic director, and in 2010, Chris Doss became the managing director, and Jackson became the artistic director. In 2014, Colleen Bailey became the managing director. Since 1992, Clint Eastwood has been on MJF's board of directors. Kent and Keith Zimmerman describe the festival as having expanded in recent years: "While jazz radio and major labels cut back on musical choice and commitment, the Monterey Jazz Festival has widened its scope by expanding the parameters of jazz, blues, and rock. . . . Happily, MJF is now as diverse and vibrant as Lyons imagined it ever could be." The 66th festival in 2023 was Tim Jackson's last year as artistic director. Darin Atwater is the current artistic director of the festival. In 2006, the festival set an attendance record of 40,000, selling out all five major concerts on the main stage arena, and in 2007, 40,000 attended the 50th Golden Celebration. Since there was no festival in 2020, the 63rd was deferred to 2021. The COVID-19 pandemic caused officials to cancel it. The Monterey Jazz Festival is a nonprofit organization. It has donated its proceeds to musical education since its inception in 1958. The festival's scholarship program started with a $35,000 scholarship fund in 1970. As of 2012, the festival invests $600,000 annually for jazz education. Every spring, the Monterey Jazz Festival invites student musicians from across the country and around the world to participate in the "Next Generation Festival". Paul Contos has served as saxophone clinician with The Monterey Jazz Festival for 30 yrs, as Director of the Next Generation Jazz Orchestra & Monterey County All-Stars for 20 yrs, and as Education Director for the Monterey Jazz Festival (2011-2019) and in 2015 was awarded the Champion of the Arts: Educator Award by the Monterey Arts Council. Dave Brubeck was instrumental in getting city approval for the first festival in 1958. The founder and general manager of MJF for 35 years, Jimmy Lyons, brought Brubeck to Monterey to perform for the city council to persuade them to allow the festival to occur. He performed at the Festival 14 times which included his appearance at the 2007 / 50th golden anniversary. The Monterey Pop Festival was held at the fairgrounds in 1967 for three days in mid-June, part of the Summer of Love.

Performers

1950s–1960s

1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969

1970s–1980s

1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989

1990–1999

1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999

2000–2009

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Since 2010

2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 None. 2023 Herbie Hancock, Charles Lloyd, John Handy, Terrence Blanchard, Christian McBride, John Scofield, Thundercat, Snarky Puppy, Kendrick Scott, Chris Potter, Reuben Rogers, Terri Lyne Carrington, Marcus Strickland, Ben Wendel, Lakecia Benjamin, Turtle Island Quartet, Oscar Seaton Jr., Lionel Loueke, Jaylen Petinaud, Diane Reeves, Billy Childs, Sean Jones, Gerald Clayton, John Clayton, Jeff Hamilton, Louis Cato, Charles Haynes, Justin Brown, Marcus Gilmore, Ambrose Akinmusire, Donny McCaslin, Gretchen Parlato, Kait Dunton, Scary Goldings, Chris Cain, Sullivan Fortner, Jeremy Pelt, Lew Tabackin, Peter Washington, Connie Han, Bill Wysaske, Isaiah Sharkey, Oumou Sangaré, Jamie Cullum, Samara Joy, Evan Sherman, Benny Green, Yasushi Nakamura, Clarence Penn, Ben Flocks, Azar Lawrence, Josh Evans, James Francies, Taylor Eigisti 2024 Stanley Clarke, Robert Glasper, Joshua Redman, Mavis Staples, Keyon Harrold, Chris Potter, Kendrick Scott, Matt Brewer, Mumu Fresh, Chief Adjuah, Jose James, Gerald Clayton, Samara Joy, Don Was, Blind Boys of Alabama, Herlin Riley, Jason Marsalis, Bobby Rush, Gabrielle Cavassa, Phillip Norris, Cory Henry, Somi, Jason Moran, Nasheet Waits, Marcus Gilmore, Elé Howell, Ryoma Takenaga, Joel Ross, Marquis Hill, Orrin Evans, Brandee Younger, Nazir Ebo, Paul Cornish

Sources