COME JOIN THE PARTY!
TUCSON JAZZ FESTIVAL CELEBRATES 10 YEARS!
January 12-20, 2024
Tucson Jazz Festival 2024 schedule & tickets
Celebrating ten wonderful years of Jazz in January, the 2024 HSL Properties Tucson Jazz Festival will welcome music lovers from all over the globe from January 12 – 20 for an incredible gathering of the top talents in the world. The festival opens with 10-time GRAMMY Award winner Arturo Sandoval, festival favorite The Emmet Cohen Trio on a double bill with Jazz Drummer Legend Lewis Nash and his Soul-Jazz Allstars and the bright young talents of 2Saxy – Grace Kelly and Leo Pelligrino. The exotic Cecile McLorin Salvant, super talent Trombone Shorty and a special Bluenote Records 85th Anniversary Celebration closes out the second weekend of the festival. Throughout the nine-day event a veritable wealth of talent will perform over 20 shows at a variety of performance venues throughout downtown Tucson.
“We have worked hard to curate our 10th Anniversary to include exceptional international talent with a variety of styles of presentation. There is literally something for everyone at this festival. Also, many of our locally owned restaurants are joining in the celebration with jazz inspired food and drink specials and live music during the festival. With the generous support of HSL Properties and its CEO Humberto Lopez from our inception to now, and the keen insight of our founding Executive Director the late Yvonne Ervin and Board President Emeritus, Elliot Glicksman, January in Tucson has become “jazz central” and the place to be. I encourage everyone to come join the party!” said Festival Executive Director Khris Dodge.
To purchase tickets and for a complete overview of the 2024 Tucson Jazz Festival visit www.tucsonjazzfestival.
2024 HSL PROPERTIES TUCSON JAZZ FESTIVAL HEADLINERS
January 12, 8pm –10-Time GRAMMY Award Winner Arturo Sandoval
Presented Together with Arizona Arts Live and The Rialto Theatre
2013 Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient time GRAMMY Award Winner, Emmy award recipient Six-time Billboard award winner Arturo Sandoval is one of the world’s most acknowledged guardians of jazz trumpet and flugelhorn, as well as a renowned classical artist, pianist and composer. Anyone who has seen him on the piano, lyrically improvising a ballad, or has had the opportunity to enjoy the diversity of his music, through his compositions from the most straight-ahead jazz, Latin jazz or classical, knows that Arturo Sandoval is a prominent musician, and one of the most brilliant, multifaceted and renowned musicians of our time.
January 13, 8pm – “2 Saxy” With Grace Kelly & Leo Pelligrino
Two of the most prolific saxophone performers and bandleaders of today, Grace Kelly and Leo Pelligrino come together for an epic collaboration, packed with amazing music, humor, and fun visuals. As individuals, they have toured internationally with their bands to sold-out crowds, acclaimed albums, and television appearances. Together they have teamed up to bring unequivocal saxiness to the world with their chops, dance moves, and colorful hair. As Grace & Leo like to say, “STAY SAXY.”
January 14, 7:30pm – Emmet Cohen Trio & Lewis Nash and the Soul-Jazz All-Stars
Presented Together with Arizona Arts Live and the Rialto Theatre
Tucson Jazz Festival favorite, multifaceted American jazz pianist and composer Emmet Cohen is one of his generation’s pivotal figures in music and the related arts. Leader of the “Emmet Cohen Trio” and creator of the “Masters Legacy Series,” Cohen is an internationally acclaimed jazz artist and dedicated music educator. He was a finalist in the 2011 Thelonious Monk International Piano Competition. Cohen has appeared at major international jazz festivals and at Lincoln Center’s Rose Hall and Washington’s Kennedy Center, in addition to headlining at the Village Vanguard and other major New York jazz clubs.
Lewis Nash is one of jazz’s most recorded musicians, appearing on over 500 recordings including 10 Grammy winners and numerous Grammy nominees. In fact, Nash has the distinction of being the only musician in jazz history featured on the winners in both the “Best Jazz Vocal” and “Best Jazz Instrumental” album categories in two separate years. His Soul Jazz All-Star musicians include Bobby Floyd on the keyboard, Ricky Woodard on sax, and Russell Malone on the jazz guitar.
January 19, 8pm – Cécile McLorin Salvant
Cécile McLorin Salvant, is a composer, singer, and visual artist. The late Jessye Norman described Salvant as “a unique voice supported by an intelligence and full-fledged musicality, which lights up every note she sings”. Salvant is an eclectic curator, unearthing rarely recorded, forgotten songs with strong narratives, interesting power dynamics, unexpected twists, and humor. She has received three consecutive GRAMMY Awards for Best Jazz Vocal Album for “The Window”, “Dreams and Daggers”, and “For One To Love”, and was nominated for the award in 2014 for her album “WomanChild”.
January 20, 2pm – Blue Note Records 85th Anniversary Celebration
Presented together with the Fox Theatre
Blue Note Records is celebrating their 85th Anniversary with a US Tour starring “The Blue Note Quintet” – A group brought together to honor the label’s rich history and pave the way for the eclectic artists of today’s roster. 6 Time Grammy Award nominee Gerald Clayton leads the band as Musical Director and Pianist; “Gerald Clayton is one of the most accomplished, distinctive and innovative pianists performing today” says Don Was, the label’s President since 2012. Rounding out the group is vibraphonist Joel Ross, Saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins, Drummer Kendrick Scott, and Bassist Matt Brewer.
January 20, 8pm – Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue
Presented together with the Fox Theatre
If anybody knows their way around a festival, it’s Trombone Shorty. Born Troy Andrews, he got his start (and nickname) earlier than most: at four, he made his first appearance at Jazz Fest performing with Bo Diddley; at six, he was leading his own brass band; and by his teenage years, he was hired by Lenny Kravitz to join the band he assembled for his Electric Church World Tour. Since 2010, he’s released four chart topping studio albums; toured with everyone from Jeff Beck to the Red Hot Chili Peppers; collaborated across genres with Pharrell, Bruno Mars, Mark Ronson, Foo Fighters, ZHU, Zac Brown, Normani, Ringo Starr, and countless more; played Coachella, Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, Newport Folk, Newport Jazz, and nearly every other major festival.
About the 2024 Tucson Jazz Festival
The world class Tucson Jazz Festival celebrates 10 years of Jazz in January. Founded in 2014, the mission of the festival is to influence the discovery and celebration of live jazz, to provide a jazz experience that is socially and musically engaging, attracts visitors from around the country and supports music education through community engagement. The nine-day experience is a signature event for Downtown Tucson and plays a significant economic and cultural role in the greater Tucson area. For details on the 2024 Tucson Jazz Festival visit tucsonjazzfestival.org
SPECIAL EVENTS AND OUTREACH
Chief Adjuah [formerly Christian Scott] is a two-time Edison Award-winning, six-time Grammy Award-nominated and Doris Duke Award in the Arts Award-winner. As an Artist in Residence, he will take up residency at Utterback School of Creative & Performing Arts (as well as other schools) during the festival, working, and performing with the music students. His festival performance will take place at the Fox Tucson Theater on January 18.
Ken Peplowski, one of the top clarinetists in the world has collaborated with Mel Torme, Leon Redbone, Charlie Byrd, Peggy Lee, Benny Goodman, George Shearing, Madonna, James Moody, Steve Allen, Woody Allen, and many more. He has recorded over 50 CDs as a soloist, and 400 as a sideman. While in Tucson he will serve as Artist in Residence with the University of Arizona Studio Jazz Ensemble. His “Bossa Nova Wave” performance with guitar great Diego Figueiredo will take place on January 14 at 2pm at the Rialto Theatre. He will also perform with the Studio Jazz Ensemble on the Downtown Jazz Fiesta on January 15.
2Saxy, is a unique collaboration between two internationally acclaimed saxophonists, Grace Kelly and Leo P who blend their remarkable skills and distinct styles to bring an unparalleled level of “saxiness” to the music scene. They make a point of connecting and inspiring their audiences wherever they travel. While in Tucson they will perform for students in the district and surrounding areas at Catalina Foothills HS. Their festival performance will take place at 191 N Toole on January 13 at 8pm.
The indigenous sounds of Africa hit the stage at the Century Room for two shows on January 18. The spirit and legacy of Miriam Makeba’s genre-defying pan-African genius continues in the inspired works of South African vocalist Melanie Scholtz and Kenyan pianist Aaron Rimbui. A timeless artist and towering figure Nelson Mandela called “South Africa’s first lady of song,” Miriam Makeba was pivotal in bringing African music to a Western audience and was a symbol of resistance to minority white rule in South Africa during apartheid.
Delbert Anderson Quartet is led by Navajo (Diné) Jazz Trumpeter and Composer, Delbert Anderson. He is both a leader and innovator in today’s contemporary jazz scene and a Diné culture bearer. His work brings forth traditional Diné songs once sung in Diné social circles called “spinning songs,” and captures their voice in the language of jazz and funk. His quartet will perform in a very special setting on January 16 at 7pm at the Bahti Art Gallery, surrounded by Native American art paying homage to the rich culinary heritage of indigenous cultures.
About the 2024 Tucson Jazz Festival
The world class Tucson Jazz Festival celebrates 10 years of Jazz in January. Founded in 2014, the mission of the festival is to influence the discovery and celebration of live jazz, to provide a jazz experience that is socially and musically engaging, attracts visitors from around the country and supports music education through community engagement. The nine-day experience is a signature event for Downtown Tucson and plays a significant economic and cultural role in the greater Tucson area. For details on the 2024 Tucson Jazz Festival visit tucsonjazzfestival.org
