DC JazzFest Adds Arturo O’Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Ensemble, Big Chief Donald Harrison & More to 2023 Lineup!


Living Legends will play The Wharf on September 2-3

The DC Jazz Festival (DCJF) today announces the addition of Arturo O’Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Ensemble, NEA Jazz Master Big Chief Donald Harrison from New Orleans, NEA Jazz Master Dave Holland Trio featuring Kevin Eubanks and Eric Harland, and Etienne Charles & Creole Soul from Trinidad showcasing the diversity and soul of jazz.  DCJF also added to the DC JazzFest roster Warren Wolf’s “History of the Vibes,” Vinny Valentino featuring Marshall Keys, Dennis Chambers and Federico PeñaBIRCKHEAD, and Mark G. Meadows.  The 19th Annual DC JazzFest takes place August 30 through September 3 with DC JazzFest at The Wharf on September 2-3over Labor Day Weekend.


Tickets for DC JazzFest at The Wharf can be found here.


Grammy nominated pianist-bandleader-composer Arturo O’Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Ensemble represent the grand tradition of his father, the late, great composer Chico O’Farrill, exemplifying the vibrant pairing of Afro-Latin rhythms and jazz aesthetics.  Two-time winner of Grammy Awards for Instrumental Composition, Arturo’s incendiary ensemble is powered by his keen compositional sensibilities and explosive pianistics.


Saxophonist Donald Harrison, Big Chief of The Congo Square Nation Afro-New Orleans Cultural Group, and bassist Dave Holland continue DC JazzFest’s rich tradition of annually presenting National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters, celebrating our country’s highest jazz honor.  Big Chief Donald Harrison promises an immersion in the groove syndrome flavored with New Orleans traditions.  Dave Holland will deliver a deep trio partnership with guitarist and former Tonight Show bandleader Kevin Eubanks and one of the world’s most in-demand drummers, Eric Harland.


Trumpeter Etienne Charles promises a big, fun Caribbean party on the Potomac with his island-steeped Creole Soul unit.  Meanwhile, multi-instrumentalist Warren Wolf concentrates on the art of the mallets as he delivers his “History of the Vibes” at our indoor Union Stage venue at The Wharf. 


We’ve added two more of the DMV’s finest: saxophonist Brent Birckhead and his BIRCKHEAD ensemble, and multi-threat pianist-vocalist-composer Mark G. Meadows, who a few seasons ago thrilled DC playgoing audiences with his performances of Fats Waller compositions. Both will provide further evidence of the DMV’s outstanding community of musicians.    

  

This blockbuster DC JazzFest weekend will be hosted at The Wharf, DC’s premier waterfront neighborhood and destination. Located on a lovely stretch of the historic Potomac River, The Wharf is full of scintillating restaurants and clubs, vibrant retail, and first-class hotels and residences.  The neighborhood’s truly striking riverside views and bustling promenade are accessible by nearby Metro service, highway access, and water taxi service.  


“This year’s DC JazzFest hosts an incredible array of talents, from master-level to emerging, an impressive range of artists and sounds that make jazz music such a vibrant global gift,” said DCJF CEO Sunny Sumter. “As is our DC JazzFest tradition, there is something for everyone.”


“DCJF takes great pride in annually delivering to our audiences a broad-ranging cornucopia of great jazz and jazz-informed culture, and we are truly excited to bring you an incredibly representative sampling of what makes 21st-century music a continually evolving phenomenon,” said DCJF Artistic Director Willard Jenkins.


The largest jazz festival in the nation’s capital, the 19th Annual DC JazzFest will feature an extraordinary lineup of artists – from local legends to NEA Jazz Masters – with performances across several platforms. This year’s Festival experiences will include in-person performances, up-close-and-personal “Meet the Artist” conversations, and indoor concerts at The Anthem, Arena Stage, and Union Stage. 



The 2023 DC JazzFest Lineup, to date, includes:

Gregory Porter • NEA Jazz Master Charles Lloyd Kindred Spirits featuring Gerald Clayton, Marvin Sewell, Reuben Rogers, and Kendrick Scott • Samara Joy • NEA Jazz Master Kenny Garrett • NEA Jazz Master Terri Lyne Carrington New Standards • NEA Jazz Master Dave Holland Trio feat. Kevin Eubanks and Eric Harland • NEA Jazz Master Big Chief Donald Harrison • Omar Sosa Quarteto Americanos • DCJF Artist-in-Residence Orrin Evans Quintet • Etienne Charles & Creole Soul • Warren Wolf • Vinny Valentino featuring Marshall Keys, Federico Peña and Dennis Chambers • Leigh Pilzer Startet • BIRCKHEAD • Veronneau • Mark G. Meadows • 2022 DCJazzPrix winner the Julieta Eugenio Trio

 

For more information about the 2023 DC JazzFest, August 30-September 3, including concert updates and ticketing information, visit www.dcjazzfest.org.


For any press inquiries, please contact Lydia Liebman, DCJF publicist, at lydia@lydialiebmanpromotions.com


Learn more about the DC Jazz Festival and all of our programs by visiting www.dcjazzfest.org.

 

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About DC Jazz Festival:

With dozens of performances in venues across the city, the annual DC JazzFest is one of the largest music festivals in the country. A 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, the DC Jazz Festival celebrates America’s unique original art form during this international event that attracts jazz lovers from around the world to the nation’s capital. The DCJF also presents year-round programs with performances featuring local, national and internationally acclaimed artists.  The mission of the DC Jazz Festival is to present internationally renowned and emerging artists in celebration of jazz, unify diverse communities and enable connections between artists and audiences, advance jazz and music education, provide performance opportunities for DC-based musicians, and highlight DC as a major and vibrant center for jazz. The 2023 DC JazzFest will take place August 30-September 3. For more information about the DCJF and its activities, visit dcjazzfest.org.


DCJF Media Contact:

Lydia Liebman, DCJF Publicist

lydia@lydialiebmanpromotions.com, 570.730.5279


DCJF Contacts:

Sunny Sumter, Executive Producer

sunnysumter@dcjazzfest.org


Josh Brown, Marketing and Communications Associate

josh@dcjazzfest.org


Keep up with DCJF:

·       Twitter: @dcjazzfest

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·       LinkedIn: DC Jazz Festival

·       Everything Else: linktr.ee/dcjazzfest


The DC Jazz Festival®, a 501(c)(3) non-profit service organization, and its 2023 programs are made possible, in part, with major grants from the Government of the District of Columbia, Muriel Bowser, Mayor; DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities; National Capital Arts and Cultural Affairs program of the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts; DC Office of Cable Television, Film, Music & Entertainment, Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development; and with awards from National Endowment for the Arts, Doris Duke Foundation, Gillon Family Charitable Fund, Galena-Yorktown Foundation, Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation, Leonard and Elaine Silverstein Family Foundation, Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, Chamber Music America, Dallas Morse Coors Foundation for the Performing Arts, Max and Victoria Dreyfus Foundation, Mid Atlantic Arts, The Venable Foundation, Arts Forward Fund of the Greater Washington Community Foundation, Les Paul Foundation, Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation, and HumanitiesDC. ©2023 DC Jazz Festival. All rights reserved.

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