Big Chief Bo Dollis Jr., left, and Cyril Neville will be among the performers at this year’s Montclair Jazz Festival.
The 2026 Montclair Jazz Festival will include a salute to “major American jazz cities that have shaped our culture and tell our national story,” according to a press release.
The festival’s artistic director, Montclair resident Christian McBride, will play music associated with his original hometown, Philadelphia, with his Big Band. The Spanish Harlem Orchestra will represent New York. And the Take Me to the River All-Stars — including Cyril Neville (of The Neville Brothers and The Meters), Big Chief Bo Dollis Jr., and others — will play the music of New Orleans.
The festival’s main event, its free Downtown Jamboree + Block Party, will take place on Aug. 15, at Lackawanna Plaza, following free Soundcheck Series shows on five Tuesday nights — June 16 and 30, July 14 and 28 and Aug. 4 — at The Wellmont Arts Plaza.
Other cities to be saluted by the festival include Los Angeles, Kansas City, Detroit, Chicago and Houston.
EVELYN FREJA
CHRISTIAN McBRIDE
“Jazz was born in New Orleans and raised in New York City, but along the way it made many stops where it grew, and continues to grow today,” said McBride, in the press release. “The cities that we’re spotlighting at this summer’s festival are among the most important cities in the history of jazz. Places where the music didn’t just develop, but helped shape the cultural identity of the cities themselves.”
In addition, the festival — produced by the Montclair-based Jazz House Kids organization, and now in its 17th year — will include centennial tributes to Miles Davis and John Coltrane.
The festival has been selected by The Smithsonian Institution to be a “collaborating festival” in its “Of the People: The Smithsonian Festival of Festivals,” organized to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the founding of the country.
According to the Smithsonian’s website, The Smithsonian’s Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, which produces its annual Folklife Festival, “will collaborate with approximately 40 festivals around the country, ranging from one-day events to weeklong gatherings. The center will work with local organizations to design activities that reflect the voices, stories and aspirations of their communities.”
Melissa Walker — founder and president of Jazz House Kids, and McBride’s wife — said in the press release: “Jazz is America’s original art form, and it has something very special to teach us at this challenging time in our nation — ensuring the next generation carries the rich legacy forward and continuing to innovate and challenging us to listen to the different voices that take the stage.”
For information and updates, visit montclairjazzfestival.org.
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