NAPA VALLEY, CA (CelebrityAccess) – The Blue Note Jazz Festival is expanding to the Napa Valley at the historic Charles Krug Winery in St. Helen on July 30 – 31. It is the first time the festival will occur outdoors with multi-days and multi-stages in its history.
The festival features Grammy-Award-winning pianist, songwriter, and producer Robert Glasper as the Festival’s Artist-in-Residence, with his set to be hosted by ground-breaking comedian Dave Chappelle. In addition, performances by Erykah Badu, Ledisi, D Smoke, BJ the Chicago Kid, and Terrace Martin.
“The idea for the Blue Note Jazz Festival Napa Valley came out of Robert Glasper’s month-long residency at the Blue Note New York, held each October and dubbed Robtober,” says Blue Note Entertainment Group President Steven Bensusan. It is our plan to create an outdoor festival style version of Robtober in the spirit of a traditional jazz festival featuring spontaneous collaborations and once in a lifetime improvised performances.”
The two-day, three-stage festival will feature performances by Maxwell, yasiin bey & Talib Kweli, reuniting as Black Star, Thundercat, and Maurice “Mobetta” Brown featuring Anderson. Paak, Flying Lotus, The Soul Rebels featuring GZA & Talib Kweli, Corinne Bailey Rae, and more – honoring the festival’s spirit of collaboration, artists will sit in on each other’s sets.
Blue Note Jazz Festival Napa Valley will also host an after-party for attendees on Saturday night, featuring the legendary DJ Jazzy Jeff and DJ Lo Down Loretta Brown (aka Erykah Badu), plus special surprise guests.
“We’re honored to present a tastefully curated festival, gathering remarkable and culturally important artists with Robert Glasper as the cornerstone and helm,” says Director of Programming and Talent Buyer Alex Kurland.
During the pandemic, Blue Note Napa partnered with Charles Krug Winery to present nearly 40 successful outdoor summer concerts at a time when few were offered. Charles Krug Winery, established in 1861, is Napa Valley’s first winery. Blue Note Napa’s successful partnership with the winery demonstrated that Charles Krug was a natural fit as the venue for the upcoming festival, which will now use the Winery’s entire grounds for the July event.
Blue Note continues to present its famous annual Blue Note Jazz Festival, with an array of shows throughout June at venues throughout New York City. A new Miami Beach pop-up festival is also planned for two weeks in June at the city’s North Beach Bandshell.
