This weekend, the Monterey Jazz Festival (MJF), the world’s longest-running jazz festival, returns to the Monterey County Fairgrounds for its 67th edition, showcasing its legacy as a global jazz institution. Founded in 1958 by jazz DJ Jimmy Lyons and music critic Ralph J. Gleason, MJF has long stood as a pinnacle event for the genre, featuring a who’s who of jazz greats. The festival’s prestigious reputation is summed up by Grammy-winning historian Ashley Kahn, who describes performing at Monterey as “a mountain every artist must climb.”
This year marks a new chapter as Darin Atwater steps in as the festival’s third artistic director, following the retirement of longtime leader Tim Jackson, who expanded MJF’s artistic vision over his 33-year tenure. Atwater, a conductor, composer, and pianist with a deep background in gospel and orchestral music, aims to honor the festival’s roots while pushing forward with his own eclectic programming.
Under the theme Crescendo in Blue, Atwater’s inaugural lineup features tributes to jazz icons Duke Ellington, Sarah Vaughan, and Max Roach, along with a diverse mix of headliners, mid-career stars, and emerging talents. Notable performers include Stanley Clarke, Mavis Staples, Joshua Redman, Robert Glasper, and Keyon Harrold, who will close the festival on Sunday night—a poignant nod to the first MJF, when Louis Armstrong was introduced by Dizzy Gillespie in the same spot.
With Atwater’s appointment, Monterey joins a broader trend of prominent African American musicians leading major jazz institutions, reflecting a shift toward greater self-representation in the genre’s leadership. As Kahn notes, “Jazz reflects American society… There continues to be a push to let the musicians represent themselves.”
For the thousands who will gather under the oak trees this weekend, the 67th Monterey Jazz Festival promises to be both a celebration of its storied past and a thrilling glimpse of its future under new leadership.
Source: NobHill Gazette
