The Blue Note Jazz Festival helped set the tone for summer as it returned to the Hollywood Bowl for a two-day celebration of jazz, funk, and R&B, featuring established legends, contemporary voices, and rising artists on one of the city’s most recognizable stages.
This year’s lineup on June 13 and 14 included Patti LaBelle, Wyclef Jean, Gregory Porter and Samara Joy, along with Robert Glasper, Cimafunk, Kokoroko, the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz Performance Ensemble at UCLA, the LA County High School for the Arts Big Band and Vocal Jazz Ensemble, LAUSD Beyond the Bell All-City Jazz Big Band and more. Arsenio Hall hosted the festival.
For decades, the Hollywood Bowl’s summer jazz festival has served as one of the season’s early anchor events. The festival has changed names and evolved over time, but its spirit remains familiar: a large-scale gathering built around live musicianship and community. With a rotating stage keeping the music flowing, the festival becoming a long summer party.
At the Bowl, the season continues June 27 with “A Roots Picnic Experience: A Great Night in Hip-Hop,” featuring The Roots, Nas, T.I., Bun B, De La Soul and more. Later in the summer, the Bowl will host major nights including Counting Crows on Aug. 7 and 8, a Gustavo Dudamel celebration weekend Aug. 21 through 23, Foo Fighters with the LA Phil and YOLA on Aug. 22, David Byrne on Aug. 28 and 29, and Lucy Dacus with the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra on Sept. 13…