The LA Jazz Festival will spread across the city for 17 days in August, mixing dozens of free neighborhood concerts with a two-night beachfront finale that organizers hope will establish the event as one of the largest jazz gatherings in the world.
The festival, which runs from Aug. 7 through Aug. 23, announced an expanded lineup spanning free “Jazz in the Park” concerts, restaurant pop-ups called “Jazz After Dark,” a Caribbean Street Carnival in Venice and a closing “Jazz on the Beach” weekend headlined by John Legend, Janelle Monáe, Parliament Funkadelic featuring George Clinton and Raphael Saadiq. Terrace Martin was among the newest additions to the beach lineup.
Founder and CEO Martin Ludlow said the festival was designed to fill a gap he first noticed decades ago after moving to Los Angeles from Ohio. While impressed by the music at the city’s existing jazz events, he was struck by how little of the art form’s history was reflected in the world’s biggest media market…