(Last updated: April 27)
Blue Note will bring its Blue Note Jazz Festival Napa, to California, for its second year this summer. The three-day affair takes place July 28 through July 30 at Silverado Resort in Napa, California.
This year’s lineup includes Queen of Hip-Hop Soul Mary J. Blige at the top of the bill, along with rap acts Nas and Chance the Rapper. They’ll celebrate the 50th anniversary of hip-hop as it relates to jazz.
Blige released her last album, Good Morning Gorgeous, in the winter of 2022. The album, lauded by Rated R&B at year-end, spawned two hit singles, including the self-healing title track and the Anderson Paak-assisted “Here With Me.”
Both tracks landed Blige nominations at the 65th Grammy Awards, while Good Morning Gorgeous (Deluxe) was recognized in the R&B and general field album categories.
Robert Glasper returns as the festival artist-in-residence. Comedian Dave Chapelle will host Glasper’s set again. This time, it will boast appearances from Bilal, Lalah Hathaway and De La Soul, as well as special guests.
“I want to make sure the guests and the artists have memorable experiences,” Glasper said in a statement. “Just like my Blue Note New York residency, the festival is filled with impromptu jams and surprises during one big musical family reunion with artists and an audience that share an appreciation for the culture.”
In 2022, Glasper released Black Radio III, the third album of a trilogy started in 2012. The star-studded album won Best R&B Album at the 2023 Grammy Awards.
Speaking of the first installment of Black Radio, Glasper and his Experiment collective, reissued the album in honor of its 10th anniversary last fall. It included three tracks previously unreleased on vinyl and songs from the group’s remix EP, Black Radio Recovered.
Other R&B-centric acts set to perform at Blue Note Jazz Festival Napa include Ari Lennox, PJ Morton, Gary Clark Jr., BJ the Chicago Kid, Meshell Ndegeocello, Terrace Martin, Adam Blackstone, Cory Henry, and more. George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic also will make a rare appearance.
In addition to Nas and Chance the Rapper, there will be a few other hip-hop affiliates, including NxWorries (Anderson .Paak and Knxwledge), Cordae, Smino, Rakim & DJ Jazzy Jeff, Rapsody, Talib Kweli & Madlib and more.
Tickets for the Blue Note Jazz Festival Napa go on sale Friday, April 7, at 9 a.m. local time. For fans who can’t wait, pre-sale, for general and VIP three-day packages, begins Wednesday, April 5.
The inaugural edition of the festival occurred last year. Maxwell, Chaka Khan and Robert Glasper were top performers.
Blue Note Jazz Festival 2023 Lineup
9th Wonder
Adam Blackstone
Ari Lennox
Big Freedia
Bilal
BJ the Chicago kid
Bobby McFerrin
Chance the Rapper
Cordae
Cory Henry
Dave Chappelle
De La Soul
Derrick Hodge
Digable Planets
DJ Pee Wee (Anderson .Paak)
DJ Trauma
DOMi & JD Beck
Frédéric Yonnet
Gary Clark Jr.
Ghost-Note
J. Period presents A Jazz Thing Live Mixtape
Kenneth Whalum
Lalah Hathaway
Madlib (DJ Sets)
Mary J. Blige
Meshell Ndegeocello
Mononeon
Nas
Nicholas Payton
NxWorries (Anderson .Paak and Knwxledge)
Parliament Funkadelic featuring George Clinton
PJ Morton
Rakim & DJ Jazzy Jeff
Rapsody
Robert Glasper
Smino
Talib Kweli & Madlib
Taylor McFerrin & Marcus Gilmore with special guests Bobby McFerrin
Terrance Martin
The Soul Rebels featuring Keyon Harrold
Weedie Braimah
Yussef Dayes
Get more information about the Blue Note Jazz Festival Napa on its official site.
