It’s become a tradition! The Upper Midwest presents three great jazz festivals over three weekends, starting with the Twin Cities Jazz Festival June 19-20; moving south the the Iowa City Jazz Festival July 3-5; and then moving back north to the Northfield Jazz Festival July 10-12. And these jazzy weekends, featuring an exciting assortment of internationally and locally acclaimed artists, are all free admission!
The 28th Annual Twin Cities Jazz Festival at Mears Park and Beyond, June 19-20
Two solid days of music give us jazz from trad to rad and everything in-between, showcasing some of the world’s top performers as well as the locals that define the renowned Twin Cities jazz scene. Under the leadership of Executive Director Dayna Martinez, there will be some new venues, an expanded youth jazz schedule showcasing vocal as well as instrumental talents, family-oriented activities, and more, fanning out from Mears Park across downtown St Paul and beyond. And it’s all free.
What’s new for 2026? “We will be activating 6th Street this year (north side of Mears Park), instead of 5th Street (south side), and we’ll have a smaller stage on 6th Street,” notes Dayna Martinez. “I’m trying create more of an intimate experience on 6th Street, with the bar located right there, picnic tables to enjoy food and drink, and a small dance floor.”
There will also be new venues: The Nautilus Music-Theater will take the place of the TPT space this year as a listening room; Twin Cities PBS will be hosting the Family Zone this year on Saturday, with PBS characters, art activities and a musical instrument petting zoo; there will be music in the atrium at the Minnesota Museum of American Art, not far from Mears Park; and Urban Growler Brewing Company and Burger Moe’s are participating as venue partners both days of the Jazz Fest.
Youth opportunities: The Twin Cities Jazz Festival has a long history of supporting aspiring jazz musicians, with a youth stage (this year at the MetroNome Brewery) and master classes led by headliners. And again, the festival is partnering with Walker West Music Academy and the MacPhail Center for Music to present talented youth on the Main Stage. But this year the youth offering expand to include a Youth Vocal Jazz Showcase, directed by local vocalist /educator Katia Cardenas, the festival’s Youth Programs Director. Katia “is organizing a Youth Jazz Vocal Showcase,” notes Dayna, “which will take place on the Youth Stage on Friday. This initiative will feature young vocalists from across the community, performing jazz standards with a youth jazz combo. This showcase is an important opportunity that will inform, empower, and excite the next generation of singers and players, by providing a supportive space for them to learn about and explore vocal jazz. We hope to expand this program next year.”
And of course, the headliners on the AARP Main Stage:
Friday June 19, 6pm, Yogev Shetrit Trio. Returning to the TCJF main stage after his festival debut in 2019, Israeli drummer Yogev Shetrit is known worldwide as the founder of the Coolooloosh band and leader of his internationally renowned trio. In addition to performing witih Chuchito Valdez, Tia Fuller, Kevin Mahogan and more, Shetrit has released three studio and two live albums. His original music reflects his heritage—born, raised and educated in Israel in a traditional Moroccan family.
Friday June 19, 8:30 pm, The Yellowjackets. One of the most popular bands of the last 40 years, the Yellowjackets started out as the backup band for Robben Ford, then moved on as a trio, soon adding Bob Mintzer to become one of the most influential bands of the 80s, 90s and beyond. The core group of Mintzer, Russell Ferrante, and William Kennedy recently added Australian bassist Dane Alderson. “I am so excited to bring back to the TCJF stage – Yellowjackets!” said Dayna Martinez. “My dad turned me on to this band back in the 90’s and I have loved their work for decades, so I’m happy to have them as a headliner on Friday night.”
Saturday, June 20, 6 pm, Sullivan Fortner Trio. Selected as the 2015 Cole Porter Fellow in Jazz by the American Pianists Association, New Orleans native Sullivan Fortner was performing in public by age 11. Now regarded as one of the leading jazz pianists of his generation, he earned the 2025 Grammy Award for Best Jazz Performance on Samara Joy’s “Twinkle Twinkle Little Me” and the 2019 Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Album with frequent partner Cécile McLorin Salvant, for her acclaimed album The Window. Fortner also has earned Grammies for his 2023 release Solo Game and his provocative arrangement of “Optimistic Voices/No Love Dying” from Salvant’s 2022 release, Ghost Song. Heard several times in recent years at The Dakota, Fortner’s trio for this festival performance includes Tyrone Allen on bass and Kayvon Gordon on drums.
Saturday June 20, 8:30 pm, The JazzMN Orchestra with Michael Mayo. For nearly 30 years, the JazzMN Orchestra has provided the Twin Cities area (and beyond) with the best of classic and modern big band music, presented by some of the best jazz musicians in the Upper Midwest. Under the baton of renowned saxophonist/bandleader Pete Whitman and the artistic direction of performer/curator/big band leader Andrew Walesch, the JazzMN Orchestra returns to the festival’s main stage with the Twin Cities debut of acclaimed vocalist Michael Mayo. A graduate of the prestigious Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Performance (now the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz) at UCLA, Mayo has quickly gained an international reputation for his vocalese and use of a looper pedal as guest performer and bandleader. In 2022, Mayo was named “International Artist of the Year” at the Deutscher Jazzpreis. His second recording Fly was released in 2024 and nominated for 2 Grammy Awards. “He takes jazz to a level rarely heard.” –Kathy Hey, Third Coast Review (2026)
It’s a fat program of jazz covering two days across more than 20 venues, plus some additional “preview” gigs on Thursday at the likes of The Berlin, Volstead’s, and Crooners. And a wide range of Twin Cities artists—and former Twin Citians—appear throughout the festival, including brief homecomings for Will Kjeer (see No Rest for the Pedestrians at Nautilus, Friday at 8 pm; with How Birds Worked at the Metronome, Saturday 9:30 pm), Sophia Kickhofel (Volstead’s, Thursday at 7 pm; with Tristano School at MetroNome Brewery , Saturday at 6 pm); and Ella Grace (Nautilus, Saturday at 5 pm). Festival veterans also perform throughout—the Selby Ave Brass Band with Thomasina Petrus (Main Stage, Friday at 4 pm), Jon Weber and Dorothy Doring on the Sixth Street Stage (Friday at 5 pm); Lucia Sarmiento (2 pm) and Zacc Harris (4 pm) on the Main Stage on Saturday; a revival of How Birds Work (now How Birds Worked) with Kenny Horst, Will Kjeer, Billy Peterson and Dean Granros at MetroNome Brewery’s Fingal’s Cave (Saturday, 9:30 pm); the Mary Louise Knutson Trio followed by Red Planet at Nautilus (Saturday, Noon and 1:30 pm); and the always-popular Festival Jam, Friday and Saturday nights (10 pm) at Zamboni’s, featuring the Graydon Peterson Trio.
And as they say, “That’s not all, folks!” See the festival website for complete scheduling, artist bios, and more. www.twincitiesjazzfestival.com
The 36th Annual Iowa City Jazz Festival, July 3-5
Dating back to 1991, the Iowa City Jazz Festival is one of the longest-running free jazz festivals in the Upper Midwest. Just an easy 5-hour drive from the Twin Cities, the ICJF presents headline acts on the Main Stage, with local and (back again) student bands performing on side stages in-between. The festival takes place in the center of this Big Ten college town, with the adjacent Beer Garden, Culinary Row and merchant booths within a block of the main stage. Presenting sponsor again is the Green State Credit Union.
What’s new this year? Lisa Barnes, Executive Director of Summer of the Arts which includes the jazz festival, notes that “We are bringing back the Youth stage, which will feature six different high school groups on Saturday and Sunday. They will be performing at the same time as the Side Stage and will set up on Iowa Avenue near Dubuque Street (outside of St. Burch).” Returning—the Sunday Jazz Brunch, held nearby in the Voxman Music Building with special guest, harmonica virtuoso and festival performer Howard Levy; the after-hours jam session with the Blake Shaw Quartet, this year at the Wilder.
The line-up on the Strauss Main Stage features established and up-and-coming talents (including sets from two of eastern Iowa’s acclaimed youth orchestras). Notes Lisa Barnes, “Personally, I’m really looking forward to Jonathan Scales Fourchestra and Artemis. So much talent and different styles!”
Friday, July 3, 6pm: Gabriel Espinosa’s Brazilian Project. Merida, Mexico native Gabriel Espinosa started guitar at age 6. He earned his undergraduate degree at Central College in Pella Iowa, then studied at the Berklee College of Music in Boston and North Texas University. In addition to teaching at Central College and Grinnell College, and touring internationally with his band Ashanti, Espinosa has worked and recorded with vocalists Tierney Sutton and Kim Nazarian, and currently teaches at the School for Music Vocations in Creston, IA.
Friday, July 3, 8 pm: Jonathan Scales Fourchestra. The power trio of electric bass (E’Lon JD), drums (Maison Guidry), and steel pans (Jonathan Scales) combines elements of jazz, classical, and progressive rock, peppered with LaLn rhythms and soulful outbursts of funk. The band has performed on club and festival stages across North America and Europe, as well as touring Africa, Southeast and Central Asia as a Cultural Ambassador for the US Department of State, as well as appearing in an NPR “Tiny Desk” concert featuring Bela Fleck. Noted Downbeat Magazine,.”…just as Fleck liberated his instrument, Scales has freed the pans, crafting a jazz rock fusion.”
Saturday, July 4, 11:30 am, United Jazz Ensemble. A collaborative combo of students from the three Iowa City area high schools, this group has performed on the festival main stage for more than 25 years. Directed by Brian Zeglis.
Saturday, July 4, 12:15 pm, North Corridor Jazz. Directed by Coe College professor Stephen Shanley, North Corridor brings together students from high schools along the I-380 “corridor” in northeastern Iowa. A long-time feature on the festival main stage, the band plays a combination of original compositions and standards.
Saturday July 4, 2 pm, Mary Louise Knutson Trio. A familiar and acclaimed pianist/composer/educator from the Twin Cities, Mary Louise Knutson brings her trio to Iowa City. The graduate of Lawrence College has two recordings to her credit (a third is nearing completion) as well as a long list of performance credits including Dizzy Gillespie, Bobby McFerrin, Dianne Reeves, Kurt Elling, Diane Schuur, Ernie Watts, Mike Stern, Nicholas Payton and more; and from 2010-2018 toured with trumpeter Doc Severinsen. Her trio features bassist Dan Carpel and drummer Greg Schutte.
Saturday July 4, 4 pm, Howard Levy 4. Grammy-Award winning diatonic harmonica master, pianist and composer Howard Levy joins forces with guitarist Chris Siebold, upright/ electric bassist Joshua Ramos, and Brazilian drummer Luiz Ewerling. This powerhouse ensemble delivers pure musical magic in a range of styles that includes Jazz, Latin, World Music, and Blues. A founding member of Bela Fleck and The Flecktones, Levy has performed and recorded with an incredibly diverse range of artists including Kenny Loggins, Paquito D’Rivera, Donald Fagen, and Kurt Elling. The revolutionary technique that he developed on the diatonic harmonica transformed it into a fully chromatic instrument for the first time.
Saturday July 4, 6 pm, Brass Queens. Brass Queens is a female-led, New York-based brass band that has been dominating the brass band scene since 2019. Finding that they shared similar frustrations about the emerging male-dominated brass band scene in New York City, co-founders Alex Harris and Ally Chapel came together to form a group dedicated to showcasing the talents of female musicians. Their sound is deeply inspired by and pays homage to the New Orleans brass band tradition while injecting the upbeat, multifaceted energy of their New York home into each performance. Recent highlights include Carnegie Hall, New York City Pride, and multiple performances with the living icon, David Byrne. The band tours regularly across the country and internationally.
Saturday July 4, 8 pm, Artemis. Founded by pianist Renee Rosness, the quintet Artemis gained recognition after a 2018 Newport Jazz Festival performance, leading to a contract with Blue Note Records. With some shifts in personnel, they have performed extensively across North America and Europe, earning praise for their modern, rhythm-forward sound, and winning the #1 Group of the Year in the Downbeat Readers Poll in 2023, 2024 and 2025. Artemis today includes pianist Rosness, trumpeter Ingrid Jensen, saxophonist Nicole Glover, bassist Noriko Ueda, and drummer Allison Miller. Their spring 2026 tour included a stop at The Dakota in Minneapolis. Noted NPR, Artemis is “a killer line-up of players who hail from all over the world and converge on this extremely cosmopolitan, sleek, rhythm-forward, modern sound.”
Sunday, July 5, Noon-4. Following the annual fund-raiser Jazz Brunch at the Voxman Music Building, jazz continues on all three stages, with two main stage sets featuring Iowa-based ensembles Saul Lubaroff’s Funk Outfit (1 pm) and Jackson Churchill and Good Question.
Full festival information, schedules and more at www.summerofthearts.org
Third Annual Northfield Jazz Festival, July 10-12
For the third summer, the town of Northfield, Minnesota is known not only for two prestigious colleges (Carleton and St Olaf), but also for its stellar presentation of jazz. Under the leadership of trombonist/composer/educator JC Sanford, the third annual Northfield Jazz Festival brings together a who’s who of Minnesota artists as well as an internationally acclaimed headliner, pianist Christian Sands. Notes JC, “So excited to continue to receive state funding for this festival, this time from the Minnesota State Arts Board! The larger budget allows us to bring in world-class artists like our headliner, multi-Grammy-nominated pianist Christian Sands. We’re so lucky to live in a state that provides this type of support, especially when funding for the arts is getting cut at the federal level.”
The fest again kicks off with a big band party Friday night at the Grand Events Center, featuring the Strawberry Jazz Collective and Bend in the River Big Band. The performance and master class offerings take place Saturday and Sunday at venues throughout central Northfield, featuring the best musicians in the area as well as featured headliner Christian Sands:
Saturday, July 11, 1 pm, Judi Vinar and Dave Stanoch at the Northfield Arts Guild Theater. An exciting duo features acclaimed vocalist/educator Judi Vinar teaming up with percussion master Dave Stanoch. Throughout her career, Judi has tackled nearly everything vocal—folk, country, opera, jazz, pop, R&B and more, and has collaborated with top area vocalists and instrumentalists, including Lori Dokken, the Wolverines, JazzMN Orchestra, The Girls, and more. Notably she worked for many years with Bobby McFerrin in his Voicestra and Gimme5. Veteran drummer/educator Dave Stanoch similarly has explore a wide range of musical styles while teaching at the McNally Smith College of Music for nearly 30years.
Saturday, July 11, 2:30 pm, Dale Alexander Trio at the Northfield Public Library. Pianis/drummer Dale Alexander studied with the late Manfredo Fest, and launched his career touring as the drummer with Prince (“Sign ‘O The Times world tour), and went on to perform and record with such legends as George Benson, Frank Morgan, Billy Eckstine, Diane Reeves, Barbara Morrison, John Denver and more. In the Twin Cities area, Dale leads the trio Stablemates and is often on the piano bench at Crooners, the High Hat and more.
Saturday, July 11, 4 pm (Master Class) and 7:30 pm (solo concert), Christian Sands at the United Church of Christ. A stunning pianist and educator, Christian Sands “seems always to be flowing in new directions, integrating elements of prog rock, gospel and Western classical into a forward-tumbling jazz conception” (New York Times). Noted early mentor Christian McBride, “He was the first young musician I’d met who had the drive, passion and skill of my peers like Roy Hargrove, Eric Reed, Greg Hutchinson and Antonio Hart. He’s only worried about being the best musician he can possibly be. He’s the ultimate professional.”
Sands started formal lessons at age 4, composed his first piece at 5, and began performing at 10. He went on to study at the Manhattan School of Music, was mentored by Dr. Billy Taylor, and has collaborated with such jazz legends as Wynton and Branford Marsalis and Dee Dee Bridgewater, as well as working with McBride’s Inside Straight and more. Sands is a Steinway artist and 5-time Grammy nominee. Noting that “My music is about teaching the way of jazz and keeping it alive,” Christian Sands leads his own Jazz Kids program in Copenhagen, Denmark and teaches via Jazz for Young People (Jazz at Lincoln Center), Jazz in July Amherst (University of Massachusetts), Neighborhood Music School‘s Summer Jazz Camp, and master classes at colleges and conservatories around the world. And now at the Northfield Jazz Festival!
Sunday, July 12, 11 am, Vocal Jazz Workshop with Anya Menk at Hot Spot Music Studio. A recent master’s degree graduate of the Berklee Global Jazz Institute, Anya Menk teaches classical and jazz voice, piano and flute at the MacPhail Center for Music. Menk has performed with jazz luminaries such as saxophonist Joe Lovano, drummer JT Bates and Peter Eldridge of New York Voices. She is the 2025 winner of the Dr. Dee Daniels Vocal Jazz Scholarship through Jazz Education Network.
The festival moves outdoors to Way Park, presenting an afternoon filled with the area’s finest:
Sunday, July 12, 1pm, Michael Cain Trio. Currently on faculty at the MacPhail Center for Music, pianist Michael Cain has worked with some of the most significant names in jazz and contemporary music, including Jack DeJohnette, Ravi Coltrane, Terence Blanchard, Robin Eubanks, Pat Metheny, Charles Neville, Dave Holland, Bobby McFerrin, and Me’shell N’degeocello, for which he received two Grammy nominations as a pianist, keyboardist, and arranger. He’s also scored films and served as music director/pianist for the Jose’ Limon Dance Company.
Sunday, July 12, 2:30 pm, Charles Gorzynski Tango Quartet. Minneapolis-based composer and bandoneonist Charles Gorczynski works in contemporary tango, new music, and studio production. He leads the acclaimed modern tango outfits Charles Gorczynski Tango Quartet and Redwood Tango Quartet and is the director of the Twin Cities Tango Collective.
Sunday, July 12, 4:30 pm, Inatnas Orchestra (Music of Asuka Kakitani and JC Sanford). Featuring top musicians from the Twin Cities area, composers Asuka Kakitani and (festival director) JC Sanford present a set of original music that often defies boundaries while defining modern improvised music.
Sunday, July 12, 6 pm, Jam Session with the Blue Ox Trio at Imminent Brewing. Grab your horn or just plan to relax and enjoy music from bandleader/drummer/composer Jack Schabert’s Blue Ox Trio, formed while Schabert was still a student at Northfield’s St. Olaf College. Given the festival line-up, this jam session will be anything but anti-climatic. It will be a great ending to this jazzy weekend.
Keep up with the Northfield Jazz Festival at: https://www.facebook.com › northfieldjazzfestival
