Jul 17, 2025 12:44 PM
DownBeat’s 73rd Annual Critics Poll: One for the Record Books
You see before you what we believe is the largest and most comprehensive Critics Poll in the history of jazz. DownBeat…
Drummer/vocalist Jamison Ross (left), vocalist Cécile McLorin Salvant, tenor saxophonist Melissa Aldana, pianist and musical director Christian Sands, trumpeter/vocalist Bria Skonberg and bassist Yasushi Nakamura are performing on the Monterey Jazz Festival on Tour.
(Photo: R.R.Jones)The Monterey Jazz Festival’s organized a national tour, which runs through April 14, to mark its 62nd anniversary.
Along for the remaining 18 dates of Monterey Jazz Festival on Tour are vocalist Cécile McLorin Salvant, trumpeter/vocalist Bria Skonberg, tenor saxophonist Melissa Aldana, pianist and musical director Christian Sands, bassist Yasushi Nakamura and drummer/vocalist Jamison Ross.
“This will be the 10-year anniversary of MJF on Tour and it is also one of our most exciting,” MJF Artistic Director Tim Jackson said in a press release. “[W]e are looking forward to spreading the joy of jazz, which is the essence of the Monterey Jazz Festival, to rest of the country.”
Remaining performances are listed below. For more information about the tour and festival, visit the Monterey Jazz Jazz Festival website. DB
March 22: University Park, Pa. / Penn State University, Eisenhower Auditorium
March 23: Philadelphia, Pa. / Kimmel Center, Verizon Hall
March 24: East Lansing, Mich. / Michigan State University, Wharton Center for Performing Arts, Cobb Great Hall
March 26: Omaha, Neb. / Holland Performing Arts Center, Kiewit Concert Hall
March 28: Baton Rouge, La. / Manship Theatre at the Shaw Center for the Arts
March 29: Meridian, Miss. / Mississippi State University, Riley Center
March 30: Memphis, Tenn. / Germantown Performing Arts Center
March 31: Fayetteville, Ark. / Walton Arts Center, Baum Walker Hall
April 2: Portland, Ore. / Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall
April 3: Berkeley, Calif. / University of California Berkeley, Zellerbach Hall
April 4: Rohnert Park, Calif. / Sonoma State University, Weill Hall at Green Music Center
April 5: Los Angeles, Calif. / Walt Disney Concert Hall
April 7: Seattle, Wash. / Moore Theatre
April 8: Santa Barbara, Calif. / University of California Santa Barbara, Campbell Hall
April 9: Mesa, Ariz. / Mesa Arts Center, Ikeda Theater
April 11: Calgary, Alberta, Canada / Jack Singer Concert Hall
April 12: Chicago, Ill. / Chicago Symphony Center
April 13: Notre Dame, Ind. / University of Notre Dame, DeBartolo Performing Arts Center
April 14: Ann Arbor, Mich. / University of Michigan, Michigan Theater
James Brandon Lewis earned honors for Artist of the Year and Tenor Saxophonist of the Year. Three of his recordings placed in the Albums of the Year category.
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