Tim Jackson To Step Down as MJF Artistic Director

By DownBeat I Jan. 31, 2023

The 2023 Monterey Jazz Festival will be Tim Jackson’s last as artistic director.
(Photo: Courtesy MJF)

Tim Jackson, long-time artistic director of the Monterey Jazz Festival, plans to leave his position at the end of February 2024, according to a statement released earlier this week. He will then continue as an artistic advisor to MJF for an interim time period prior to departing the organization in an official capacity.

“I want to let all of you know that the 2023 Monterey Jazz Festival will be my last as artistic director,” Jackson wrote in a letter to his constituents. “I feel that this a good time for a transition. The organization is stabilizing after the pandemic, the staff and board are strong and committed, and it is time for a new perspective on the artistic side to help guide the organization for the next generation.”

This year’s festival will mark Jackson’s 33rd year with the 66-year-old MJF organization.

“I feel grateful and blessed to have been a part of this historic festival, and proud of the role I have played in its continued success,” said Jackson, who has been producing and presenting jazz for five decades. “To be able to work with the world’s greatest musicians has been the joy of a lifetime.” DB