Article Contributed by Sacks and Company
Published on 2026-03-13
The Blue Note Entertainment Group has unveiled the lineup for the highly anticipated 15th annual Blue Note Jazz Festival New York, featuring performances by Ledisi, Durand Bernarr, Big Freedia, UMI, Destin Conrad, Kokoroko, Cymande, Take 6, The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Jose James, BLK ODYSSY, Louie Vega: Elements of Life and many more.
Kicking off June 1 with the legendary hip hop group Arrested Development at Sony Hall, the festival spans multiple venues across the city including the Blue Note Jazz Club, Sony Hall and Capital One City Parks Foundation SummerStage. The festival also includes the Official Blue Note Jazz Fest Midnight Jam presented by Chris Rob on June 26 as well as the Blue Note’s famed jazz brunches and more. TICKETS AND MORE INFO HERE.
This year’s Blue Note Jazz Festival New York presents a number of contemporary and progressive voices within the R&B world alongside some of the greatest, most forward-thinking jazz artists ranging from innovative instrumentalists such as MonoNeon, Isaiah Collier, Brian Blade, Chief Adjuah, Marcus Gilmore and Brandee Younger, to powerful vocalists including Ledisi, Durand Bernarr, Big Freedia, Kokoroko, UMI, Destin Conrad and BLK ODYSSY.
“We started the Blue Note Jazz Festival New York 15 years ago with a focus on unique curation and programming an eclectic range of artistry,” notes Blue Note Director of Programming Alex Kurland. “The festival has always focused on presenting artists who are singular and one of a kind, who push the sound and state of the music forward. Artists who are completely individual.
This year is particularly special for us, with a lineup that continues to read like a playlist of taste, focused on artists that we love. Artists who are your favorite artists’ favorite artists. Stylistically diverse, singular and soulful. This year’s lineup spans from Big Freedia to Brian Blade, to Ledisi and Durand Bernarr; from Dirty Dozen Brass Band to Kokoroko and MonoNeon. Chief Xian aTunde Adjuah to Destin Conrad and BLK ODYSSY. Incomparable voices that creatively propel the sound and music culture forward.”
The Blue Note takes a unique approach in curating its namesake New York festival, looking beyond the confines of genre, geography and time to craft a one-of-a-kind lineup. Pulling together history-shaping innovators, cultural icons from around the world and contemporary artists pushing the boundaries of music today, the festival captures the social fabric of New York City like no other.
The Blue Note Jazz Festival New York runs concurrently with the Blue Note Jazz Festival Hollywood Bowl, presented in collaboration with the LA Phil June 13–14. With the Blue Note’s newest venue in Los Angeles, the Blue Note Entertainment Group offers a diversity of club and festival experiences on both coasts as well as across a number of worldwide locations.
The Blue Note Jazz Club in New York City has become one of the premier venues in the world. While jazz is at its core, Blue Note continues to broaden its offerings with a mission to spotlight contemporary artists across all musical styles, backgrounds and cultures.
The club and its sister institutions worldwide continue to draw massive household names with frequent surprise appearances from superstars like Stevie Wonder, Ed Sheeran, Dave Chappelle, Chris Rock and more.
Blue Note’s worldwide locations include its newest venue in Los Angeles, CA; Milan, Italy; Honolulu, HI; Beijing and Shanghai, China; Tokyo, Japan; Napa, CA; and Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, Brazil. Blue Note is planning on opening in London in 2026.
The storied Blue Note Jazz Festival started in New York in 2011, each summer seeing a month-long celebration of jazz throughout June. The Blue Note Jazz Festival Napa kicked off in 2022 with curation by Robert Glasper, creating a multi-day jazz meets hip-hop and R&B festival taking place outdoors across multiple stages.
Past headliners include John Legend, NAS, Mary J. Blige, Chance the Rapper, Maxwell, Jill Scott and others. In 2024 and 2025, the Napa festival was presented as a landmark spin-off with Black Radio Experience, in association with Glasper at the Meritage Hotel.
June 1 — Blue Note — Yuki Chiba
June 1 — Sony Hall — Arrested Development
June 2 — Blue Note — MonoNeon
June 3 — Blue Note — MonoNeon
June 4 — Blue Note — Chief Xian aTunde Adjuah
June 4 — Sony Hall — Seedhe Maut
June 5 — Blue Note — Chief Xian aTunde Adjuah
June 6 — BRUNCH — Blue Note — Forever Ray
June 6 — Blue Note — Chief Xian aTunde Adjuah
June 7 — BRUNCH — Blue Note — Harlem Gospel Choir
June 7 — Blue Note — Chief Xian aTunde Adjuah
June 10 — Sony Hall — Anuhea
June 11 — Blue Note — Brian Blade & The Fellowship Band
June 11 — Sony Hall — Cracker
June 12 — Blue Note — Brian Blade & The Fellowship Band
June 13 — BRUNCH — Blue Note — Strictly Sinatra
June 13 — Blue Note — Brian Blade & The Fellowship Band
June 13 — Sony Hall — Los Amigos Invisibles
June 14 — BRUNCH — Blue Note — Harlem Gospel Choir
June 14 — Blue Note — Brian Blade & The Fellowship Band
June 15 — Blue Note — Brandee Younger
June 15 — Sony Hall — Harlem Gospel Choir Sing Whitney + Tina
June 16 — Blue Note — Isaiah Collier
June 17 — Blue Note — Isaiah Collier
June 17 — Sony Hall — Swamp Dogg
June 18 — Blue Note — Durand Bernarr
June 18 — Sony Hall — Mario w/ live band
June 19 — Blue Note — Take 6
June 19 — Sony Hall — The Bad Plus
June 20 — BRUNCH — Blue Note — The Music Of The Buena Vista Social Club: A Tribute To The Golden Age Of Cuba
June 20 — Sony Hall — BLK ODYSSY
June 21 — BRUNCH — Blue Note — Harlem Gospel Choir
June 21 — Blue Note — Take 6
June 22 — Blue Note — Ozomatli
June 23 — Blue Note — Ozomatli
June 23 — Sony Hall — The Church
June 24 — Sony Hall — Big Freedia
June 25 — Blue Note — UMI
June 26 — Blue Note — Slum Village
June 26 — Late Show — Blue Note — Chris Rob Presents: The Official Blue Note Jazz Fest Midnight Jam
June 27 — Blue Note — Louie Vega: Elements of Life with Special Guests
June 27 — Sony Hall — Cymande
June 28 — BRUNCH — Blue Note — Harlem Gospel Choir
June 28 — Blue Note — Louie Vega: Elements of Life with Special Guests
June 29 — Blue Note — Marcus Gilmore
June 29 — Blue Note — Ibrahim Maalouf
June 30 — Blue Note — Marcus Gilmore
June 30 — Sony Hall — Destin Conrad
July 1 — Blue Note — Jon Lampley, Notes To Self Album Release
July 1 — Sony Hall — Young Gun Silver Fox
