Monterey Jazz Festival's 50th Anniversary Tour

A JazzFest '08 Event

"The top jazz festival in the world" - JazzTimes Reader's Poll

First presented in 1958 on the Monterey, California Fairgrounds, the Monterey Jazz Festival was a miracle of unique programming that was largely slapdash and accidental. The festival proved to be both serious and convivial, providing a wide range of talent. A host of musical styles existed side by side: the Dixieland or classic jazz revival, bebop, remnants of the big band and swing era, Third Stream commissioned works merging jazz with classical music and West Coast jazz. Who could ask for more? The audience would. They would demand it. They would ask for festivals for decades. Today, the longest continually-running jazz festival in the world celebrates its 50th anniversary with a national tour.

In this performance, the Monterey Jazz festival maintains a strong tradition of bringing together veterans with younger artists, including James Moody, Terence Blanchard, Benny Green, Derrick Hodge, Kendrick Scott, and special guest vocalist Nnenna Freelon.

Late seating policy applies.