DC JazzFest Marks a Triple Centennial
By • August 9, 2026 0 613
Since three great jazz musicians were born in 1926, this year is a triple centennial for jazz fans.
Two of them, trumpeter Miles Davis, born in Alton, Illinois, on May 26, and saxophonist John Coltrane, born in Hamlet, North Carolina, on Sept. 23, are nearly household names.
Davis’s 1959 album “Kind of Blue,” on which Coltrane plays tenor sax (with Cannonball Adderley on alto), is generally considered the greatest jazz album ever recorded, though Coltrane’s 1965 album “A Love Supreme” — influenced by his work with Davis, but freer and infused with spirituality — is a rival for the distinction.
The third musician was a pianist, but — though an NEA Jazz Master — he is not as familiar a name as Thelonious Monk or Bill Evans (who played on “Kind of Blue”) or McCoy Tyner (who played on “A Love Supreme”). Randy Weston was born in Brooklyn on April 6 and died in 2018, aged 92, outliving Davis by 27 years and Coltrane by 52.
At this year’s DC Jazz Festival, among the more than 50 acts presented from Sept. 2 to 6 at multiple venues — including The Wharf, Union Stage, Pearl Street Warehouse, Anthem Row, The Hamilton Live, Westminster Church and Mr. Henry’s — there will be tributes to Davis, Coltrane and Weston.
Writes Artistic Director Willard Jenkins: “Our 2026 DCJF Artist-in-Residence, Emmet Cohen, will lead a quintet, with tenor saxophonist Tivon Pennicott and trumpeter Jeremy Pelt in the frontline, along with the same explosive rhythm section that delighted the Cosmos Club, drummer Joe Farnsworth and bassist Yasushi Nakamura, in a program honoring the John Coltrane and Miles Davis centennials.” That performance will take place on Saturday at The Wharf.
“In ‘Collier Plays Coltrane,’ the widely acclaimed young rising tenor saxophonist, Isaiah Collier, and Chicago’s own member of the proud no-compromise tradition of the internationally acclaimed Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM), will honor the John Coltrane centennial and threaten to blow the roof off the Transit Stage with his spiritual homage,” promises Jenkins, referencing another Saturday performance at The Wharf.
As for Weston, Jenkins notes: “The African Rhythms Alumni Band” — performing at The Wharf on Sunday — “will feature members of centennial celebrant pianist-composer Randy Weston’s longtime touring ensembles,” including saxophonist-flutist T.K. Blue, hand drummer Neil Clarke, bassist Alex Blake, trombonist Frank Lacy and “Weston acolyte pianist” Sharp Radway.
Performing on the festival’s opening night, Wednesday, Sept. 2, at The Hamilton Live, 600 14th St. NW, are JazzDC All Stars, directed by saxophonist Paul Carr, with special guests drummer Jason Marsalis and vocalist Christie Dashiell. Sets at 8 and 9:30 p.m. are free with a $20 suggested donation. Also on Wednesday, saxophonist Herb Scott hosts a jam session at Mr. Henry’s, 601 Pennsylvania Ave. SE ($12 cover charge and $15 food-and-beverage minimum).
Anthem Row, 800 K St. NW, is a featured venue on Thursday, Sept. 3, with free performances by Richmond-based hybrid (jazz and hip hop) group Butcher Brown, bassist Corcoran Holt’s quintet and saxophonist Marshall Keys & Soulful Path from 4:30 to 8 p.m. Also that night, vocalist Dan Murray performs from 7 to 8 p.m. at the Kreeger Museum, 2401 Foxhall Road NW; tickets are $40.
On Friday, Sept. 4, Westminster Church, 400 I St. SW, welcomes organist Charles Covington, pianist Mike LeDonne, drummer Lenny Robinson and guitarist Dave Manley from 6 to 9 p.m.; $10 donations will be collected at the door. Also on Friday, the Heidi Martin Ensemble will perform from 8 to 11 p.m. at Mr. Henry’s, with tickets priced at $30.75.
On Saturday, Sept. 5, and Sunday, Sept. 6, the action moves to The Wharf, 1001 7th St. SW; Union Stage, 740 Water St. SW; and Pearl Street Warehouse, 33 Pearl St. SW.
DC JazzFest at The Wharf runs from 2 to 10 p.m. on both days. The Saturday lineup includes such stars as Kes, guitarist Bill Frisell and vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater, whose We Exist! quartet features young women in jazz. The Sunday lineup includes saxophonist Joshua Redman and a celebration of jazz fusion band Weather Report by singer Kurt Elling and the Yellowjackets. Single-day tickets are $29, $49 and up; two-day tickets are $55, $95 and up.
Free, interactive concerts for kids called DC Jazz Bops! are set for Saturday and Sunday at 11 a.m. at The Wharf’s M Street Landing.
The DC Jazz Prix Finals are on Saturday at 2 p.m. at Union Stage. Tickets are $34 and $57. DC JazzFest at Union Stage takes place on Saturday at 6 p.m. and on Sunday at 2 p.m. (all-ages). Tickets are $34 and $57.
DC JazzFest at Pearl Street Warehouse presents two all-ages shows: on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. and on Sunday at 3 p.m. Tickets are $34 and $57.
Finally, a free Meet the Artists program starts at 1 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday at Arena Stage, 1101 6th St. SW.
The complete schedule is available at dcjazzfest.org.
