Anybody who has caught a Sunset Jazz night in Court Square knows the scene: lawn chairs, a horn section, and neighbors who came for one set and stayed for three πΊ That same energy now gets a full weekend! The first Memphis Jazz Festival runs Oct. 9 to 11 Downtown, free, with two national headliners and a lineup full of Memphis players who hold down stages across the city every week ππΎ
ScheduleHeadlinersLocal LineupPlan the Weekend
π· The Weekend at a Glance
The Downtown Memphis Commission organized the festival, building on the monthly Sunset Jazz series at Court Square. Every event is free and open to the public ποΈ Saturday is the big day, with two stages on the Main Street Mall from 1 to 7 p.m. π₯³
| Day | Where | What |
|---|---|---|
| Fri, Oct. 9 | The Westin Memphis Beale Street | Jazz After Hours: live music and cocktails hosted by Strictly Jazz |
| Sat, Oct. 10 | Main Street Mall, Peabody Place to Union Ave. | Two stages of live music plus jazz workshops, 1 to 7 p.m. |
| Sat, Oct. 10 | The Dame at Hotel Pontotoc, 69 E. Pontotoc Ave. | Jazz Jam after the main stage wraps, hosted by Henry Conerway III and sponsored by Memphis Jazz Workshop |
| Sun, Oct. 11 | Court Square Park | Sunset Jazz season finale, 3 to 7 p.m. |
The Dame is the speakeasy style basement bar inside the historic Hotel Pontotoc, recently reopened. A late night jam in a room like that is a proper way to end a Saturday π
π The Headliners
Theo Croker
Trumpet ● Grammy Nominated ● Florida Born
Theo Croker plays trumpet rooted in straight ahead jazz, then pushes it forward with electronic textures and hip hop influences. He has recorded with Common and J. Cole, and his 2014 album Afro Physicist on Sony Masterworks is a good starting point before the show π§
Dear Silas
Vocals, Rap and Trumpet ● Jackson, Mississippi
Dear Silas sings, raps, and plays trumpet, often in the same song πΆ Out of Jackson, Mississippi, his music blends jazz and R&B with Southern hip hop, a mix Memphis crowds already know well π₯
πΉ Memphis on the Bill
The rest of the bill is Memphis through and through, names regulars will recognize from Court Square, club dates, and the city's jazz jams. Catch the Memphis Jazz Orchestra, Joe Restivo 4, Hope Clayburn & The Memphis Manes, the Parkerhurt Quartet, Stephen M. Lee, Deborah Swiney, the Kenny Reed Quintet, the Alex Upton Trio, Henry Conerway III, Pat Register, Gary Topper & Symmetry, and the Power to the People Quartet π―
Deborah Swiney founded the Sunset Jazz series and helped organize the festival, so Sunday's finale in Court Square brings the weekend right back to where the idea started ππ½
πΊοΈ Plan the Weekend
- Free for all. RSVP on Eventbrite to get festival updates π²
- Jazz brunches. Downtown restaurants are rolling out jazz brunches, live music, and festival inspired menus all weekend π₯
- Full schedule. The Downtown Memphis Commission will post set times and stages at downtownmemphis.com.
- Home base. Main Street Mall, Court Square, and Hotel Pontotoc all sit within a short walk of each other, so it is easy to hop between sets πΆπ»ββοΈ
Memphis creator Sydney Neely (@sydneely) already has this one on her weekend plans, and her reel says it best π¬
Hosting a jazz brunch or a festival night special that weekend? Send the details to contact@choose901.com and the Choose901 team will help spread the word π£
