The debut of the Blue Note Jazz Festival Napa Valley marks the first Blue Note Jazz Festival presented as an outdoor, multi-day and multi-stage event. The especially intimate festival, with limited capacity, will feature top-tier talent at the historic Charles Krug Winery in St. Helena, CA on July 30 and 31.
Grammy Award-winning multi-genre pianist, songwriter, and producer Robert Glasper serves as the Festival’s Artist-In-Residence. Glasper’s set, hosted by comedian Dave Chappelle, includes performances by special guests Erykah Badu, Ledisi, D Smoke, Terrace Martin, and BJ the Chicago Kid.
"The idea for the Blue Note Jazz Festival Napa Valley came out of Robert Glasper’s month long residency at the Blue Note New York, held each October and dubbed Robtober,” says Blue Note Entertainment Group President Steven Bensusan. “Glasper curates a month of shows and collaborations spanning across the genres of jazz, R&B, hip hop, soul and comedy resulting in impromptu performances by celebrities and unannounced special guests. It is our plan to create an outdoor festival style version of Robtober in the spirit of a traditional jazz festival featuring spontaneous collaborations and once in a lifetime improvised performances.”
The two-day, three-stage festival will feature performances by Maxwell, yasiin bey & Talib Kweli reuniting as Black Star, Thundercat, Maurice “Mobetta” Brown featuring Anderson.Paak, Flying Lotus, The Soul Rebels featuring GZA & Talib Kweli, Corinne Bailey Rae, Emily King, Keyon Harrold, Domi & JD Beck, Phony PPL, Chief Adjuah (formerly Christian Scott), Derrick Hodge, Th1rt3en (Pharoahe Monch, Daru Jones & Marcus Machado), Butcher Brown, Isaiah Sharkey, and Frédéric Yonnet. Honoring the festival’s spirit of collaboration, artists will sit-in on each other’s sets.
“I can't wait to hold a festival with some of my favorite artists along with my boy Dave Chappelle in Napa,” says Glasper. “On a vineyard with music and wine?! It's going down! Come drink some wine with us!”
Blue Note Jazz Festival Napa Valley will also host a funk-filled after party for attendees on Saturday night, featuring two seasoned crate diggers, the legendary DJ Jazzy Jeff and DJ Lo Down Loretta Brown aka Erykah Badu plus special surprise guests.
“We’re honored to present a tastefully curated festival, gathering remarkable and culturally important artists with Robert Glasper as the cornerstone and helm,” says Director of Programming and Talent Buyer Alex Kurland. “The programming mirrors the extraordinary depth of Robert’s artistry, style and collaborative range, and is in the spirit of his annual residency at the iconic Blue Note New York. Just like at Blue Note, this festival reflects our tradition for bringing the highest caliber of artistry and star power to small-scale settings for a most intimate, high quality experience. Expect the unexpected with spontaneous special moments, and with Dave Chappelle in the house, this festival is bound to be historic.”
The Napa Valley outdoor weekend event represents a new audience experience for Blue Note fans by combining a more traditional festival style event with the local wine culture of Napa Valley. The weekend will include food by renowned area restaurants, wine tasting experiences and other VIP add-ons. Two-day passes, priced at $385 for General Admission and $850 for VIP can be purchased at bluenotejazzfestival.com.
During the pandemic Blue Note Napa, operating in the Valley for six years, partnered with Charles Krug Winery to present nearly 40 successful outdoor summer concerts at a time when few were offered. Charles Krug Winery, established in 1861 as the Napa Valley’s first winery, is remarkable for its historical significance and character. Blue Note Napa’s successful partnership with the winery demonstrated that Charles Krug was a natural fit as the venue for the upcoming festival, which will now use the Winery’s entire grounds for the July event.
Blue Note continues to present its popular annual Blue Note Jazz Festival, New York with an array of shows throughout the month of June at venues throughout New York City. A new Miami Beach pop-up festival is also planned across two weeks in June at the city’s North Beach Bandshell.
