Capital Jazz Fest Is This Weekend

The 31^st Annual Capital Jazz Fest starts this Friday, June 7th to 9th, with over 30 acts lined up.

According to the organizers, the festival will feature an extraordinary lineup of artists with the following highlights:

The Fest kicks off with our annual Friday Night Soul! concert, this year featuring Grammy-winners Anthony Hamilton and Chrisette Michele, plus “The Lioness”, soul singer Teedra Moses!
Two-time Grammy-winner Gregory Porter will be headlining the Saturday show on the Pavilion Stage. Following his performance on Saturday night, he’ll be doing a Q&A session at Club 9:32, located near the West Food Court on the festival grounds. The session is free and open to all fest-goers!
Grammy and Emmy-winning singer Andra Day will be performing at the festival for the very first time! Check out her brand new album Cassandra, available now! She’ll also be doing a live Q&A session at Club 9:32 following her performance on Sunday night.
Other acts on the bill include Kem, Babyface, Jodeci, Joss Stone, El DeBarge, Lalah Hathaway, and many more!
Come Get to This: A Tribute to Marvin Gaye, on the Pavilion Stage on Sunday, featuring several special surprise musical guests!
Grammy-nominated duo Black Violin, who first performed at our festival five years ago, returns this year to present their distinctive sound which blends string arrangements with hip-hop beats. Complete with their own DJ and drummer, their sound can best be described as a fusion of classical, jazz, hip-hop, and funk.
Louie Vega & The Elements of Life will be making a rare live appearance at this year’s festival. Conducted by legendary DJ/producer “Little Louie” Vega, the jazz/funk/dance/soul ensemble will feature lead vocals by Josh Milan and Cindy Mizelle. If you’re a fan of bands like Incognito and The Brand New Heavies, you are in for a treat with The Elements of Life!
Legendary jazz fusion band Spyro Gyra, who performed at our very first festival in 1993, returns to the Fest this year in celebration of their 50th anniversary!
Classic soul from legendary band Switch, known for their quiet storm classics such as “There’ll Never Be”, “I Wanna Be Closer”, and “I Call Your Name”. Plus, The Jones Girls featuring Shirley Jones will be performing their hits, including “Nights Over Egypt”, “Dance Turned Into A Romance”, “I Just Love The Man”, and many more.
Performing at the Fest for the first time this year will be Grammy-winning trumpeter Keyon Harrold, with special guest vocalist Stout. Also making first-time appearances will be saxophonist/vocalist Braxton Cook, soul/jazz singer Lori Williams, Grammy-nominated trumpeter Theo Croker, and saxophonist/vocalist Marqueal Jordan, plus legendary 90s R&B/dance diva CeCe Peniston.
The Chuck Brown Band carries on the legacy of the late go-go legend as they return to the festival and share the stage with hip-hop icon Doug E. Fresh!