FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. Celebrating Juneteenth with a jazz jubilee, the Festival brings a talent-packed triple bill to the Plaza headlined by trombone master Steve Turre, this year’s artist in residence. Instantly recognizable from his almost four-decade tenure in the Saturday Night Live band, Turre gained early attention performing and recording with reed legend Rahsaan Roland Kirk and trumpet great Woody Shaw before earning renown as a prolific bandleader (and pioneer of the conch shells in jazz). The Juneteenth program also features Person2Person, a quintet co-led by tenor sax titan Houston Person and his younger colleague, fiery altoist Eric Person, and pianist Darrell Grant and the MJ New, a band that honors and extends the elegant legacy of the Modern Jazz Quartet. With three stellar bands, the Juneteenth program exemplifies the power of music as a liberational force.
Juneteenth is the African American celebration of liberation two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed. Soon after the end of the Civil War, Black communities throughout the nation celebrated independence every June 19th with gatherings, delicious food, and of course good music. Healdsburg Jazz is proud to present a diverse range of music, art, culture, and education in honor of this holiday, free to the public in the Healdsburg Plaza. Our Juneteenth performances celebrate the wide range of Black music and art including gospel, early blues, New Orleans jazz, funk, R&B, spoken word, and straight-ahead modern swing. We will also have arts, crafts, and music workshops in the plaza for families and young people led by esteemed teaching artists.
Juneteenth Performances are underwritten by Healdsburg Jazz Patrons Janet & Michael Verlander, thank you both! This event is presented in Partnership with City of Healdsburg Community Services.
Healdsburg Jazz Juneteenth Celebration Schedule:
MC: Greg Bridges (KCSM)
2:00 pm-2:15 pm: Juneteenth Libations by The Nubian Cafe Collective
2:15 pm- 2:25 pm: Poet Laureate Enid Pickett
2:30 pm-3:00 pm: Drum Work Shop #1 led by Javier Navarrette; Pergola
3:00 pm-4:10 pm: Darrell Grant and MJNEW
4:15 pm-4:45 pm: Drum Work Shop #2 led by Javier Navarrette; Pergola
5:00 pm-6:15 pm: Houston Person Eric Person Quintet
7:00 pm-8:30 pm: Steve Turre Sextet
All day: Juneteenth Interactive Education Area curated by Andi Wong
