The Blue Note Jazz Festival — an annual event initially held at different venues in New York City — is heading to the West Coast for the first time this year. Grammy award-winning musicians Robert Glasper and Maxwell will also be headlining the multi-stage event.
Glasper will serve as the first Artist in Residence while performing with his set and hosted by comedian Dave Chappelle. The 44-year-old will be accompanied by special guests, such as Erykah Badu, Ledisi, D Smoke, Terrace Martin, and BJ The Chicago Kid.
“I can’t wait to hold a festival with some of my favorite artists along with my boy Dave Chappelle in Napa,” Glasper shared in a statement. “On a vineyard with music and wine?! It’s going down! Come drink some wine with us!”
On Friday, the pianist took to Instagram and posted a flier of the event while announcing the day and time to purchase tickets.
“Yup, this is actually happening @bluenotenapa. Tickets go on sale Tuesday, 4.26, so be READY!!! It’s in the wine country, so I will definitely be tipsy the whole time, so who knows what’s gonna happen!!! Let’s go!!!” he wrote in the caption.
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Maxwell also shared the event information on his respective Instagram account the same day.
“The blue note jazz festival, napa valley. This lineup is CRAZY. Can’t wait to see you! Tix on sale Tuesday, April 26th (12pm pst) at musze.com, link in bio,” he wrote in the post’s caption.
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Steven Bensusan, President of Blue Note Entertainment Group, revealed that the festival stemmed from Glasper’s month-long residency at Blue Note New York. The event occurs every October, to which they changed the name to “Robtober.”
“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,” Bensusan said. “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.”
Alex Kurland, Director of Programming and Talent Buyer, also praised Glasper for his artistic contribution to the festival.
“We’re honored to present a tastefully curated festival, gathering remarkable and culturally important artists with Robert Glasper as the cornerstone and helm,” he explained. “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 festival’s official Twitter account tweeted information regarding this year’s event in Napa Valley, California, on July 30-31.
“Join us in wine country for this historic event! Blue Note Jazz Festival Napa Valley premieres with a multi-day, multi-stage festival. This event takes place on the grounds of the Charles Krug Winery in St. Helena, CA, on July 30 – 31. Tickets go on sale Tuesday, 4/26 at noon PST,” it tweeted.
https://twitter.com/BlueNoteNYC/status/1517219121141882880
The two-day passes start at $385 for General Admission and $850 for VIP.
