2023 Chicago Jazz Festival

August 31-September 3, 2023

The Chicago Jazz Festival is a Labor Day weekend tradition that promotes all forms of jazz through free, high-quality music programming. The festival showcases Chicago's local talent alongside national and international artists to raise awareness and appreciation for one of the city’s most beloved art forms.

Thank you to all of the sponsors that helped to make the Chicago Jazz Festival possible. This FREE event is a great way to end the summer in Chicago. It not only gives local upcoming musicians an opportunity to showcase their talents, but the audience a chance to appreciate them.

35th Chicago Jazz Festival

It was great to have the Annual Chicago Jazz festival back after the absence during the COVID-19.

Chico Freeman kicked things off with a Von Freeman Centennial tribute, featuring 96 year old George Freeman.

Ron Carter and Foresight keep it going with a beautiful performance. to close out the first night.

The talent and the music is great as always. There was a last minute change to the lineup when Diane Reeves was forced to cancel due to a medical procedure. Chicago's own Kurt Telling was available to step in and deliver a very impressive performance.

I was very pleasantly surprised to seeing and hearing Brandee Younger as she lead her trio playing the harp. She came back on the stage to perform with Makaya McCraven closing out the days performances.

The final evening of the festival, Dee Alexander and Billy Valentine delivered vocal arrangements that excited the crowd. Closing the festival were the Afro-Cuban All Stars, lead by Juan De Marcos Gonzalez. The energy on the stage generated by the musicians, singers and the dancing was contagious. They had butts out of their seats, hands clapping, feet tapping and heads bobbing.