Southern hospitality and world class jazz…what could be sweeter! I think of the Atlanta Jazz Festival as the prelude to summer. The music is awesome and because it runs through Memorial Day Weekend, I associate it with longer days, more fun and vacation. It’s really a great excuse to get out of the house, meet some friends and explore some of the city’s hotspots.
Every day throughout the month of May there will be jazz performances in parks, clubs and venues around Atlanta as part of the festival. These “31 Days of Jazz” activities will include live jazz in Underground Atlanta, Martinis & IMAX at Fernbank Museum, Friday Jazz at the High, a concert series at Loews Atlanta Hotel, and Fiesta Atlanta in Centennial Olympic Park. Then the festival opens on Saturday, May 26 and runs through Monday, May 28. Memorial Day Weekend will be three full days of music in beautiful Piedmont Park. And it’s free!
Roy Ayers, renowned jazz composer and vibraphone player will be performing in Piedmont Park.
Y’all can bring your own picnic, or you can make it a culinary adventure and try the BBQ, Caribbean foods and more. They have a whole area of booths with art, clothing and jewelry so you can get a little shopping in, too.
Atlanta Jazz Festival was named one of the Top 10 Festivals for 2012. The festival attracts some of the best jazz musicians in the world. This year’s performance schedule includes jazz greats Roy Ayers, Cyrus Chestnut, Tito Puente Jr. & Orchestra, Robert Glasper Experiment, Russell Gunn, Edy Martinez, Johnny O’Neal, Ojeda Penn and Kathleen Bertrand. Newcomers include the Grace Kelly Quintet and Yolanda Rabun.
The 35th Annual Atlanta Jazz Festival is presented by the City of Atlanta Office of Cultural Affairs. For more information, check out the ATL Jazz Festival’s website, like them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter
