On May 25, Healdsburg Jazz announced the full lineup for the 2021 Healdsburg Jazz Festival, which will run from June 17-20.
The beloved festival will return to mostly in-person shows this year, a welcome change for music lovers after last year’s festival which featured a scaled back lineup of virtual and online events due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Healdsburg Jazz will present four days of award-winning local and national artists in numerous configurations including musical, spoken word, theatrical, and visual arts collaborations.
The festival will kick off with an opening night gala, “Harlem of the West” and a Barbary Coast dinner show.
The opening night gala on June 17 is sold out.
All festival performances will take place outdoors and in intimate outdoor settings throughout Healdsburg. All relevant COVID protocols will be closely followed and monitored by Healdsburg Jazz.
Tickets are on sale now for members only. Tickets will go on sale to the general public on May 29 at 10 a.m.
The festival lineup
Pre-festival celebration with Trevor Kinsel Trio
On June 17 a pre-festival celebration with jazz and cocktails will take place at the Harmon Guest House rooftop. Tickets aren’t required for the event and 20% of event-related sales will be donated to Healdsburg Jazz.
The event will feature the Trevor Kinsel Trio and will run from 4 to 7 p.m. at 227 Healdsburg Ave.
The Barbary Coast dinner show
On June 18, there will be a Barbary Coast-style dinner show at the Hotel Healdsburg garden courtyard from 5 to 7:30 p.m.
The show will celebrate San Francisco’s storied Gold Rush era and the rise of jazz in the early 20th-century. The show will feature music from Katie and the Lost Boys, a New Orleans-style combo led by Katie Cavera. The show will feature narration and dance by Healdsburg City Councilmember Skylaer Palacios, who’s also a trained dancer.
Dinner will feature a Barbary Coast-themed menu from the chefs at Dry Creek Kitchen.
Tickets are $125 and are on sale now, although some tickets are already sold out.
Folks can look for tickets here.
After-dinner concert at Mateo’s, a Latin celebration
On June 18 an after-dinner concert will take place at Mateo’s from 9 to 11 p.m. The event will feature a set from Latin musician Mónica María. The second set will feature flutist Rebecca Kleinmann and the Bay Area Brazilian samba/choro group Falso Baiano, Rebecca Kleinmann invites Falso Baiano.
Tickets are $25.
Healdsburg Jazz Juneteenth celebration
This event on June 19 will be the focal point of this year’s jazz festival and will take place outdoors at the Mill District site.
There will be performances from, The Dynamic Miss Faye Carol & Her Trio; MJ’s Brass Boppers; Josh Jones Latin Jazz Ensemble; Destiny Muhammad Trio; Howard WileyTrio; Commissioned Painter Malik Seneferu; Healdsburg Jazz 2021 Poet Laureate Enid Pickett; San Francisco Poet Laureate Tongo Eisen-Martin; and MC Donald Lacy. Shows will run from 1 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 9 p.m.
Tickets for the day shows range from $25 to $40 and tickets for the evening shows range from $40 to $50.
Juneteenth late-night celebration
The Juneteenth celebration will continue at The Elephant in the Room courtyard from 9 to 11:30 p.m.
Tongo Eisen-Martin, San Francisco’s recently anointed poet laureate, will perform the first set and the second set will feature Oakland tenor saxophonist and composer Howard Wiley, who will be playing rhythm and blues and swing with his Trio.
Tickets are $25.
“Songs For My Father” with Tiffany Austin & the Healdsburg Freedom Jazz Choir;
The Latin Youth Ensemble
This free, virtual event will take place on June 20 from 11 a.m. to noon. The showcase will be directed by acclaimed Bay Area jazz vocalist and songwriter Tiffany Austin. The virtual concert performed by the Healdsburg Freedom Jazz Choir will feature tunes that celebrate dads and father figures. The concert will also feature a recorded performance from the Latin Youth Ensemble led by Dr. John Calloway.
Healdsburg Jazz Father’s Day Concert with Kenny Washington; Tammy L. Hall Trio
This event on June 30 will feature Grammy-nominated vocalist Kenny Washington with pianist Josh Nelson, bassist Gary Brown, and drummer Lorca Hart.
The group will be performing music from their recent release “What’s the Hurry?” A performance withpianist Tammy L. Hall and her trio will kick off the evening.
The event runs from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Mill District site.
Healdsburg Jazz Festival Artistic Director Marcus Shelby said he’s proud to present a festival that celebrates diversity and is representative of the Healdsburg community.
“For 23 years, the organization has produced music and education and provided a source of optimism, hope, culture and community for people from around the world,” Shelby said in a statement. “We are proud to present a festival that is inclusive, diverse, and representative of our Healdsburg community and vision for the future. This year, Healdsburg Jazz will explore the intersection of music with a range of artforms and I am proud and thankful that we are able to continue this musical legacy and annual tradition established by founder Jessica Felix.”
For more information about the festival, visit: Healdsburgjazz.org.
