Dates Announced for the Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival

PHOTO COURTESY OF PITTSBURGH JAZZ FEST

A beloved annual festival is returning to Pittsburgh later this year.

The 16th annual Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival, presented by the August Wilson African American Cultural Center, will take place Sept. 17-20. It will feature free performances, a beer garden and a game zone on Liberty Avenue Downtown, as well as ticketed performances at the August Wilson Center and other partner venues. 

While most of the events are free and open to the public, VIP tickets, which include priority seating for outdoor stages, access to a lounge area inside the August Wilson Center and access to VIP-only bars, are on sale now.

This year’s festival will also be part of Pittsburgh’s Our America 250 celebration.

“The August Wilson Center honors Our America 250, celebrating how jazz, soul, blues, gospel and R&B have shaped our country,” says Janis Burley, president and CEO of the August Wilson Center and the festival’s founder and artistic director. “As the country brings the semiquincentennial into focus, we are examining broadly how these genres have influenced not only American, but global culture.”

The festival’s lineup will include upcoming stars and established musicians alike. It will be headlined by “jazz innovators” Terri Lyne Carrington, Sean Jones and Orrin Evans, who will also direct the Jazz Train, a trademark event for the festival since 2022.

Pittsburgh-based drummer Dennis Garner will lead listeners on a journey through the music of the late D’Angelo with special guest vocalist Cam Chambers, and psych-soul artist Lady BlackBird will bring the gospel vibe of Mississippi’s Annie & the Caldwells.

A Lifetime Achievement Award will also be presented at the festival to Bernard “Pretty” Purdie, known for his signature, “Purdie Shuffle” and his contributions to thousands of American classics, from Steely Dan to Aretha Franklin and James Brown.  

Purdie’s legacy spans country, blues, jazz, R&B and funk music; he has played on over 4,000 albums and worked with over 2,500 artists over the course of his career. He will perform some of his hit songs with a band created by the Pittsburgh-based bassist Dwayne Dolphin, The New JB’s.

“The big idea for the festival is to honor the rhythm of our culture,” Burley says.

In the month leading up to the festival, the organization will collaborate with numerous community partners, including the Pittsburgh International Airport, Carnegie Libraries of Pittsburgh, Afro-American Music Institute schools and universities to host free concerts and free student jam sessions. 

The Jazz Festival will also be releasing details about this year’s poster contest soon.