Monterey Jazz Festival, the longest-running jazz festival in the world, is gearing up to play a full weekend of music at the Monterey County Fairgrounds for its 66th edition.

It also marks the final bookings for festival Artistic DirectorTim Jackson, who is retiringafter 32 years.

“我有自己的观点,当然,当我课题amming, but I try to keep my own personal preferences out of it,” Jackson said of how he’s curated the lineup for the past three decades. “I would say this year, I definitely want it to include some people that I’ve had long-term relationships with … and I wanted to catch some artists who I hadn’t presented in a long time.”

Jackson, who plans to continue in his role as artistic director of Kuumbwa Jazz, the Santa Cruz concert hall he co-founded in 1975, will be succeeded by multifaceted composer and musicianDarin Atwater．When Atwater begins next season, he will be the first Black leader to helm the festival and only its third artistic director.

When is Monterey Jazz Festival?

Always held in September, this year’s festival runs Friday-Sunday, Sept. 22-24.

Gates open on the first day at 3:30 p.m., while the weekend crowd can begin trickling in as early as 11 a.m.

The oversized outdoor West End Stage, which was launched last year, and a general admission lawn area at the far end of the arena grounds introduced in 2021, are both back. The Pacific Jazz Cafe, which hadn’t hosted a bandstand since 2019, will have both live performances and music documentary screenings.

Co-founded by Jimmy Lyons and Ralph J. Gleason in 1958, the now legendary event featured performers like Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie and Dave Brubeck. The festival influenced theMonterey International Pop Festival, also held at the fairgrounds in 1967, making it a de facto grandparent of today’s popular mega festivals likeOutside Landsin San Francisco and Southern California’s Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival.

Who’s performing?

This year’s lineup is so packed that artists who play earlier in the day could be headliners at the end of the night — and have been in prior years.

The 66th edition of the outdoor music festival includes headlining performances by festival veteran and legendary bandleader and composer Herbie Hancock; funky jazz bassist Thundercat; “quasi-collective” jazz fusion band Snarky Puppy; and jazz singers Dianne Reeves,Samara Joyand Jamie Cullum.

The complete lineup boasts more than 50 artists, including trumpeterTerence Blanchard, who is theincoming SFJazz executive artistic director, as well as acts such as Katie Thiroux Trio,Taylor EigstiGroup, Latin Jazz Collective with John Nava and more. View thefull lineup and event schedule here．

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Special guests and standout performances

One of this year’s MVPs is Beninese guitarist-vocalist Lionel Loueke, who is scheduled to appear in four different shows.

He will be a constant presence Friday on the Jimmy Lyons Stage, where he’ll be performing in Blanchard’s career retrospective (7 p.m.) and then with Hancock (8:45 p.m.). Earlier in the day, Loueke and vocalist/percussionist Gretchen Parlato are set to sing and play as a duo on the West End Stage (5:30 p.m.).

Loueke and flutist/vocalist Elena Pinderhughes, a Berkeley High School alumna who was a Monterey Jazz Festival Next Generation Jazz Orchestra member in 2012 and 2013, are also expected to present her commissioned five-part suite “A Diaspora Journey” on the Garden Stage at 3 p.m. Saturday.

The festival’s 2023 Showcase Artist John Scofield is a special guest with Scary Pockets, which puts the “fun” in funk, at 8:30 p.m. Friday on the West End Stage. He’ll lead his own Yankee Go Home band the next day (1:50 p.m. Saturday, Jimmy Lyons Stage) and close out the festival with a solo guitar performance (7:45 p.m. Sunday, Pacific Jazz Cafe, where the 2022 feature documentary “Inside Scofield” is scheduled to screen at noon Sunday).

Drummer Terri Lyne Carrington is scheduled to play New Standards at 1:50 p.m. Sunday, on the Jimmy Lyons Stage. It’s a project of compositions written by female musicians that’s been realized as both a physical songbook and a Grammy-winning album. She’ll then join activist/educator/writerAngela Davisand humanities/feminist scholar Gina Dent for the multimedia presentation “Music for Abolition” at the Pacific Jazz Cafe at 4:15 p.m. Sunday.

Younger and open-eared listeners will enjoy the electric big band Snarky Puppy (8:30 p.m. Saturday, Jimmy Lyons Stage) and bass guitar hero Thundercat, who had a stint asthe Modifier from “The Book of Boba Fett”(8:15 p.m. Sunday, Jimmy Lyons Stage).

A couple of late additions should also be appealing: Louis Cato, a multi-instrumentalist who currently leads “The Late Show Band” on CBS (12:30 p.m. Saturday, Jimmy Lyons Stage; 3:30 p.m. Saturday, West End Stage) and MC/pianist/drummer Cisco Swank (12:35 p.m. Sunday, West End Stage).

An Oakland native and return resident, trumpeterAmbrose Akinmusireis slated to debut this year’s commission piece, “Isakoso Ara,” which features Mali-born vocalist Oumou Sangaré (4:30 p.m. Saturday, Jimmy Lyons Stage). Sangaré has an extensive history with the festival, having been a member of its Next Generation Jazz Orchestra in 1999 and 2000 while attending Berkeley High School. He was also the Commission Artist in 2015 and gave the Northern California premiere of his ambitious “Origami Harvest” project in 2019.

SaxophonistLakecia Benjamin是一个启示在去年的节日,anchorin吗g the front line of the band along with two powerhouse vocalists, Dee Dee Bridgewater and Kurt Elling. She’s back for all three days, leading her own Phoenix group (8 p.m. Saturday, Garden Stage) and appearing as a special guest for two other performances. The Manhattan native is part of the Blanchard opening night celebration (7 p.m. Friday, Jimmy Lyons Stage) and, along with fellow alto player John Handy, is expected to perform with the Next Generation Jazz Orchestra directed by Gerald Clayton (12:30 p.m. Sunday, Jimmy Lyons Stage).

How do I get there?

Direct public transportation from the Bay Area to Monterey County is limited. From San Francisco, there’s a three-segment Amtrak option that takes about six hours, with one-way tickets starting at $50. Otherwise, it’s a drive or carpool situation to the South Bay, followed by a trip down Highway 17 to Highway 1 or Highway 101 to State Route 156 to Highway 1.

Paid parking is available at Monterey Peninsula College, about 1½ miles from the fairgrounds. Free shuttles run regularly to and from the festival, and the lot opens at 2:30 p.m. Friday, 10:30 a.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. Sunday.Parking can be purchased in advanceor on-site at a shuttle tent at the intersection of Via Lavandera and the Lot A bus stop.

Street parking near the fairgrounds is both limited and frequently restricted but can occasionally be found early in the day.

What kind of access do I get with my ticket?

An arena ticket includes either a seat to the Jimmy Lyons Stage or access to general admission lawn space. The grounds ticket is a non-arena general admission, with a few artists — including Scofield and Christian McBride — performing in both settings.

What’s the vibe?

Patrons tend to be serious jazz fans, with some proudly holding season tickets for generations. But there’s no attitude of exclusivity. If you love music and enjoy basking in the California sun, you’ll fit right in.

With roughly 6,400 attendees each day, the festival never feels overly crowded. Having its five stages all relatively in close proximity to each other also means you can navigate the fairgrounds with ease. There’s an immense satisfaction knowing that Miles Davis, Billie Holiday and, for Monterey Pop, Jimi Hendrix once walked and performed here.

What is the weather like?

With the festival’s proximity to the Monterey Bay, the weather can fluctuate considerably throughout the day. Both layered clothes and sun protection are recommended, as are comfortable walking shoes.

What are the food and drink options?

The food and drink booths that line the fairgrounds’ extensive walkway have become nearly as much of an attraction for veteran festival audience members as the music. Offerings from past years include barbecue, vegan fare, potato spirals, Asian and Pacific Islander dishes, Southern delights, and blended fruit juices.

The purveyors of coffee and hot chocolate are popular as the temperature drops, as are the adult beverage spots.

What happens after the festival?

Though there are no official festival-related after-hour events this year, visitors can check out the bars and pubs in downtown Monterey, Cannery Row and Old Fisherman's Wharf.

The de facto festival hang is at the Hyatt Regency Monterey Hotel and Spa on Del Monte Golf Course just down from the fairgrounds on Mark Thomas Drive. It’s where the festival artists stay, and they can often be found there socializing after hours and even sitting in with the house band.

What you can — and can’t — bring into the fest

In matching the safety standards of several other Northern California outdoor music concerts, chairs can no longer be brought into the festival grounds. Chair rentals will be available viaConCHAIRtoand can be preordered for $12 per day up through Monday, Sept. 18, and $20 per day afterward.

As of this year, only clear bags, clutches no larger than 4½ inches by 6½ inches with shoulder straps, and clutches with wrist straps will be allowed. Large opaque purses, backpacks, fanny packs, reusable shopping bags or binocular or camera cases are prohibited.

Outside food and drink are also not allowed into the fairgrounds, and a security search will be conducted upon entry. One non-breakable refillable or one sealed bottle of water is allowed per patron for free Pure Water refill stations.

The festival has gone cash-free this year, so bring a debit or credit card or electronic form of payment.

Yoshi Kato is a freelance writer who will be attending his 29th Monterey Jazz Festival.