RECAP: Atlanta Jazz Festival Reigns Supreme for Memorial Day Weekend 2026
- Mikey Smith
- May 28
- 3 min read
The free festival celebrates its 49th year in between the raindrops at Piedmont Park
As we inch closer towards the second half of the year, Atlanta begins its extremely active festival season. Piedmont Park has recently become the home for our rock-oriented fest Shaky Knees, the rap, R&B, and soul-based OneMusicFest, and the now-defunct genre potluck of Music Midtown. However, fans of all of these sounds can enjoy and experience them for free at the famous Atlanta Jazz Festival.
This past weekend, ATL was treated to the 49th annual celebration of the timeless sound of jazz music and even through some treacherous weather, the radiating talent of the performers from across the globe made it the top music event of Memorial Day weekend.
Saturday featured some modern jazz music favorites including acclaimed bassist Christian McBride with his band Ursa Major, groundbreaking poet Aja Monet, and the remarkable drummer Nate Smith. Particular favorites from the day amongst attendees were blues newcomer Buddy Red and headlining legendary saxophonist Kamasi Washington. Red, who is the son of ATL rapper T.I., was lauded for his performance that paid tribute to the legends of the genre who came before him. Much of the buzz I overheard around the fest hypothesized that Red would someday be placed into the conversation with those greats.
A personal favorite, Kamasi Washington, closed out Day 1 with his captivating sound and electrifying skills on the saxophone. Famous for his work with artists such as Kendrick Lamar, Childish Gambino, and St. Vincent, the West Coast Get Down and Dinner Party member brought the fire at his Jazz Fest set. He wasn’t alone, though, joined by his standard band including his flautist father, Rickey Washington. The most impressive factor of the younger Washington’s show was the emotion he contributed. For those unaware, jazz recently lost the fantastic trombonist Ryan Porter earlier this May. This was the first show that Kamasi Washington played since his live collaborator and WCGD colleague passed. Without missing a beat, the show had a special feeling to it seeing the saxophonist still give it his all in this time of grief.
Day 2 continued the superstardom seen in the introduction for the festival with opening sets from Cleveland P. Jones, Myron McKinley Trio, and Donnie’s return to performing with his early 00’s record The Colored Section. Once the sun began to set, Piedmont Park was treated to the serenades of Esperanza Spalding. The Grammy-award winning bassist opened the door to her musical world with a relaxing yet engaging nature. Her passionate performance was a triumph for those in attendance.
Undoubtedly, the highlight of the weekend was the legendary set from The Roots. Introduced by Mayor Andre Dickens as “the best live band of all time,” the jazz-rap group prevailed beyond the incoming storm to give the free show of a lifetime. Fronted by the incomparable MC Tariq Trotter, aka Black Thought, each member of the band did not disappoint. Whether it’s Questlove’s hypnotizing drumming or the commanding brass of Tuba Gooding Jr., you couldn’t take your eyes off of any part of the show. Whatever words I could come up to describe the talents of these musicians would not do them the justice they deserve. The weekend-long rain did not stand a chance against the attention-demanding, culturally-crucial sound of The Roots.
Unfortunately, the thunderstorms did hinder the set times on Day 3. Still, the day wasn’t without the talents from artists such as PJ Morton, Cody Matlock, and Destin Conrad. For the festival to maintain their “Rain or Shine” policy throughout these tumultuous and unpredictable weather conditions, the crew managed the crowds and performances quite well. I imagine this surely wasn’t what was anticipated from the organizers, but it was a remarkable feat to make the festival remain such a blast amidst the storms.
If you have never been to the Atlanta Jazz Festival, definitely make sure to stop through next year for their 50th anniversary. Seeing the incredible performances and attendance from their 49th year, we are certainly in for a treat at next year’s momentous celebration of art in our city.
Article and photos by Mikey Smith. Please credit @mts2.photo or @art.seen.atl if reposting on social media.
