Second Annual Nashville Jazz Fest Brings Big Talent, Crowds

At 3rd and Lindsley for Nashville Jazz Festival, 10/24/2026
Photo: Claire Steele

Over the weekend, Nashville jazz fans got the chance to enjoy the type of concentrated musical treats that occur every year at places like Newport, Montreux or Monterey. It was the second annual Nashville Jazz Festival, presented Saturday and Sunday at 3rd and Lindsley by the Nashville Jazz Workshop, and it mirrored its predecessor as both an artistic and commercial success.

There were 10 performances in total, and each night the site was packed. More than $80,000 was raised to aid the cause of jazz education, and WMOT (the Murfreesboro public radio station that was long a 24/7 jazz station before changing formats to Americana in 2016) aired the two closing sets on the second night live. The festival also offered an opportunity to sample the broad array of styles and influences that top artists — not only from Nashville but across the nation and around the world — seamlessly incorporate under the banner of jazz and improvisational fare.

The global component was evident from the opening night. Giovanni Rodriguez and 12 Manos featured musicians with roots in Latin America, the Dominican Republic and Cuba. Their set ranged from adaptations of a Miles Davis classic to a version of Al Green’s “Let’s Stay Together” and back to a Cuban folk song. They set the stage for something characteristic of each group’s outing: ambitious and wide-ranging efforts that continuously merged or crossed idiomatic boundaries, while providing examples of excellent ensemble and dynamic individual performances.

Dara Starr Tucker at 3rd and Lindsley for Nashville Jazz Festival, 10/24/2026
Photo: Claire Steele

There were the multilayered, thoughtful original pieces played by the Sofia Goodman Septet. Vocalist Dara Starr Tucker blended evocative gospel numbers alongside new pieces that are coming in her next Green Hill LP, which she mentioned was being cut right here in Nashville. The Day Drinkers (with singer Tyler Jaeger) and the Vanderbilt Student Brass Band provided energetic examples of big-band swing and traditional New Orleans jazz during their sets.

The festival also had its share of spotlight moments from individual headliners. The festival’s artistic director Jeff Coffin teamed with another multi-instrumental marvel in fellow saxophonist Bill Evans. Their combo Super Nova (with drummer Keith Carlock) closed out the first night with a selection of cutting-edge, sprawling originals that nicely retained a groove-based foundation while giving both musicians ample space for fiery solos.

Bill Evans (right) and Jeff Coffin Super Nova feat. Keith Carlock at 3rd and Lindsley for Nashville Jazz Festival, 10/24/2026
Photo: Claire Steele

Coffin seemed to be everywhere throughout the two nights. He sat in with multiple groups while also serving as an adviser and cheerleader for the Student Brass Band. He represented the epitome of a great jazzman’s ability to simultaneously look backward and forward in vision and scope. The same can be said of such versatile players as trombonist Roy Agee and saxophonist Don Aliquo, who were standouts in multiple contexts throughout the weekend.

Second night maestros David Williford, Rod McGaha, Chester Thompson and Kirk Whalum also exemplified the event’s ongoing themes of idiomatic diversity and stylistic flair. Williford’s music had both intensity and elegance, while McGaha excelled with spirited trumpet solos and great use of electronic gear that spotlighted his overall mastery of the instrument.

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Talking with host Kirk Whalum ahead of the virtual fundraising event

Thompson consistently showcased the rhythmic mastery that’s been his trademark for decades, heading a group that one minute did exacting Brazilian tunes and the next engaging mainstream jazz. Whalum closed the festival with a freewheeling array of material that included gospel and soul covers, a masterful tribute to Memphis-born living sax legend Charles Lloyd (which paired Whalum with Coffin), and a moving closing sequence that celebrated Whalum’s longtime marriage and professional evolution. He has long been a major figure in not only jazz, but popular music across the board.

Prior to the inaugural Nashville Jazz Festival last year, Music City hadn’t had a large-scale celebration of jazz quite like it since the 1960s. Based on the enthusiastic response sustained through this second year, it’s hard not to be excited at what the future might bring for the festival.