L.A. has a new jazz mega-fest, from a former city councilman

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For decades, concert promoter Martin Ludlow has wondered why Los Angeles, a city rich in jazz history and talent, doesn’t have a major jazz festival like those in Montreal, New Orleans, or Montreux. These festivals take over entire cities, filling clubs, restaurants, and parks with music for days, and Ludlow questions why Los Angeles hasn’t created something similar.

The first-ever LA Jazz Festival is happening this August and aims to be a major event for the city. Organized by Ludlow, who combines his love of jazz with his experience in politics and labor, the month-long festival plans to host concerts throughout Los Angeles, finishing with a large show on Dockweiler Beach. Organizers hope to attract 250,000 attendees, making it one of the largest jazz festivals globally and the biggest Black-owned festival of its kind.

Ludlow explained that the festival honors the ancestors who came to this country as enslaved people and endured immense hardship and fear. It also celebrates the final dismantling of Jim Crow laws – the segregation that once barred people from things like public water fountains, pools, and beaches. From the start, the festival has been designed to share the story of the Jazz music’s roots in that fight for human rights.

Music

The popular jazz club, Blue Note, is expanding to the West Coast and will open on August 14th. Pianist Robert Glasper, a key artist for the club, will perform two shows every Thursday and Friday.

Standing with Mayor Karen Bass, City Council members Heather Hutt, Traci Park, and Tim McOsker, along with jazz musicians Ray Charles Jr. and Pete Escovedo, Ludlow announced an event designed to boost both L.A.’s local jazz community and the city’s recovering tourism industry. The jazz scene has recently seen positive changes, such as the opening of Blue Note L.A., but also mourned the loss of popular venues like ETA.

This festival aims to be as large and impactful as major upcoming events like the World Cup and the Olympics. The 25-day event in August will take place throughout the region, featuring free concerts in parks across all 15 city districts and 150 late-night performances at local clubs and restaurants. A Caribbean street fair celebrating the African and Latin American influences of jazz will be held in El Segundo, alongside tours of historically significant Black coastal landmarks like Bruce’s Beach and Inkwell Beach.

The festival will end with a two-day concert at Dockweiler Beach, aiming to attract 40,000 attendees each night. Organizers are still finalizing the artist lineup, but the festival has big goals – it will operate without using any fossil fuels and has received strong support from the California Coastal Commission. For many years, the Playboy Jazz Festival (now the Hollywood Bowl Jazz Festival) was the biggest jazz event in Los Angeles, but this new festival could be much larger.

Mayor Bass expressed her excitement at Wednesday’s festival launch event, saying, ‘I’ve worked with Martin on this for 15 years, and I’m thrilled it’s finally happening this year.’ She added that Los Angeles is ready to welcome visitors from around the globe, highlighting the city’s vibrant culture as a key attraction.

Music

L.A. jazz reeled when Highland Park’s ETA closed. There’s still great music, but clubs are nervous.

Mitchell Ludlow is a well-known figure in Los Angeles, having previously served as a city council member and held a leadership position with the L.A. County labor federation. He admitted to misusing funds in 2006, but has since become a community activist and successful event promoter. His company, Bridge Street, has organized concerts for major artists like Stevie Wonder, The Revolution, Sheila E., and Snoop Dogg, as well as public events such as the renaming of a street to Obama Boulevard.

Ludlow explained that pursuing this path comes with both exciting successes and difficult challenges. He emphasized the importance of supportive friends during tough times. He shared the stage Wednesday with many of those friends as they revealed what promises to be a major new jazz event for Los Angeles.

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2026-02-06 01:02