It’s a fact that jazz is one of the most understated and overpowering art forms that the United States - and specifically, Black Americans - has ever produced. Music that is GUARANTEED to make you feel something, no matter your background or where you’re from. Anda that’s true wherever it takes hold. 

 

So matching the fluid and expansive spirit that jazz posesses, I was en route to Montclair, New Jersey on a pleasant spring evening to attend the cocktail reception for Jazz House Kids and the announcement of the 2026 edition of the illustrious Montclair Jazz Festival. That meant balancing in the vestibule of a NJ Transit train with dozens of weary rush-hour commuters eager to get home, and stepping off the station at Glen Ridge into the early evening sunset.

 

I was fortunate to get the chance to attend thanks to my dear friend and comrade-in-pen, Ande Richards who is the Managing Producer, Diversity of Voices at NJ.com. (Be sure to check out her articles there.) As the cocktails and hors d’oeuvres flowed, the crowd was treated to the grooves delivered by some students from Jazz House Kids. The air was festive as Dr. Renee Baskerville, Mayor of Montclair stepped up to the microphone to deliver her congratulations along with other esteemed guests who expressed their pride in the work of Jazz House Kids’s programs. Mayor Baskerville also spoke about how the organization and the festival reflected the spirit of Montclair's diversity - a significant point, as she is the first woman and African-American to be elected as mayor.

 

That set the stage for the founder and president of Jazz House Kids, Melissa Walker, to get on the microphone alongside her husband, 11-time Grammy Award-winning bassist Christian McBride. McBride also serves as artistic director of the organization. They shared the officiallineup for this year’s Montclair Jazz Festival, complete with the news of their partnership withthe Smithsonian Institution and its Of The People: Smithsonian Festival of Festivals.

 

The Smithsonian Festival of Festivals is an expansion of their annual folklife festival, teaming up with other festivals and events throughout the United States from March to November to reimagine them as spaces for civic engagement as the nation celebrates its 250th anniversary. Those attending the Montclair Jazz Festival will be able to stop by the Smithsonian’s tent and share their stories on what being an American means to them.For Walker, that opportunity is particularly important given the current political climate. “There are people in this country, who have something to talk about, whose voices we’re going to listen to that day,” she stated to the audience who applauded heavily in agreement.

 

That led to her and McBride making the announcement of the stellar lineup for the festival, which will be held at the historic Lackwanna Station on Saturday, August 15. The artists set to appear throughout the day are Dianne Reeves; the Christian McBride Big Band with Bilal; Patrice Rushen; Spanish Harlem Orchestra; and Take Me to the River New Orleans All Stars featuring Cyril Neville. Alphonso Horne and The Gotham Kings will also be peforming, setting Bloomfield Avenue ablaze as they make their way down the street.The Montclair Jazz Festival is now in its 17th year, and has become a key component of the city as much as Jazz House Kids has been. Leaving the event, with programs and a special cookie in hand, you could feel the joy and the pride throughout the space and in the spirits of everyone who attended. And I’m not going to lie, I look forward to the festival and the organization being around for decades to come.

 

For more information about buying tickets to the Montclair Jazz Festival, visit their website.