Rosslyn Jazz Fest 2018

• Saturday, Sep 8, 2018 1-7 p.m.

WEATHER UPDATE: Rosslyn Jazz Fest continues rain or shine. If weather conditions become dangerous, an announcement will be made from the stage to take cover in adjacent parking garage. If the dangerous weather causes the event to be canceled, we will also post the announcement on this page and on our social media channels, @RosslynVA. 

For the past 28 years, the Rosslyn Jazz Fest has taken over all of the three-acre, urban Gateway Park. Last year, this much-anticipated annual event drew more than 10,000 music fans to the park for a day of dynamic, free performances. Come to hear live music performed by some of the biggest names in jazz and world music today. Plus, enjoy several bar areas serving wine and beer, as well as a variety of favorite local food trucks.

Although fun, Jazz Fest is crowded and results in several street closures. If you can walk, bike or take public transportation, we recommend it! To find out about street closures associated with Jazz Fest, click here. To learn about available parking, click here. Note that limited event parking is available at Atlantic Parking, located at 1911 N. Fort Myer Dr. for a flate rate of $5. Then entrance to this garage is on N. Moore St.

SPECIAL: To celebrate Jazz Fest, the restaurants listed below will offer a 15% discount off the total bill to anyone who uses the code “ROSSLYN RETAIL” any time on Saturday, September 8.

• Barley Mac
• Ben’s Chili Bowl
• cityhouse
• Continental Beer Garden
• Continental Pool Lounge
• Heavy Seas Alehouse
• Jimmy John’s
• Key Bridge Terrace
• Nando’s PERi-PERi
• Piola

PLAYLIST: Check out our Spotify Playlist for a sample of this year's lineup!

ARLINGTON ART TRUCK: Be sure to visit the Arlington Art Truck, which will be parked in Gateway Park throughout the festival. The art truck will feature Arlington Abstracted, Marc Pekala's show of retro Arlington signage that will help you learn interesting facts about the county's cultural, social and retail history. You'll also be able to create your own abstractions, similar to the artist's style of work, using 2"x2" pieces of the signs.

2018 Jazz Fest Performers 

5:30PM: Cory Henry & The Funk Apostles

NPR calls him “a master,” and says his “musical charisma is a match for a nearly 400 pound [Hammond B-3] organ.” This two-time Grammy award-winning artist whips up an intoxicating blend of blues, soul, R&B, Afrobeat, gospel and jazz, blurring genres and upending expectations at every turn. Simultaneously futuristic and retro, experimental and classic, his sound is one of modern music’s most inventive minds coming fully into his own as a bandleader and storyteller. Along with his band, The Funk Apostles, Henry will release a debut album, “Art of Love,” this fall.

3:45PM: Orquesta Akokán

Listening to Orquesta Akokán, you can't help but feel the spirits of Cuba's musical giants radiating from the speakers. The arrangements carry the exquisite beauty, pathos and playfulness of the renowned dance orchestras of the 1940s and 1950s, evoking the ghosts of Arsenio Rodriguez, Perez Prado and Beny Moré. Yet, there’s something unequivocally fresh about it, too: saxophone sections playing montunos where you’d imagine a piano; an angelic, swinging flute you’d expect in a charanga recording; sones (vocal improvisations that have the seasoned flow and cadence of mid-1970s “salsa dura” singers); and, of course, the appearance of the inimitable César “Pupy” Pedroso on piano. Somehow this synthesis of musical grammar and compositional styles, of Havana and New York, of old and new, makes perfect sense.

2:20PM: True Loves

“The True Loves are simply one of the best bands in Seattle,” says John Richards of KEXP Seattle. “It's the soundtrack to that car chase you've always wanted to be in.” The eight-piece instrumental soul group got their start in the summer of 2015. In January 2017, the True Loves recorded their debut instrumental album ‘Famous Last Words,’ which was released in July of the same year. The Rosslyn Jazz Fest will be the group's East Coast debut fresh off performances in support of Valerie June and the Flaming Lips at the 2018 Upstream Music Festival.

1PM: Aztec Sun

Aztec Sun’s infectious songwriting, rhythmic versatility and energetic performances have landed them a spot on Washington City Paper's coveted "best of" list, being named Best Local Original Band in 2016 and 2017 (runner-up). Aztec Sun got their start at D.C.’s One World Studios as a Funk-Rock four-piece outfit assembled after a Craigslist ad and quickly became a go-to band for live events, house parties and bars throughout Washington, D.C. Over time, band member departures and new arrivals saw Aztec Sun evolve into a larger group modeled in the funk and soul traditions—with horns, group singing, coordinated outfits and synchronized dance moves. Today, Aztec Sun performs with a collective mindset, drawing a parallel between the communal nature of music and the community that has grown around the band.