Old Sacramento’s new jazz fest honors a rich music tradition this Saturday
Live jazz music is set to return to Old Sacramento on Saturday as A-List Party Experience, a regional entertainment group, debuts its inaugural Capital City Jazz Festival at the Old Sacramento State Historic Park, 111 I St.
The free, all-day event runs from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and features a lineup that includes Agape Soul, Nagual, and the Harley White Jr. Quartet. Headlining the festival is saxophonist Jeff Ryan and Friends.
A-List, better known as APEX, previously hosted jazz events in Elk Grove, drawing hundreds of attendees with a shared passion for the genre. The organization now aims to expand its reach into Sacramento proper.
“We are bringing live music, live jazz, worldwide, artists to the Sacramento region,” said Michael Craft, APEX’s director of talent and vending. “That’s what we want to continue to do, whether it’s in Sacramento, in Elk Grove, or any other place in this region.”
Why is it free?
To encourage attendance and reestablish Sacramento as a destination for live jazz, APEX partnered with Sacramento City Councilmember Phil Pluckebaum, whose district includes Old Sacramento.
“We’re going to do a free festival so people can get an idea that it is back,” Craft said. “Get it back on the map and then we’re going to go from here.”
Craft said he hopes to make the Capital City Jazz Festival an annual tradition.
“We’re just hoping that the growth and the popularity continues and we can make this a huge thing in Sacramento.”
The event will also include food vendors and a wine and beer garden. Attendees are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and blankets.
“It’s going to be a walk-up event,” Craft said. “So people can come out and enjoy themselves. It’ll be an incredible time. We’re bringing jazz back to Sacramento, back to Old Sacramento.”
Why jazz specifically?
Jazz has deep roots in Sacramento, particularly in the West End — a historically interracial neighborhood located between the State Capitol and the Sacramento River, known for its vibrant jazz and blues culture from the 1930s through the 1960s.
“Jazz is enjoyed all over the world,” Craft said. “And with Sacramento having such a storied history... we’re just excited to keep the tradition going.”
That tradition includes past performances in Sacramento by legends such as Miles Davis, Wes Montgomery, and Duke Ellington.
Remembering the Jubilee
The Capital City Jazz Festival marks a new chapter in the city’s music legacy, following the demise of the Old Sacramento Dixieland Jazz Jubilee — later rebranded as the Sacramento Music Festival. First held in 1974, the festival once drew more than 85,000 attendees each Memorial Day weekend at its peak in the 1980s.
Organized by the Sacramento Traditional Jazz Society, the festival struggled in later years to maintain attendance and funding. Despite efforts to broaden its musical scope and attract younger audiences, the event was canceled in 2017 amid persistent financial shortfalls.
By the time of its final show, the festival had reduced its footprint and returned to its jazz roots, but it was too late to reverse years of decline.
Now, eight years on, Craft sees the Capital City Jazz Festival as a revival of that tradition — one shaped for a new generation of listeners.
“It’s important from a historical perspective,” he said.
Free tickets are available through Eventbrite, though registration is not required to attend.
This story was originally published May 22, 2025 at 3:36 PM.
