Free concert for Sacramento jazz fans this Saturday at Cesar Chavez Plaza
A lineup of top jazz artists are performing for free May 14 at Cesar Chavez Plaza in Sacramento.
With an estimated 5,000 attendees, the Open Air Jazz Festival is a concert looking to bring all Sacramento communities together and celebrate the universal language of music.
The free event will happen at 910 I Street, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Jay King, president and CEO of the California Black Chamber of Commerce, said he wanted to make the concert free because he wanted to ensure that people could attend without any barriers.
Its purpose is to increase community outreach at the California Black Chamber of Commerce Foundation, and to develop an expanded cultural strategy as they look to be connectors and conduits in the community.
King said this event is to further the city’s reputation as a hub of diversity and cultural consciousness.
“One of our initiatives is to make a more connected community. Not a more connected Black community or white community or Asian community, but for the Sacramento community all together,” said King.
King, who won a Grammy award in 1987 with Sacramento R&B group Club Nouveau, said it will be a “beautiful afternoon” filled with musical sounds and jazz luminaries “bringing communities together”.
“We recognize music is a universal language that speaks to everyone in different ways and it doesn’t matter what color you are,” King said. “It’s really a bridger of gaps in people’s lives, their thinking and sometimes even how they interact with each other.”
The festival will be a showcase of local and regional talent, such as Joe Leavy, Shawn Raiford, Greg Chambers, O’dell Ross, Lucky Witherspoon, Cal Bennett, Anthony King, Taj, and The All-Star Band featuring Derek ‘DOA’ Allen.
The concert will be headlined by Niki Haris, who is best known as a backup vocalist for Madonna on multiple tours and albums from 1987 to 2001.
Some of the partners for the free festival are Highlands Community Charter School, the NAACP, City of Sacramento, SMUD, DoorDash, and Lyft, among others.
The Open Air Jazz Festival was conceptualized based on King’s association with leading jazz instrumentalists throughout the past decade. He said he desired to give Sacramento residents a reason to celebrate post COVID-19.
Vendors are also free for the concert, and business owners are encouraged to inquire with the California Black Chamber of Commerce at 916-467-8878 if they are interested in a space.
This story was originally published May 11, 2022 at 2:00 PM.