Herbie Hancock, Masego and other dazzling headliners at this year's Atlanta Jazz Festival

One of the longest-running free music festivals, the Atlanta Jazz Festival, is back in person with an incredible lineup. The three-day festival takes place at Piedmont Park over Memorial Day weekend. Headliners include the jazz giant Herbie Hancock, emerging saxophone star Masego and some of Atlanta’s great jazz artists. To talk more about the lineup, “City Lights” host Lois Reitzes was joined via Zoom by Camille Russell Love, executive director of the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs, and Atlanta-based jazz pianist Joe Alterman, who will perform at the festival. 

The Atlanta Jazz Festival has a reputation for securing dazzling international headliners, but it always throws some love back to its local music scene. “We always look to see if there are legends like Mr. Hancock who are available and willing to come and present at our festival,” said Love, “And then we try to create a mix of what I would consider to be emerging jazz musicians who have a national reputation … We don’t have to look very far from Atlanta.” Many of the acts are Atlanta-based or -born, like saxophonist Kebbi Williams and vocalists Kathleen Bertrand and Julie Dexter. Though now based in Los Angeles, another Georgia native on the bill is Naia Izumi, whose 2018 NPR Tiny Desk Concert endeared her to a worldwide jazz and soul-loving audience. 

Venturing further afield, the Atlanta Jazz Festival will bring in New Orleans-based husband-and-wife team The Baylor Project, as well as the Paris-born, Chicago-transplanted, self-described “beat scientist” Makaya McCraven. On Saturday, Puerto Rican jazz piano legend Eddie Palmieri brings his blend of salsa and Afro-Caribbean jazz to the stage with a seven-piece backing ensemble.