The Richmond Jazz and Music Festival is the area’s premiere annual celebration of Black American music. Renamed a few years ago to reflect the reality that the center of gravity was more modern R&B than jazz, which has become vestigial even in the event’s branding — it draws a good crowd every year to an idyllic Maymont setting.
In its 14th iteration since 2010 (it lost two festivals during COVID) there are some substantial changes this year, even if the core appeal remains the same.
“I think something that everyone is going to enjoy is the change in the format,” says festival spokesperson Frances Burruss. “In years past, we’ve had the Virginia is for Lovers stage near the entrance and the Dominion Energy stage across the hilltop a fair hike away. This year they will be much closer, reducing the length you have to travel through the August heat. And we are alternating performances, with no overlapping sets. Everyone will get the chance to see every artist.”
More shade, alternating stages
Attending the Festival used to require charting a course through the acts, sometimes seeing the beginning of one before heading to another. The path inevitably led through a gauntlet of temptations: food trucks, drinks and vendor stalls. Sometimes the sun was brutal. The most crowded area at Dominion Stage was often a wide shade tree a hundred yards up the nearby hill.
Also the trek inevitably took time. Then again, not every act is to every taste. The logistical advantage is that alternating stages reduces the time waiting for the next act to set up.
“There will be plenty of shady spaces this year,” Burruss says. “I think a lot of people love to get close to the performers. But there are a lot of people — and I am one — who just want to hear the music. And if you position yourself just right, you can hear everything on both stages without having to move at all.”
The compression has not cost the traditional amenities.
“There will still be the meet and greet, with artists selling their merch there. There will be plenty of exhibitors nearby, and of course we will have various food vendors throughout the park,” Burruss explains. “And there will be bars, the cigar lounge, and some other pretty cool activations. There will be a lot going on. It is going to feel more intimate, but it will give people the ability to see more a lot more easily.”
A mix of old and new
Festival headliners like T.I., CeeLo Green, Jodeci, have careers that stretch back to the late 20th century, reflected in the target audience which tends toward middle class and middle aged. But the organizers spend a lot of time searching for up-and-coming talent to include.
Kenneth Johnson, the founder of the festival as well as the CEO and founder of local marketing agency JMI, leads a small team devoted to curating new artists.
“They spend a lot of time all year long listening to new music or performers who’ve been around for a long time but have something new to say,” Burruss says. “He’s built a lot of relationships over the years as well, working with all of these artists and their management companies and so … he’s able to find what’s fresh. In addition, we have those good old standards everybody wants to see, and [who] happen to be touring at the time the festival comes around.” She names Hot Like Mars from Chicago and Masego, from the Tidewater area, as two that are particularly exciting.
But it’s not just the music. The secret to the festival is that over the years it has become something of a homecoming for a particular RJMF community. There is an effort to maintain a winning mixture of familiarity and surprise.
“Every year there are surprises that I am not aware of until I get onsite,” Burruss says. So what might happen this year? “People need to get those tickets and come find out.”
One other change. The music starts a bit later than previous years. The first act starts at 2 p.m. The lineup is backloaded to the bigger draws, but some of the best music happens early, with local bands like Shera Shi and talented saxophonist Charles Owens.
My advice: Come early … and bring two chairs to stake out a good place on both stages.
The Richmond Jazz and Music Festival takes place from Friday, Aug. 8 through Sunday, Aug. 10. The Friday “Homegrown at the Hipp” takes place at the Hippodrome on Second Street with doors at 6 p.m. Tickets are $50. The main festival Saturday and Sunday advance tickets are $145 per day or $250 for both days.
Corrections: A description of the previous two main stages in an early version of this story was removed, the stages are the same size this year; and Burruss spelling was updated.
