Legend among stars at Napa jazz festival
Soul, hip-hop and R&B stars John Legend, Jill Scott and André 3000 are set to headline the Black Radio Experience presented by the Blue Note Jazz Festival in Napa this summer.
Scheduled to take place at the Meritage Resort and Spa from Aug. 30-Sept. 1, the three-day Wine Country concert is a rebranded, scaled-down version of Blue Note Jazz Festival Napa, which was curated by Grammy-winning pianist, producer and songwriter Robert Glasper and first launched in Northern California in 2022.
The Black Radio Experience is once again curated by Glasper and features around 30 musical acts and comedians across three stages. The lineup includes Nile Rodgers & Chic, Andra Day, Ledisi, Common, Pete Rock, Marcus Miller, Cimafunk, Tank and the Bangas, Madlib, DJ Jazzy Jeff and Christian McBride, among others.
Notably absent is Dave Chappelle, who hosted the first two years of the festival. During both multiday concerts, the controversial comedian joined Glasper onstage, repeatedly defying Napa Valley’s strict 10 p.m. curfew for outdoor events and cussing out local authorities.
Oakland native and former KMEL radio personality Sway Calloway is slated to serve as the emcee for this year’s event.
In 2023, the Blue Note Jazz Festival Napa attracted approximately 7,000 attendees to the Silverado Resort in Napa, while the inaugural event at the historic Charles Krug Winery in St. Helena drew 6,000. Glasper and Blue Note organizers said they decided to stage this year’s outdoor concert in a more intimate setting to foster a closer
The Black Radio Experience: Aug. 30-Sept. 1. Hotel and ticket packages start at $2,250 per person. Meritage Resort and Spa, 875 Bordeaux Way, Napa. www.bluenotejazz.com/blackradio-experience
connection between the artists and their fans.
The event boasts gourmet food and wine experiences, pool parties and on-site afterparties featuring many of the performers on the bill. Hosted during the Labor Day weekend, Blue Note is offering a variety of hotel and VIP ticket packages via www.bluenote jazz.com.
The Black Radio Experience is an extension of the Blue Note Napa jazz club, which opened in 2016 as an offshoot of the original Blue Note Jazz Club in New York’s Greenwich Village. It is distinct from the Blue Note record label.
The Blue Note Jazz Festival, a staple of the New York City summer concert calendar, is hosted at various venues in June.
Reach Aidin Vaziri: avaziri@sfchronicle.com