Earshot Jazz Festival Returns To Seattle With 38th Year Celebrating Jazz Legends And New Voices

Seattle’s jazz scene will take center stage this fall as the Earshot Jazz Festival returns for its 38th year, bringing nearly three weeks of performances, premieres, workshops and films to more than a dozen venues across the city.

Running Oct. 7 through Oct. 25, the 2026 festival will bring together internationally acclaimed musicians, emerging artists and some of the Pacific Northwest’s leading jazz voices. This year’s festival also arrives during a milestone year for the music, celebrating the centennials of jazz icons John Coltrane and Miles Davis while exploring how their influence continues to shape new generations of musicians.

Among the festival’s marquee events is an Oct. 10 performance featuring Branford Marsalis and Dianne Reeves celebrating Coltrane. The lineup also includes Gary Bartz, Meshell Ndegeocello, Julian Lage, Kiefer, Warren Wolf, Sasha Berliner, Christian Sands, Dos Santos and other nationally and internationally recognized performers.

Seattle and regional artists will have a prominent place throughout the festival as well, with performances and projects featuring Sidney Hauser, Ahamefule Oluo, Ted Poor, Jun Iida, Carmen Staaf, Marina Albero, D’Vonne Lewis, Skerik and others.

The combination reflects a philosophy that has helped define Earshot Jazz for nearly four decades: honoring the history and Black American roots of jazz while creating opportunities for artists who are expanding the music in new directions.

Earshot Jazz describes its mission as ensuring jazz continues to thrive as a major American contribution to global culture, recognizing the music as a vital Black American art form through live performances, artist advocacy and community engagement.

The Earshot Jazz Festival traces its beginnings to 1989, when a group of Seattle jazz advocates expanded their work from documenting the local music scene to presenting live performances. The inaugural festival featured Don Lanphere, Roadside Attraction and the Total Experience Gospel Choir.

What began as a local celebration has since grown into one of Seattle’s signature fall music events, spanning multiple weeks and venues ranging from intimate clubs to theaters and other cultural spaces throughout the city.

The festival’s history also reflects the resilience of Seattle’s jazz community. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Earshot shifted the festival to a fully virtual format before eventually bringing audiences and musicians back together for live performances.

This year, the organization is using the centennials of Coltrane and Davis as an opportunity to examine both jazz history and its continuing evolution.

Born in 1926, Davis became one of the most transformative musicians in jazz history, repeatedly reinventing his sound and influencing generations of musicians. After working alongside artists including Charlie Parker and Thelonious Monk, Davis went on to lead ensembles that featured musicians such as Coltrane, Cannonball Adderley, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter and Keith Jarrett.

His landmark 1959 album, Kind of Blue, became one of jazz’s defining recordings, while projects including Birth of the Cool and Bitches Brew reflected his willingness to push the music into new territory. By the late 1960s, Davis was helping lead jazz into its electric era, expanding the possibilities of improvisational music and influencing artists well beyond traditional jazz.

Coltrane’s legacy receives particular attention during the opening weekend. In addition to the Marsalis and Reeves performance, JazzReach will present a John Coltrane master class Oct. 11, connecting the saxophonist’s musical legacy with the festival’s educational mission.

Education and exploration extend throughout the festival. Workshops include sessions with composer and drummer John Hollenbeck and with Christian Sands and Warren Wolf. Film programming includes screenings of Ken Burns’ Jazz, Icons Among Us and a selection presented through Northwest Film Forum.

The festival also provides a platform for new work from Seattle musicians. Ahamefule Oluo will host a listening party Oct. 14 before returning Oct. 23 for an album-release performance featuring D’Vonne Lewis, Marina Christopher, Josh Rawlings, Izaak Mills, Skerik and SoulChilde. Other local and regional highlights include the Sidney Hauser Band, Jun Iida, Carmen Staaf and the Freddy Fuego Big Band.

The closing stretch illustrates the musical range Earshot has cultivated over the years, moving between experimental and contemporary jazz, large ensembles, intimate performances and music that draws connections between jazz and other traditions. The festival concludes Oct. 25 with Skerik presenting a program centered on the music and legacy of Charles Mingus.

With nearly three weeks of programming, the 2026 Earshot Jazz Festival is both a celebration of the artists who helped build the music and a showcase for those determining where it goes next. From the centennial legacies of Davis and Coltrane to Seattle musicians creating new work today, the festival continues a tradition that began nearly four decades ago: bringing different generations of jazz together while keeping Seattle connected to an art form rooted in Black American history and culture.

The 38th annual Earshot Jazz Festival runs Oct. 7-25 at venues throughout Seattle. The complete schedule, venue information and ticket details are available through Earshot Jazz.