By Lookout Staff
April 30, 2026 -- The inaugural Santa Monica International Jazz Festival -- which celebrates the Centennials of jazz giants Miles Davis and John Coltrane -- kicks off this weekend with a free community concert on the Promenade Sunday.
The concert takes place from 1 to 7 p.m. and features performances by bassist Billy Mohler, magnetic KNOWER frontwoman Genevieve Artadi, and pianist/vocalist Elijah Fox.
Billed as "a new force for the celebration and advancement of jazz," the festival -- which runs from May 1 to 9 -- is the brainchild of "visionary jazz legend" Stanley Clarke, organizers said.
The Jazz Festival is a partnership between BroadStage, SM Festivals, and the city of Santa Monica that brings to life the shared vision of Clarke and BroadStage to restore premier live music to the “City by the Sea.”
The main event is a ticketed concert on Saturday, May 9 at Tongva Park from 1 to 7 p.m., with food, drinks and performances by Stanley Clarke and Friends featuring Keifer and Kenyon Harrold.
Also performing is Grammy-winning saxophonist and bandleader Kamasi Washington, who has played with Miles Davis alumni Wayne Shorter and Herbie Hancock and was the winner of the 1999 John Coltrane Music Competition.
Other performers include the Miles Electric Band, a progressive All-Star ensemble featuring Miles Davis alumni; KNOWER, the electronic jazz-funk duo composed of Louis Cole and Genevieve Artadi, and Sam Smylie.
Clarke -- who has been the artist in residence at Broadstage since 2023 -- was the bassist and founding member of the iconic fusion band Return to Forever with Chick Corea, one of Miles Davis' legendary keyboardists.
He has played with such jazz greats as Pharoah Sanders, Tony Williams, Stan Getz, Dexter Gordon, Art Blakey and Gil Evens, who arranged three of Miles Davis' iconic orchestral recordings.
The Santa Monica International Jazz Festival is the first of a number of scheduled events expected to "bring an unprecedented level of local, regional and national attention" to the beach city, officials said.
The events, which include tie-ins to the FIFA World Cup this summer and the 2028 Summer Olympics, are "expected to generate significant economic opportunity and growth while creating engaging public spaces for the community and visitors."
The events are part of the City's Realignment Plan to bring back Santa Monica's struggling economy, which includes making street improvements in Santa Monica's commercial districts and boosting public safety in the Downtown and beach.
“We bet big on ourselves and it’s already paying off,” Mayor Caroline Torosis said. “We’re making history this summer with a lineup of events, activations and partnerships that this community has not seen before.
"It's no exaggeration to say that this summer, Santa Monica is the place to be in Southern California,” Torosis said.
For more information on the Santa Monica International Jazz Festival click here