The four must-see music artists at this weekend’s Atlanta Jazz Festival 2023

It wouldn’t be spring in Atlanta without our jazz festival. Every year since 1978 (aside from the 2020 festival that was canceled due to the pandemic), the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs has staged one of the nation’s largest and most star-studded — and free – jazz festivals.

The Atlanta Jazz Festival 2023, scheduled for Saturday through Monday at Piedmont Park, will again feature some of the most notable and accomplished international jazz artists in the genre. 

Following the Atlanta Jazz Festival kick-off event on Friday night at Atlanta Symphony Hall with Russell Gunn’s The Blues and Its People, each day of the Festival will feature performances beginning at 1 p.m. 

Here are four sets you don’t want to miss:

David Sánchez, Saturday at 5 p.m.

Grammy award-winner David Sánchez is recognized around the world as one of the finest saxophonists of his generation, noted for his mastery of the instrument and unmistakable sound. His jazz is laden with Latin rhythms, and his music speaks of the traditions that make them such comfortable companions. 

Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis, Saturday at 9 p.m.

With the world-renowned Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and guest artists spanning genres and generations, Jazz at Lincoln Center produces thousands of performances, education, and broadcast events each season in its home in New York City and around the world. Under Music Director Wynton Marsalis, the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra performs a vast repertoire, from rare historic compositions to commissioned works, including compositions and arrangements by Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Fletcher Henderson, Thelonious Monk, Mary Lou Williams, Dizzy Gillespie, Benny Goodman and Charles Mingus.

Stanley Clarke N 4 Ever, Sunday at 9 p.m.

Four-time Grammy winner Stanley Clarke has attained “living legend” status during his more than 50-year career as a bass virtuoso. He doubles on acoustic and electric bass with equal ferocity and is the first jazz-fusion bassist ever to headline tours, selling out shows worldwide. A veteran with more than 40 albums, he won the 2011 Best Contemporary Jazz Album Grammy Award for The Stanley Clarke Band. Clarke co-founded the seminal fusion group Return to Forever with Chick Corea and Lenny White. 

James Francies Trio, Monday 3 p.m.

The New York Times called James Francies “a pianist with liquid dynamism in his touch.” The Houston native released his debut CD, Flight, for the legendary Blue Note Records and was recently named one of “8 Artists You Should Know” by the website Revive Music. At only 23, he’s played with jazz headliners Pat Metheny, Marcus Miller, Chris Potter, Jeff “Tain” Watts, Stefon Harris, Eric Harland and Terrace Martin, and compiled equally impressive credits in hip-hop and R&B.

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Mike Shaw is a jazz pianist who has performed for decades in New Orleans and Atlanta. He is the author of the novel The Musician. He is the founder of Shade Communications, a marketing company.