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JAZZ FESTIVAL: SPRING 2023


18th Annual Muck JazzFest: Spring 2023
Every Thursday, May 11 - June 15

Eclectic, cutting-edge, and contemporary—join us for The Muck’s Jazz Festival in Spring of 2023.

*Individual tickets for Poncho Sanchez on 6/15 are sold out. The only way to catch this performance is to buy a Jazz Pass or Golden Ticket.

Ticket Information:
$35/Performance*
$150/Jazz Season Pass

Season Pass includes six live Jazz concerts - every Thursday May 11th-June 15th.

*No member discounts available
All concerts take place in our outdoor amphitheater.


2023 Season Lineup:

CSUF Jazz Orchestra with Femi Knight, Rodolfo Zuniga, and Bill Cunliffe
May 11 @7:30pm
Costa Rican jazz drummer Rodolfo Zuniga and featured vocalist Femi Knight are joined by the Fullerton Jazz Orchestra under the direction of Bill Cunliffe for an energetic program of contemporary, latin, and traditional jazz.


Roy McCurdy Quintet
May 18 @7:30pm
Roy McCurdy is a living legend, having worked with some of the greatest artists in jazz including Sonny Rollins, Cannonball Adderley, Nancy Wilson, Art Farmer, and Benny Golson. Roy is a devoted teacher on the faculty of the Thornton School of Music at USC and the Pasadena School of Music.


New West Guitars
May 25 @7:30pm
New West Guitars have developed a reputation as one of the premier jazz guitar ensembles in the world. Featuring guitarists Perry Smith, John Storie, and Will Brahm, they perform exciting originals, jazz standards and popular covers. Their signature sound comes from an innovative style that highlights rhythm, beauty, and virtuosity through combining acoustic and electric guitars.


Tribute to Ray Brown with John B. Williams
Jun 1 @7:30pm
Iconic bassist John B. Williams has performed and/or recorded with Horace Silver, Hugh Masekela, Dizzy Gillespie, Kenny Burrell, Jon Hendricks, Jimmy Smith, Sir Roland Hanna, Benny Carter, Louie Bellson, Freddie Hubbard, Count Basie, Louis Armstrong, and many others. Williams was the house bassist for late night TV icons Johnny Carson and Arsenio Hall and was a member of the Nancy Wilson Trio for 25 years.


Ernie Watts Quartet
Jun 8 @7:30pm
Over his 50-plus-year career, two-time Grammy winner Ernie Watts has recorded and/or toured with the Rolling Stones, Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross, Steely Dan, Frank Zappa, Elton John, Pat Metheny, and James Brown. A versatile player, Jazz has always been his focus. This performance will feature original pieces by Watts and and his band members along with Jazz classics.


Poncho Sanchez - SOLD OUT!
Jun 15 @7:30pm
For more than three decades, conguero Poncho Sanchez has stirred up a fiery stew of straightahead jazz, gritty soul music, and infectious melodies and rhythms from a variety of Latin American and South American sources. Sanchez’s reimagining of the jazz canon, as well as his own spirited original compositions, affirms his place at the forefront of Latin Jazz’s trailblazers.


Jazz Festival Producers: Jeff Sotzing and Bill Cunliffe

Venue Info:

• All JazzFest performances are held in the outdoor amphitheater.
• Concert tickets are will-call style, so there are no physical tickets. If you bought your ticket online or over the phone, simply show up and give us the name you used for your purchase.
• A beer and wine bar will be available.
• Concert-goers may bring their own food and drinks to enjoy in the outdoor amphitheater.
• Parking is FREE in The Muck lot.

Click here for more information on visiting The Muck.


Earlier Event: May 7
SILK ROAD UNITY FESTIVAL
Later Event: May 13
Plein Air Paint-Out!