The 19th Annual New Mexico Jazz Festival continues through September 28, 2025, bringing an impressive lineup of world-class jazz, Latin, blues, and spoken-word performances to Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and Taos.
On Thursday, September 11, Brazilian vocalist Claudia Villela and accordionist Vitor Gonçalves perform in Albuquerque, followed by a second appearance in Santa Fe at Unit “B” by Chocolate Maven on Friday, September 12. That same Friday, multi-instrumentalist and composer Fred Frith takes the stage at the Outpost in Albuquerque. He then extends his reach to Santa Fe with performances at Entropy Gallery on September 13 and 14.
Saturday, September 13, also features Blues Night on Civic Plaza in Albuquerque, a free outdoor event headlined by Grammy-nominated vocalist Shemekia Copeland. Supporting acts include The Pleasure Pilots and harmonica player Russ Green, making for one of the festival’s most anticipated community gatherings.
The festival’s third week brings several standout performances to the Lensic Performing Arts Center in Santa Fe. On Thursday, September 18, the Grammy-winning Billy Childs Quartet takes the stage. Friday, September 19, features the influential guitarist John Scofield and his Combo 73. Saturday, September 20, highlights legendary NEA Jazz Master vocalist Dianne Reeves, joined by an all-star quintet including John Beasley, Romero Lubambo, Reuben Rogers, and Terreon Gully. That same day, poet A.B. Spellman will read from his new book at Collected Works Bookstore in Santa Fe. The weekend closes on Sunday, September 21, with “Passion for Bach & Coltrane,” an ambitious program featuring Imani Winds, Harlem Quartet, the Alex Brown–Edward Perez–Neal Smith Trio, and Spellman as orator.
Later performances at the Outpost include bassist and composer Linda May Han Oh with her project “The Glass Hours” on September 23, followed by saxophonist David Sánchez and his Pan-African inspired project “Carib” on September 24. Drummer Nate Smith brings his band for two shows on September 25, while Barry Altschul’s 3Dom Factor with Joe Fonda and Jon Irabagon appears earlier in the week on September 16. The grand finale takes place on Sunday, September 28, with a performance by vocalist Carmen Lundy.
The festival also extends to Taos, with a highlight being David Sánchez’s “Carib” concert at the Taos Center for the Arts on Thursday, September 25.
Presented by the Outpost Performance Space in partnership with the Lensic Performing Arts Center, the New Mexico Jazz Festival continues to showcase an extraordinary mix of jazz masters, Latin ensembles, blues icons, and spoken-word artists across multiple cities. Tickets and complete details are available at outpostspace.org, newmexicojazzfestival.org, or lensic.org for Santa Fe performances.
