The 46th Annual Tri-C JazzFest Cleveland, presented by KeyBank, is June 26 - 28, 2025.

The lineup for the 46th annual Tri-C JazzFest Cleveland, presented by KeyBank, promises to be an eclectic mix of cultures and styles. Special tributes include a swinging centennial nod to Oscar Peterson, featuring the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra and Benny Green, and an homage to the enduring duo of Chick Corea and Gary Burton with Taylor Eigsti and Christian Tamburr. The festival shows its abiding respect for the wide spectrum of jazz tradition with the Sun Ra Arkestra - a pioneer of Afrofuturism - combining swing, free jazz, bebop, chanting and dancing. Global musicians include Pedrito Martinez, a leading percussionist in Cuban rumba; the quintessential singer of our time, Dianne Reeves, in a rare duo with Brazilian guitarist Romero Lubambo; and South African vocalist Jonathan Butler, with stirring messages of freedom and unity. Add to it the mastery of Kirk Whalum, Dominick Farinacci, Stanley Clarke and the highly energetic New Orleans funk master himself, Trombone Shorty, and you have a journey full of interesting stops and a lot of great music.

Schedule of Events:

2:00 pm: Dominick Farinacci and Friends-Taylor Eigsti and Christian Tamburr Celebrate Chick Corea and Gary Burton - Mimi Ohio Theatre

One show, two acts:
- Dominick Farinacci and Friends
- Taylor Eigsti and Christian Tamburr Celebrate Chick Corea and Gary Burton

No matter where Dominick Farinacci goes, he credits the jazz veterans of Cleveland, who welcomed him on their bandstands and gave him a solid foundation for swing, ballads and taste.

On June 28, Farinacci will celebrate Cleveland's saxophone dynasty with Ernie Krivda, Howie Smith and Ken LeeGrand, whose unique voices and commitment to education have helped shape the sound of the Cleveland music community for more than 50 years. The concert will also highlight the next generation of young artists from Cleveland: bassist Jordan McBride, drummer Gabe Jones and percussionist Patrick Graney. Special guests include vocalist Shenel Johns, pianist Richard Johnson and vibraphonist Christian Tamburr, who have toured with Farinacci for several years.

The second half of the program will pay tribute to the decades-long partnership of Chick Corea and Gary Burton, with Taylor Eigsti and Christian Tamburr.

Two-time Grammy Award-winning pianist and composer Taylor Eigsti started playing the piano when he was 4 years old. Eigsti was quickly labeled a prodigy and has since released nine albums as a bandleader, in addition to appearing on over 80 albums as a sideman.

Christian Tamburr is an internationally acclaimed vibraphonist, pianist, composer and arranger. A five-time Downbeat Magazine "Critics Choice Top Rising Star" on vibraphone, he leads the Christian Tamburr Quintet, appearing at venues like Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center and the Newport Jazz Festival.

This concert is sponsored by Scott Balogh.

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5:30 pm: Dianne Reeves with Romero Lubambo - Mimi Ohio Theatre

Five-time Grammy winner Dianne Reeves is the world's preeminent jazz vocalist. As a result of her virtuosity, improvisational prowess and unique jazz and RandB stylings, Reeves received the Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Performance for three consecutive recordings - a Grammy first in any vocal category. Reeves has performed with Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Berlin Philharmonic. She was the first creative chair for jazz for the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the first vocalist to ever perform at the famed Walt Disney Concert Hall. Featured in George Clooney's Academy Award-nominated Good Night, and Good Luck, Reeves won the Best Jazz Vocal Grammy for the film's soundtrack. In 2022, Reeves was the featured vocalist on the soundtrack of The Woman King, starring Viola Davis. Reeves has been designated a Jazz Master by the National Endowment for the Arts.

In 1985, Romero Lubambo came to the United States and brought with him a new sound in Brazilian jazz guitar. Romero's guitar playing unites the styles and rhythms of his native Brazilian musical heritage with his fluency in the American jazz tradition to form a distinctive new sound.

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7:00 pm: Kirk Whalum-Jonathan Butler - Margot Copeland Smooth Jazz Night - Connor Palace Theatre

One show, two acts:
- Kirk Whalum
- Jonathan Butler

Kirk Whalum
For nearly four decades, Grammy-winning saxophonist Kirk Whalum has helped define "cool," whether blazing trails in contemporary jazz or infusing hits by Luther Vandross or Whitney Houston with an extra jolt of soul. Whalum has more than 25 albums under his own name, including a Grammy-nominated collaboration with pianist Bob James, his faith-and-soul-melding Gospel According to Jazz series, and a trio of albums with the supergroup BWB, alongside guitarist Norman Brown and trumpeter Rick Braun. That's in addition to his work alongside such legends as Barbra Streisand, Quincy Jones, Al Jarreau and Larry Carlton.

Jonathan Butler
In a time when artists of optimism are at a premium, Jonathan Butler is a shining example of purposeful excellence. From recording local hits as a teenager during the apartheid of South Africa, Butler went on to become a world-renowned singer, guitarist and songwriter, delivering soulful salvos of RandB, gospel, jazz and pop. Touring professionally by age seven, Butler's first single, "Please Stay," was the first by a Black artist to be played on white radio in segregated South Africa. It won a Sarie Award, the country's equivalent to a Grammy. Committed to conveying stirring messages of freedom and unity through his music, Butler became a national icon. Nelson Mandela told Butler that listening to his music had helped him endure time in prison.

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9:30 pm: Pedrito Martinez Group - Mimi Ohio Theatre

Pedro Pablo "Pedrito" Martinez, born and raised in Havana, Cuba, began his musical career at age 11. After moving to New York City in 1998, Martinez became a sought-after artist, collaborating with Wynton Marsalis, Eddie Palmieri, Paul Simon and Sting, among others. He has contributed to over 100 albums. He is known worldwide for his mastery of the batá drum and is a leading figure in Cuban rumba.

Martinez was a founding member of Yerba Buena, an Afro-Cuban-Afrobeat band that gained international success in the 1990s. His career as a leader began in 2005 with the formation of the Pedrito Martinez Group. The group's first self-titled studio album was nominated for a Grammy and was among NPR's Favorite Albums of 2013 and The Boston Globe's Top 10 Albums of 2013.

"Pedrito is a genius … working with him has been a revelation to me." - Wynton Marsalis

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