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André 3000 gets top billing in Atlanta Jazz Festival

The legendary musician will bring his ‘New Blue Sun’ live show to Piedmont Park on May 27.
André 3000 performed the first of his six "New Blue Sun" shows at Variety Playhouse on Feb. 27, 2024. Photo credit: Tiffany Powell

Credit: Courtesy photo, Tiffany Powell

Credit: Courtesy photo, Tiffany Powell

André 3000 performed the first of his six "New Blue Sun" shows at Variety Playhouse on Feb. 27, 2024. Photo credit: Tiffany Powell
By
Updated May 20, 2024

If you missed André 3000 in Atlanta earlier this year, don’t worry — he is bringing his flutes to the 47th Annual Atlanta Jazz Festival.

The Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs released the schedule back in March for this year’s fest, which takes place in Piedmont Park from Saturday through Memorial Day. Andre will perform his album “New Blue Sun” live at 7 p.m. Monday, May 27.

ExploreReview: Andre 3000′s ‘New Blue Sun’ is less about soul and all about peace

Though he’s not a headliner, the draw of seeing one-half of OutKast for free on Memorial Day has the potential to bring in a big crowd, especially for folks who missed out on his recent marathon of live shows in the city. Mayor Andre Dickens revealed the lineup in a video, sharing his excitement for the latest edition of one the country’s largest free jazz festivals.

Soul jazz supergroup Something Else!, Grammy-winning sax and clarinetist Paquito D’Rivera and Georgia’s own Lizz Wright will headline this year’s festival. Executive director for the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs, Camille Russell Love, said that each day of the festival will carry a different theme.

“We invite you to experience an eclectic mix of jazz by national artists on Saturday, explore the global sounds of some of the world’s best international artists on Sunday, and discover the latest music from notable Atlanta musicians on Monday,” Love said in a statement.

Leading up to the festival, Dickens said the city plans on hosting 31 days of jazz-related events throughout metro Atlanta. That programming kicked off May 1, and includes a concert celebrating the 50th anniversary of WCLK 921.9 with Lil John Roberts on May 24 at Atlanta Symphony Hall. There will also be a late-night jazz concert featuring composer Lauren Henderson the following night at Park Tavern. Tickets for those two events will be available at atljazzfest.com.

Here is the full schedule for performances at the free Atlanta Jazz Festival at Piedmont Park.

Saturday, May 25

1 p.m. New Jazz Underground

3 p.m. Sullivan Fortner

5 p.m. Butcher Brown

7 p.m. Cécile McLorin Salvant

9 p.m. Something Else!

Sunday, May 26

1 p.m. OKAN

5 p.m Jacques Schwarz-Bart

7 p.m. OLATUJA

9 p.m. Paquito D’Rivera

Monday, May 27

1 p.m. Justice Michael & The Passage

3 p.m. KELS

5 p.m. Groove Centric

7 p.m. André 3000: New Blue Sun LIVE

9 p.m. Lizz Wright

About the Author

Gavin Godfrey is an editor and Team Lead for UATL, the AJC's Black culture franchise. He's an award-winning writer and editor from Atlanta who's covered everything from OutKast to the water boys. Before joining the AJC, Gavin worked for Capital B Atlanta, CNN, and Creative Loafing.

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