The third annual Houston Summer Jazz Festival kicks off Thursday at the Wortham Center, and this year’s lineup features both local talent and bands from around the world.
Summer Jazz was founded by the organizing company DaCamera back in 2020 in an effort to broaden Houston’s interest in jazz. DaCamera's director of marketing, Leo Boucher, said that DaCamera hoped to liven up Houston's interest in the genre by bringing world-class performers to the city for a three day celebration.
“We thought it would be a great opportunity to bring new and Houston-favorite artists to Houston,” Boucher said. “We wanted to try to expand our program from single performances to more of a festival format, so people could see three concerts and related free events in the same weekend. And the audience definitely responded.”
The festivities kick off Thursday night with a free performance by Houston raised vibraphonist Jalen Baker and his quartet, followed by the three-time Grammy Award winning Salsa and Latin jazz band The Spanish Harlem Orchestra.
The celebration will continue Friday with the first ever Houston appearance of award-winning vocalist and songwriter Gretchen Parlato, and wrap up on Saturday with the global troupe Mwenso and the Shakes. Summer Jazz has implemented a ‘Pay What You Can' system that allows Houstonians to pay as little as $10 to participate in the festivities.