We are coming up on jazz season in South Florida, when the typically fertile programming this time of year (thank you, snowbirds) will include the third Miami edition of the famed Montreux Jazz Festival, the 10th annual GroundUP Music Festival and a powerful visit from seven-time Grammy-winning trumpeter and composer Terence Blanchard.
Here is a chronological look at those three gatherings, followed by a quick list of other places to hear jazz and jazz-adjacent music in the next couple of months.
Terence Blanchard
A trumpeter and composer of rare intuition and inspiration, Blanchard will perform Feb. 20 in Miami as part of the Arsht Center for the Performing Arts’ acclaimed Jazz Roots series, returning to his iconic Malcolm X Jazz Suite with his band, The E-Collective, and two-time Grammy-winning Turtle Island Quartet. Created after he wrote the score for the 1992 Spike Lee biopic “Malcolm X,” Blanchard has over the years updated and expanded the suite, performed here as part of the ongoing centennial celebration of the slain civil rights icon. Visit ArshtCenter.org.
Montreux Jazz Festival Miami
Taking place at The Hangar in Coconut Grove and the Miami Beach Bandshell from Feb. 25-March 1, this third edition of the festival has grown by two nights to accommodate a lineup led by the multitalented Jon Batiste and Trombone Shorty’s New Orleans Celebration (which includes PJ Morton of Maroon 5 and Tank of Tank and the Bangas), Nile Rodgers & Chic, Toto, Bomba Estéreo, Makaya McCraven and more. The festival will open on Feb. 25 with the Miles Davis Centennial concert, featuring the Miles Electric Band, led by his nephew and longtime collaborator Vince Wilburn Jr., and the Kind of Blue Acoustic Band revisiting one of the most influential jazz albums of all time. Visit MontreuxJazzFestivalMiami.com.
GroundUP Music Festival
The 10th edition of the festival, founded in 2017 by Miami arts veteran Paul Lehr and Michael League, bandleader of Brooklyn-based jazz explorers Snarky Puppy, will happen at the waterfront Miami Beach Bandshell on March 13-15. Along with Snarky Puppy, which is performing all three nights, the always eclectic lineup will include Flying Lotus, Arooj Aftab, Bilal, Rickie Lee Jones, Isaiah Sharkey, Julian Lage, Patrice Rushen, Varijashree Venugopal and more. Visit GroundupMusicFestival.com. Pro tip: Get a head start on March 12, when Nu Deco Ensemble comes to the Miami Beach Bandshell, joined by the remarkable vocals of Arooj Aftab and Varijashree Venugopal for an evening that will include a commissioned work by Michael League, a reimagined orchestral suite of The Beach Boys, and Steve Reich’s minimalist masterpiece “The Four Sections.” Visit Nu-Deco.org.
All that other jazz
Here are 17 more recommendations (in 10-word tips) for live jazz over the next couple of months, from West Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale to Miami.
Diego Melgar: Dynamic guitarist-composer at one of area’s hidden music gems. Jan. 31, Lagniappe House, Miami. LagniappeHouse.com
Glenn Miller Orchestra: A swinging night of greatest hits from 18+ musicians, singers. Feb. 1, The Parker, Fort Lauderdale. ParkerPlayhouse.com
Diego Figueiredo: Jazz guitar great with Nestor Torres, Shelly Berg, Sammy Figueroa. Feb. 4, Broward Center for the Performing Arts, Fort Lauderdale. BrowardCenter.org
Michael Feinstein and the Carnegie Hall Big Band: Swinging show tunes from charismatic singer-pianist and iconic band. Feb. 4, Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, West Palm Beach. Kravis.org
Faena Theater Jazz Series: Grammy-winning opener Catherine Russell backed David Bowie, Steely Dan. Feb. 4-June 24, Faena Theater, Miami Beach. FaenaTheater.com
Oigovision Superjam: Electric Kif, Lemon City Trio, Oigo, others hosted by Smurphio. Feb. 19, Miami Beach Bandshell. MiamiBeachBandshell.com
Rhythm by the River: Reggae, rock, but also Nina Simone tribute Ladies of Simone. Feb. 22, Esplanade Park, Fort Lauderdale. BrowardCenter.org
Chris Botti: Grammy-winning trumpet player is a longtime South Florida favorite. Feb. 23, Kravis Center, West Palm Beach. Kravis.org
Postmodern Jukebox: Jazzily reimagined modern pop opens Festival of the Arts Boca. Feb. 27, Mizner Park Amphitheater, Boca Raton. FestivalBoca.org
Pink Martini: Genre-defying orchestra returns, led by the incomparable Storm Large. March 3, Kravis Center, West Palm Beach. Kravis.org
Karrin Allyson: Gold Coast Jazz hosts five-time Grammy-nominated vocalist-pianist. March 11, Broward Center, Fort Lauderdale. BrowardCenter.org
Pat Metheny: Revered guitarist, friend of Jaco, releasing new album Feb. 27. March 12-13, The Parker, Fort Lauderdale. ParkerPlayhouse.com
Joe Giblin / AP
Guitarist Pat Metheny will play two nights at The Parker in Fort Lauderdale. (Joe Giblin/AP file)
Yusa and Friends: Havana-raised singer, extraordinary guitarist plays Global Cuba Fest 2026. March 21, Miami Beach Bandshell. MiamiLightProject.com
Bill Charlap and Brandon Goldberg: Jazz piano master and rising star unite in musical “conversation.” March 22, Aventura Arts & Cultural Center. AventuraCenter.org
Michael Kaeshammer: Pianist, singer, composer shares from eclectic album “Turn It Up.” March 25, Broward Center, Fort Lauderdale. BrowardCenter.org
Nicole Henry: Stylish chanteuse, Miami-based, is a perennial South Florida fave. April 3-4, Kravis Center, West Palm Beach. Kravis.org
Walter Smith III Trio: Saxophonist’s Blue Note album “Twio, Vol. 2” due March 6. April 4, Arts Garage, Delray Beach. ArtsGarage.org
Nicole Henry/Courtesy
Nicole Henry will perform at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts in West Palm Beach in April. (Nicole Henry/Courtesy)
Staff writer Ben Crandell can be reached at bcrandell@sunsentinel.com. Follow on IG: @BenCrandell.