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Orlando Jazz Festival Debuts at Mennello Museum with Chief Adjuah and Terrace Martin
Orlando’s jazz scene is about to get loud — in the right way.
The inaugural Orlando Jazz Festival, presented by the Orlando Jazz Collective, takes place March 21, 2026, taking over the lawn at the Mennello Museum of American Art for a day of contemporary jazz, culture, and community.
This is modern lineage.
Terrace Martin — producer, saxophonist, and architect of modern West Coast jazz-hip-hop fusion — has worked with Kendrick Lamar, Snoop Dogg, Stevie Wonder, and Charlie Wilson.
Chief Adjuah has pushed contemporary jazz into Afro-futurist territory through collaborations with Prince, Erykah Badu, and Esperanza Spalding, helping redefine what jazz can sound like.
Across multiple ticketed sessions, those headliners will be paired with regional and local artists including Ryan Devlin and Gerald Law II & The Clutch, alongside national names like Leesburg’s own Theo Croker, Butcher Brown, Braxton Cook, Elena Pinderhughes, and more — spanning jazz, soul, hip-hop, Afro-futurism, and experimental sound.
“We’ve spent years building jazz experiences in Orlando, and this festival feels like the natural next step,” said Jerry Jasmin, president of the Orlando Jazz Collective. “It brings nationally recognized artists together with local voices in a way that feels intentional, accessible, and true to the community.”
The setting matters.
The lakeside lawn at the Mennello — sculpture garden on one side, skyline in the distance — becomes more than a venue for the festival. It becomes proof of concept.
Beyond the stage, the festival will also feature local vendors, food trucks, and interactive activations across the Mennello lawn, creating a full day of music, art, and community around the performances.
Serious contemporary jazz conversations have centered around New York, New Orleans, and Los Angeles for years. Bringing artists of this caliber to Orlando — not as a one-off club date, but as the foundation of a festival — signals something different. It suggests a city confident enough to host future-leaning, globally respected musicians in an intentional, community-centered setting.
An inaugural festival doesn’t usually begin at this altitude.
That’s pivotal for the city.
Festivals don’t just reflect culture, they shape it. And this one is a statement. It places Orlando in the ongoing conversation about where contemporary jazz — and the broader Black American musical tradition — is headed next.
Not bad for a weekend.
Tickets start at $65, with VIP, reserved, and general admission options available.
Tickets are available via TickPick.
Pulp City readers can get $10 off with code PULPCITYMAG.
Tickets: https://www.tickpick.com/organizer/event/orlando-jazz-festival-31788491?referrer=pulpcity
Mike Synan
News | Sports | Politics
- After two decades in news and politics, Mike Synan is returning to his roots to write Sports as “The Sportsaholic”. Mike hosted a talk show for 6 years on WDBO after Magic home games called “Magic Til Midnight”, and spent years working as an in-game correspondent for both ESPN and Fox Sports Radio. His column “Synan Says” has appeared on both www.wdbo.com and www.floridadaily.com. He has a BS in Political Science from Clemson University. You can reach him at msynan@sportsmail.com
