The 27th Annual Englewood Jazz Festival, presented by Live the Spirit Residency, returns to Chicago’s historic Hamilton Park, 513 W. 72nd St., September 17–19.
This year’s festival celebrates the next generation of creative musicians while honoring the centennial legacies of Oscar Brown Jr., John Coltrane and Miles Davis. All music performed during the festival will be original compositions by the featured performers.
Founded in 1999 by acclaimed saxophonist and composer Ernest Dawkins, the Englewood Jazz Festival has become one of Chicago’s premier cultural events, serving as a vital platform for creative expression, artistic excellence, community engagement and cultural unity.
Through free performances, educational activities and intergenerational collaborations, the festival continues to showcase the rich tradition of jazz and Great Black Music while inspiring new generations of artists and audiences across Chicago.
“The Englewood Jazz Festival has always been about bringing people together through original music, honoring the masters who came before us while creating space for the next generation to find its own voice,” said Dawkins, the festival’s founder. “As we celebrate 27 years, we’re excited to welcome our community for a weekend that reflects the creativity, resilience and collective spirit that make Chicago one of the great jazz cities in the world.”
Dawkins is a saxophonist and composer whose life’s goal is for his music and compositions to reflect the evolving collective cultural memory of the African American jazz aesthetic.
His four decades of work as a professional artist, educator and community-based organizer are widely recognized for helping shape the contemporary cultural landscape of Chicago and beyond.
Dawkins is also the leader and founder of several ensembles, most notably the New Horizons Ensemble, Aesop Quartet, Chicago Trio, Live the Spirit Big Band and the Chicago 12. He has recorded numerous CDs, and his publishing company, Dawk Music, has released 17 recordings to date.
Festival Schedule
The weekend will feature performances by both jazz legends and next-generation artists. Events will take place indoors on September 17 and 18 and outdoors on September 19, rain or shine. In the event of inclement weather, Saturday’s programming will move indoors.
The festival begins Thursday with performances by Julius Tucker and the Live the Spirit Residency Expanded Ensemble.
Friday night will feature performances by Dawkins’ New Horizons Redux and Jeremiah Hunt.
On Saturday, the festival moves outdoors and will celebrate its Young Masters, along with performances by Maggie and Africa Brown, Dakarai Barclay, the New Continuum Ensemble led by Marquis Hill featuring Braxton Cook, and the Ryan Bills & Ben Crino Quartet.
As part of the festival, the annual Spirit of Jazz Awards will honor individuals whose work has helped shape and strengthen the foundation of jazz in Chicago. This year’s recipients will be announced separately.
Honoring Fannie Lou Hamer
One of the festival’s major highlights will be Dawkins’ new jazz work, “Fannie Lou Hamer: No One Could Contain Her,” a newly composed, large-scale piece originally presented as part of the 2026 International Jazz Festival Neighborhood Nights.
The powerful performance blends music and storytelling to honor Fannie Lou Hamer and celebrate her legacy as a fearless civil rights leader.
The work is brought to life by Dawkins’ ensemble, The Young Masters, alongside the Live the Spirit Residency Big Band—groups dedicated to mentoring emerging artists and sustaining Chicago’s rich jazz tradition.
The 2 Brown Sisters
The 2 Brown Sisters—Maggie Brown and Africa Brown—are an acclaimed Chicago vocal duo blending jazz, theater, storytelling and world music into vibrant and engaging performances.
The youngest daughters of legendary singer-songwriter Oscar Brown Jr., they continue their family’s tradition of “edutainment,” celebrating culture, history and humanity through song.
Their repertoire features fresh arrangements of Brown family classics alongside jazz standards, spoken word, Afro-Cuban rhythms, blues and original works.
About Live the Spirit Residency
Live the Spirit Residency is a nonprofit organization that produces the Englewood Jazz Festival.
The 27-year-old organization has the support of the Englewood community, including State Sen. Mattie Hunter, State Rep. Sonya Harper, The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation and the CityArts program of the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events.
The Englewood Jazz Festival is also supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, SEIU and Grow Greater Englewood.
Some seating will be provided, but attendees are encouraged to bring their own chairs, blankets and picnics—and an appetite for music that uplifts and transforms the human spirit.
For more information, visit englewoodjazzfestival.org or call (773) 789-4227.