Seattle is swinging this October. The 38th Annual Earshot Jazz Festival takes over the city from October 7 through October 25, filling more than a dozen venues with concerts, premieres, workshops, and listening parties that celebrate one of the city’s most vibrant art forms.
This year’s edition arrives with a very special theme: the 100th birthdays of two immortal giants, John Coltrane and Miles Davis. The festival honors their towering legacies while putting the spotlight on the artists shaping jazz today and tomorrow, from beloved Pacific Northwest talent to internationally acclaimed masters.
Highlights include JazzReach’s Metta Quintet in “Coltrane and Miles at 100” (October 7–8), a heartfelt celebration of John Coltrane led by Branford Marsalis and Dianne Reeves (October 10), and an evening with the Sidney Hauser Big Little Band paired with a book release honoring Jackson Street’s historic after-hours scene (October 9). More than two weeks of music, community, and discovery await, with plenty of free and ticketed events across the city.
Presented by Earshot Jazz, a Seattle nonprofit dedicated to honoring jazz as a vital Black American art form, the festival has grown since 1989 into one of the region’s signature cultural celebrations. If you’ve ever wanted to fall in love with live jazz — or simply celebrate it again — this is your moment.
Photo: Earshot Jazz
