The Clifford Brown Jazz Festival returns to Rodney Square in downtown Wilmington, Delaware, to celebrate its 35th year from June 15 to 18, 2022. This year’s headliners include , , , , and . The 2022 jazz festival mainstage performances will take place Wednesday through Friday beginning at 5 p.m. and on Saturday starting at 12 noon with Regina Carter performing at 1 p.m. The festival will be co-hosted by special guest Clifford Brown Jr. To mark this momentous anniversary, the entire week will be dedicated to live music and art. Pre-festival events will be held June 12, 13, and 14 and late-night Jam Sessions will take place June 15 thru 18 from 10 p.m. until 1 a.m. at various locations. For a full festival line-up and more information, please visit .
Pre-festival events will begin on Sunday, June 12 at 4 p.m. with the Best of Duke Ellington’s Sacred Concerts featuring Derrick Thompson, Choral Director, and Gerald Chavis, Big Band Director. The “pay as you wish†concert will be presented at the Episcopal Church of Saints Andrew and Matthew, 819 Shipley Street. On Monday, June 13 there will be a screening of Don Glanden’s film Brownie Speaks A Video Documentary: The Life, Music, and Legacy of Clifford Brown at Theatre N, 1007 North Orange Street, beginning at 6 p.m. and concluding with a panel discussion including Clifford Brown Jr. and members of the Brown family. Register for the concert and the film at . Seating for the Ellington Concert and the Clifford Brown documentary will be offered first to those who pre-registered.
Activities will continue on Tuesday, June 14, with a Jazz Art Exhibit and Live Music Reception hosted by the , 10 East 10th Street, from 6 to 9 p.m.
All pre-festival activities and the mainstage performances are FREE to attend and open to the public, making it the largest free jazz festival on the East Coast. All ages are welcome to attend, and guests should be sure to bring lawn chairs or blankets for seating. Rodney Square will be lined with food trucks and vendors throughout the festival week, and guests should be sure to pick up this year’s festival t-shirt featuring the “35th Annual Clifford Brown Jazz Festival†logo, designed by local artist Jarret Harris (a.k.a. PosixArt). All festival announcements and updates can be found on the  and on the Facebook page @Cliffordbrownjazzfest.
The Clifford Brown Jazz Festival is an annual tribute to the late jazz trumpeter and Wilmingtonian , who was born in 1930 on the east side of the City. Also known as ‘Brownie,’ he died in 1956 at the age of 25 in a car accident on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, leaving behind only a few years’ worth of recordings. However, Brown’s short life and limited work has had a considerable influence on later jazz trumpet players such as Arturo Sandoval, Donald Byrd, Lee Morgan, Booker Little, and Freddie Hubbard. Two of Brown’s compositions, “Joy Spring” and “Daahoud,” have become jazz standards.
The festival is FREE to enjoy, but donations to , a 501c3 non-profit, are encouraged. Donations can be made on the Cityfest, Inc., website  or by check payable to Cityfest, Inc., 800 North French Street, Wilmington, DE 19801 Attn: Tina Betz, President.
The Clifford Brown Jazz Festival is presented by Cityfest, Inc., and the City of Wilmington with generous support from WRTI 90.1 FM, The Kenny Family Foundation, Delmarva Power, An Exelon Company, Gerald Chavis Music, The Christina Cultural Arts Center, Greater Wilmington Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Westin, Hyatt Place, Sheraton Suites, The Doubletree, Hotel DuPont, Le Cavalier, Nomad Bar, Wilmington Public Library, The Episcopal Church of Sts. Andrew and Matthew, Downtown Visions, and Theatre N.
