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5th Annual Montco Jazz Fest Again Includes Local Venues

5th Annual Montco Jazz Fest Hosts Include Local Venues

KING OF PRUSSIA PA – The Montco Jazz Fest observes its fifth anniversary this year, and will celebrate Montgomery County’s “rich legacy of jazz” in style, the Valley Forge Tourism and Convention Board promises!

As they have in the past, locations in Pottstown, Collegeville, Trappe, Norristown, and King of Prussia will serve as stages for some of the Montco Jazz Fest talents. Additionally, several of its performances are free to attend.

Its six days of live music, community events, and performances include commemorations of the 100th birthdays of jazz legends Miles Davis and John Coltrane. The festival runs from Tuesday through Sunday (Sept. 15-20, 2026) at a variety of venues across the county.

The jazz fest kicks off with an outdoor concert that’s free to attend and open to the public. Performing will be the Larry McKenna Jazz Orchestra, featuring Joanna Pascale.

It is scheduled for Tuesday (Sept. 15) from 6-8 p.m. at Whites Road Park, 400 Whites Rd., Lansdale. For maximum comfort, the tourism board suggests those attending bring a blanket or lawn chair for personal seating beneath the stars.

Top photo from Getty Images on Unsplash+, used under license
Montco Jazz Fest graphic provided by the Valley Forge Tourism and Convention Board

Celebrated Musicians and Rising Talents

The board also reports Pascale, a Grammy-nominated and acclaimed jazz artist, is taking an active role in helping to curate Montco Jazz Fest performances. This year’s festival, it says, “brings together celebrated musicians and rising talent for a week that honors the past, while celebrating the future, of jazz.”

The spotlight also will shine on the talents of Tony Bennett, and other legendary artists whose music continues to inspire generations. Montco Jazz Fest venues range from intimate listening rooms to vibrant community venues, the board says, so “audiences can experience an exciting lineup of performances in diverse locations.”

Here’s the six-day line-up of Montco Jazz Fest talent.

On Sept. 15 (Tuesday)

  • The Larry McKenna Jazz Orchestra, featuring Joanna Pascale, 6-8 p.m., free to attend; held at Whites Road Park, 400 Whites Rd., Lansdale.
  • The V. Shayne Frederick Trio, 6:30-9:30 p.m., free to attend; held at Eddie V’s Prime Seafood, 670 W. DeKalb Pk., King of Prussia PA.
Pottstown, Other Local Venues Again Part of Annual Montco Jazz Fest

On Sept. 16 (Wednesday)

  • The West Chester University Criterions Jazz Ensemble, starts at 6:30 p.m. (doors open at 5:30 p.m.), free to attend; celebrating 100 years of the Criterions, the longest running band of its kind in the United States, directed by Jonathan Ragonese; held at Rivet: Canteen & Assembly, 238 E. High St., Pottstown PA.
  • “Vocalist Lucas Beltran Celebrates Tony Bennett at 100,” starts at 7 p.m., free to attend; “Beltran is a 20-year-old Peruvian jazz vocalist based in Philadelphia, emerging as one of the genre’s exciting new voices;” held at the Montgomery Township Community and Recreation Center, 1030 Horsham Rd., Montgomeryville PA.
  • Movie: “Jazz on a Summer’s Day,” starts at 7 p.m., ticketed; a special screening of film from the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival in Rhode Island, featuring Louis Armstrong, Thelonius Monk, Gerry Mulligan, Anita O’Day, Chuck Berry, Dinah Washington, and Mahalia Jackson; held at The Ambler Theater, 108 E. Butler Ave., Ambler PA.
  • The Alex Bartlett Trio, 7-9 p.m., no cover charge, at Human Robot, 208-210 York Rd., Jenkintown PA.
  • The Vibe Trio, 6:30-9:30 p.m., no cover charge; held at Eddie V’s Prime Seafood, 670 W. DeKalb Pk., King of Prussia PA.

On Sept. 17 (Thursday)

  • “Montco Jazz Festival’s Annual Swing Social with Chelsea Reed and the Fair Weather Nine,” 6-7 p.m. free swing dance lesson taught by Kate Holden and Mike McDermott; 7-9 p.m., free music and dancing; featuring Philadelphia-based jazz vocalist, arranger, composer, and bandleader Chelsea Reed leading the Fair Weather Band; held at Hotel West and Main, 46 Fayette St., Conshohocken PA.
  • Singer-songwriter Brandon Moulden, 6-8 p.m., free to attend; a Philadelphia-based “song stylist and poet rooted in the jazz idiom, soul influence, and pop sounds of old and new;” held at King of Prussia Town Center, 155 Village Dr. Ste. 100, King of Prussia PA.
  • “Bach’s Lunch,” starts at 12:10 p.m. (doors open at noon),free to attend; part of the free monthly concert series hosted by Community Music School, featuring “the CMS Jazz Trio in an intimate and welcoming setting;” bring your lunch from home or grab takeout, and enjoy your meal with music; held at the school, 775 W. Main St., Trappe PA.
  • “King Jazz with vocalist Cindy King,” 6-9 p.m., no cover charge; held at Southern Cross Kitchen, 8 E. 1st Ave., Conshohocken PA.
  • “Chris Marsceill Trio,” 6:30-9:30 p.m., no cover charge; held at Eddie V’s Prime Seafood, 670 W. DeKalb Pk., King of Prussia PA.

On Sept. 18 (Friday)

  • Movie: “Soul,” starts at dusk (around 7 p.m.), free to attend; the 2020 Pixar-animated jazz-inspired film “that celebrates the music, creativity, and spirit of jazz;” held at the Greater Plymouth Community Center Park, 2903 Walton Rd., Plymouth Meeting PA.
  • The Philly 5, starts at 8 p.m., no cover charge; “a joyful celebration of swing and bebop,” it features Tony Miceli on vibraphone, Chris Farr on tenor saxophone, John Swana on trumpet, Madison Rast on bass, and Dan Monaghan on drums; all have appeared on numerous recordings; held at Troubles End Brewing, 530 W. 3rd Ave. Unit 310, Collegeville PA.
  • Vocalist Gabrielle Stravelli, 6-9 p.m., no cover charge; held at Eataly in the King of Prussia, 350 Mall Blvd., King of Prussia PA.
  • The David Reiter Trio, with special guest vocalist Geri Oliver, 6-9 p.m., no cover charge; held at The Rabbit Hole, 201 W. 6th Ave., Conshohocken PA.
  • DJC Project, 6-8 p.m., ticketed; “band members Nick DiGiacomo (guitar), David Jamison (bass), and Clayton Carothers (drums) bring improvised jazz fusion with flavors of funk and hip-hop;” held at Moody Jones Gallery, 319 York Rd., Jenkintown PA.
  • The V. Shayne Frederick Trio, 6:30-10:30 p.m., no cover charge; held at Eddie V’s Prime Seafood, 670 W. DeKalb Pk., King of Prussia PA.
Pottstown, Other Local Venues Again Part of Annual Montco Jazz Fest

On Sept. 19 (Saturday)

  • The Jazz Bridge Superband, 8-11 p.m., ticketed; featuring Ralph Bowen (saxophone), Uri Caine (piano), Madison Rast (bass), Tom Cohen (drums); proceeds benefit Jazz Bridge, which assists jazz and blues musicians in greater Philadelphia who face financial, health, housing crises; held at The Cigar Republic, 126 Fayette St., Conshohocken PA.
  • “Junior Jazz Festival,” 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., ticketed (included with Elmwood Park Zoo admission fee); a fun-filled, music-packed afternoon at the Stony Creek Stage, with a “mix of performances by talented students from music schools around the region, and seasoned professionals;” held at the zoo, 1661 Harding Blvd., Norristown PA.
  • “Dave Allen Trio,” noon to 3 p.m., no cover charge; ; held at Human Robot, 208-210 York Rd., Jenkintown PA.
  • “Josh Lawrence Celebrates Miles Davis at 100,” 5-8 p.m., free to attend; Lawrence has made significant contributions to the jazz continuum, with awards from the Pew Center for Arts and Heritage, American Composers Forum, Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, and others; held at the Ambler Beer Garden at Ambler Yards, 300 Brookside Ave. Bldg. 19 Ste. E, Ambler PA.
  • The A to Z Band, featuring Mary Lou Newnam and Len Pierro, starts at 8 p.m. (doors open at 7:30 p.m.), ticketed; “reimagining the music of Al Cohn and Zoot Sims,” prominent figures in the jazz world primarily in the ’50s and ’60s; “joyous, accessible, and possesses an infectious swing;” held at Royal Music and Arts Center, 1 S. Easton Rd., Glenside PA.
  • Violinist “Faith,” 2-4 p.m., ticketed; held at held at Moody Jones Gallery, 319 York Rd., Jenkintown PA.
  • RaiSan Sings Trio, 6:30-10:30 p.m., no cover charge; held at Eddie V’s Prime Seafood, 670 W. DeKalb Pk., King of Prussia PA.

On Sept. 20 (Sunday)

  • Greg Snyder Trio, noon to 3 p.m., no cover charge; held at Human Robot, 208-210 York Rd., Jenkintown PA.
  • “Josh Lee and the Family Celebrate Jimmy Heath at 100,” starts at 5 p.m., free to attend; the Philadelphia-based ensemble composed of Temple alums authentically celebrates the music and the dance of the swing era; Josh Lee is a Grammy-winning saxophonist, composer, and arranger who also is a faculty member at Temple and Villanova universities; held at the Temple University Ambler Campus, 580 Meetinghouse Rd., Ambler PA.
  • “Luke Carlos O’Reilly celebrates John Coltrane at 100,” starts at 4 p.m., free to attend; O’Reilly is an award winning pianist and organist, with a “musical style is heavily influenced by Jazz, Soul, R&B, Gospel, Latin Jazz and Classical;” students from MIC’d Up (Music Industry Classrooms) Philly will open the show; held at Robinson Park, Greenwood Avenue and North Bent Road, Wyncote PA.
  • Lou Lanza Trio, 6-9 p.m., no cover charge; held at Eddie V’s Prime Seafood, 670 W. DeKalb Pk., King of Prussia PA.
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