Pauline Adamek
The Hollywood Bowl Jazz Festival is enjoying its fourth decade devoted to staging the finest Jazz acts from all over the world. An eclectic array of artists will grace the Hollywood Bowl‘s stage to deliver two days of incredible music and a loads of fun.
Pictured above: Veronica Swift Hollywood Bowl Jazz Festival Day 1 Photos by Greg Grudt/Mathew Imaging – 2022 @mathewimaging
2023 marks the 43rd Annual Hollywood Bowl Jazz Festival (formerly known as the Playboy Jazz Festival). This spectacular two-day event is all about sharing the fun and friendly camaraderie of jazz music at the Hollywood Bowl.
As for last year, Arsenio Hall will again preside as this year’s host. The Los Angeles Philharmonic Association is pleased to announce that the celebrated comedian will MC the weekend presented by the LA Phil at the Hollywood Bowl, later this month, presented by the LA Phil over Father’s Day weekend, Saturday and Sunday, June 17-18, 2023.
Arsenio Hall is an actor, talk-show host, producer and writer, who is also an avid fan of jazz.
Hollywood Bowl Jazz Festival 2023
June 17–18, 2023
Two-day packages are currently available to returning package holders and single tickets are now on sale.
Celebrating 43 years, the festival is for the first time co-curated by jazz titans Herbie Hancock and Kamasi Washington, frequent collaborators who performed together at the Bowl in August 2017.
Oscar and 14-time Grammy winner Hancock is the LA Phil’s Creative Chair for Jazz and has been performing at the Bowl for seven decades and continues to reimagine jazz. Bringing the lineage of hard bop and spiritual jazz into the 21st century with a decidedly contemporary musical approach, Grammy- and Emmy-nominated LA native Washington will be performing at the festival, returning to the Bowl with his stunning live performance style.
Herbie is not performing at the Jazz Festival this year, but you can catch him at a separate event; Herbie Hancock Celebrates Wayne Shorter with all-star special guests is happening on August 23, 2023, at the Bowl.
“I was thrilled when the LA Phil asked me to co-curate this festival with Kamasi and explore his extraordinary artistic vision. Our celebration this year includes so many artists—both emerging and established—at defining moments in their musical journeys. Together, we hope to create community and connection through the music we make and leave audiences feeling uplifted and inspired. It has been a joy to partner with Kamasi and the LA Phil, an organization committed to innovative jazz programming and nurturing our humanity through the arts.”
Herbie Hancock.
“I am so honored to be invited by the LA Phil to co-curate this year’s Hollywood Bowl Jazz Festival with the great Herbie Hancock. Herbie is one of the greatest musicians to ever live and I am so grateful to be working with him on this special show. Herbie and I have been working with the LA Phil team to create a one-of-a-kind experience that we hope will leave the audience with excitement, joy, life, soul and most of all great music!”
Kamasi Washington.
For more information on the 2023 Hollywood Bowl Jazz Festival, please visit here.
The Hollywood Bowl Jazz Festival is produced in association with the Los Angeles Philharmonic by FestivalWest, Inc.
HOLLYWOOD BOWL
2301 N Highland Avenue,
Los Angeles, CA 90068
About the Hollywood Bowl:
One of the largest natural amphitheaters in the world, with a seating capacity of nearly 18,000, the Hollywood Bowl has been the summer home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic since its official opening in 1922 and plays host to the finest artists from all genres of music, offering something for everyone. It remains one of the best deals anywhere in Los Angeles; to this day, $1 buys a seat at the top of the Bowl for many classical and jazz performances. In June 2021, the Hollywood Bowl was named Amphitheater of the Decade at the 32nd Annual Pollstar Awards. The venue has also been named Outdoor Concert Venue of the Year 14 times by Pollstar. Additionally, it was also awarded the Top Amphitheater prize at the 2017 and 2018 Billboard Touring Awards. For millions of music lovers across Southern California, the Hollywood Bowl is synonymous with summer. hollywoodbowl.com
About the LA Phil:
Under the leadership of Music & Artistic Director Gustavo Dudamel, the LA Phil offers live performances, media initiatives and learning programs that inspire and strengthen communities in Los Angeles and beyond. The Los Angeles Philharmonic orchestra is the foundation of the LA Phil’s offerings, which also include a multi-genre, multidisciplinary presenting program and such youth development programs as YOLA (Youth Orchestra Los Angeles). Performances are offered on three historic stages—Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Hollywood Bowl, and The Ford—as well as through a variety of media platforms. In all its endeavors, the LA Phil seeks to enrich the lives of individuals and communities through musical, artistic and learning experiences that resonate in our world today.
