Grammy-Winning Artists and ‘The Late Night Show’ Talent to Take Stage at Summer Solstice Jazz Festival

Jazz is a timeless genre of music that will soon be at the heart of a local celebration of nationally recognized artists and education — the Summer Solstice Jazz Festival. 

The 28th annual festival returns to downtown East Lansing streets on Friday, June 21 from 5:30 to 10 p.m. and Saturday, June 22 from 2:30 to 10 p.m. There is also an afterglow at the Graduate Hotel from 10 p.m. to midnight on both nights, followed by an additional free jazz performance at the East Lansing Farmer’s Market on Sunday afternoon. 

Justin Drwencke is the Summer Solstice Jazz Festival coordinator, and is responsible for the overall vision and execution of the event. The goal is to deliver a free community festival showcasing the best of jazz. The event is made possible by the City of East Lansing and the MSU College of Music. 

The festival started out as a project of former East Lansing Arts Commissioner Al Cafagna in 1996 on MSU’s campus. 

“He and his wife Beth are now listed as the co-founders of the festival,” Drwencke says. “They started the first year on the day of the summer solstice, and it’s evolved a little bit over the years.”

The festival has adapted and grown over the years, including a virtual pivot during the pandemic. Previous lineups have featured Grammy-nominated performers and familiar names including Kozmic Picnik, Orquestra Ritmo, The Diego Rivera Quartet, The Big Band Machine, Sunny Wilkinson Quartet, Thornetta Davis, Root Doctor, Phil Denny, and more. 

The event utilizes two stages: the Al and Beth Cafagna Founders’ Stage in front of Harper’s off of Albert Avenue, and the MSU Outreach and Engagement Education Stage near the Ann Street Plaza and M.A.C. Avenue. 

“The lineup for the 2024 festival is outstanding,” Drwencke said. “We’ve got two headliner performances that I’m really excited about. We have Kurt Elling and Charlie Hunter coming in to do SuperBlue, and that is a really cool artist to be able to showcase here in East Lansing. Elling is coming here with 14 Grammy nominations, two winners, plus a whole host of other awards. It’s really exciting for me to be able to feature somebody that has this much talent and recognition at a festival here, and to be able to present that to the community for free.”

Friday’s lineup includes Walter Blanding from 6 to 7 p.m., The Gathering Orchestra from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m, and Endea Owens & The Cookout from 9 to 10 p.m. 

Saturday’s lineup includes Sean Dobbins Organ Quartet (3 to 4 p.m.), Tiffany Gridiron (4:30 to 5:30 p.m.), Randy Gelispie and Friends (6 to 7 p.m.), Momentum: Ellen Rowe Octet (7:30 to 8:30 p.m.), and SuperBlue: Kurt Elling & Charlie Hunter will perform on the Founders’ Stage from 9 to 10 p.m. 

The MSU Outreach and Engagement Education Stage lineup includes Alvin Paige (5:30 to 6:30 p.m.), Deon Yates (7 to 8 p.m.), and Aguanko (8:30 to 9:30 p.m.) on Friday. 

Saturday’s lineup on the Outreach Stage includes Jazz Alliance of Mid-Michigan Scholarship Band (2:30 to 3:30 p.m.), Ciara Connolly (4 to 5 p.m.), Brandon Rose (5:30 to 6:30 p.m.), Tyreek McDole (7 to 8 p.m.), and Jeff Hass (8:30 to 9:30 p.m.).

“I’m also really excited about our other headliner performer on Friday, Endea Owens & The Cookout,” Drwencke said. “Endea is an MSU alumna, and now performs on ‘The Late Show with Stephen Colbert’ almost every night. The talent that we’re able to showcase for free this year is phenomenal.”

Aside from performers with high caliber, decades-long musical careers, the festival also provides some stage time for up and coming performers. Some students receive their first festival booking via the MSU Outreach and Engagement stage, said Drwencke. 

Ken Jones is the chairperson of the advisory board of the East Lansing Summer Solstice Jazz Festival. He works on fundraising and has helped in various roles within the nonprofit organization for about 10 years. He enjoys seeing the community come together, to celebrate a common shared love: live music. 

“You get a sense of camaraderie within the East Lansing area, and also the tri-county area, ” Jones said. “To me, that speaks volumes for people trying to come together and enjoy themselves.” 

Though the local festival is popular, it is also relatively small compared to other larger jazz festivals across the nation, Jones said. The ‘small but mighty’ group of dedicated volunteers, sponsors and university staff work hard to bring big talent to the stages. 

“We’re a nonprofit, so we rely a lot on donations from individuals, corporations and other entities to get that done,” he said. “We try to get good talent. We’re fortunate to have MSU here and fortunate to have Rodney Whitaker, who is the artistic director, knowing a lot of other people in the industry.”

In between the two stages, there will be family programming including a magician, face painting, and hands-on activities from the East Lansing Public Library and Impression 5 Science Center. Additionally, Marshall Music will provide an instrument petting zoo.

Typically, the festival brings approximately 7,000 people over the course of two days. Drwencke enjoys seeing the residents and out-of-town visitors soaking up the atmosphere. 

“My favorite part of the jazz festival is being able to look at the audience and see how much enjoyment people get from the work that we put in to make this event happen,” he said. “It’s exciting to see people smile and tap their feet along to the music. It really does feel like a close-knit community during that weekend of the festival.”

Jones enjoys seeing a new generation of jazz players and appreciators alike. 

“There’s hundreds of people who listen to an LP of Miles Davis’ ‘Kind of Blue,’ which is one of the greatest selling jazz LPs on the charts,” Jones said. “It’s almost timeless in terms of the music. Once you listen, it sort of captivates you, it draws you in. It goes through your body, your heart, your head, and makes you feel good. To me, that’s what music is all about.”

Jones enjoys folks experiencing the music together in a shared space, comparing it to going to the movies. The experience is amplified when the masses are enjoying the layers and atmospheric sounds of the performance together. 

“My favorite part of the festival is just watching the people smile,” he said. “Just watching people enjoy the music and relaxing and letting the cares go away for maybe an hour or two. They’re just chilling out, listening to good music, and trying to get some positive vibes generated so they can deal with life.”

The festival is still in need of volunteers. Those interested can sign up online. 

Editor’s note 6/12: The title of this article was updated.