JazzFest Brno has announced the first names for its 2026 line-up, including Esperanza Spalding, Brad Mehldau and Christian McBride, Joshua Redman, Béla Fleck, Edmar Castaneda and Antonio Sánchez.
“We are simply delighted with these first confirmed names – as a concert, it is a guarantee of a great musical experience,” said the festival’s artistic director Vilém Spilka. “The performances of absolutely pivotal figures in today’s jazz in the best Brno halls will remind us how contemporary, inventive and exciting their music is.”
The programme for 2026 will kick off on 6 February in Sono, with a joint concert by banjoist Béla Fleck, harpist Edmar Castañeda and drummer Antonio Sánchez, playing as the BEATrio. With 22 Grammy awards between them, these masters of their instruments will come together on one stage to show that even this unusual and surprising musical combination can captivate the audience.
A week later, double bassist, singer and composer Esperanza Spalding, one of the most important contemporary jazz personalities of her generation, will come to Brno. The five-time Grammy winner connects jazz, fusion, neo soul, R&B, bossa nova and Latin American jazz in her work, which includes collaborations with big names such as Prince, Herbie Hancock, Stevie Wonder and Wayne Shorter. In 2011, she became the first jazz artist to win a Grammy in the Best New Artist category, beating mainstream stars such as Justin Bieber, Drake, Florence & the Machine and Mumford & Sons. She also performed at the White House at the invitation of President Barack Obama, and has performed at the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in Stockholm.
On Saturday, 28 March, two acclaimed artists will perform together at the Besední dům: pianist, composer and Grammy winner Brad Mehldau, and nine-time Grammy winner, double bassist and composer Christian McBride, both among the most respected musicians in contemporary jazz and known for their wide experience of collaborations with some of the biggest names in music.
Exactly one month later, Sono will host the British instrumental trio GoGo Penguin, who mix elements of trip-hop, breakbeat, minimalism and progressive rock into their music. They create the impression of complex electronic music, but using purely acoustic instruments – piano, double bass and drums.
On Tuesday, 5 May, charismatic saxophonist Joshua Redman will perform again at Sono. A ten-time Grammy nominee, Redman’s latest album “Words Fall Short” was released on the Blue Note label in June 2025.
“His style of playing the tenor saxophone is characterized by a rich, round tone and natural phrasing, which is very attractive to the listener,” said Spilka. “Redman always tries to connect emotions and spontaneity with logical order and solid architecture in his music and proves that jazz is not a rigid intellectual exercise, but a completely relaxed music.”
Tickets for all concerts are already on sale on the festival website, along with a detailed program and further information about the artists.
JazzFest Brno 2025: Remaining concerts:
- Tuesday, 4.11.2025 – Makaya McCraven (Cabaret des Péchés)
- Sunday, 9.11.2025 – Nate Smith (Sono Centrum)
- Monday, 10.11.2025 – Charles Lloyd Sky Quartet (Sono Centrum)
- Sunday 23.11.2025 – Taylor Eigsti Group ft Becca Stevens (Letovice, Valea Caffé)
- Monday 24.11.2025 – Marie Puttnerová + Taylor Eigsti Group ft Becca Stevens (Cabaret des Péchés)
- Tuesday 25.11.2025 – Jiří Stivín, musician and photographer (CED)
- Sunday 30.11.2025 – Ashley Henry (Cabaret des Péchés)
- Monday 8.12.2025 – John Medeski (Vila Tugendhat)
JazzFest Brno 2026: Announced dates:
- Friday 6.2.2026 – Béla Fleck, Edmar Castaneda, Antonio Sánchez (Sono Centrum)
- Friday 13.2.2026 – Esperanza Spalding (Sono Centrum)
- Saturday 28.3.2026 – Brad Mehldau & Christian McBride (Besední dům)
- Tuesday 28.4.2026 – GoGo Penguin (Sono Centrum)
- Tuesday 5.5.2026 – Joshua Redman (Sono Centrum)
