Jazz Fest Kicks Off with Free Opening Weekend, June 16-19

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Kelly Bado
Combo Latino
Dirty Catfish Brass Band
Kelly Bado
Marco Castillo (solo-duo up full) & Brazilian Beats
Mariachi Ghost
Papa Mambo
Rayannah
Super Duty Tough Work
TD Winnipeg International Jazz Festival (Jazz Winnipeg Inc.)
The New Lightweights
The Noble Thiefs
Touching
Trio Bembe
VIKINGS

Summer's here and with it comes Winnipeg's largest downtown music festival. Featuring about 100 performers taking over various city stages, the 27th annual TD Winnipeg International Jazz Festival offers up shows that span just abvout every genre, from jazz standards to R&B, roots and blues to indie rock and electronic pop, latin jazz, and just about everything in between.

This year's fest boasts over 40 Manitoba acts in the clubs and theatres and on the outdoor stage. Jazz Fest kicks things off in the heart of the Exchange District with a free opening weekend at Old Market Square, June 16-19. The Cube will feature a diverse line-up, including funk and soul on Thursday, Latin Jazz on Friday, the always popular indie night on Saturday, and a diverse Sunday night lineup to close things out.

The opening weekend local roster includes soul rock dynamos The Noble Thiefs, dynamic Mexican trad prog rock outfit The Mariachi Ghost, Latin jazz acts Trio Bembe and Marco Castillo & Brazilian Beats, '70s inspired yacht rock trio The Middle Coast, roots pop act The New Lightweights, hip hop act Super Duty Tough Work, indie pop/rock singer/songwriter Micah Visser, loop pedal maven Rayannah, electro pop act Vikings, R&B soul pop singer Kelly Bado, reggae funk fusion band Jupiter Storm, and more. Just next door, Cinematheque will host jazz and blues films all weekend. Check out the schedule...

THURSDAY, JUNE 16
07:00PM Fauxpasfunk
08:15PM The Noble Thiefs
09:30PM The Mariachi Ghost
10:45PM Moses Mayes featuring Maiko Watson

FRIDAY, JUNE 17
12:00PM Indestructible
06:00PM Trio Bembe
07:25PM Marco Castillo & Brazilian Beats
08:50PM Combo Latino
10:15PM Indestructible
11:40PM Papa Mambo

SATURDAY, JUNE 18
04:00PM The Middle Coast
05:15PM The New Lightweights
06:35PM Micah Visser
07:55PM Rayannah
09:15PM Touching
10:35PM Vikings
11:15PM Close Talker

SUNDAY, JUNE 19
04:00PM Kelly Bado
05:20PM Jupiter Storm
06:40PM Alfa
08:00PM Super Duty Tough Work
09:20PM Dawn Pemberton
10:50PM Dirty Catfish Brass Band

Other locals hitting the venues include jazz folk trio Casati, keyboard-playing crooner Doug Edmond, JUNO-nominated duo Erin Propp & Larry Roy, Monika Wall presenting Blue Sky, vocalist Nadia Douglas, roots trio Red Moon Road, roots blues mainstay Romi Mayes, roots pop outfit Sweet Alibi, and jazz folk duo Two Hip. Begonia -- aka Chic Gamine's Alexa Dirks and co. -- will take the stage to open for Peter Bjorn and John. The Bros. Landreth's Joey Landreth will open for Tedeschi Trucks Band. New Orleans style funk and soul act Dirty Catfish Brass Band is set to get the party started for Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue. Read more about this year's festivities

Find all the Jazz Fest show info in our MB Live app free for Android and iOS, and in our online listings

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