New Names, Familiar Faces, One Epic Festival!

The legends you love are back — and they’re bringing tomorrow’s greats with them. Get acquainted with icons, innovators, and newcomers performing at MJF68.

Featured Returning Favorite: Mr. Sipp!

Since the Monterey Jazz Festival began bringing electric blues artists to the Arena stage in the mid-1960s, there have been a who’s who of players that have graced that stage over the years – Muddy Waters, T-Bone Walker, B. B. King, Big Mama Thornton, Buddy Guy, Junior Wells, John Lee Hooker, and many, many others. Over the last several decades, the blues at Monterey branched out to gospel, rock, and other roots-adjacent music with appearances of Gary Clark, Jr., Lucky Peterson, Larkin Poe, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, Robert Randolph & the Family Band, Derek Trucks, and more.

In 2017, for the Festival’s 60th anniversary, a up-and-coming blues guitarist named Castro Coleman, aka Mr. Sipp “The Mississippi Blues Child,” stormed the Jimmy Lyons Stage on a sunny Saturday afternoon, bringing back the raucous spirit of Monterey’s legendary 1960s shows to the Arena with performances of “Smokestack Lightning,” “Little Wing,” and a nearly 15-minute version of “Miss Jones,” a slow-burning blues original.

During his impassioned solo, Sipp jumped off the stage onto the grassy floor of the arena and slowly started making his way through the crowd. The camera phones came out as he walked to the rear of the arena – and still soloing on his wireless guitar – until he was surrounded by patrons clamoring to get closer. It was a quintessential Monterey moment. People got their selfies with Mr. Sipp (how many pictures were taken that day?) as he passed through the crowd, and when he returned to the stage, over seven minutes later, all were witness to the musical passion and community spirit Sipp created.

Later in the afternoon, he performed on the Garden Stage, where he again went into the crowd, breaking the fourth wall. Many people remember that day as literally being touched by the blues, and he became one of the most talked about artists in a year of standout artists.

We are proud to bring Mr. Sipp back to the Arena Stage to get the ghost on Saturday, September 27 at noon.

Featured First Time Festival Performer: JC Smith!

Coming out of the timeless blues stylings of T-Bone Walker, Albert King, and Johnny Guitar Watson, bluesman JC Smith will make his debut appearance at Monterey Jazz Festival in 2025. Smith, who states that his goal in life is “to keep the blues alive and take the message to the people” has toured locally and internationally for years. “Everybody in the family plays an instrument or sings,” JC told the Monterey County Weekly in 2007. “My brother Paul Smith [toured] with Ike Turner, and a cousin Tim Richards toured with John Lee Hooker.” Another cousin, Willie “Big Eyes” Smith, played with Muddy Waters and his father, Johnnie J. Smith, played blues guitar in the early 20th century. “I made my dad a promise that I would learn how to play guitar and take the music further than he did,” JC told the East Bay Times in 2016. “I’ve committed to making this happen for my legacy and for my father’s legacy. And I have a commitment to keeping the blues alive.”

In 2022, Smith had a close call while on his 10th tour of Russia when that country invaded Ukraine during his stay. After being stopped and questioned by police, JC cut the tour short and returned to the West amid the threatening political climate. “While Smith also might be considered a public figure, the unassuming profession of blues artist might have helped him return home,” wrote Tahoe Onstage.

JC will make his debut at the 68th Monterey Jazz Festival on Saturday, September 27 on The Tim Jackson Garden Stage at 3pm.