“MJF is a kaleidoscopic plunge into the contemporary jazz scene … Jazz is a many-splendored art form these days, and the 67th annual festival offered a deep and wide look at some of the music’s state-of-the-art practitioners.” —San Francisco Classical Voice
“This year’s festival was the first for the new artistic director Darin Atwater, only the third person to hold that position since Jimmy Lyons started the famous jazz gala. Atwater has big shoes to fill … His vast experience as a composer, arranger, producer, conductor, pianist, vocalist and educator ultimately put his mark on MJF by creating one of the best go-arounds ever.”
—Sacramento News & Review
“…[MJF is a] willfully diverse festival, seeking to touch on the necessarily disparate threads, grooves and genres under the current jazz umbrella. The Monterey County Fairgrounds is duly transformed into a jazz village for a September weekend each year…” —Santa Barbara Independent
“The Monterey Jazz Festival is an event where soaking in the moments is where it’s at. It’s taking a seat in the arena and enjoying an entire set of a headlining artist you admire. Or, as was the case many times at this event with a new artistic director, Darin Atwater, it was discovering new music from across the globe.” —Monterey Herald
“The joy was palpable in many of the performances throughout the weekend… Hiromi wowed the main stage crowd Saturday night with her playful and energetic piano playing, truly one of the highlights of the weekend.” —Monterey County Weekly
“The Monterey Jazz Festival wrapped up on Sunday with vibrant, soul-moving performances, delicious food and great people. The admiration and love for music could be felt in the air across the fairgrounds.” —KSBW
“Samara Joy’s opening night performance at the Monterey Jazz Festival (MJF) set the mood for a weekend infused with hope, joy, and the magical power of music to unite.”
—San Diego Voice & Viewpoint
“For this [67th] edition, Atwater achieved his stated goal of continuing the Jackson approach, presiding over a healthy checklist of artists with appeal for a wide demographic of ear spaces and tastes, mainstream and left of center.” —Allaboutjazz.com
“…a diverse, multi-generational program celebrating the breadth of jazz and jazz-adjacent genres, tweaking the fest’s mellow mainstream West Coast vibe with new acts, broadened scope, whetted edge … The 67th Monterey Jazz Fest was a telling soundscape for where we are now.” —DownBeat
