The 2021 El Cerrito Jazz Festival was canceled due to covid-19.

The 2022 festival date is currently on hold. More info soon! Below is information on the 2020 ECJF…

The 6th Annual El Cerrito Jazz Festival is taking place on Saturday, February 1, 2020 in the ECHS Performing Arts Center! The festival will feature workshops, master classes, clinics, concerts, and adjudicated performances from top high school groups from around Northern California.

Headlining the evening concert is Eric Harland Quartet featuring Ben Wendel (saxophone), James Francies (piano), and Giulio Xavier Cetto (bass)Multi-Grammy Nominated Drummer, Eric Harland is the most in demand drummer of his generation. At age 40, he has appeared on almost 400 recordings and multiple film. Eric has been recognized in the Boston Globe, New York Times, JazzTimes, Modern Drummer, All About Jazz, The New Yorker, DownBeat, L’uomo Vogue and other prominent publications.

Harland has performed with jazz masters such as Betty Carter, Joe Henderson, MyCoy Tyner, Michael Brecker, Terence Blanchard, Branford and Wynton Marsalis, Wayne Shorter, Savion Glover, SFJAZZ Collective and many others, as well as todays up and coming artist like Esperanza Spalding, Jane Monheit, Taylor Eigsti, Julian Lage, Stacie Orrico, and Robert Glasper among others. His current list of performing groups are “JAMES FARM” with Joshua Redman, “PRISM” with Dave Holland and Kevin Eubanks, “SANGAM” with Charles Lloyd and Zakir Hussain, “Charles Lloyd New Quartet”, “OVERTONE” with Dave Holland, Jason Moran, Chris Potter and “VOYAGER” Eric’s own widely recognized group.

The festival’s distinguished panel of adjudicators and clinicians include trumpeter and Grammy Award-winning composer John Daversa from the University of Miami, saxophonist Mary Fettig from the San Francisco Conservatory, pianist Dana Landry from the University of Northern Colorado, Grammy Award-winning saxophonist Aaron Lington from San Jose State University.


2020 Festival Documents and Schedule

ECJF Festival Sponsors: