Meet our headliner: Grace Kelly

From festival co-founder and talent coordintator Raphael Semmes: "We are pleased to announce that Jazz saxophonist Grace Kelly will be bringing her band to the TJF this year! She is one of the most dynamic young talents in Jazz known for her own inimitable style as well as her work with many jazz lcons as well as touring worldwide in support of her latest album. Our Jazz fans have requested her after enjoying her music on WJSU 88.5 JAZZ RADIO and television. Now is your chance to catch her LIVE at the TOWNSHIP JAZZ FESTIVAL!"

What to Expect

FREE admission!
Thanks to our incredible sponsors (listed on this page). Make sure to thank them for buying your ticket!

Rain or shine
Covered seating will be available, but blankets and lawn chairs are welcome (no tents). 

Good food
Plenty of food and drink will be available for purchase, so no coolers please.

NEW! TrustCare Kids Zone
Let the kids enjoy fun and games in the enclosed play area provided by TrustCare Express Medical Clinics.

Video recap of the 2024 Festival:

About the Event

After growing slowly over the first decade, the festival has burst onto the metro music scene over the past few years. Local news outlets have called it "One of the most popular music events in Mississippi."

The event has gained a reputation as one of the best family-friendly music events in the state – and the only music festival in the Jackson metro area dedicated exclusively to jazz!

Our formula is simple: offer a full spectrum of jazz artists (from national recording artists to local up-and-coming professionals and students) in a safe, clean environment, all for the low, low price of FREE! That's right: our festival is free to the public (thanks to the contributions of our wonderful corporate sponsors, like title sponsor Morgan White Group).

Covered seating is always available; blankets and lawn chairs welcome (no tents). Food and beverage vendors will be on site (no coolers, please).

Festival History

The Jazz Festival is the brainchild of Raphael Semmes (a mainstay in the metro music scene for decades) and Tripp Douglas (owner of Fusion Coffeehouse). After three years of hosting live jazz sessions at Fusion Coffeehouse, the crowds were easily overwhelming the small venue. So the logical next step was to take it "outside the box."

The inaugural festival in 2008 was a success, with about a hundred people enjoying jazz in the sun on May 30, 2008. The crowds continued to grow as subsequent festivals featured headliners like Mose Allison, Jason Marsalis, Delfeayo Marsalis, Ezra Brown, Astral Project, Benny Golson, Eddie Henderson, Nicholas Payton, and Russell Malone.

Now in its second decade, the event is known as one of the most popular family-friendly spring events in the Jackson metro area.

Sponsorship Opportunities

For more details on the Township Jazz Festival and sponsorship opportunities email Tripp Douglas at Fusion Coffeehouse or call (601) 856-6001.