● Programs
The OPAAC Jazz Festival
The OPAAC Jazz Festival — happening inside the What’s Blooming Street Festival in Oak Park, in collaboration with Oak Park Arts District Business Association!
Join us Saturday, May 30, 2026, 11am–9pm for a full day of incredible live jazz on a brand-new second stage in the Arts District of Oak Park. The OPAAC Jazz Festival will feature amazing performers celebrating the rich tradition and future of America’s original art form. We believe jazz belongs in the community, and Oak Park is the perfect place to showcase this vibrant music.
WHAT'S BLOOMING ON HARRISON – Street Festival
Harrison Street, Arts District – Oak Park
May 30, 2026 – 11am - 9pm.
SCHEDULE
7:30pm – Windy City Ramblers
6:00pm – Chicago Soul Jazz Collective
4:30pm – The Afro-Caribbean Jazz Collective
3:30pm – Blue Aura
2:00pm – Raices Latin Jazz
1:00pm – Victor Garcia Trio
12:00pm – Cole Salgado Quartet
• Free & Outdoor
• All Ages Welcome
• Food Vendors
• Art Vendors
Bring your friends, family, and spend the day celebrating jazz, creativity, and community.
Email us for questions at: info@oakparkareaartscouncil.org
OPAAC Jazz Festival Lineup
The Afro-Caribbean Jazz Collective
The Afro-Caribbean Jazz Collective blends the rhythmic traditions of Puerto Rico and Cuba with the sophistication of modern jazz. Led by guitarist José Guzmán, the ensemble fuses bomba, son, salsa, and descarga with bold improvisation and original composition. With acclaimed recordings and dynamic performances, the group creates vibrant, groove-rich music rooted in Afro-diasporic traditions and contemporary jazz.
The Victor Garcia Trio
Victor Garcia is a Grammy-nominated Chicago trumpeter, composer, and bandleader celebrated for fiery improvisation, radiant tone, and deep roots in jazz and Afro-Latin music. Leader of the Chicago Afro-Latin Jazz Ensemble, he blends hard bop, Latin rhythms, and modern jazz with virtuosity and soul. A sought-after performer and educator, Garcia embodies Chicago’s dynamic, globally connected jazz tradition.
Windy City Ramblers
The Windy City Ramblers are Chicago’s dynamic second-line brass collective, committed to uplifting communities and inspiring youth through music and culture. Under the leadership of Co-Founder and CEO Mario Abney, the group brings the energy and spirit of second-line tradition to the Chicagoland area—nurturing creativity, celebrating cultural identity, and strengthening community bonds.
Blue Aura
Blue Aura, led by drummer and composer Francis Bassett-Dilley, is a Chicago-area ensemble rooted in lyrical interplay, modern improvisation, and deep jazz tradition. Drawing from post-bop, modal jazz, and soulful groove, the group crafts immersive performances balancing nuance and fire. With Bassett-Dilley’s dynamic leadership, Blue Aura delivers adventurous, elegant music shaped by Chicago’s vibrant creative jazz scene.
Cole Salgado Quartet
Chicago Soul Jazz Collective
Chicago Soul Jazz Collective channels the deep musical legacy of Chicago through soul-jazz, funk, blues, and groove-driven original music. Led by saxophonist John Fournier, the ensemble blends classic influences with a contemporary edge. With four chart-topping releases and dynamic performances, the Collective embodies Chicago’s cultural soul, delivering music rooted in freedom, resilience, and the city’s enduring groove.
Raices Latin Jazz
Raíces Latin Jazz, led by vibraphonist Joe Sonnefeldt, brings the golden era of Latin jazz into the present with vibrant interpretations of Afro-Cuban classics and original compositions. Inspired by Cal Tjader and rooted in Chicago’s rich Latin music tradition, the ensemble blends mambo, cha-cha-cha, and jazz improvisation into dynamic performances full of rhythm, sophistication, and infectious energy.
Oak Park is a natural home for Jazz
Jazz has long found a natural home in Oak Park — a community known for creativity, architecture, and cultural exchange. Just steps from Austin Gardens and the iconic Unity Temple, musicians and audiences have gathered for years to experience live jazz in intimate, inspiring settings. With easy access to Chicago’s legendary jazz scene — including the Chicago Jazz Festival and Hyde Park Jazz Festival — Oak Park sits at the crossroads of tradition and innovation. Local institutions like Oak Park and River Forest High School, Dominican University, and Concordia University Chicago continue to nurture young musicians, ensuring jazz remains alive, evolving, and deeply rooted in the community.
Jazz thrives in Oak Park because the village itself embodies the spirit of improvisation — diverse, welcoming, and forward-thinking. With support from listeners, educators, and cultural leaders, and amplified by Chicago’s own WDCB 90.9 FM, jazz continues to grow across generations here. From outdoor summer concerts to intimate indoor performances, Oak Park offers the perfect setting for jazz to flourish — where seasoned masters and emerging artists share the stage, and where audiences of all ages discover the power, rhythm, and creativity of America’s original art form.