Annapolis, Md. – September 24, 2026 -- The fifth annual Annapolis Jazz & Roots Festival runs across two weekends, November 6-15, 2026, spreading performances, lectures and art exhibitions across eight venues in five neighborhoods in Eastport and Annapolis, Maryland. Most events are free or carry modest admission, and reservations are strongly advised through instantseats.com. Free onsite parking is available at all but two venues.

The 2026 theme traces music from Indigenous roots to modern hip-hop-infused jazz.

Billed as "New World Music: Centuries of Sound," the festival's programming spans Indigenous traditions, colonial-era music, the history of slavery and indenture in Maryland, and the evolution of jazz into contemporary forms.

Weekend one opens with a tribute to three jazz giants born in 1926.

Opening night, Friday, November 6 at 7 p.m., brings trumpeter Muneer Nasser's band to St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Eastport for a concert honoring John Coltrane, Miles Davis and Randy Weston. On Saturday, November 7 at 11 a.m., historian William Kelly, Ph.D. of the Maryland State Archives lectures on slavery and indenture in colonial Maryland at Eastport-Annapolis Neck Library, followed by a Q&A. That same day, the Afro-Peruvian band Perkutao performs at Peerless Rens Club at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m., with food and beverages for sale. Sunday, November 8 features David and Ginger Hildebrand playing colonial-era music on period instruments at Unitarian Universalist Church of Annapolis at 2 p.m., honoring General Lafayette. At 7 p.m., drummer Makaya McCraven performs at Maryland Hall, blending improvisation, hip-hop production and global influences; tickets for this show must be purchased directly from the venue.

Weekend two closes with Indigenous dance and a civil-rights-themed album release.

Friday, November 13 at 7 p.m., the U.S. Naval Academy Band's Superintendent's Combo performs a Miles Davis tribute at Eastport UM Church, dedicated to late Annapolis musician "TEA" Arthur. Saturday, November 14 at 11 a.m., NY vocalist Vanessa Racci discusses Italian contributions to American jazz at Eastport-Annapolis Neck Library. At 2 p.m. that day, D.C. vocalist Akua Allrich performs at the Banneker-Douglass-Tubman Museum, celebrating her 2026 album "Bonya" and paying tribute to Miriam Makeba and Nina Simone; the related exhibition "She Speaks: Black Women Artists and the Power of Historical Memory" is on view before the show. The festival closes Sunday, November 15 at 2 p.m. with Uhwachi-Reh, an Indigenous dance troupe led by Louis Campbell, performing traditional dance and drumming at Pip Moyer Recreation Center.