Maui Jazz and Blues Festival set to return to Ritz-Carlton Maui, Kapalua

The Maui Jazz and Blues Festival will return to the Ritz-Carlton Maui, Kapalua from Aug. 31 to Sept. 6, marking the event’s second consecutive year on Maui’s west side.

Festival founder and Director Kenneth Martinez Burgmaier said organizers plan to help lift the spirits of Lahaina wildfire survivors. “We will also be donating over 200 tickets to the Lahaina fire victims, allowing them to enjoy the festival as part of our commitment to the Maui community,” he said.

Burgmaier has produced more than 75 festivals in Hawaiʻi over nearly 30 years, according to festival organizers. This year’s event marks a decade of the festival’s presence in the islands.

Lineup

The festival’s roster includes several Grammy-winning and Grammy-nominated musicians making their Maui debuts. Trumpeter Eddie Henderson, a Grammy winner who has performed with Louis Armstrong, Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock, will play his first Maui show, organizers said.

Saxophonist Javon Jackson, a Grammy nominee and former member of Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, is also scheduled to perform, along with trombonist Steve Turre, whom the Jazz Journalists Association named its top trombonist for 2026. Turre spent more than 40 years playing in the “Saturday Night Live” band and has performed with Ray Charles, McCoy Tyner and Dizzy Gillespie, according to the festival.

Other scheduled performers include Grammy-winning accordionist and harmonica player Bruce Sunpie Barnes, a former NFL player with the Kansas City Chiefs who has toured with Paul Simon and Sting; Grammy-winning saxophonist Jason Mingledorff, who has worked with artists including Elton John and Aretha Franklin; New Orleans-based band the Iguanas, featuring founding members Joe Cabral and Doug Garrison; and Chicago blues guitarist and vocalist Joanna Connor, a Blues Music Award winner.

Local musicians are also on the bill, including the Maui Jazz and Blues Festival Band, featuring Mark Johnstone, Dave Graber and Howie Retzler, along with the House Shakers, Keni Blue and Fast Freddie, and the Blue Lava Blues Band.

Schedule

Nightly performances are scheduled at the Alaloa Lounge from 6 to 9 p.m. Aug. 31 through Sept. 6, featuring jazz, blues, rock and zydeco music.

The festival’s main event, billed as the Maui Jazz and Blues Festival Extravaganza, is scheduled for Sept. 5 from 4:30 to 9 p.m. at the resort’s Pavilion and will include a menu prepared by Ritz-Carlton chefs, organizers said.

A closing brunch with live jazz is planned for Sept. 6 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Ulana Terrace restaurant.

Tickets will be available at MauiJazzandBluesFestival.com. More information is available by calling 808-283-9070.