Jazz at LACMA returns this week
- LACMA said Tuesday that Jazz at LACMA will open its 2026 season on Friday, May 1, with Michelle Coltrane performing at Smidt Welcome Plaza. - The museum’s free series is entering its 35th season, running Friday evenings through October, with the opening set scheduled from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. - The restart lands as LACMA’s campus shifts around the new David Geffen Galleries. (lacma.org)
Jazz at LACMA returns this week, with the 2026 season opening Friday, May 1, at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. (lacma.org) LACMA said Tuesday that vocalist and composer Michelle Coltrane will kick off the series with a concert celebrating the John Coltrane Centennial. The show is scheduled for 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Smidt Welcome Plaza. (lacma.org 1) (lacma.org 2) The museum said no tickets are required. Jazz at LACMA remains free and open to the public. (lacma.org) This year is the program’s 35th season, according to LACMA. The museum’s event calendar lists the series as running on Friday evenings from May through October. (lacma.org 1) (lacma.org 2) LACMA also used the announcement to tie the concert series to a changing campus. The museum said the new David Geffen Galleries are now open for member previews, bringing heavier traffic to the site. (lacma.org) (lacma.org) The museum’s visitor page says Jazz at LACMA is part of a broader warm-weather schedule that runs on Fridays from April through October, alongside Latin Sounds on Saturdays in summer. (lacma.org) LACMA’s spring program guide and weekly roundup both place the opening concert on May 1, making the series one of the museum’s first public music events as the Geffen building rollout continues. (lacma.org) (lacma.org) After Michelle Coltrane, LACMA said upcoming May performers include the Lao Tizer Band, the Julius Rodriguez Trio, the Brian Swartz Quintet, and Tierney Sutton. Friday’s opener starts the season in the same free, outdoor format the museum has kept as a signature draw. (lacma.org)
