The Clifford Brown Jazz Festival is the Largest Free, outdoor jazz music festival on the East Coast located in downtown Wilmington, DE. Rain or shine.

Schedule of Events

Adam Blackstone Legacy

On TV, radio or at a live concert at your favorite stadium, the Adam Blackstone sound has certainly permeated your eardrums. Blackstone is not only a multi-faceted bass player, musician, Emmy Award Winning Music Director and Grammy award winning writer, he is the musical mastermind behind the live shows of many of today’s biggest artists.

He has served as the Musical Director for acts such as Justin Timberlake, Rihanna, Janet Jackson, Alicia Keys, Maroon 5, Eminem and recently he cultivated the Super Bowl 54 Halftime Show alongside Shakira & J-Lo. With each new endeavor these artists become family and fall in love with Blackstone’s easy demeanor and standard for excellence. Blackstone’s TV legacy continues to expand as Music Director and On-screen personality. His expertise has shaped today’s biggest shows, including the Oscars, NBC’s "The Voice," the Grammy Awards, numerous BET, VH1 and MTV specials and as the Music Director for The hit Fox shows "The Four" and "The Masked Singer."

Blackstone was born in Trenton, New Jersey and it was here that he began to hone his craft under the guise of his father and Jazz musician Rod Blackstone, who remains one of his greatest musical influences. It was in a church playing drums at the age of 6 that his father discovered he had rhythm and perfect pitch. Once his family moved to Willingboro, NJ which has never been short on talent, he picked up bass in high school and the rest is history.

After earning a scholarship to the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, it didn’t take long for Blackstone to become engulfed in the soul music pulse that was flowing through the city at that time. Beginning as a session musician, shortly after his start, he was touring the world.

In 2009 Blackstone partnered with his wife to start company BASSic Black Entertainment, LLC (BBE). BBE is a broad based music service company that specializes in live music production, connecting musicians and studio production. Under the same moniker, they launched the BBE Record label in 2013.

Adam Blackstone’s versatility and musical ability keeps him on stages and screens across the world but his faith and family keep him on the ground as he continues to create his own musical legacy.

Clifford Brown Festival Orchestra featuring Wycliffe Gordon

Wycliffe Gordon experiences an impressive career touring the world performing to great acclaim from audiences and critics alike.  

Last year, Jazz Journalists Association named him 2022 "Trombonist of the Year" for the record-breaking 15th time, and he’s topped Downbeat Critics Poll
for "Best Trombone" for an unprecedented six times (2020, 2018, 2016, 2014, 2013 & 2012).   Recent awards include the "Louie Award", the International Trombone Award and the Satchmo Award, among others.  Wycliffe is a prolific recording artist and is extremely popular for his unmatched signature sound, plunger technique and unique vocals.  He can be heard on hundreds of recordings, soundtracks, live DVD’s and documentaries, and has an extensive catalog of original compositions that span the various timbres of jazz and chamber music.  His arrangement of the theme song to NPR’s "All Things Considered" is heard daily across the globe.   

In addition to a successful solo career, Gordon tours regularly leading the International All Stars performing at festivals and performing arts centers worldwide.  Gordon is also one of America’s most persuasive and committed music educators and is highly sought after as a clinician and guest speaker.

Wycliffe Gordon is a Yamaha Performing Artist and has his own line of Wycliffe Gordon Pro Signature Mouthpieces by Pickett Brass.

Grace Kelly

An unequivocal musical prodigy, singer-saxophonist-songwriter-composer and band leader Grace Kelly has rocked the jazz world with sold-out concerts, 14 acclaimed albums and a resume that includes performing at the Hollywood Bowl as well as being part of the house band for "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" - all before reaching her mid-twenties. As of Oct 2022 she has become the youngest member of the Board of Trustees of Berklee College of Music.

Kelly’s early career featured performances at Barack Obama’s 2009 inauguration at age 16 and at age 14 as a soloist with the Boston Pops playing an original composition arranged for the legendary orchestra; she has since then played over 1000 shows as bandleader in 35 countries at venues like the Kennedy Center and Moscow Symphony Hall and for the Montreal, Newport, and Montreux international jazz festivals. Touted for her scorching saxophone stylings and purring vocals, Kelly has performed and recorded with renowned artists including Lin Manuel- Miranda, Dave Brubeck, Lee Konitz, Phil Woods, Huey Lewis, Harry Connick Jr., Gloria Estefan, Questlove, and Wynton Marsalis.

Kelly was named the winner of "Song of the Year" for her single "Feels Like Home" in the 2018 John Lennon Songwriting Contest, and has been named nine times consecutively in the Annual Downbeat Magazines Critics Poll "Rising Star Alto Saxophone" from the age of 17 in 2009 and winning the poll in 2017 (Youngest ever named to Downbeat critics poll in 2009.). She has also won multiple ASCAP Composer Awards, Boston Music Awards, and International Songwriting Awards. She has also appeared as a featured performer in films and television, including acclaimed documentary "Sound of Redemption: The Frank Morgan Story", Amazon’s Emmy-nominated original series "Bosch", and featured in the 2017 Emmy-winning Yamaha production "The Right Note"

Endea Owens & The Cookout

Known as one of Jazz’s most vibrant emerging artists, Endea Owens is a Detroit-raised Recording Artist, Bassist, and Composer. She has been mentored by Jazz Icons the likes of Marcus Belgrave, Rodney Whitaker, and Ron Carter. She has toured and performed with Wynton Marsalis, Jennifer Holliday, Diana Ross, Rhonda Ross, Solange, Jon Batiste, Jazzmeia Horn, Dee Dee Bridgewater, and Steve Turre to name a few.

In 2018, Endea graduated from The Juilliard School, and joined the Late Show with Stephen Colbert as a member of the house band, Stay Human. Since then, Endea has won an Emmy, Grammy Award, and a George Foster Peabody Award. Endea’s work has appeared on Jon Batiste’s Grammy Award-winning album "We Are", Oscar-nominated film Judas and the Black Messiah, and H.E.R’s widely acclaimed Super Bowl LV performance.

Endea has a true passion for philanthropy and teaching. She has taught students across the United States, South America, and Europe. In 2020, Endea founded the Community Cookout, a non-profit organization birthed out of the Covid-19 pandemic that provides meals and music to underserved neighborhoods in New York City. To date, Endea’s organization has helped feed close to 3,000 New Yorkers and has hosted over a dozen free music concerts.

In 2022, Endea composed an original piece about the life of Ida B. Wells entitled "Ida’s Crusade" for the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and was also performed by the NYO Carnegie Hall Orchestra. Endea has written for brands such as Pyer Moss and Glossier. Endea is set to premiere a newly commissioned work with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and will serve as the 2023 MAC Music Innovator with the organization. In addition, to her work with the Cinncinati Symphony Orchestra, Endea is the curator for the National Arts Club and also afellow for"Jazz is Now!" with the National Jazz Museum in Harlem, where she presents original compositions, curates series, and headlines performances for the 2022-2023 season. Endea’s debut album "Feel Good Music" is set for release in early 2023.

Momentum
(Boysie Living Jazz Residency Alumnus)

Mystic, kinetic, clear and deep - Momentum is united by the
joy and freedom of jazz communicated through the sounds that pulse along the airwaves of today and tomorrow. A New York based collective in pursuit of becoming more human by drawing forth compassion, empathy and courage in listeners.

The collective consists of Kobi (drums), Jared (bass), Joy (vocals), Noah (keys) and Grady (vibes). Each member continues to reach a deeper flow of artistry while pushing and testing the boundaries within music. Striving to play the unknown and uncomfortable in order to not feel attached to the comfort of what’s familiar. Looking out into the horizon, reaching to serve the music and the moment, while always coming home in the end.

Momentum recently released their first two singles entitled, Aséna and Scream, which have been met with great excitement. Their most recent release, "The Changes", featuring JSWISS, is a fusion of hip-hop rhythms and jazz colors. The song embodies how challenging it is to find the constant within the flux of life.

The Collective recently performed at WildflowerFestival 2022, Bar LunÀtico, and the Sō Percussion artist series Brooklyn Bound. They’re looking forward to upcoming performances, which include
WildflowerFestival 2023, Nublu, and Room 623.