Live jazz will fill stages across Tucson as the Tucson Jazz Festival returns for its 12th year with nine days of performances citywide.

The festival kicks off today, with performances at venues across Tucson, including the Rialto Theatre, Hotel Congress and the newly opened La Rosa.

“The Tucson Jazz Festival is something that is for everybody. If you love live music, and if you have a soul, which everybody does, then this is the place for you,” said Executive Director Khris Dodge.

For those unfamiliar with the festival, Dodge recommends starting with Jazz Fiesta, a free event open to the public on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Jan. 19, at Corbett’s.

The Jazz Festival partnered with local restaurants and bars to create TOPAZZ, bringing live jazz performances and jazz-inspired food and drinks to venues across the city.

Beyond its headlining performances, the festival also includes educational events, artist talks and smaller-scale showcases designed to highlight emerging musicians and deepen audience engagement. Several events focus on jazz history, improvisation and the genre’s evolving role in contemporary music.

Organizers say the additional programming is meant to create access points for longtime jazz fans and newcomers alike.

Tucson-based musician and composer Sergio Mendoza will open the festival with a performance on Friday, Jan. 16. Raised in the border towns of Nogales, Ariz., and Nogales, Sonora, Mendoza is one of Southern Arizona’s most influential Latin music voices.

Mendoza will perform original songs from his new project, Morning Songs, featuring violin and other instruments.

“During the pandemic, I was waking up at 5 to 6 a.m. and I was going to the piano, then opened the curtains, and looked outside waiting for the sun to come out,” Mendoza said, speaking in Spanish. “I discovered that there is so much life outside that I have missed from so many years of being on tour.”

Mendoza composed eight songs inspired by and dedicated to the morning.

“The theme is the difference between night and morning,” Mendoza said. “The morning is a positive character, a character who has the opportunity to reset, to start new every day, and then about halfway through the set, it goes to a darker place where a character who struggles to sleep comes in.”

Morning Songs will debut at the Tucson Jazz Festival in collaboration with musicians John Convertino, Beth Goodfellow, Tom Hagerman, Carrie Rodriguez, Ben Nisbet, Janée Page, Miguel Crisantes, El Twanguero and Leon.

Mendoza will share the stage with the Tucson Latin Jazz Orchestra, under the direction of conductor and arranger Luis Torres, alongside internationally renowned saxophonist and flutist Justo Almario and local vocalist Katherine Byrnes, who will also perform Morning Songs.

“What I like about the Tucson Jazz Festival is that they are open to different sounds,” Mendoza said. “(Executive Director) Dodge is not strict about the festival being ‘pure’ jazz.”

Despite not being a traditional jazz band, Mendoza said he feels welcomed and hopes audiences enjoy his music.

Festival organizers say that openness to different sounds is intentional, with Dodge describing Tucson audiences as “smart” and “well-listened.”

“We have a culture in Tucson that's unlike other places, and artists come in and they say, ‘Wow, I can feel the vibe of your city. This is cool. Your audiences are very responsive,’” he said.

With a population of more than 1 million, Tucson is considered a large city, but Dodge said it still has a small-town feel.

“You walk down the street, and you see people that you know. If you're involved in the community, we get along. We look after each other. We care about each other,” he said. “And there's, an embracing of the culture, of the art, of live performance, whether it be music, or ballet, or theater. It's palpable.”

As artificial intelligence plays a growing role in music creation, Dodge said live music remains essential.

“The most real music … that connects musicians in a real way, and connects to people in a real way, is jazz because it is a language that's being spoken at the moment,” Dodge said. “(Jazz) is present, it's authentic, it's real, and it's something that we all thrive to be a part of.”

Purchase tickets and view the full lineup at tucsonjazzfestival.org/ 

Diana Ramos is a University of Arizona alum and Tucson Spotlight reporter. Contact her at diana@tucsonspotlight.org.  

Tucson Spotlight is a community-based newsroom that provides paid opportunities for students and rising journalists in Southern Arizona. Please consider supporting our work with a tax-deductible donation.