Boop. Bop. Ba-da-da-doo.
A thriving jazz scene has found its own rhythm across Music City. From Ruddy's Jazz Room to Skull's Rainbow Room, which has hosted iconic artists like Etta James, Elvis Presley, Patsy Cline, Johnny Cash, Paul McCartney, Bob Dylan and Jerry Lee Lewis, more venues around town now routinely highlight jazz music. Beyond the honky-tonks on Broadway, Nashville is also home to historic clubs, playful dive bars with jazz performances and intimate listening rooms echoing with swing music.
For those looking for a free option, Jazz on the Cumberland returns for its 15th season with monthly concerts at Wasioto Park, overlooking the Cumberland River near Nissan Stadium. Starting in August, the family-friendly series features local,
regional and national jazz artists at 5:30 p.m. on select Sundays, including Aug. 16, Sept. 27 and Oct. 18.
There's no shortage of places to watch live jazz performances this summer and fall. Here are some of our top picks.
Scott Bradlee & Friends, Nashville Jazz Workshop, Aug. 18
Scott Bradlee, founder of the 16-year viral YouTube sensation "Postmodern Jukebox," a loose collective of performers posting covers of contemporary songs recast in styles such as ragtime, jazz, swing and doo-wop, is coming to Nashville to present a new show, "In Search of Lost Melody." The performance will be hosted by Nashville Jazz Workshop, which has served as the city's nonprofit community center for jazz education and performance since 1998. Plus, here are a few more shows offered by Music City's leading jazz education organization that are worth noting.
- Aug. 15: Steve Pardo's Interactive Jazz Quartet
- Aug. 21: ACE Horns
- Aug. 22: Rougarou Brass Band
- Aug. 28: Monica Ramey sings George Gershwin
- Sept. 5: Joshua Constantine celebrates Miles Davis and John Coltrane at 100
- Sept. 12: Will Barrow, "From Bach to Bacharach to Brazil and Back"
Esperanza Spalding, City Winery Nashville, Sept. 1-2
The Grammy-winning bassist and songwriter, who also happened to win the Smithsonian American Ingenuity Award in 2012, is coming to Music City to perform songs from all eight of her previous albums. Proceeds from her shows will help support the nonprofit PRISMID Sanctuary in her hometown of Portland, Ore. If you can't make her shows, here are some of the other upcoming events at City Winery Nashville that pair seated jazz concerts with dinner service in an intimate listening-room setting.
- Sept. 7: Richard Elliot
- Sept. 16: Stanley Jordan
- Sept. 20: Stella Cole
- Sept. 28: Charlie Hunter Trio
- Oct. 10: The Bad Plus Farewell Tour
- Oct. 20: Oz Noy Trio featuring Dave Weckl and Brian Charette
Church Street Park
Drop by Church Street Park on any Monday night in August at 5 p.m. for another free option that is great for the whole family. The Jazz & Games Social series includes board games and kid-friendly activities along with performances by local vocalist Abigail Flowers, joined by Nate Felty on drums and Alec Newnam on bass. Felty is a professor at Belmont University while Newnam is a regular performer at Ruddy's Jazz Room and many other jazzy venues around town.
Whether you're looking for a romantic date night indoors or a relaxed way to enjoy music under the sun, there are plenty of ways for jazz lovers to gather and enjoy unique performances across Music City.
Bryan West is a music reporter at The Tennessean, part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow him on Instagram, TikTok and X as @BryanWestTV.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville's top 2026 jazz concerts with family-friendly vibes
