Blue Note Jazz Festival and Robert Glasper continue their fruitful partnership with the announcement of The Black Radio Experience 2025. Music lovers will once again descend upon Napa Valley, California to The Meritage Resort & Spa from Friday, August 29th to Sunday, August 31st to end summer on a fly note this Labor Day weekend.
This will be the second edition of The Black Radio Experience following its debut last year. It was then billed as a sister event to the Blue Note Jazz Festival Napa Valley, which was going on hiatus after making a splash with festivals in 2022 and 2023. It now appears that The Black Radio Experience is the evolution of Blue Note Jazz Festival Napa Valley and will be just as exciting as previous events.
Named after Glasper’s seminal Black Radio series (that we’re long overdue for a fourth edition of, but that’s another matter), The Black Radio Experience 2025 will embody the spirit of those albums with a first-class lineup of artists spanning multiple genres.
Robert returns as Artist-in-Residence, and he’ll be joined by special guests Questlove, Yebba and Slum Village during his daily sets throughout the holiday weekend. Among the headliners this year are Jazmine Sullivan, Quest’s crew The Roots and an as-yet-unnamed artist.
Australian faves Hiatus Kaiyote will bring their progressive electro soul from Down Under with them, while Anthony Hamilton will bring his Southern charm, country boy swag and traditional soul and R&B to the stage. R&B will also be heard from Kenyon Dixon when he accompanies jazz great Terrace Martin, Goapele as a featured artist with rapper Waren G during a set from brass ensemble The Soul Rebels and Baby Rose.
Jazz heads will be entertained by an eclectic batch of artists, including WILLOW, Esperanza Spalding, Aneesa Strings, Braxton Cook, James Francies, the band Freelance and Jahi Sundance. There’ll be inspirational music courtesy of Kim Burrell and Infinity Song, and even some spoken word by J. Ivy.
Of course, there’ll be lots of hip-hop to be had. Hip-hop heads can look forward to sets by D-Nice and Slick Rick, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Big Daddy Kane and Talib Kweli, Lupe Fiasco, Saba and Little Brother, who is including the festival on their farewell tour. D-Nice, Questlove, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Talib Kweli, Bryan-Michael Cox and Jahi Sundance will also cold rock the after parties.
Sway and Heather B will host this summer-ending gathering, and comedians Deon Cole, Sam Jay and Affion Crockett are scheduled to appear and bring the jokes.
- Advertisement -We can’t think of a better way to spend Labor Day weekend than in Napa Valley at this year’s Black Radio Experience. More than a music festival, The Black Radio Experience 2025 will be heavy on the experiences with additional activities surrounding food, wine, cocktails and culture lined up for attendees to participate in.
Festival passes for General Admission, GA+ and VIP are now on presale and accessible for purchase with the code “FAMILYREUNION.” A sale for the general public will begin on Friday, May 9th at 9 a.m. PST. Passes are also available for parking, the after parties and an intimate welcome dinner and concert with Robert Glasper. To purchase passes and for additional information, visit The Black Radio Experience website.
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