The 6th Annual Leimert Park Jazz Festival was the place to be on this hot, Labor Day Weekend in the City of Angels! The popular jazz festival was held on Saturday, August 30, 2025, at Baldwin Hills Crenshaw, Upper Deck parking lot.
By Ricky Richardson | Contributing Writer
(Los Angeles) The 6th Annual Leimert Park Jazz Festival was the place to be on this hot, Labor Day Weekend in the City of Angels! The popular jazz festival was held on Saturday, August 30, 2025, at Baldwin Hills Crenshaw, Upper Deck parking lot.
Jazz aficionados, music lovers, art patrons, and foodies united for an afternoon/early evening celebration of jazz, community, and culture.
The Leimert Park Jazz Festival, executive-produced by Diane Robertson in collaboration with The World Stage, is a beloved community event held in the heart of the African American cultural hub.
Thousands of guests moved and grooved while listening to America’s number one art form, Jazz! and Afro-Cuban music, browsing vendor booths, and gathering information from community resource booths.
The Leimert Park Jazz Festival co-hosts were Rhonda Hamilton and José Rizo, of KJAZZ 88.1 FM, or streaming online https://www.jazzandblues.org
DJ’s Novena Carmel and Linafornia played an eclectic soundtrack during their respective time on the ones and twos.
It was great to see the female-focused lineup this year, with all but one act featuring all female musicians or a female bandleader.
Entertainment was provided by The World Stage Big Band, followed by an emotional and spirited performance by S.H.I.N.E. Mawusi featuring poet V. Kali. S.H.I.N.E. Mawusi’s set was dedicated to Nzingha Camara.
The Emerging Artist set featured The Melanin Horns, who performed an incredible set of jazz standards and original selections. Their standout performance left a lasting impression on the crowd. The Melanin Horns consist of Tatiana Tate-trumpet, Randal Fisher-saxophone, and Fabio Santana-trombone. Check out The Melanin Horns on social media to find out about upcoming shows. The winners of the Inaugural 2025 College Scholarship for undergraduate studies performed with The Melanin Horns. The winners are Hanna Norman (vocalist category), a USC Thornton Jazz Studies sophomore, and drummer Victor Leon Cyrus Franklin III (instrumentalist category), an incoming freshman at the University of the Pacific’s Conservatory of Music in the fall. Stay tuned, pun intended. You are going to hear a lot more about and from The Melanin Horns as a group and individually, as well as from the inaugural scholarship winners.
Dayren Santamaria took it up a notch to spice up the festivities with some smokin’ Afro-Cuban music, aka, Latin Jazz. Dayren is a virtuosic, soulful, and electric violinist based in Los Angeles. Dayren was superbly accompanied by legendary singer Candi Sosa, a leader in her own right, Joe Rotundi on piano and keyboards, Joey De Leon on percussion, Ross Schodek on bass, and Raul Pineda on drums.
Sasha Berliner is described as a “Young mallet master” by Jazz Times magazine. Sasha’s performance was another outstanding set, which was received by the crowd. Sasha Berliner played some original and jazz standards.
Legendary jazz vocalist, NEA Jazz Master, Memphis Music Hall of Fame Inductee, ASCAP Champion, Doris Duke Artist, Multi Grammy® winner, Tony® winner, and more, Dee Dee Bridgewater headlined another successful Leimert Park Jazz Festival. She brought her acclaimed project, WE EXIST! for a thrilling, soul-stirring set of transforming, evocative songs of protest.
Stay connected with the Leimert Park Jazz Festival on social media. Stay connected with the Leimert Park Jazz Festival on social media @leimertparkjazzfestivall and sign up for their newsletter at www.leimertparkjazzfestival.org to find out more information about the year-round programming.