The Angel City Jazz Festival at the Ford

The festival kicks off at 5:00 PM with the Peter Erskine Trio with Vardan Ovsepian & Damian Erskine. Jazz legend Peter Erskine has played with Weather Report, Steely Dan and many other top jazz and mainstream artists. He also teaches at USC’s Thornton School of Music. He is joined on his second Angel City Jazz Festival gig by his nephew, top young bass player Damian Erskine and acclaimed young Armenian pianist Vardan Ovsepian. At 6:00 PM the Mark Dresser Quintet plays with special guest Bobby Bradford. Known as a top avant-garde jazz bassist for his own work as well as collaborations with John Zorn, Trio M and more, Dresser is also on the faculty of music at UCSD. Bobby Bradford is well known for his work with Ornette Coleman, John Carter, his own acclaimed Mo’tet and much more. At 7:00 PM the Ambrose Akinmusire Quintet will take the stage. Trumpet player Ambrose Akinmusire is a mere 30 years old but has already performed with Steve Coleman, Esperanza Spaulding, and Vijay Iyer, released an album on Blue Note and won two of the world’s most prestigious jazz competitions. Finally at 8:15 PM the Archie Shepp Quartet will headline the evening, with Ambrose Akinmusire guesting. Shepp is best known for his passionately Afrocentric music of the late 1960s, which focused on highlighting the injustices faced by African-Americans, as well as for his work with Horace Parlan, Cecil Taylor, and John Coltrane.

Prices start at $35

VIP packages start at $70 and include premium seating, T-shirt and CD

Students:  $17; Children: $12