Roma Jazz Festival 2026 - 50th Edition

The Roma Jazz Festival celebrates its 50th edition with a tribute to Miles Davis, marking the centenary of his birth. ‘Revisiting Miles, Rethinking Jazz’ is the theme chosen by artistic director Mario Ciampà for an edition that celebrates the past while looking to the future, in the spirit of a genre that never stops reinventing itself.

It all began in 1976 at the Quercia del Tasso, on the Gianicolo hill. From that first event, the festival has grown into a major fixture on the European jazz scene. Fifty years of music, more than 1,000 concerts and an extraordinary line-up of artists, including Dizzy Gillespie, Sarah Vaughan, Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins, Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Esperanza Spalding and Kamasi Washington. From the steps of the Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana in EUR to the Circus Maximus and the Auditorium Parco della Musica, Rome becomes a stage for jazz that is free-spirited, innovative and always in tune with its time.

The connection with Miles Davis runs deep. The legendary trumpeter performed in Rome on several occasions, and his final concert in the city, on 23 July 1991 at the Stadio Olimpico, in front of a crowd of 20,000, remains a memorable chapter in the festival’s history.

Today, revisiting Davis means rediscovering his revolutionary spirit and asking what the future holds for jazz. Taking up this challenge are artists such as Jason Miles, producer and arranger of Tutu, alongside Paolo Fresu, Gregory Hutchinson, Jeremy Pelt and Erik Truffaz. From different generations, they share a commitment to exploring new directions and giving fresh expression to a legacy that remains very much alive.

This special edition is also an invitation to approach jazz with an open mind, embrace unexpected musical influences and discover new forms of expression. After all, Miles Davis’s greatest lesson is the courage to change, challenge conventions and never stop exploring.

The 2026 Roma Jazz Festival is produced by IMF Foundation in co-production with Fondazione Musica per Roma, with contributions from the Italian Ministry of Culture (MiC) and support from the Lazio Region.

Find out more at romajazzfestival.it

The programme is subject to change.