O Monterey Jazz Festival (MJF) é realizado anualmente em setembro em Monterey , Califórnia , desde 1957 .
Em 1959, o Cal Tjader Modern Mambo Quintet abriu o segundo Monterey Jazz Festival à aclamação do público (NB: O primeiro Monterey Jazz Festival foi um fracasso financeiro. Tjader é conhecido por ter impulsionado as vendas de ingressos para o segundo. Festival e por ter economizado financeiramente quando ainda não havia começado).
Este festival convidou alguns dos grandes nomes do Jazz, entre eles Cal Tjader , Louis Armstrong , Miles Davis , Thelonious Monk , Dave Brubeck , Pat Metheny , Sarah Vaughan , Bola Sete , Sonny Rollins , Joe Henderson e Dizzy Gillespie .
Em 2007, foi lançada uma série de discos com os memoráveis concertos do festival.
Em 2020 é cancelado por motivos de pandemia COVID-19 .
Billie Holiday , Louis Armstrong e seus All-Stars, Dizzy Gillespie , Ernestine Anderson com Gerald Wiggins , Cal Tjader Sextet, John Lewis , Shelly Manne , Art Farmer , Milt Jackson , Gerry Mulligan , Harry James Orchestra, Sonny Rollins , Dave Brubeck Quartet, Buddy DeFranco , Shelly Manne & His Men, Max Roach , Modern Jazz Quartet , Lizzie Miles , Benny Carter e outros ...
1959Headliner: Count Basie Orchestra com Joe Williams , Oscar Peterson , Cal Tjader , Sarah Vaughan , Earl "Fatha" Hines , Jimmy Witherspoon , Woody Herman e os All Stars com Ernestine Anderson , Charlie Byrd e Zoot Sims , Lizzie Miles , Ornette Coleman e Orquestra , e outros ...
1960Duke Ellington Orchestra, Jon Hendricks com Miriam Makeba , Clarence Horatius "Big" Miller , Odetta , Jimmy Witherspoon , Louis Armstrong All-Stars, John Coltrane Quartet, Modern Jazz Quartet , Julian "Cannonball" Adderley , Ornette Coleman Quartet, Jimmy Rushing , André Previn Trio e Helen Humes …
1961Duke Ellington , Dizzy Gillespie Quintet, Dave Brubeck Quartet, John Coltrane Quartet c / Eric Dolphy & Wes Montgomery , Carmen McRae , George Shearing Quintet, Odetta e Jimmy Rushing .
1962Louis Armstrong All-Stars, Dizzy Gillespie Quintet, Carmen McRae , Dave Brubeck , Gerry Mulligan Quartet, Stan Getz Quartet, Quincy Jones e Monterey Jazz Festival Orchestra.
1963Carmen McRae , Miles Davis Quintet, Dizzy Gillespie Quintet, Dave Brubeck Quartet , Herbie Hancock , Thelonious Monk Quartet, Jon Hendricks , Harry James Orchestra, Jimmy Witherspoon , The Andrews Sisters & the Gospel Song e Helen Merrill , Joe Sullivan .
1964Duke Ellington Orchestra, Dizzy Gillespie Quintet, Miles Davis Quintet com Wayne Shorter , Herbie Hancock , Ron Carter e Tony Williams , Gerry Mulligan , Thelonious Monk Quartet, Lou Rawls , Joe Williams , Woody Herman , Art Farmer Quartet e Big Mama Thornton .
1965Louis Armstrong All-Stars, Duke Ellington Orchestra, Dizzy Gillespie Quintet com Mary Stallings , Cal Tjader Quintet, John Handy Quintet, Clark Terry , Earl "Fatha" Hines , Harry James New Swingin 'Band com Buddy Rich , Anita O'Day , Mary Lou Williams e Ethel Ennis .
1966Duke Ellington Orchestra, Count Basie Orchestra, Dave Brubeck Quartet, Don Ellis Orchestra, Gerry Mulligan , Cannonball Adderley Quintet, Carmen McRae , Big Mama Thornton , Jefferson Airplane , Jimmy Rushing , Muddy Waters Band e Charles Lloyd .
1967Headliners do 10 º aniversário: T-Bone Walker , BB King , Richie Havens , os Cantores Clara Ward , Dizzy Gillespie quinteto, Modern Jazz Quartet , Ornette Coleman Quartet, Carmen McRae , Earl "Fatha" Hines , Richie Havens , e Big brother & The Holding Company com Janis Joplin .
1968Quinteto Dizzy Gillespie , Count Basie Orchestra, Oscar Peterson Trio, Modern Jazz Quartet , Cal Tjader Quintet, Mel Tormé , BB King , Muddy Waters , Billy Eckstine , Big Mama Thornton e George Duke Trio com Third Wave.
1969Miles Davis Quintet com Wayne Shorter , Chick Corea , Dave Holland e Jack DeJohnette , Thelonious Monk Quartet, Sarah Vaughan , Joe Williams , Cannonball Adderley Quintet, Roberta Flack e seu trio, Sly and the Family Stone e Buddy Rich Band.
1970Duke Ellington , Modern Jazz Quartet , Cannonball Adderley Quintet, Joe Williams , Johnny Otis Show com Little Esther Phillips e Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson , Woody Herman Orchestra, Buddy Rich Orchestra, Ivory Joe Hunter , Sonny Stitt e Gene Ammons .
: Clint Eastwood gravará parte de seu filme Play Misty for Me "no festival de 1970, cuja trilha sonora é basicamente jazz.
1971Quarteto Dave Brubeck , Trio Oscar Peterson , Sarah Vaughan , Carmen McRae , Erroll Garner , Jimmy Witherspoon & Friends, John Handy e Mary Lou Williams .
1972Modern Jazz Quartet , John Hendricks , Jimmy Witherspoon , Cal Tjader Quintet, Thelonious Monk , Sonny Rollins Quartet, Joe Williams , Herbie Hancock Septet, Quincy Jones Orchestra e Roberta Flack .
: "Roberta Flack acordou o MJF em 1972, apresentando seu título" The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face . "
1973Dizzy Gillespie Quintet, Carmen McRae , Bo Diddley , Dee Dee Bridgewater , Pointer Sisters , Buddy Rich , Clark Terry , Jon Hendricks , Milt Jackson e Max Roach .
1974Dizzy Gillespie , Sarah Vaughan , Cal Tjader , Jon Hendricks , Mongo Santamaría , Clark Terry , Bo Diddley , Anita O'Day , Big Joe Turner , James Cotton Blues Band e Jerome Richardson .
1975Quarteto Dizzy Gillespie com Cal Tjader , Etta James , Bobby "Blue" Bland , Betty Carter , Blood, Sweat & Tears e Sunnyland Slim .
1976Dizzy Gillespie , Jon Faddis , Clark Terry , Cal Tjader Quintet, Paul Desmond Quartet, Jimmy Witherspoon , Bill Berry Big Band , Toshiko Akiyoshi / Lew Tabackin Band , Helen Humes , Heath Brothers , Eje Thelin Quartet, Gerald Wilson , Queen Ida e o Bon Zydeco Band Time.
1977Os headliners do 20º aniversário Cal Tjader , Joe Williams , Benny Carter , George Duke , Tito Puente Orchestra, Horace Silver Quintet, Gerald Wilson e The Neville Brothers .
1978Dizzy Gillespie , Albert Collins , Kenny Burrell , The Hi-Lo's , Billy Cobham , Bob Dorough , Dexter Gordon Quartet e Ruth Brown / Tony Cook.
1979Diane Schuur , Joe Williams , Aaron Neville , Sonny Stitt , Richie Cole , Flora Purim , Red Mitchell , Scott Hamilton , Earl King , Stan Getz Quintet, Helen Humes , Woody Herman , The Buddy Rich Band, Woody Shaw Quintet e James Booker .
1980Sarah Vaughan , Cal Tjader Quartet, Freddie Hubbard Quintet, Manhattan Transfer , Big Joe Turner e The Dave Brubeck Quartet.