Here, here! The sound of jazz is back again for day two of the 2025 Blue Note Jazz Festival at the iconic Hollywood Bowl on June 15th, 2025! On the second and final day of the festival, modernized and unconventional takes on jazz were prevalent – along with the immaculate co-headlining performances by WILLOW and Grace Jones! So, let’s dive into the highlights of day two!
The LAUSD Beyond the Bell All-District Jazz Academy
To kick off the final day of the festival, the big band ensemble from the LAUSD (Los Angeles Unified School District) Beyond the Bell All-District Jazz Academy delivered another joyous and youthful opening act for the audience. The growing skillset and passion of the performing students were a perfect reminder of how jazz continues to persist – despite the genre being more than 100 years old.
Mohini Dey
If you’re looking for a rebellious slap bass spectacle at a jazz festival, Mohini Dey has it all! 29-year-old Indian bassist Mohini Dey unleashed funky bass jams with indefatigable mannerisms along with her minimal yet powerful band – consisting of a drummer and a saxophonist. Dey’s performance of her incomprehensibly fast-paced song, “Inverted Soul” (Mohini Dey revealed how she wrote this song when she was, unbelievably, 13 years old) along with her intricately layered song, “In-N-Out” (it’s also fascinating how the song expressed the excitement of eating out at In-N-Out burger, despite the entirety of the song being composed with instrumentals). What a rebel!
Weedie Braimah & The Hands of Time
What if you’re looking for a fusion of Afrobeat and jazz? Ghanaian Djembe player Weedie Braimah and his incredibly expressive band The Hands of Time delivered a performance filled with dream, imagination and ambition for the audience. The happy expression of Braimah while passionately playing his Djembe, while The Hands of Time performing uplifting jazz melodies, was surely a delightful experience on a bright summer’s day!
The Soul Rebels
Shortly after, The New Orleans-based brass ensemble The Soul Rebels delivered a feel-good marching band experience. Their uplifting set consisted of an interesting mix of R&B, soul and swing jazz elements. The leisurely and playful mannerisms of the ensemble felt calming and refreshing – as if listening to an upbeat yodeling while walking in rural farmland. Another cool aspect of The Soul Rebels was their respectful invitation of three different guest performers, with energetic rapper Rapsody, R&B vocalist Goapele, as well as harpist Brandee Younger. The Soul Rebels accompanied each of these respective guest artists, constantly switching the mood, rhythm and melody, to assuredly deliver a compelling show!
Stanley Clarke *N* 4EVER
If there was a rebellious bass performance earlier in the festival, now we have a true bassist legend with a 50-year-long career! American bassist and composer Stanley Clarke and his spirited band, 4Ever, delivered a ferocious free jazz performance with the fusion of funk, rock and jazz. Stanley Clarke, while flawlessly playing both bass guitar and double bass, performed with a relaxed sense of chicness. It was also interesting how Stanley Clarke allowed each of his band members to have their extended duration of solo improvisations throughout his set – which was a respectful gesture honoring the culture and the tradition of jazz.
WILLOW
As one of the co-headliners of the night, 24-year-old alternative, pop and rock musician WILLOW showcased a tour de force performance. With her impressively multi-talented vocal ability, along with her quirky all-female band (with Mohini Dey impeccably performing bass riffs throughout the set as well), WILLOW’s music was a perfect embodiment of new generational jazz – especially with the catchy sound of pop and rock blending with the free-spirited sentiments of blues and jazz.
WILLOW’s riveting performances on emotionally evocative punk rock songs “Between I and She” and “t r a n s p a r e n t s o u l,” an unconventional pop song with a mix of free jazz elements, “b i g f e e l i n g s,” as well as the melodically uplifting yet lyrically heartfelt song “Wait a Minute!,” were fabulously executed. It was also fascinating how in every one of the performances, WILLOW’s reserved yet expressive singing style was heavily reminiscent of jazz icon Ella Fitzgerald’s invigorating voice. As WILLOW is merely in her early 20s, it is truly exciting to think of the musical journey she has yet to embark on.
Grace Jones
As the anticipation was building up for the festival finale, revelational Jamaican R&B and disco musician Grace Jones appeared on the stage to yet again shock the world. It was incredibly hard to believe how despite being 77 years old, Jones’ sheer energy and talent charmed the crowd with her resilient voice and her commanding stage presence. The finale of the night was a thoroughly enjoyable chaos – blending the sound of jazz and funk, as well as an incessant costume/wig change in between performances while maintaining her iconic androgynous style.
Grace Jones’ stage outfit for her opening performance of Iggy Pop’s song “Nightclubbing” was astonishing, especially while wearing her extra platformed high heels, snazzy-looking oversized blazer, as well as an intricately designed glowing light stick hat. And throughout the night, Jones constantly changed her costume and wig into a captivating appearance – from wearing a medieval chivalry helmet to a full-body floral suit.
Her chaotic yet wonderous performance, as well as the well-thought-out setlist, was well representative of her 50-year-long musical career. Some of the highlights included her performance of “Demolition Man” while throwing away hi-hat cymbals, making slow yet authoritative movements while huskily singing “I’ve Seen That Face Before,” a poignant cover performance of John Newton’s “Amazing Grace,” as well as the collaboration performance of “Pull Up to the Bumper” with rapper and singer-songwriter Janelle Monáe. For the finale, Grace Jones put out an overpoweringly energetic show of “Slave to the Rhythm” while hula-hooping the entirety of the song. Truly, the words can’t describe how immaculate her performances were – what an icon!
This year’s Blue Note Jazz Festival, with its two days of nonstop performances, was ultimately a celebration of the tradition, the culture and the boundless versatility of jazz. Even though each of the participating artists had a drastically different style and approach to the traditional genre, the weekend at Hollywood Bowl has testified how jazz never goes out of style – and how music continues to inspire and bring joy to people across generations!
Grace Jones Setlist
- Nightclubbing (Iggy Pop cover)
- Private Life (Pretenders cover)
- Demolition Man
- My Jamaican Guy
- I’ve Seen That Face Before (Libertango)
- Williams’ Blood
- Amazing Grace (John Newton cover)
- Love Is the Drug (Roxy Music cover)
- Pull Up to the Bumper (with Janelle Monáe)
- Slave to the Rhythm
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