The Indigenous Jazz Festival returns to Farmington for its fifth year Saturday, opening with the youth ensemble The Third Hour and launching an afternoon of music that celebrates both emerging talent and generations of Native jazz tradition.
More than a concert series, the festival honors the legacy of Navajo trumpeter and educator Jacob C. Morgan, whose influence helped shape the Navajo Nation Band and the region’s musical identity.
This year’s lineup – from student groups to veteran performers and the Native Jazz Quartet – underscores the event’s mission to elevate Indigenous musicians, nurture young artists through programs like Build A Band, and spotlight the deep roots of jazz across the Four Corners.
The Third Hour, comprised of members of the Build A Band program provided through the San Juan Jazz Society and Northwest New Mexico Arts Council, kick off the musical journey at 3 p.m.
Build A Band encouraged young musicians to create a band while learning about music business and music creativity. The Third Hour has become a popular act at the festival.
“This historical event recognizes Jacob C. Morgan (1879-1950) a Navajo musician (trumpeter), educator, band director, pastor, tribal council chair, carpenter, who helped create the Navajo Nation Band in Shiprock, New Mexico, which still exists to this day,” a news release said.
Morgan, who had a deep impact in the arts, government, ministry and youth, would set up and play his trumpet each week at Orchard Park free of charge for the community.
Indigenous musicians are always a big part of the festival, along with local food vendors and artists.
The Third Hour jazz band learned jazz standards and composed their own music,” the release said. They performed for youth and communities in New Mexico and Colorado during a five-day regional tour.
At 4 p.m. Saturday, the “San Juan Jazz Society Combo” with local musicians Gordon Peck, Tom Maddox, Mark Smith, Robert Beck, Lukas Franco, Shane Gallagher and featuring vocalist Margaret Clair will take the stage – performing jazz standards and original tunes.
Next up at 5 p.m. is the Farmington High School Jazz Band, under the direction of Alex Olivas. The FHS Jazz Band has performed at numerous San Juan County events, including the annual Farmington High School Music Department fundraiser.
Clair takes the stage again along with the San Juan College Jazz Ensemble, directed by John Patton, at 6 p.m.
Three Views of A Secret, featuring Robert Beck, Lucas Franco and Shane Gallagher, hit the stage at 7 p.m. with their unique blend of styles and decades of experience.
Beck, drummer, brings more than 50 years of experience as a versatile performing musician, talent agent, contractor, educator and composer. Beck has accompanied jazz greats like Lionel Hampton and Ella Fitzgerald and has been involved in over 50 productions, ranging from classical musicals to Broadway shows.
Franco
, guitarist, studied music at the Berklee College of Music and later joined the U.S. Navy Band, expanding his musical skills by exploring various genres. While living in California, South Carolina and Samoa, he contributed to media projects, including trailers and commercials.
Gallagher, a distinguished jazz pianist and keyboardist, blends southwest blues, Boogie-Woogie and straight-ahead jazz. Influenced by his Navajo Reservation upbringing and Appalachian heritage, he began performing professionally at age eight and studied with renowned jazz educators George Cables and Jay Flippin. While he has performed internationally, he is a key figure in Durango’s jazz scene and co-founded Three Views of a Secret.
Headlining the event at 8 p.m. is the Native Jazz Quartet, led by Tlingit jazz drummer Edward Littlefield from Sitka, Alaska.
The Native Jazz Quartet is led by Tlingit jazz drummer Edward Littlefield from Sitka, Alaska and renowned Diné trumpeter Delbert Anderson from Kirtland.
Joining Littlefield is Michael Bartholomew Glynn on double bass, Reuel Vallester Lubag, a pianist and drummer. They represented the United States in South America as “Jazz Ambassadors” through the American Music Abroad program.
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