The Annual Bill Douglass Memorial Jazz Picnic will take place on Sunday, June 14th, 2026 at Nevada City, California’s Pioneer Park outdoor concert shell.
Showtime is 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM and admission is FREE!
We highly recommend a donation of $20 or more OR signing up for a recurring annual membership to the Sierra Jazz Society which start at only $25.
Saxophonist Ben Flocks will be a featured highlight at this year’s picnic. Fresh off the release of his latest recording, Moonshades, Ben ‘s lyrical saxophone playing at the picnic will continue the tradition of California based artists being featured at the Sierra Jazz Picnic. Flocks is a saxophonist and storyteller with a clear, warm, and purposeful voice. A veteran performer and educator, he has been lucky to play with an impressive list of luminaries in jazz and beyond, including Dave Brubeck, Joshua Redman, Juumane Smith, Patrice Rushen, Antonio Sanchez, Jay Bellerose, Javier Santiago, Thana Alexa, and Caili O’Doherty. Flocks’ diverse credits as a performing and recording artist stand proudly in tandem with his resume as an educator. He holds a MA in Music Education from San José State University and a BFA from the New School in New York. He currently serves on faculty at Glendale Community College, Harvard-Westlake School, and the Stanford Jazz Workshop.
We’re very excited to have Nevada County’s favorite Grammy Award winning artist Tommy Coster anchoring the faculty band on keyboards once again. Tommy will perform a trio set with our other best jazz friend – the inimitable and incomparable Chris Golden on bass.
Wait, what? Michelle Amador will be back too??!! Michelle delivers “silken-voiced” (SF Chronicle) original music, drawing inspiration from artists such as Solange Knowles, Nina Simone, Joni Mitchell, Björk and many more. Her set at the picnic will be another highlight among many!
We’re always lucky to have Tim Bulkley on drums at any Sierra Jazz Society event and we’re glad he’s back this year for the Picnic AND Sierra Jazz Camp!
Another highlight of this year’s picnic will be a few opening tunes by a Jazz Combo featuring Nevada Union High School musicians. All of the performers in this part of the program are alumni of past Sierra Jazz Camps!