ALTON – The Miles Davis Jazz Festival celebrated the famed musician’s 100th birthday with a two-day event in Alton on May 22 and 23, 2026, bringing together music, art, and scholarship fundraising in his hometown.
Davis was born on May 26, 1926, to an affluent African American family in Alton, Illinois.
The Miles Davis Celebration weekend in Alton started at 6 p.m. Friday, May 22, with a free mini block party at the Miles Davis statue next to Catdaddy’s in downtown Alton, followed by a party at The Conservatory that featured the Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville Jazz Band. The main festival started at 6 p.m. Saturday, May 23, 2025, at Post Commons in Alton.
“We’re celebrating [Davis’s] 100th birthday, one of the greatest jazz trumpeters the world has ever known,” said Lee Barham with the Miles Davis Jazz Festival Committee, who was very excited over the two days of the festival and how it all worked.
Performances by The Tim Jarden Band and The Anthony Wiggins Group were highlights of the Saturday evening gathering at Post Commons. The evening concluded with the announcement of four scholarships to graduating seniors from Alton High School and Marquette Catholic High School.
Barham said enthusiasm at the Post Commons event to celebrate Miles Davis was very high.
“On a scale from one to 10, we’re at 100,” Barham said Saturday night at the event.
According to event organizers, proceeds from ticket sales will support scholarships for students interested in music. Karen Wilson of Pride, Inc. said before the event that the effort reflects the festival’s broader goal of investing in young people and music education.
“What I love about the jazz festival is that it supports students who are interested in music. Now, we don’t just pick trumpet players. Miles had an impact on all music,” Wilson said. “Miles was given a trumpet for his birthday. He learned at school how to play and his teacher gave him private lessons. So here we are, trying to continue that, because we know that’s important.”
Wilson said Pride, Inc. previously partnered with the Miles Davis Jazz Festival Committee to commission and install the Miles Davis statue in Downtown Alton.
“I think that was the big motivator for us, that, holy cow, we don’t have anything about Miles in his birth city or in the Western Hemisphere. So we’re pretty proud of that,” Wilson said. “I think sometimes we who have grown up in this area take this area for granted and how it looks when you come into town and all of our history and nature, the volunteerism. We’ve got a cool place to live.”
Barham said the festival is also meant to highlight Alton’s history and cultural contributions.
“[Alton is] enriched with a lot of history, good and bad,” Barham said. “We need to embrace it. We need to pass it along, because a lot of generations have forgotten who we are. For jazz, we’ve got Miles Davis. We’ve got Luther Ingram. The list goes on and on.”
Friday’s kickoff included music by Jim Manley, an appearance by statue sculptor Preston Jackson, and artist Michael Snider, who is creating a “Thousand Trumpets” tribute piece for Davis.
The catered menu at Post Commons reflected foods Davis liked to eat, including chili spaghetti and fried chicken, according to the event information. Metro East Catering’s Michael Barham handled the meal.
Barham said he hopes the festival continues to grow with community support.
“My final thought, I see the potential of the Miles Davis celebration to continue to grow,” he concluded. “We just have to continue to nurture this and make the event as good as it can be. The three scholarships this year are for $750 each to two Alton High students and one Marquette student. I would love to see that continue to grow.
The scholarship fund is run through Pride, Inc., for anyone who wishes to contribute to the 2027 scholarships, Barham said.
For more information, call 618-467-2375.
