Milestones: A Miles Davis Centennial Celebration

"Milestones: A Miles Davis Centennial Celebration" is an inaugural three-day music festival held from August 21-23, 2026, at the Wyndham San Diego Bayside Hotel in San Diego, California. Presented as part of the California Coast Jazz Festival, this event is produced and presented by KSDS Jazz 88, the national award-winning radio station based at San Diego City College. It is dedicated to honoring the enduring musical legacy of Miles Davis on his centennial, celebrating his profound impact across various music styles including jazz, rock, funk, hip-hop, and electronica.

The festival offers an extensive program designed to explore the many facets of Davis’s influential career, spanning jazz movements from the 1940s to the 1980s, including cool, hard bop, orchestral, modal, and fusion. Attendees can expect a rich schedule of activities, including panel discussions, film screenings, presentations, concerts, and jam sessions that will run from morning until late at night. The programming is designed to provide depth and breadth, exploring most aspects of Davis's multifarious career.

Notable performances include a Friday concert devoted to the work of pianist Ahmad Jamal, titled "New Rhumba: Music of Ahmad Jamal." A Sunday concert, "A Supreme Blue: A Centennial Re-imagining of Kind of Blue and A Love Supreme," will feature a saxophone-free trio led by trumpeter Nicholas Payton, paying tribute to Davis's landmark 1959 album and John Coltrane's influential 1964 album.