Napa Blue Notes Jazz Festival celebrates Black music, food, wine

NAPA, Calif. -- Blue Notes Napa Jazz Festival at the Meritage Resort and Spa brought together some of the best of local and national Black music, art and food for a unique three-day experience over Labor Day weekend.

Artist-in-residence at Blue Note Jazz, Robert Glasper, organized the event to unite the Black community in a part of the country that is used to catering to predominantly white audiences.

"Having high-level Black music, high level Black art, food, wine all together. It just makes it," Glasper said. "I feel like it's important. The show we do more than rap and play basketball. You know what I mean?"

Jill Scott, Andra Day, John Legend, Common, Madlib and Andre 3000, among many others entertained festival-goers across three stages on the Meritage campus.

One attendee who traveled with her sister and niece told ABC7 News, "Unity to togetherness. The vibe, the beauty, the magnificence of this uplifting."

Last year, the event was held at the Silverado Resort, a much larger site.

"It's just feels, it feels a lot more familiar and a lot like we're all in a vacation together versus, like, everybody's here to see me, but I'm over there, you know? I mean, now I'm like, hey, how are you? Look at what's going on. So I think this is going to feel more like a family reunion," Glasper said.

Bay Area Chef Fernay McPherson of Minnie Bells, who catered a brunch of fried chicken topped with caviar, agreed with Glasper.

"I have been wanting to be a part of things in Napa for a long time, I'm so thankful to be a part of such an amazing event with amazing people. And to break bread with the community. Unity, togetherness and five the beauty, the black lives is this uplifting I love us, yeah, I'm loving it," McPherson said.