Stefon Harris and Blackout and the Joe Lovano Quartet will headline the 26th annual Twin Cities Jazz Festival on Friday and Saturday in and around Mears Park in Lowertown St. Paul.

The free festival was founded in 1999 as a nonprofit organization with “a mission to keep the art form of jazz alive and well in our community.” This will be the first year under new executive director Dayna Martinez, vice president of programming and education for the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts and director of the Flint Hills Family Festival.

Jazz Fest founder Steve Heckler retired last year.

Performers on the main stage at Mears Park include:

Friday: Claudia Medina’s Peruvian Project (4 p.m.), Karrin Allyson (6 p.m.) and Stefon Harris and Blackout (8:30 p.m.).

Saturday: Youth performances from Walker West Music Academy and MacPhail Center for Music (noon), Kavyesh Kaviraj Quintet (2 p.m.), Walker West Jazzwomen Collective present A Chronology of Jazz Matriarchy (4 p.m.), Kandace Springs (6 p.m.) and Joe Lovano Quartet featuring Kenny Werner, John Lockwood and Francisco Mela (8:30 p.m.).

The festival also features a second stage at Mears Park and performances in other St. Paul venues (including Twin Cities PBS, Saint Paul Hotel Lobby Bar, Apostle Supper Club and Big River Pizza) as well as around the metro (including Mall of America, Crooners Supper Club and the Cedar Cultural Center). See twincitiesjazzfestival.com for details.

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