GroundUP Music Festival 2026 just announced its exceptionally strong lineup. This year will be the 10th annual, and the organizers Michael League and Paul Lehr pulled out all the stops, bringing in Flying Lotus, Patrice Rushen, Rickie Lee Jones, Bilal, and Isaiah Sharkey, among others.
Let’s start with the connection to the recently departed and heavily revered D’Angelo. In a recent YouTube interview, Michael League stated, “I don’t know that you can play music in 2025 without being influenced by D’Angelo even if you never heard D’Angelo. Whenever you go somewhere and you hear someone playing drums in this way, you know it’s because of D’Angelo. You know when you hear people singing in this way it’s because of D’Angelo and you don’t even know that that you’re following in a tradition that he evolved.” Isaiah Sharkey, Bilal and Flying Lotus all have a connection to the neo-soul artist.
Next, bring on Patrice Rushen, a legendary soul singer and keyboard player, and Rickie Lee Jones, with a marvelous voice and an all-time great.
Finally, the festival curators are known for bringing in global talent to expose world music to new fans. This year’s class includes Arooj Aftab, Varijashree Venugopal, and Alain Pérez to add different flavors to this year’s gumbo.
Of course all this comes on top of the Snarky Puppy sets and the Family Dinner set format that was started in 2024. This festival is certain to be a highlight of 2026. Here’s my rundown of the festival artists.
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Artist Rundown
Snarky Puppy is fresh off the release of their album ‘Somni,’ recorded and filmed with a live audience. They will play all three nights and I expect a mix of cuts from Somni as well as older classics. The album is astounding (check my Somni review here) and was written with the intent of being performed with or without the Metropole Orkest. They actually performed a couple of the songs live during their South American tour. I think we’ll see the whole album by the end of the fest. Absolutely can’t wait to hear it live again!
Family Dinner Sets were featured last year and were so popular that they’re back for 2026. For anyone less familiar with Snarky Puppy, there have been two Family Dinner albums (so far) on which the band is essentially the backup band for guest vocalists and instrumentalists. In fact, Snarky Puppy won their first Grammy with Lalah Hathaway performing Something on the first album, and then she came and performed it live at the festival in 2019. Last year, one of the guests was the fabulous blues guitarist Eric Gales, and you can catch that clip to the right as well. This will be another one for the ages, no doubt.
Flying Lotus will be a unique set for GUMF 2026. He’s a central figure in the Los Angeles beat scene and founder of the influential Brainfeeder label known for recording Kendrick Lamar and Thundercat. Flying Lotus blends avant-garde jazz with experimental hip-hop. Flying Lotus’ most popular albums are Cosmogramma and You’re Dead! which are included in the Tidal playlist I’ve compiled.
From what I can gather his sets are a multisensory experience, pioneering use of 3D Hypercube performance. He also plays keys/clavinet so it will be interesting to see if he plays with a full band or Snarky Puppy. At other festivals including Hulaween, which I’ve been to, he performs from behind a layered projection rig, and appears as a silhouette immersed in real-time, stereoscopic visuals that range from psychedelic nebulas to deconstructed biological symbols. His sets are largely improvisational, blending electronic beats with live-mixed animations that react dynamically to the music.
Patrice Rushen is a legendary pull for the GroundUP organizers. She’s known worldwide for the monster dance-floor anthems “Haven’t You Heard” and “Forget Me Nots”. Her style is a cross between jazz fusion and infectious R&B. Patrice is a virtuosic piano and keyboard player and during her sets she often steps out front to lead the crowd in high-energy sing-alongs of her hits. Hopefully she’ll also show her chops on the funky keytar. This will be a first for me and it’s about time!
Rickie Lee Jones first burst into our memories with the incredible hit “Chuck E.’s in Love.” Her voice can range from sensitive to nearly explosive jazz inflections. On top of that, she often plays acoustic guitar or piano for parts of her sets. Her sets include captivating storytelling and improvisational wit and she typically has a lot of crowd interaction—we’ll see if that holds true at GUMF 2026. Rickie Lee has won two Grammy Awards and secured eight nominations, including a 2024 nod for her album Pieces of Treasure. This is another huge score for our festival hosts.
Bilal is a cornerstone of the neo-soul movement and a former member of the Soulquarians collective. He’s had high-profile collaborations with icons like Kendrick Lamar, Erykah Badu, and Jay-Z. Bilal is a master vocalist and his live sets showcase his electrifying stage presence. His live sets are a genre-blurring odyssey, where he utilizes a classically trained falsetto to bend and contort notes over a mix of jazz, funk, soul, and rock.
Julian Lage is a familiar name in jazz guitar circles, having been nominated for a Grammy multiple times. He played on multiple albums with now-retired vibraphonist Gary Burton as well as with the prolific jazz composer and producer John Zorn. He’s also collaborated with pianist Taylor Eigsti, who’s now on the GroundUP label. Lage was known as a childhood prodigy, and his technical proficiency and stylings are said to be extraordinary. I’m looking forward to seeing him for the first time.
Isaiah Sharkey is a GUMF veteran, having performed at the 2023 edition during the day as Artist-At-Large and late night. Other famous guitar players often cite him as one of the best in the business. His live sets are a masterclass in genre-blurring, seamlessly weaving together gospel-infused soul, progressive funk, and intricate jazz improvisation that often leaves audiences with a message of “freedom, love, and compassion.” He received a Grammy Award for his work on D’Angelo’s landmark album Black Messiah. He is widely recognized as a premier sideman for industry giants, In August 2025, he released his latest solo album, Red, and performed at the Newport Jazz Festival (it was great!).
Arooj Aftab is a Berklee College of Music alum, originally from Pakistan. Her album “Vulture Prince” was in NPR’s top Jazz albums of 2021. At the 2022 Grammy Awards, she won Best Global Music Performance for her single “Mohabbat,” on that album and became the first Pakistani woman to ever win a Grammy.
She’s new to me but I’ve seen her voice described as luminous and transcendent. Her live sets typically feature a dark, atmospheric stage where she appears as a magnetic figure in black, drifting effortlessly between jazz, South Asian classical traditions, and minimalist indie styles.
Varijashree Venugopal is another GUMF alum, having appeared at the 2024 edition. She is a pioneer of the “Carnatic Scat” pioneer. Wikipedia describes Carnatic music as “the classical music tradition of South India emphasizing vocals, intricate melodies (ragas), complex rhythms (talas), and devotional themes rooted in Hindu traditions.” She uses her voice as an agile instrument to navigate rapid-fire rhythmic cycles (konnakol) and fluid jazz harmonies, frequently punctuated by her own virtuosic flute playing. Her latest album, “Vari (The Live Sessions)” came out on GroundUP Music label in 2025.
Alain Pérez has had a long distinguished career in contemporary Latin music. At just 17 years old he joined the legendary band Irakere under the mentorship of Chucho Valdés. (I got to see Chucho before GUMF 2025 and he is phenomenal). Alain spent a decade as the bassist for flamenco icon Paco de Lucía (another jazz-fusion legend) and has collaborated with giants such as Celia Cruz and Isaac Delgado. His sets are mix genres spanning salsa, timba, and Latin jazz.
Stream GroundUP Music Festival 2026 Playlist
Here’s a sample playlist of all of the artists on Tidal. If you click the link you can play it on the service of your choice. Enjoy and hope to see you at GroundUP Music Festival 2026!