The countdown to the Taste of 4th Avenue Jazz Festival is off to a good start. Birmingham’s largest free jazz festival returns to the historic 4th Avenue Business District in downtown Birmingham this weekend. Monday night, festival founders Urban Impact kicked off the week with Rhyme & Rhythm, a night of poetry, R&B, and smooth jazz at Uptown Jazz Lounge on 9th Avenue North.

Queen Da Poet christened the stage with the art of storytelling, followed by more beats, verses, and lyrics featuring an energetic performance from The Locked Band and more sets of spoken word.

The Locked Band performs the Uptown Jazz Lounge Stage during Rhyme & Rhythm (Shauna Stuart| AL.com)

Monday evening’s show was the first in a series of three “pre-Taste” events curated to toast a landmark year for the Taste of 4th Avenue Jazz Festival. This weekend marks the festival’s 20th anniversary, and to commemorate the occasion, Urban Impact is expanding the festival into a two-day lineup of music and culture on Saturday, August 26 from 2 to 10 p.m. and Sunday, August 27 from 2 to 8 p.m.

Looking to take in some jazz and art before the festival returns to 4th Avenue North? Here are three events to add to your calendar.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 22

Tuesday Jazz Jam with Daniel “Jose” Carr

(from left) keyboardist Willie Jackson, bassist Bernard McQueen, trumpeter Daniel José Carr, and drummer Timothy Huffman perform on May 2, 2023 at True Story Brewing during the Tuesday jazz jam sessions (Shauna Stuart| AL.com)

Birmingham-born jazz trumpeter and bandleader Daniel “Jose” Carr and his quartet are set to take the Taste of 4th Avenue Jazz Festival stage on Saturday. If you want to catch them earlier, head over to True Story Brewing in Crestwood. Carr leads one of the longest-running straight-ahead jazz jam sessions in Birmingham. After a short set by the house band— Carr, keyboardist Willie Jackson, bassist Bernard McQueen, and drummer Timothy Huffman III — the stage opens up to allow musicians to sit in for the jam session. The session is all improv and with no rehearsal. Expect to see musicians trickle in throughout the night, including longtime bandleader Collins “Bo” Berry, his son Jonathan Berry, and Terry and Danny Harper. The session starts at 7 p.m. and runs until 10:30 at night. (Note: This jazz jam is a reoccurring event and not part of Urban Impact’s official “pre-Taste” of 4th event lineup.)

Details: True Story Brewing Company, 5510 Crestwood Blvd, Birmingham, AL 35212| 7 to 10:30 p.m.

WEDESDAY, AUGUST 23

Honoring the 60th Commemoration: Conversation & Art

16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. The church is hosting events throughout 2023 to commemorate the 60th anniversary of its bombing and other civil rights events. Alaina Bookman/AL.com

On Aug. 23, Urban Impact will partner with the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute (BCRI) to host an evening of reflections and art exhibitions to honor Sarah Collins Rudolph and Lisa McNair, the sisters of two of the girls killed in the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing on September 15, 1963. Rudolph was 12 years old when dynamite planted by members of the Ku Klux Klan inside of the church exploded. The blast blew glass and shrapnel at her face, leaving her blind in one eye, and killed her sister Addie Mae Collins and their friends Carole Robertson, Cynthia Wesley, and Denise McNair.

The event starts at 5:30 p.m. inside of the BCRI. The evening will include conversations with Rudolph and McNair, followed by an artist presentation to both women. Rudolph and McNair will also sign copies of their books. Urban Impact designed Wednesday’s lecture to align with the city’s year-long commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the 1963 civil rights movement. (Note: This is an Urban Impact “pre-Taste” event.)

Details: The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, 520 16th St N, Birmingham, AL 35203| 5:30 p.m.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 25

Jazz & Jokes at Jazzi’s on 3rd

Jazzi's on 3rd is the event gallery and listening room dedicated to the late jazz vocalist and Alabama Jazz Hall of Famer Henry "Otto" Blankenship. (Shauna Stuart for AL.com)

The evening before the Taste of 4th Avenue Jazz Fest, Urban Impact will host Jazz & Jokes, a music and comedy night featuring comedian Lamar Pullom and a set by The Locked Band. Tickets for the show are $25 and available to purchase via Eventbrite. The show is in the Theatre District at Jazzi’s on 3rd, the event venue and former listening room dedicated to the late Henry “Otto” Blankenship, a longtime member of the Birmingham Heritage Band and a member of the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame. This year, Blankenship received a new honor-- a star on the Alabama Walk of Fame. The star is outside the front door of Jazzi’s. (Note: This is an Urban Impact “pre-Taste” event.)

Details: Jazzi’s on 3rd, 1725 3rd Ave N, Birmingham, AL 35203| 7 - 9 p.m.