North Carolina Jazz Festival - Wilmington NC

February 5-7 2026
Wilmington gives a warm welcome to all of the jazz lovers attending our 46th Annual North Carolina Jazz Festival!  This historic city located on the bank of the Cape Fear River has many interesting shops, art galleries, museums and restaurants, as well as a movie studio, nearby beaches, plus Revolutionary and Civil War sites to explore during your days here. We will fill your evenings with exciting performances by some of the greatest traditional jazz musicians from around the globe!

2026 Thursday Night Showcase

Noel Freidline and Maria Howell define chemistry. Musically they breathe as one, communicating almost telepathically as they explore and re-interpret some of the best music of the last 80 years. Always approaching the music from “the left,” Noel and Maria have made a name for themselves as they offer listeners something they have heard, but that they have never heard before. Combine this fresh musical approach with a rapport and witty banter that harkens back to the days of the Rat Pack, and you have Noel and Maria in their element: on stage, thrilling an audience at every turn.

Pianist, vocalist, and arranger, Freidline has recorded 9 CDs, his most recent a Christmas album with Maria Howell titled Merry Christmas, My Dear, released in 2019. Noel has performed at jazz festivals all over the world and is the creator and Artistic Director for several jazz concert series throughout the Southeast. He has also composed and recorded music for ESPN, ABC, and the Walt Disney Company.

Mere words can only capture the refrain of actress and vocalist Maria Howell’s awesome talent and stage presence. As an actress Howell has appeared in the feature films The Color Purple, The Hunger Games, The Blind Side, and Hidden Figures as well TV’s “Revolution,” “Devious Maids,” and “Saints and Sinners.” As a vocalist Maria has shared the stage with Ray Charles, Ramsey Lewis, George Benson, Nancy Wilson, lyricist Tim Rice, and Marvin Hamlisch, among others.
For more on these artists go to www.noelandmarialive.com.

We will have a local band Benny Hill and friends to perform. For the past twenty years, Benny has performed in a diverse set of musical groups and engagements, ranging from orchestra pits to cruise ships to featured artists and soloists at numerous venues across the country and abroad. Benny is well versed in the many styles and genres of popular and classical music and specializes in jazz performance. He is steeped in the tradition of many of the past greats including Julian ‘Cannonball’ Adderley, Jackie McLean, Dexter Gordon, John Coltrane and Charlie Parker. His improvisations on the Alto Saxophone are reminiscent of these greats, yet he has a distinct style and voice of his own.

Friday and Saturday Nights
We will continue our celebration with All-Star musicians playing in the traditional seven sets of six or seven players, each set with a different leader. You will hear many of our favorite NCJF musicians plus new additions to our lineup. You will not want to miss this exciting 45th Annual North Carolina Jazz Festival! These will be 4 ½ hour concerts.

All concerts begin at 7:30 PM and are held at the Hotel Ballast ballroom.

Hotel Ballast, Tapestry Collection By Hilton
HOTEL BALLAST is home of the North Carolina Jazz Festival @ Wilmington.

To make a reservation at the Hotel Ballast Wilmington by Hilton

please call 800-455-8667, or 910-763-5900

mention group code: NCJ

Special room rate for attendees are:

139.00 Historic View
169.00 Riverfront

Group Rates are available until the room block is full or until your Cutoff Date: Monday, 12/29/2025, whichever comes first.

After the cut-off date, please note the group rate will no longer be valid.

Special thanks for the hospitality shown to all attendees and musicians!!

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