Julia Keefe (Nez Perce) is an internationally acclaimed Native American jazz vocalist, actor, activist, and educator currently based in New York City. Her professional career has spanned over 18 years and she has headlined marquee events at the Smithsonian Museum in Washington D.C., NMAI-NY, Kennedy Center, as well as opening for 20-time GRAMMY Award winner Tony Bennett and 4-time GRAMMY Award winner Esperanza Spalding. Her life’s work is the revival and honoring of the legendary Coeur d’Alene jazz musician Mildred Bailey and is leading the campaign for Bailey’s induction into the Jazz Hall of Fame at Lincoln Center. She currently directs the Julia Keefe Indigenous Big Band, and has performed with world-class musicians including Jim McNeely, Emmet Cohen, Billy Test, Dan Hearle, Andreas Oberg, Bob Bowman, Clipper Anderson, Jack Mouse, the Lionel Hampton Big Band, among many others. Keefe is also the Executive Director of the Board for One Heart Native Arts and Film Festival, an annual non-profit festival in Spokane, showcasing the diversity and vitality of contemporary Native art in the Pacific Northwest and beyond.

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Artist Talk: Julia Keefe

University of California, Berkeley

The internationally acclaimed Native American jazz vocalist Julia Keefe made a splash on the New York jazz scene with her masterful command of the Great American Songbook, opening for the likes of Tony Bennett. After a popular Carpenter Center appearance last year, Keefe and her quartet return with fresh takes on jazz classics. 

Julia Keefe

California State University, Long Beach

The Julia Keefe Indigenous Big Band (JKIBB) is an ensemble of Native and Indigenous jazz musicians from across Indian Country. Performing pieces from their under-appreciated predecessors in jazz, like Mildred Bailey (Coeur d’Alene) and Jim Pepper (Kaw/Mvskoke), alongside works by contemporary Indigenous composers, the band spotlights a vibrant, long-standing tradition of Indigenous improvised music today. Led by the celebrated vocalist and luminary Julia Keefe (Nez Perce), the ensemble brings charisma, passion, and purpose to every stage, leaving audiences both inspired and educated.

Julia Keefe Indigenous Big Band

Edmonds Center For the Arts

For hundreds of years, songs have been the vessels for stories, lessons, and prayers for the Indigenous peoples of the Americas. One of the newest additions to this world is the Julia Keefe Indigenous Big Band, which presented its very first concert in 2022, focusing on reimagined traditional melodies made famous by Indigenous jazz musicians from the past, like singer Mildred Bailey (Coeur d’Alene) and saxophonist Jim Pepper (Kaw/Mvskoke), as well as new works that push the genre forward.

Michigan Theater

The Julia Keefe Indigenous Jazz Ensemble is rewriting jazz history—one long-overdue note at a time. Drawing from deep-rooted Indigenous musical traditions and the untold legacy of Native jazz pioneers, the ensemble transforms traditional songs and rhythms into bold new works infused with the language of jazz. Led by vocalist Julia Keefe and co-director Delbert Anderson, the band is a rare and vibrant force: an ensemble of Indigenous musicians claiming their place in jazz’s past, present, and future. With a lineup spanning North and South America and a mission to uplift the next generation, they honor a rich jazz lineage while forging new sonic pathways.

Julia Keefe Indigenous Jazz Ensemble

Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts

A truly one-of-a-kind ensemble, the Julia Keefe Indigenous Big Band celebrates and extends the contributions of Indigenous and Native musicians, composers, and bandleaders throughout the rich history of jazz. Indigenous artists like Russell “Big Chief” Moore, Mildred Bailey, Oscar Pettiford, and Jim Pepper ascended into the limelight as star performers, but many other players were never recognized.

Julia Keefe

Events

Upcoming events

Jan 14, 2026

Julia Keefe Indigenous Big Band · Edmonds Center for the Arts

Jan 29, 2026

Julia Keefe Indigenous Big Band · University Musical Society

Jan 30, 2026

Julia Keefe Indigenous Jazz Ensemble · UChicago Presents

Mar 6, 2026

Julia Keefe Indigenous Big Band · Cal Performances

Past events

Feb 18, 2025

Artist Talk: Julia Keefe · UC Berkeley Department of Music

5 - 6 Feb, 2025

Julia Keefe · Carpenter Performing Arts Center

About

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