Blake Aaron Talks Legacy & Live Music at Ocean City Jazz Fest

Get ready, jazz lovers. This weekend, guitarist Blake Aaron takes the stage at the Ocean City Jazz Festival in North Topsail Beach, NC—and if you love live music by the water, you don’t want to miss it.

Blake stopped by Foxy 107.1/104.3 to chat with Karen Clark about his sound, his story, and what this special weekend means to him. And let me tell you, his energy is contagious.

So how does a guy the LA Times once called a “genius on the guitar” describe his own music?

“It almost be like if you took George Benson or Wes Montgomery and put it with like a Bruno Mars kind of groove behind it,” Blake explained. High energy. Danceable. Yet warm and familiar all at once.

“It’s old, but it’s new at the same time,” he said.

That blend of classic jazz and funky soul is exactly why his latest album, Love and Rhythm, delivered three number one Billboard singles. Three times over. That’s no small thing.

Blake has shared stages with legends like Carlos Santana, Philip Bailey, and Sheila E., plus 15 years on Fox’s MADtv.

But this weekend feels different. This will be his first time at Topsail Beach, and he doesn’t take the moment lightly.

Here’s why it matters. Ocean City Beach was founded in the late 1940s as one of the first stretches of North Carolina coast where Black families could own beachfront property.

Today, it proudly sits on the North Carolina Civil Rights Trail. That’s our history. That’s our legacy.

“I’m absolutely honored to be a part of that,” Blake shared. “I’m honored to be a part of such a historical, meaningful place.”

Now in its 16th year, this festival is a celebration of culture, community, and soul-stirring music.

Three days of live jazz on the beach—it truly doesn’t get any better.