For a half dozen years Litchfield Jazz Camp has been opening evening concerts to all comers at its summer locations for free in a series dubbed “Jazz After Work.” With little or no jazz available in Northwest Connecticut, the public was delighted, and we refused to let a pandemic sink the tradition. In view of the changes we’ve all learned to live with, we went virtual with a series we now call “Jazzy Nights at Home.” Now, not just regional folks but jazz lovers everywhere can join us. Seven concerts will be streamed live. And then join us for th e 25th Litchfield Jazz Festival on July 25. All concerts are live, and Jazz Nights all begin at 7PM. And they are all Free! That includes the Festival.

The Jazzy Nights At Home series begins on July 14 with the Don Braden Quartet, with Don, the long-time Music Director of Litchfield Jazz Camp and international performer and recording artist, on saxophones, Oscar Perez on piano, Mimi Jones on bass and Steve Johns on drums. Don and Steve, the long-time drummer in Dr. Billy Taylor’s trio, are familiar to Litchfield audiences. Oscar Perez, a new face here, has played with George Russell, Curtis Fuller, and others, and recently with Wycliffe Gordon and Christian McBride. He also toured with the late, great Phoebe Snow. The other fresh face on this gig is bassist Mimi Jones. Jones has now been on jazz scene for two decades touring the world for the sUSIA Jazz Ambassadors program. She’s shared the stage with Kenny Barron, Lizz Wright, Beyonce, Dianne Reeves, Roy Hargrove, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Kevin Mahogany, Rachel Z, Sean Jones, Ravi Coltrane, and others.

July 15 brings 2019 Grammy-nominated vocalist Nicole Zuraitis and her Trio into your living room. Nicole heads vocal studies at Litchfield Jazz Camp. She is a regular presence in NYC and has an international career that took her last year to play for a huge audience at the Lithuania Jazz Festival. In NYC, she has residencies at both 55 Bar and Birdland. Rounding out her trio are drummer Dan Pugach and bassist Zwe Bell le Pere. Dan, also a Grammy-nominated last year, records and tours with his Nonet. Zwe, another LJC faculty member and former camper has played with Christian Scott, Dave Holland, Randy Weston, Dave Liebman, and Jason Moran and studies privately with Ron Carter.

The July 16th concert brings you the duo of Zaccai Curtis and Kris Allen, both Litchfield “lifers.” Pianist Curtis came to Litchfield at age 13 and now, in his mid 30s and a dad, serves on the faculty. He tours with Cindy Blackman-Santana, Brian Lynch, Donald Harrison, Papo Vasquez and others and is on the faculty of Hartt School of Music. Kris Allen, a master of the alto sax, has played with Illinois Jacquet, Gerald Wilson, Andy Gonzales and the Mingus Dynasty. He teaches at Williams College and at Litchfield Jazz Camp.

On July 20 , Don Braden will perform again from his studio, joined by Dave Stryker on guitar, Mimi Jones on bass, and Jeremy Warren on drums. The Litchfield gang first met Dave Stryker when he appeared at the Litchfield Jazz Festival as a member of Stanley Turrentine’s band. A prolific recording artist with more than 30 CDs as a leader, Dave has played in the bands of Jack McDuff, Kevin Mahogany, Eliane Elias, Steve Slagle, and others. He is on the faculty at Indiana University. Jeremy, the kid in the group at 34, hails from a Church music family in Little Rock, Arkansas. The regular drum chair in Braden’s Quartet, he appears on his award-winning CD, Earth, Wind and Wonder.

On July 21 , Jazzy Nights at Home has a very special event. The Nicki Parrott Trio will dedicate their concert to the late, great Les Paul, guitarist, composer and inventor. The group features Paul Bollenback on guitar and Ian Carroll on drums, with Nicki on bass and vocals. Nicki, a Litchfield regular, is an Australian native now residing Connecticut. Her big career break came when Les Paul chose her to be the bassist in his Trio. That first night lasted for 10 years until the maestro’s death at 94. Nicki went on to perform with Clark Terry, Michel Legrand, Billy Taylor, Dick Hyman, Skitch Henderson, John Pizzarelli, Randy Brecker, Mike Stern, Ken Peplowski, and too many more to name. Nicki, Paul and Ian Carroll are all Litchfield Jazz Camp faculty members. Paul is a renowned performer and educator who has played with Joey DeFrancesco, Gary Bartz, Charlie Byrd, Joe Locke, Jack McDuff, James Moody, Stanley Turrentine, Jeff “Tain” Watts and many others. Carroll, the Millennial in the group, has already built a durable career which might have been written in the stars: he was born to a musical family in New York just blocks away from the West Village’s great jazz clubs. He leads his own trio every Saturday at the Williamsburg Hotel in Brooklyn and plays weekly for House Jazz, a collaboration between DJ’s and live musicians. Ian also works with students at SUNY Purchase and NYU.

July 22 brings to the series Doug Munro & La Pompe Attack, a gypsy-jazz band with Doug and Vinny Raniolo on guitars and Albert Rivera on soprano saxophone. Doug performed this show for the Litchfield Jazz Festival in 2018. He is a veteran faculty member at Litchfield and is professor emeritus at SUNY Purchase and founder of their jazz program. Vinny became well known for National Public Radio and Television shows with Frank Vignola and Tommy Emmanuel and appearances on HBO’s Boardwalk Empire. Albert Rivera is an outstanding saxophonist with a busy career. He and handpicked bandmates play over 200 shows a year, and Albert develops and runs music workshops internationally. He is the Operations Director for Litchfield Jazz and has a 25-year history with the organization.

July 23rd ‘s piano solo, the last show on the series, is a tribute to Billy Strayhorn. Strayhorn was a the great composer, arranger, performer, and long- time collaborator with Duke Ellington and creator of his signature tune, Take the A Train. Pianist Orrin Evans will do the honors. One of the busiest men in jazz, Orrin, in addition to performing, is a record producer and president of his own label, Imani Records. He is a member of the renowned trio, The Bad Plus, and was a number one Downbeat Critics Poll honoree for work with his touring band, The Captain Black Big Band. Orrin has appeared on the Litchfield Jazz Festival and teachers at Litchfield Jazz Camp.

Jazzy Nights at Home is made possible by support from the National Endowment for the Arts, the George A. and Grace L. Long Foundation, the Les Paul Foundation and the Billy Strayhorn Foundation.