Litchfield Jazz and all those it serves had a GREAT summer full of music. Despite the personal struggles so many have and continue to endure, we are glad we were able to bring a little harmony into what might otherwise have been a dreary season indeed for jazz lovers. When the awful news broke, we chose not to flag or fold, but instead to work like mad. The talents and efforts of the Litchfield team produced a terrific summer camp experience for some 90 students and celebrated the 25th anniversary of Litchfield Jazz Festival.
We did none of this in-person because of the danger meetups pose in a pandemic: we did everything virtually. But like all we do, we strived to make the experiences the best they could be. We had exciting classes for our students capped off with great live stream concerts and special events, among them a program dedicated to the great composer/arranger Billy Strayhorn by his nephew and our friend and supporter Galen Demus.
The Festival was live streamed from Telefunken Soundstage in South Windsor. Thanks to the talent and generosity of the whole Telefunken crew, we were able to bring you a day full of top-flight music with excellent production values. The Fest opened with a wonderful set we called Litchfield Legends in the Making, featuring some of our very talented younger artists and faculty. Nicole Zuraitis put this together in her own personable style. You can still hear this and any of the other acts that “aired” July 25th. (Yes, the Fest was 25 on the 25th!) Just go to our YouTube Channel, youtube.com/user/LitchfieldARTS/video.
The lineup also featured two sets celebrating the centennials of two jazz icons, Charlie Parker and Art Blakey. Parker, a 1950s saxophonist who died way too young but has never been forgotten –graffiti on every available surface around New York City after his passing read BIRD (his enduring nickname) LIVES. The originator of bebop, Bird’s following seems to grow daily, especially among young musicians like those Litchfield Jazz Camp devotedly serves. Outstanding alto saxophonist/educator Kris Allen curated this performance.
Our stellar day of music closed with a rousing tribute to Art Blakey. I have a special place in my heart for Blakey not just for his impeccable drumming but also for his support of young talent. The hallmark of this bandleader’s approach was to rotate an almost endless stream of players through what became familiarly known as “the School of Art Blakey”—his Jazz Messengers. Blakey spotted extraordinary fledgling talents, trained them and fledged them. Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers had a remarkable run, performing for 35 years until his death in 1990. Many of his proteges developed major solo careers, including some we got to showcase at the Litchfield Jazz Festival: Wayne Shorter, Curtis Fuller, Joanne Brackeen, Terence Blanchard, Donald Harrison, Mulgrew Miller, Reggie Workman, Randy Brecker, Slide Hampton, McCoy Tyner, George Cables, Buster Williams, Bobby Watson, Dennis Irwin, Robin Eubanks, Lonnie Plaxico, Benny Greene, Peter Washington, Roy Haynes, and Valery Ponomarev who put together our tribute.
For those who can never get enough jazz jive, Kris Allen, who graciously served as our MC, also kept our Artist Talks tradition alive. After Mainstage acts, Kris interviewed representatives of each band, with one assist from Mike Gow. Mike, a long-time Litchfield host, realized it was going to be difficult for Kris to wear three hats at once and sound check his band too, so he covered the first Talk. It was a touching interview with Nicole and her husband, musical partner and 2019 co-Grammy Award nominee, drummer Dan Pugach. Dan emerged as the male who put feelings into words– no mansplaning for him!
The Fest had more than 20,000 hits and over a quarter of these visitors stuck around for a long time, enjoying the music we prepared for them and served up free of charge! They graciously returned the favor with on-line contributions that helped cover production costs. Artist fees were met by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. We are grateful for these and all the support we have received across the year from so many of you!
Please keep a lookout on the website for all the events we have planned for you in the coming season and more we are working on right now!
The 2020 Festival livestream is available to watch at the Litchfield Performing Arts YouTube page – https://youtu.be/anR_4K8LNXA.