We are offering the chance for up to 40 friends and supporters to attend our newly minted winter/spring fundraisers in person*.
Our first fundraiser event is set for December 17th and our second for April 29th. The evenings will begin a 6:45 with a pre-concert reception. Concerts will begin promptly at 7:30. We will sell no more than 40 tickets—purchased in advance—at our standard benefit ticket price of $125. You can reserve your spot for December 17th, or for both dates now! Proceeds will support programs and need-based scholarships at Litchfield Jazz Camp.
On December 17 Litchfield Jazz Presents will host Native Soul. Bandmates include four great names in jazz—bassist Marcus McLaurine, saxophonist/flutist Peter Brainin, pianist Noah Haidu, and drummer Steve John with special guest, trumpeter Freddie Hendrix. Hendrix has performed with the Count Basie Orchestra, the Christian McBride Big Band, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, and Alicia Keyes.
For their first ever appearance for Litchfield Jazz, the group’s performance will be “To C.T. With Love”: A tribute to the legendary Clark Terry. The tune by the same name was written by McLaurine for Native Soul’s most recent record, What Is That Isn’t (Cellar Music) and inspired the group to record an upcoming full-scale tribute to the late trumpeter.
Clark Terry was born in 1920. His career spanned70 years, and he became one of the most recorded jazz musicians ever, producing more than 900 records. Terry played with Count Basie and then moved on to the bands of Quincy Jones and Oscar Peterson. He worked with the Tonight Show band for a decade and was the first black artist to become a regular on network television. Encouraged by Billy Taylor and Milt Hinton, he bought instruments for young hopefuls and instructed them, an idea that led to the Jazz Mobile in NYC. From 2000 onward, he hosted Clark Terry Jazz Festivals, held his own jazz camps, and played 50+ jazz festivals on six continents. Terry composed over 200 songs and performed for eight US Presidents. He died in 2015 at 95.
Marcus McLaurine recorded and toured with Terry for 25 years. Peter Brainin played with pianist Hilton Ruiz Mongo Santamaria, Chico O’Farrill, Bobby Sanabria, Paquito D’Rivera, Wynton Marsalis, and others. Steve Johns worked with Sonny Fortune, Randy Brecker, Stanley Turrentine, and Billy Taylor. Noah Haidu, the band’s youngest member, played with jazz heavyweights Ambrose Akinmusire, Mike Stern, Jeremy Pelt, Benny Golson, and Eddie Henderson and wrote his first orginal for Native Soul. Both McLaurine and Johns are long-time Litchfield Jazz Camp faculty members.
On April 29, Litchfield Jazz Presents welcomes the charming, talented vocal ensemble Duchess. Duchess appeared on the 2019 Litchfield Jazz Festival, the last pre-pandemic live show. Duchess bandmates Amy Cervini, Hilary Gardner, and Melissa Stylianou have performed together since 2013. They recently placed second in the JazzTimes Critic’s Poll in the company of legends Take 6, New York Voices, and Manhattan Transfer. Amy has already released five solo albums and toured worldwide, Melissa has performed at Carnegie Hall and with Litchfield favorites, Matt Wilson, Helen Sung and Joel Frahm, and Hilary has appeared on Broadway, in an Erroll Morris film and sung the National Anthem for the Mets at CitiField. Duchess’ music is inspired by the popular1930’s singing sensation, the Boswell sisters, and they are excited to share the wonderfully entertaining and contemporary package they have crafted with you.
Join us for our winter and spring fundraisers. PLEASE note that while we plan these two live shows for a limited live audience, we will continue to stream all Litchfield Jazz Presents shows to a worldwide audience at no charge thanks to a generous anonymous donation and gifts from friends like you.
*All attendees will be asked to show proof of vaccination, wear masks and social distance—in short, be as safe as possible.