August 6, 7, 8, 2010, at The Springs Center and Grounds of Kent School, One Macedonia Road (Route 341), Kent, CT
Prices start at just $29
The Litchfield Jazz Festival returns on August 6, 7, and 8 for its 15th Anniversary, honoring the legendary Dave Brubeck in his 90th year. It will be held in the air-conditioned Springs Center and on the campus of Kent School, both in Kent, CT. Tickets are now available.
Festivities kick off at 5:30 pm with a Friends of the Festival Gala on Friday evening, August 6 at The Morrison Gallery near the Festival grounds. Partygoers will enjoy hors d'oeuvres, small plates, micro-brews, premium wines and music by outstanding Litchfield Jazz Camp students. Proceeds support camp scholarships. Opening Night performances follow. At 7:45 PM is jazz legend Dave Brubeck with his quartet. The Festival is proud to dedicate its 15th Anniversary to Mr. Brubeck. Closing the evening at 9:15 PM will be a rousing set by the lovely vocalist, Denise Thimes.
Saturday, August 7 music starts at noon with Peruvian trumpeter, Gabriel Alegria, and his Afro-Peruvian Sextet. At 1:45, 25-year-old Grammy-nominated pianist Gerald Clayton takes the stage with his trio. Next, at 3:30, is two-time Latin Grammy-winning vibraphonist Dave Samuels with his Caribbean Jazz Project. At 5:15 LJF welcomes Connecticut native, bassist Mario Pavone, who appears this year with his Orange Double Tenor Sextet. A festival favorite, he appears through an Award from Chamber Music American with support from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. The Anniversary celebration continues with an All-Star Cannonball Adderley Tribute at 7:00 led by Jazz at Lincoln Centers Wess Anderson and featuring Terell Stafford, Benny Green, Matt Wilson and vocalist Joanna Pascale. And, hitting a high note as the final performance on Saturday evening, is Grammy-winning pianist and composer, Arturo O'Farrill with his Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra at 8:45. This group was created for Jazz at Lincoln Center in 2002 to bring Afro-Cuban jazz to a wider audience, and were thrilled to present it here in the Litchfield Hills.
Opening on Sunday, August 8, at noon we present one of this summer's exciting up-and-comers 24-year-old violinist Aaron Weinstein with his Trio. This is Aaron's first appearance on any jazz festival, and were happy to introduce this sharp, witty and gifted artist. At 1:30 is bassist Avery Sharpe's Trio. Avery is best known for his 20 years in the McCoy Tyner Trio and his work with artists like Dizzy Gillespie to Pat Metheny. At 3:30 Grammy-nominated soprano saxophonist Jane Bunnett returns with her Spirits of Havana, for their 4th LJF appearance. Born in Tel Aviv, Anat Cohen is making a major impact on the international jazz scene as a clarinetist and composer. The first ever ASCAP Jazz Wall of Fame winner, she appears at 5:15 with her powerhouse trio, with Benny Green on piano and Peter Washington on bass. And at 7:00, 13-time Grammy winner, banjo player Bla Fleck, will make his Litchfield debut with the world-famous Indian tabla player Zakir Hussain and bassist Edgar Meyer.
Premium tickets are $350 for Best Friends VIP weekend passes and $150 for single day Friends VIP tickets. These include upfront seating and priority parking. VIP tickets on Friday night also include the Friends of the Festival Gala. Advance-purchase general admission tickets are $29 outdoors and $43, $62 and $83 for the Springs Center. Discounted multi-day passes are available. Parking is free. Children under 12 with an adult ticket buyer are free on the lawn. The Metro North Train stops at Tenmile River station where a shuttle bus will take guests to and from the festival grounds. Visit our website to learn more about discounts for train travelers.
The Litchfield Jazz Festival is sponsored in part by the CT Commission on Culture & Tourism, DownBeat, Republican-American, Steinway & Sons Westport Gallery, Charter Communications, Sotheby's International Realty, Litchfield Magazine, Crystal Rock, Infinity Hall, Kent Chamber of Commerce, Magic Hat Brewery, WAMC, WBGO, WFCR, WNPR, WSHU, The Morrison Gallery and others. Litchfield Jazz Camp students who study for up to a month prior to The Festival and perform there on the student stage participate through major support from the CT State Department of Education, with additional support from The Joe Williams Every Day Fund, Faye & James Preston of the Kent Village Barn Shops and LPA members. For tickets visit www.litchfieldjazzfest.com or call 860-361-6285.
2010 Litchfield Jazz Festival at a Glance
Litchfield Performing Arts launched the first Litchfield Jazz Festival in 1996 with a line-up any well-established festival would have been proud of, including Ahmad Jamal, J.J. Johnson, Terence Blanchard, Christian McBride and Diana Krall and others. This August is the 15th Anniversary of the Litchfield Jazz Festival and will honor Dave Brubeck in his 90th year. The festival returns, August 6-8, at the air-conditioned Springs Center and campus of Kent School in Kent, CT. The line-up is set and tickets are now on-sale at www.litchfieldjazzfest.com. The acclaimed festival was named a “Top 100 Event" in the US and Canada twice, and last summer, JazzImprov said, “Nothing beats the Litchfield Jazz Festival...an ongoing tradition for those in the know."
