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Date: 9/20/2022
NORTHAMPTON – The Northampton Jazz Festival officially returns for another year with performances all throughout Northampton, including a headlining show from the legendary Ron Carter Quartet.
The festival kicks off at Pulaski Park on Sept. 30 with a “Jazz Strut” throughout downtown Northampton, and more free performances will continue downtown on Oct. 1. The Ron Carter Quartet, meanwhile, will perform at The Academy of Music on Oct. 1 at 7:30 p.m. to close out the festival.
According to Ruth Griggs, the president of the Northampton Jazz Festival, aside from a few subtle changes, the festival formula this year is generally similar to how the festival has been conducted since its second iteration began in 2018. The Ron Carter Quartet is the only ticketed performance.
“We start out with the Jazz Strut, which is going to be bigger and better than ever,” Griggs told Reminder Publishing. “What’s going to be really cool about it is we start at Pulaski Park right in the center of town with two high school bands playing, because we really love to support the youngest musicians among us.”
The two student bands Griggs is referring too are the Pioneer Valley Performing Arts Jazz Combo and the Springfield SciTech Band, which will kick off the Jazz Strut at 4:30 and 5:30 p.m. respectively on Sept. 30.
“From there, the strut goes to six different breweries, bars and restaurants throughout the downtown,” said Griggs. “People can go to each location to hear the different bands playing since each band playing starts a half-an-hour after the other, and they play for two hours each. It’s like a pub crawl, but for jazz.”
Across these different bars, breweries and restaurants, people will be treated to other acts like the Joe La Creta Trio, the Avery Joi Quartet, the Libro Azul and more.
Saturday, meanwhile, features a subtle difference. According to Griggs, the performances that day are more centralized to Pulaski Park, which will make it easier for everyone to get around. Some performances will be conducted at Pulaski, while others will happen at The Parlor Room or Unitarian Society.
The festival Saturday starts at 11:15 a.m. with the Expandable Bass Brand marching around town and inside Pulaski Park. “Then it goes from there with music in the park, music in the venues,” said Griggs. “I’m excited about all of the singers we have coming here also.”
According to Griggs, there will also be an artist from New York named “Fat Cat” Rivera, a DJ who spins records from the 1910s to the 1950s. He will be performing in Pulaski Park at 2:30 p.m. on Oct. 1. “He has the most extensive 78 rpm [revolutions per minute] record collections in the world,” Griggs said.
“What’s also just amazing is having Ron Carter and his quartet,” Griggs continued. “He’s 85, and he’s still playing all around the world.”
Carter, the legendary bassist who has recorded with countless jazz legends like B.B. King and the Miles Davis Quartet, will join Renee Rosnes on piano, Jimmy Greene on saxophone, and Payton Crossley on drums. “We are beyond honored that he wants to come and play for us,” said Griggs.
The Northampton Jazz Festival is a nonprofit organization, with 10 people on the board. About half of them, according to Griggs, are producers who go out and find talent based on their knowledge and connections. “These people have been in the jazz world for many years,” said Griggs. “We have some deep and varied talent when it comes to our producers who seek out the music.”
As people visit the different restaurants and bars downtown, they are not only watching these performances, but also providing business to these places. This facet is important as downtown continues its recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.
“People are very eager to get back to the community, especially in Western Mass.” said Griggs. “There’s nothing like the jazz festival in Northampton to make that happen.”
Griggs encourages people to buy their Ron Carter tickets when they can. People can visit the Northampton Jazz Festival website to do this and learn more: https://www.northamptonjazzfest.org/.