“Litchfield Jazz Festival (LJF) — a then at-risk brainchild of the fearless cultural crusader Vita Muir — would survive its infancy to become an annual crown jewel among Connecticut’s premier summer arts and entertainment events. For that matter, who back then would have bet that what seemed like Muir’s noble but precarious pipe dream would still be alive and well in 2016, about to launch its 21st season this weekend on its historic stomping grounds at the Goshen Fairgrounds in Goshen?”
“To celebrate the festival’s success as well as that of its educational arm, the 20-year-old Litchfield Jazz Camp, the LJF presents a themed program on Saturday, August 6, and Sunday, August 7, called Generations of Jazz.Its cross-generational motif focuses on young, rising stars, such as vocalist Nicole Zuraitis and baritone saxophonist Andrew Hadro, and such esteemed, established figures as drummer Matt Wilson and legendary saxophonist Jimmy Heath. A recurring theme mixes and matches protégés with mentors, many of whom share strong, almost familial bonds with the festival or the camp, or both.”