Litchfield Performing Arts announces the 28th annual Litchfield Jazz Festival, July 28, 29 and 30th in Washington, CT. The event will be held on the beautiful grounds of the Frederick Gunn School and in its new, acoustically excellent Tisch Auditorium with unobstructed views from every seat.
Last summer the iconic fest made its first appearance at Tisch to an exuberant, capacity crowd. The festival’s founder and Artistic Director, Vita Muir, has a reputation for unerringly introducing the next big thing first. At the fest’s 1996 debut, it was Canadian artist Diana Krall who made her first US festival appearance at Litchfield. Last year it was vocalist Samara Joy who wowed Litchfield opening night audiences. This year, at just 22, she won not one but two Grammy Awards– for Best Jazz Vocal Album and Best New Artist.
This summer Litchfield Jazz Festival’s Opening Night will be headlined by another new artist, 17-year-old pianist/composer Brandon Goldberg. But this time Muir found him and recognized his talent a lot sooner. Brandon came to Litchfield Jazz Camp as a 10 year old who had been playing since he was 3. She suspended the camp’s lower age limit to accommodate the prodigy. Brandon, who remained a camper for many years, has been performing professionally and recording since he was 12 years old with many appearances in New York clubs and at in venues across the US and Canada. In Good Time, his second album was recognized by Downbeat Magazine as one of the top albums of 2021. He is the youngest recipient ever of the ASCAP Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Award.
Brandon takes the Tisch stage with his trio, on July 28th at 7:30, with Ben Wolfe on bass, Jimmy Macbride on drums and Special Guest and long-time Music Director at Litchfield Jazz Camp, saxophonist Don Braden. Wolfe has had a long career playing, recording and touring with artists including Wynton Marsalis, Harry Connick, Jr. and Diana Krall. He is a two time recipient of Chamber Music America’s New Works grants.
Drummer Jimmy Macbride was the youngest student ever at Litchfield Jazz Camp. Muir found him at 8 years old working with a band that included his father. They called themselves Jimmy and the Has Been. That summer, at 9, he came to Camp. Never short on confidence, roaming through the camp lunchroom the summer he turned 12 sporting a cap with an embroidered logo, a teacher who spotted the cap called out: “Hey Jimmy. You got an endorsement?” Without missing a beat, he replied, “Not yet.” Well, he’s got plenty now. A Juilliard grad, he has played with Terence Blanchard, Kenny Barron, Jimmy Green, Eldar, Roxy Coss, Melissa Aldana and many others.
Don Braden’s career as an artist and educator began with a call from Freddie Hubbard that lured him away from Harvard in his sophomore year and has never slowed down since. He has toured with Wynton Marsalis, Betty Carter, Tony Williams, Roy Haynes and others. He has served as Music Director of Litchfield Jazz Camp for 26 years and he’s back at Harvard, this time as Director of the Harvard Jazz Como Initiative
The fest opens officially on Friday evening at 5:30 PM with its traditional gala, boasting delicious hors d’oeuvres, vintage French wines from the VanDoren Vineyards, a full bar, and music p by Litchfield Jazz Camp’s stars of tomorrow. Proceeds support need-based scholarships.
Music continues on Saturday, July 29th, with top camp combos doing the warmup for guests outdoors. Then, at noon, the fest brings to the stage some of the best jazz artists working today. Opening on the mainstage is the Ehud Asherie Trio, with Dezron Douglas on bass and Jason Brown on drums. Ehud has worked with Cécile McLorin Salvant, Wycliffe Gordon, Catherine Russell, John Pizzarelli, Ken Peplowski (twice at Litchfield) Charles McPherson, among others. Dezron, yet another former Litchfield Camper, is a long-time member of the Cyrus Chestnut Trio, and Jason is now a member of Amina Figarova’s Sextet.
Next up at 1:45P is the Steve Nelson Quartet with Steve on vibes, Rick Germanson on piano, Charles Goold on drums and Kiyoshi Kitagawa on bass. Steve was a veteran member of the Dave Holland Quintet and Big Band, the George Shearing Quintet and Mulgrew Miller’s Wingspan with which he appeared in 2003 on the Litchfield Stage and again with Karrin Allyson in 2007. This is Rick Germanson’s third time at Litchfield: in 2004 with the Mike DiRubbo Quartet and in 2013, with Papo Vasquez. Rick toured for many years with Pat Martino and tours now with the Cannonball Legacy Band. Charles Goold, a Juilliard graduate, makes his Litchfield this year as does Kiyoshi Kitagawa. Kiyoshi was a member of the Harper Brothers band back in the day and played with Kenny Barron, Andy Bey, Jon Faddis, Kenny Garrett, Jimmy Heath, Terrell Stafford and many more.
At 3:30, the festival is delighted to welcome back one of the most delightful double threats in jazz, a singer-pianist who is top-flight in both. Champian Fulton appears for Litchfield with Fukushi Tainake on drums and Hide Tanaka on bass, the Trio with whom she has performed worldwide for more than 17 years. Champian grew up surrounded by music as the daughter of flugelhornist Stephen Fulton. Never timid, she performed with her own band at age 10 at the 75th birthday of family friend and great trumpeter Clark Terry. With a career in full bloom already, she can look back at collaborations with Lou Donaldson, Frank Wess, Scott Hamilton, Buster Williams, Louis Hayes and many more.
Last but never least, we close the second day of the festival with 5:15 set with the Peter Bernstein Quartet. Peter’s band includes the wonderful Sullivan Fortner on piano, Doug Weiss on bass and special guest, the legendary Al Foster on drums. Peter made his first Litchfield appearance in 1997 at the invitation of bassist and mentor Rufus Reid. He has since played with Sonny Rollins, Bobby Hutcherson, George Coleman, Lou Donaldson, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Joshua Redman, Brad Mehldau, Diana Krall, to name just a few. Peter performed for our new Litchfield Jazz Presents during the heart of the pandemic when we livestreamed the performance from Telefunken Soundstage. His partner in this twined guitar set was the great Steve Cardenas in a program paying homage to Thelonious Monk. Within months of the first “airing” the show had 50,000 views on Google. Sullivan Fortner played for the Roy Hargrove quintet for seven years. In 2015, he was named the American Pianists Association Cole Porter Fellow, and the next year won the Lincoln Center Award for Emerging Artists. He first appeared for Litchfield Jazz with Rufus Reid in 2021(live-streamed), and we are delighted to hear him in the flesh this summer. Doug Weiss has had a 30-year career backing Al Foster, Eddie Henderson, George Coleman, Lee Konitz, Clifford Jordan, and a host of others. He is a professor at SUNY Purchase College and the New School.
Al Foster, who turned 80 in January, did a recent Downbeat interview with drummer Joe Farnsworth. “I’m getting old,” he told Farnsworth, “and I am not as fast as I used to be… (but) I’m always coming up with new stuff when I practice. …I have two (drum) sets in my living room. I just sit there for a few minutes, you know, almost like, “Whatcha gonna show me today?” … Show me something I don’t know. I want something different.” The Litchfield audience will surely be on the edge of their seats at this concert anticipating that “something different.”
The 28th Litchfield Jazz Festival wraps up on Sunday, July 30, with a Latin Jazz Brunch al fresco in the Bourne Courtyard with a delicious Latin-inspired menu by Ciesco Catering, vintage wines from Vandoren and music by the David Dejesus Band. David, who teaches at Litchfield Jazz Camp, heads the Jazz Department at SUNY Purchase and is Music Director for the Birdland Big Band and Ron Carter’s Great Big Band. With David on saxophone, the band includes Luques Curtis on bass, Zaccai Curtis on piano, Dave Ballou, trumpet, Joe Beaty, trombone and Marco Torres, percussion.
A great treat for us all will be the return of the extraordinary guitarist Mark Whitfield. Mark was a Litchfield Jazz Camp faculty member before he was whisked away for a long, steady touring career with trumpeter Chris Botti. That career put two musical sons (yes, both former campers) through college. And you will see, it paid off! Mark appears here with son Davis Whitfield on piano and Joe Farnsworth (another back-in-the-day LJC faculty member) on drums. Davis Whitfield at 29, has already toured the US, France and Spain and has a residency at the NYC club, Mezzrow. Joe has over 100 CD’s to his credit and world tours with Pharaoh Sanders, Horace Silver, Harold Mabern, McCoy Tyner, Cedar Walton, Diana Krall, Benny Golson, George Coleman and others. He is a member of One for All with Steve Davis and Eric Alexander and the Pharaoh Sanders Quartet.
Next, stroll outdoors for the most amusing artist talk you’ll ever hear with guest clarinetist extraordinaire Ken Peplowski.
Now, grab some grub or an ice cream from our on-site vendors and come on back to the Mainstage for the closing act of the day— the all-star band of Ken Peplowski, on clarinet and saxophones, Ehud Asherie on piano, Peter Washington on bass, Willie Jones III on drums and special guest, the incomparable saxophonist Houston Person. Can’t think of a better way to wrap up a fabulous day of music!
Come back on Sunday, July 31 for the 2nd Litchfield Jazz Fest Jazz Brunch. But please reserve well in advance– this show sold out early the first time we did it! The Jazz Brunch takes place in the Courtyard. A delicious, New Orleans-style brunch is catered by chef Charlene Dudka of Ciesco Catering and served at umbrella-shaded tables. Music will be provided by the Albert Rivera Ensemble featuring, Albert on alto and soprano saxophones, Don Braden on tenor sax, Nicki Parrott on bass and vocals and Alejandra Williams on piano. Second lines, sing alongs and dancing are all encouraged. Dress: festive!