The Greater Hartford Festival of Jazz is a non-profit organization originally conceived by Paul Brown, noted Hartford jazz bassist and music educator. For 25 years, Paul had produced the Monday Night Jazz Concerts in Bushnell Park, drawing thousands of music lovers to Hartford’s Bushnell Park for picnics and world-class entertainment. That first Greater Hartford Festival of Jazz, in July of 1992, was dedicated to the 25th anniversary of those wonderful summers.
The Greater Hartford Festival of Jazz has grown to be the largest FREE jazz event in New England, with an average attendance of over 45,000, and attracting more than 55,000 fans during the three day Festival in 2009!
Over 100 volunteers donate their time to work at the Festival, a true testimony to the popularity to which the Festival has risen since its 1992 debut. The Festival has a history of presenting national and international mainstream, cutting-edge, traditional and contemporary jazz performers, aspiring local and regional artists and some truly wonderful young musicians from area schools and noteworthy jazz programs.
The schedule of the festival:
Friday July 16th, 2010
6:30 pm – Main Stage
Opening Ceremony
7:00 pm – Main Stage
Christine Spero Group
8:30 pm – Main Stage
Layla Angulo Group
Saturday July 17th, 2010
1:00 pm – Friends Of Festival Stage Hartford Jazz Orchestra with Bobbi Rogers – Music of Chick Cicchetti
2:30 pm – Friends Of Festival Stage Ricky Alfonso Quartet
4:30 pm – Main Stage
Ace Livingston
6:00 pm – Main Stage
Elan Trotman
7:30 pm – Main Stage
Doc Gibbs & N’ Fusion
9:00 pm – Main Stage
TIZER featuring Lao Tizer, Chieli Minucci, Karen Briggs
Sunday July 18th, 2010 – Main Stage
10:00 am
Jazz Mass at Christ Church Cathedral
1:00 pm – Friends Of Festival Stage Ross Novgrad Latin Jazz Quintet
2:30 pm – Friends Of Festival Stage Canton High School Jazz Ensemble
4:30 pm – Main Stage
Nobuki Takamen
6:00 pm – Main Stage
Iris Ornig Group
7:30 pm – Main Stage
Hartford Symphony Orchestra Jazz and Strings Present
“Focus – A Tribute to Stan Getz” Featuring Joel Frahm