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| The 15th Annual Greater Hartford Festival of Jazz The 15th Annual Greater Hartford Festival of Jazz will showcase the full spectrum of jazz stylings from some of music's greatest artists in the capitol city's Bushnell Park this summer, July 14-15-16. For 2006, organizers of the 15th annual Festival have lined up three days of FREE music that celebrates the eclecticism of today's jazz, from hot Latin sounds to modern interpretations of classic Big Band to dizzying trumpet wizardry, from smooth, contemporary stylings to cool scat singing. On Friday, July 14, the festival kicks off on the main stage at the Thomas D. Harris IV Pavilion with an evening of Latin Jazz, featuring Ray Vega followed by Bobby Matos and his Afro Latin Jazz Ensemble. We guarantee your toes will be tappin' and you'll want to put your dancin' shoes on! Saturday heats up with the Christine Spero Group and then our Sax in the City celebration, featuring Kim Waters, Walter Beasley and more, but the excitement doesn't stop then. A Jazz Dance Party starts at the Friends of the Festival's Arch Stage with the sounds of Soul Syndicate and everyone is invited to meander over and party until midnight. Vendors will stay open late for late night shopping, eating and drinking. On Sunday, July 16, Christ Church Cathedral at 45 Church Street will feature a jazz mass featuring Ross Tucker's Hot Cat Jazz Band. All are welcome. Sunday explodes in dramatic style, when trumpeter Marvin Stamm starts things swinging with his impeccable sense of time. Vocalist Shawnn Monteiro follows with her special guest, Clark Terry, and then Hartford's own Steve Davis brings an All-Star sextet featuring Larry Willis to the stage. This exciting weekend comes to a close with the fabulous Woody Herman Orchestra -- "The Thundering Herd" -- celebrating their 70th anniversary! Starting on Saturday, July 15 on the Friends of the Festival's Arch Stage are the Artists' Collective Youth Jazz Orchestra, the Jimmy Macbride Quartet and the Canton High School Jazz Ensemble. On Sunday, July 16 pianist Jason Castonguay, the Norman Gage-Larry Reed Quintet and the Jason Schwartz Project will perform. "This is our deepest, most diverse and exciting line-up yet, " said Dan Fine, president of the non-profit, volunteer-run organization. "There is truly something for everyone, from modern and straight-ahead jazz novices to smooth contemporary and Latin rhythm lovers to fans of the Big Bands. We look forward to again bringing outstanding free music to Hartford this summer." The festival, which in the past decade has showcased such jazz giants as Dave Brubeck, Ramsey Lewis, McCoy Tyner, Chuck Mangione, Nancy Wilson, Billy Taylor, Joey DeFrancesco and Ahmad Jamal has been hailed by The Hartford Courant as "a worthy role model for all major, free outdoor cultural events in the city of Hartford." Besides offering great music, the festival also will host a food court, an arts-and-crafts marketplace and family-oriented activities during the weekend, including a musical instrument "Petting Zoo, " The Hartford Public Library's Bookmobile and the Hartford Fire Department's Smoke House, to teach youngsters and adults about fire safety. For the eleventh consecutive year, the GHFJ is being sponsored by The Hartford, which is helping to further the tradition of free jazz concerts in Bushnell Park. Other sponsors this year include: the Mass Mutual Foundation for Hartford, Merrill Lynch, Aetna, Target, Foxwoods, Chubb, Data-Mail, New Alliance Foundation, Hoffman Auto Group, Dunkin' Donuts, The Phoenix, Starbucks, Edart, media sponsors WTIC 1080 and the Hartford Advocate, the Evelyn Preston Memorial Fund, the Edward C. and Ann T. Roberts Foundation, the Ensworth Charitable Foundation, the George A. and Grace L. Long Foundation, the SBM Charitable Foundation, the Greater Hartford Arts Council, the New Alliance Bank Foundation, the Connecticut Commission on Culture & Tourism, the Ellen Jeanne Goldfarb Foundation and the Ahearn Family Foundation. In addition to presenting the country's finest performers, the festival is dedicated to showcasing local artists and aspiring young performers from area schools and jazz programs. write your comments about the article :: © 2006 Jazz News :: home page |