News

GREATER HARTFORD FESTIVAL OF JAZZ RETURNS FOR
3-DAYS OF FREE-OF-CHARGE JAZZ PERFORMANCES IN BUSHNELL PARK

Iconic New England Jazz Festival Draws 70,000 Music Fans to Capital;
Hall High School Jazz Band Kicks Off Festival Thursday, July 14 at 6:30 PM;
Mayor Luke Bronin Urges Local Businesses to Sponsor Festival

HARTFORD, CT (May 10, 2022) Hartford, CT Mayor Luke Bronin will join The Greater Hartford Festival of Jazz, the Greater Hartford Arts Council, and the Hartford Chamber of Commerce to celebrate the 31st year of New England’s largest free public jazz festival to be held July 15 – 17, 2022 at Bushnell Park, Hartford, CT. In addition to Friday through Sunday star-studded jazz performances, the festival will kick-off on Thursday, 6:30 PM with a 1-hour performance by Hall High School’s 23-person Jazz Band.

“The Greater Hartford Festival of Jazz is the largest free jazz festival in New England and one of the great Hartford summer traditions, drawing tens of thousands of people from around the region and beyond to enjoy three nights of beautiful music in Bushnell Park every year,” said Mayor Bronin. “I’m incredibly grateful to the small but dedicated group of volunteers who prepare for the festival all year long, as well as to the festival’s many corporate and individual donors, and we encourage anyone who’s able and willing to contribute to help keep this tradition going strong.”

“We are so excited to bring another amazing summer celebration of fabulous jazz music to Hartford and greet thousands of fans who travel from all over the US to join us,” said Charles Christie, President of the Greater Hartford Festival of Jazz. “Among the Grammy-award winning artists in our lineup, we are delighted that this year’s headliner, closing out our program on Sunday evening, July 17, at 8:30, will be the Manhattan Transfer. We’ve got multiple acts each day in our jam-packed schedule reflecting all jazz styles and rhythms, from classic to funk and fusion, with 14 beloved performers and groups, from Chembo Corniel Quintet to Spyro Gyra, reflecting several facets of the jazz world. All that’s left is to see corporate sponsors step up and help fund this stellar program that is the lifeblood of New England and Hartford. As of April XX, we are in need of about $245,000 to reach our sponsorship goal to pay our artists and put this spectacular event on. We’ve got a range of sponsorship options for companies, foundations and individuals to support us and we hope there’s a big increase in sponsorship in the coming weeks.”

The Greater Hartford Festival of Jazz is a flagship event for our community and a critical piece of the Summer in the City lineup of events that draws audiences from far and wide,” said Shelley Best, CEO of the Greater Hartford Arts Council. “The event is also a vital economic driver in Hartford and, most importantly, a gathering place for members of the Hartford and Greater Hartford community to celebrate together year after year.”

ABOUT THE GREATER HARTFORD FESTIVAL OF JAZZ

Now in its 31st year, The Greater Festival of Jazz, a 501(c)3 organization run entirely by volunteers, brings together top names in jazz for its free annual three- day series of performances in Bushnell Park in downtown Hartford, CT the third week in July.

Originally conceived by Paul Brown, noted Hartford jazz bassist and music educator in 1991, The Greater Hartford Festival of Jazz draws over 70,000 participants from across the country, realizing Brown’s dream of a world-class jazz event in Hartford. Now in its 31st year, this free-of-charge Festival is supported by small and medium-sized charitable gifts and donations from foundations, businesses and corporations as well as City of Hartford and State of Connecticut grants. The Festival is also generously supported by contributions from individual jazz lovers throughout the region.

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 debut over 30 years ago. 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. During the Festival’s lifetime, music history has literally been written on stage, perfectly matched by the intensity and appreciation of its audiences. For more information, visit https://www.hartfordjazz.org/.