Today, JAZZ HOUSE KiDS announced GRAMMY winning saxophonist Kenny Garrett has been added as a headliner of the 15th Annual MONTCLAIR JAZZ FESTIVAL Downtown Jamboree. Taking place September 14th on Bloomfield Avenue in Montclair, NJ, other artists performing this year’s milestone celebration include vocalist Lisa Fischer and Grand Baton, drummer Jerome Jennings & ill Philosophy, Colombian harpist Edmar Castañeda Quartet, seashellist and veteran trombonist Steve Turre Sextet, rising star Brianna Thomas, Montclair State University Jazz Ensemble directed by Oscar Perez, and the JAZZ HOUSE Collective Celebrating Sarah Vaughan featuring vocalist and JAZZ HOUSE KiDS founder Melissa Walker. Nine-time GRAMMY-winning bassist, and the festival’s music director, Christian McBride will also perform with his acclaimed quintet, Inside Straight.
“This year’s MONTCLAIR JAZZ FESTIVAL will be another joyous celebration of America’s greatest art form with some of the world’s greatest musicians and fans, many of whom have been supporters of JAZZ HOUSE KiDS and this festival since the very beginning 15 years ago,” said Christian McBride. The ones that aren’t are simply those we haven’t met yet. Everyone who comes to our festival leaves enfolded in our shared community, and their love for jazz is strengthened further.”
The MONTCLAIR JAZZ FESTIVAL is the largest free jazz festival in the greater NYC region welcoming 25,000 music fans to Montclair. The summer-long festival has been hosting a series of performances at the Wellmont Arts Plaza, as well as Montclair State University for the recent Uptown Showcase. The September 14th Downtown Jamboree will welcome music fans along nearly half a mile of downtown Montclair’s Bloomfield Avenue commercial corridor, closed to vehicular traffic with hundreds of retailers and restaurant storefronts. The event is jam-packed with talent on multiple stages, 170+ food & artisan vendors in sponsor Rao’s Homemade Marketplace, and the Verizon Family Jazz Discovery Zone in Wellmont Arts Plaza.
This year’s celebrated centennial artist and face of the festival is revered vocalist Sarah Vaughan, as depicted in festival artwork by Andres Chaparro. As tradition at the MONTCLAIR JAZZ FESTIVAL, the JAZZ HOUSE Collective, an ensemble directed by Nathan Eklund composed of JAZZ HOUSE teaching artists, will feature Vaughan’s music with special guest vocalists including JAZZ HOUSE KiDS founder Melissa Walker.
New this year, after eight hours of live music on two stages, the MONTCLAIR JAZZ FESTIVAL transforms into a giant 15th Anniversary Celebration Block Party as DJ Brother Mister (AKA Christian McBride) and special guest, New Jersey’s own DJ Prince Hakim take over the Downtown Jamboree stage for a dynamic funk & soul dance party. MONTCLAIR JAZZ FESTIVAL also debuts the JAZZ HOUSE Legacy Band, following their recent sold-out performance at the Sarah Vaughan Centennial hosted by Dee Dee Bridgewater, presented by Jazz at Lincoln Center. The Legacy Band will perform on MONTCLAIR JAZZ FESTIVAL sponsor Jazz Cruise’s Celebrity Summit, setting sail in January 2025.
With producer JAZZ HOUSE KiDS and together with the County of Essex, Montclair Township, Montclair Center BID, and a host of corporate sponsors, local businesses and individual patrons, Downtown Jamboree stage hosts, comedian and actor Alonzo Boden and SiriusXM Jazz’s Andromeda Turre, MONTCLAIR JAZZ FESTIVAL welcomes all who want to celebrate America's rich history of jazz, youth development and community building. New this year, JAZZ HOUSE KiDS is introducing a membership program with year-round benefits and festival perks. For more information on how to get involved as a volunteer, sponsor, vendor and business or individual supporter, visit the website and download the MONTCLAIR JAZZ FESTIVAL App in the Google or Apple store.
DOWNTOWN JAMBOREE SCHEDULE:
DOWNTOWN STAGE | 12:00 PM-10:00 PM
Stage host: Alonzo Bodden
JAZZ HOUSE Legacy Band: 12:15-1:00 PM
Steve Turre Sextet*: 1:15-2:00 PM
Kenny Garrett Sounds from the Ancestors: 2:30-3:45 PM
Christian McBride & Inside Straight: 4:15-5:45 PM
Lisa Fischer and Grand Baton: 6:15-7:30 PM
15th ANNIVERSARY BLOCK PARTY
DJ Brother Mister + DJ Prince Hakim: 8:00-10:00 PM
UPTOWN STAGE | 12 PM - 8:00 PM
Stage host: Andromeda Turre
Montclair State University Jazz Band feat. Dave Stryker + Steve Nelson: 12:15-1:00 PM
Edmar Castañeda Quartet: 1:45-2:45 PM
Jerome Jennings & ill Philosophy: 3:15-4:30 PM
Brianna Thomas Band: 5:00-6:15 PM
JAZZ HOUSE Collective feat. Melissa Walker: 6:30-7:45 PM
VERIZON FAMILY JAZZ DISCOVERY ZONE @ WELLMONT PLAZA | 12-4 PM
Montclair Early Music: 12:00-12:15 PM
Jazz Explorers Program* fea. Riza Printup: 12:30-1:30 PM
Jazz Explorers Program fea. Riza Printup: 2:00-3:00 PM
Montclair Early Music: 3:15-3:30 PM
*JAZZ HOUSE KiDS’ presentation of the Steve Turre Sextet is supported through a Chamber Music America Presenter Consortium for Jazz grant in collaboration with Isham Park Restoration Program, (IPRP) 1970 Inc and Philadelphia Clef Club of Jazz and Performing Arts. A component of the Doris Duke Jazz Ensembles Project, Presenter Consortium for Jazz is funded by the Doris Duke Foundation.
*Jazz Explorers program supported in part by the Montclair Foundation
