The Grand Finale of the Montclair Jazz Festival will take place the second weekend in August. This will be the final event in the two-week-long 10th Anniversary Montclair Jazz Festival.
Christian McBride has put together this year’s lineup. Jazz legend and soul vocalist Bettye LaVette will grace the Bravitas Group Main Stage. Grammy Award Winner, composer, pianist, NEA Jazz Master, and bandleader Eddie Palmieri will be returning. McBride will be bringing his own quartet of music colleagues including Joey DeFrancesco on the Hammond B-3 organ, Quincy Phillips on drums, and Mark Whitfield on guitar.
Mike Lee, saxophonist and faculty member of Jazz House Kids, will be performing, and the Jazz House Collective will also showcase other members of the faculty. This year, the Collective will commemorate Art Blakey, known as “the guru of hard bop” by presenting a set called “Free for All,” after the title of Blakey’s most well-known album. There will also be performances by Jazz House student ensembles.
Gary Walker from WBGO and S. Epatha Merkerson from NBC’s Chicago Med will host the event. Fans here in Caldwell may want to check these artists’ websites to see if they have albums, featuring distinctive graphic design, available for purchase.
The MontClair Jazz Festival Finale will be August 10 at Nishuane Park, Cedar Avenue from noon to 9:00 pm. Although the event will be free, a $10 donation is suggested.
