Free Jazz Festival Will Feature National and Local Musicians and Raise Funds for Music Education
Working closely with the city, a group of Cambridge, MA volunteers is planning the city’s first major jazz festival. Scheduled for July 27, the free outdoor festival will feature national and local jazz musicians and bands.
“Jazz has always brought people together,” said Larry Ward, the Festival’s executive director. “We have spectacular local talent —and we have a diverse and sophisticated population that loves great music. Cambridge is the perfect city for a summer jazz festival. In addition, we intend to use the Festival to launch a new music scholarship program for Cambridge students.”
While details of the program are still being developed, committed artists already include Terri Lyne Carrington, a two-time Grammy award-winning jazz drummer and professor at Berklee College of Music. A talented high-school jazz ensemble is also set to take the second stage. “Hosting the event will be Eric Jackson, longtime WGBH radio host whose show “Eric in the Evening” has brought jazz to a devoted Boston-area audience for more than 30 years. Additional hosts and artists will be announced soon.
Several blocks of Sidney Street along with University Park will be blocked off to create an outdoor venue with two stages. In addition to the music, attendees will also be able enjoy a variety of concession, ice cream, beer and other refreshments on site.
To learn more or to receive updates as new artists are added to the schedule, please visit cambridgejazzfestival.org or subscribe to the Festival’s mailing list.
