Litchfield Jazz Festival Salutes New Orleans Its Music & Its Heroes at Wcsu Vpa Veronica Hagman Concert Hall

August marks the 10th year since the disaster we have come to call Katrina—the hurricane that devastated the great city of New Orleans. Built out of the sea, New Orleans was damned if it was going back to it. The Big Easy, an ironic name for a city whose recovery was anything but, worked and played—there were all those musicians after all-- its way up and out. It accomplished its monumental task through native grit and with the help of many, many private citizens, some of them from our area, many of them brave and generous young people.

On this our iconic anniversary, we chose to honor the music and the people of the Birthplace Of Jazz. On June 27th , we will present Litchfield Jazz Fest@20 Salutes New Orleans & Heroes of Katrina. This will be the Festival’s first appearance at the gorgeous, new Performing Arts Center at Western CT State University, Danbury. In an acoustically stunning space, LJF@20 will kick off with a concert starring New Orleans saxophonist Donald Harrison and an all star band including Don Braden, tenor & flutes, Albert Rivera, alto, Gary Smulyan, baritone sax, Winard Harper, drums, Antoinette Montague, vocals, Avery Sharpe, bass, Peter McEachern, trombone, Nick Roseboro, trumpet, and Zaccai Curtis, piano....

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August marks the 10th year since the disaster we have come to call Katrina—the hurricane that devastated the great city of New Orleans. Built out of the sea, New Orleans was damned if it was going back to it. The Big Easy, an ironic name for a city whose recovery was anything but, worked and played—there were all those musicians after all-- its way up and out. It accomplished its monumental task through native grit and with the help of many, many private citizens, some of them from our area, many of them brave and generous young people.

On this our iconic anniversary, we chose to honor the music and the people of the Birthplace Of Jazz. On June 27th , we will present Litchfield Jazz Fest@20 Salutes New Orleans & Heroes of Katrina. This will be the Festival’s first appearance at the gorgeous, new Performing Arts Center at Western CT State University, Danbury. In an acoustically stunning space, LJF@20 will kick off with a concert starring New Orleans saxophonist Donald Harrison and an all star band including Don Braden, tenor & flutes, Albert Rivera, alto, Gary Smulyan, baritone sax, Winard Harper, drums, Antoinette Montague, vocals, Avery Sharpe, bass, Peter McEachern, trombone, Nick Roseboro, trumpet, and Zaccai Curtis, piano.

At the concert, we will honor a handful of individuals whose self sacrifice and labor helped make a difference to their fellows and to the city that created the music we love. Awards will be presented to three students, one educator and a clinical neuropsychologist who served the people of New Orleans in the post Katrina period and helped with the recovery of that city.

Join us on June 27th. Come for the music, come for the stories, and be a part of supporting students in need at Litchfield Jazz Camp. Tickets are $37.

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