Montclair Jazz Fest Is Reborn ‘Bigger And Better’ For 2021

MONTCLAIR, NJ — One of the most beloved jazz festivals in North Jersey is getting ready to bring the “healing power of music” back to Essex County.

Widely known for its namesake event – a free concert featuring some of the biggest names in the genre – the 2021 Montclair Jazz Festival will also include two Thursday evening concerts in July and two full Saturdays of performances in August.

However, the main attraction will likely remain the grand finale concert, which takes place on Saturday, Sept. 25. It will include a full day of in-person, free performances from acclaimed jazz headliners on four stages. The grand finale event will also include more than 100 artisan food and craft vendors, as well as a family activity zone on the all-pedestrian Bloomfield Avenue from South Park to Lackawanna Plaza – adding up to a nearly a half-mile long festival “jamboree.”

See full details, schedule and show times here.

According to a statement from festival organizers, Jazz House Kids, and their artistic director, renowned bassist Christian McBride, attendance at the 2019 festival topped 20,000 people over the course of two weeks, including 15,000 in Nishuane Park for the grand finale. While the coronavirus pandemic kept live music fans apart in 2020, Jazz House Kids hosted a three-night “watch party” featuring the iconic original performances of fan-favorite sets from its archives. More than 185,000 tuned in on social media and Sirius XM.

“After such trying times for all humanity in 2020 and the beginning of 2021, being able to bring the Montclair Jazz Festival back this year is a miracle, a blessing and a gift,” McBride said.

“Pablo Picasso once said that ‘Art washes away the dust of everyday life,’ but Art Blakey specified that quote to ‘Music washes away the dust of everyday life,’” McBride added. “After the last 16 months, we'll be washing off a lot of dust.”

Other events on the schedule for 2021 include:

• The sounds of summer kick off on the Lackawanna Plaza main stage with an array of artists. The Montclair Jazz Fest Soundcheck Series on Thursday, July 15 with Cocomama’s eight-piece all-female Latin jazz orchestra and opening act, Story Tellers featuring Alex Laurenzi (NOTE: rescheduled from July 8 due to weather). On Thursday, July 22, the electric performance of guitarist Dave Stryker’s 8 Track Band featuring vibraphonist Warren Wolf, a celebration of classic pop tunes from the 70's reimagined, and young women musicians shine center stage for the opening act with the Jazz House CHiCA Power All-Stars.
• The Montclair Jazz Fest keeps it cooking for two all-day Saturday “Lackawanna Block Parties,” with Jazz House emerging musicians opening for world-renowned trumpeter Ingrid Jensen and her band, vocalist and pianist Kelly Green and her trio, and soul, funk and hip hop-influenced jazz trumpeter Lee Hogans & Pursuance on Saturday, Aug. 7. And on Saturday, Aug. 14, a mega day with saxophonist Irwin Hall and his groovin' Organ Trio and the heralded bari saxophonist, Lauren Sevian and her quartet. Capping off the summer series on the evening of Aug. 14, Montclair gets its groove on with an Old School Funk + Soul Dance Party featuring DJ Brother Mister, aka Christian McBride.
• Other special events are planned for September, including a Jazz Movie Night and Friends of the Festival Reception with partner Montclair Film on Wednesday, Sept. 22, and, in a nod to Miles Davis' ballad on his 1959 iconic album, “Kind of Blue,” Montclair Jazz Fest corporate partners, Take 5 Club patrons and guests artists mix and mingle under the stars in this VIP ticketed event followed by an intimate all-star jazz performance at Blue in Green: Cocktails + Concert in a Garden to be held at the town-treasured Van Vleck House & Gardens on Thursday, Sept. 23.

For more information about lineup dates or how to get involved as a festival sponsor, individual supporter, vendor or volunteer, visit www.montclairjazzfestival.org or email mjf@jazzhousekids.org.

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Mayor Sean Spiller said the annual festival is “one of the traditional highlights of the summer” in a town well-known for its artistic endeavors.

“With a slightly different look this year, I know Jazz House Kids will put on another outstanding festival, supporting businesses across Montclair and welcoming jazz fans from across the region to our beautiful downtown to safely enjoy live music together,” Spiller said.

Founder and president of Jazz House Kids, Melissa Walker – who is also an accomplished jazz vocalist and recording artist – said the nonprofit was committed to bringing the beloved festival back this year.

“If there was ever a time to tap into the healing power of music, it's now,” she said.

“This event is always spectacular, but with the pandemic still raging in early 2021, we thought we might have to plan our second virtual festival,” Walker said. “But we were determined to bring us back together again in-person this year, something that we felt was critical to the healing of this community.”

It wasn’t an easy path to traverse, she added.

“We started talking to our partners back in January and had literally dozens of meetings with officials from Essex County and the Town of Montclair, including health officials, continuously revising the structure of the events based on CDC and New Jersey state guidelines and COVID restrictions lifting,” Walker said.

Eventually, Jazz House Kids joined forces with two new sponsors to launch a “brand-new” festival: real estate development firm BDP Holdings LLC, and the Montclair Center Business Improvement District (BID), which represents more than 300 retailers and restaurants along Bloomfield Avenue and nearby adjacent streets.

David Placek, managing partner of BDP Holdings, said the festival’s new sponsors and organizers were honored to take up the baton from the previous sponsors, Rhonda and Bob Silver and The Bravitas Group/Silver Family Foundation, who have supported the event since 2014.

“We are thrilled to partner with the Jazz House and Montclair Center BID as we look towards the future, bringing this fantastic live music event downtown this summer, in-person, bigger and better than ever,” Placek said.

“We hope to see our community with their families come in big numbers and often over the summer,” Placek added. “No tickets – or computer screens – required.”

• See related article: Plans To Revive Bellevue Theater Back On Track In Montclair
• See related article: Montclair Nonprofit Announces Plan To Reopen Clairidge Theater

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