Pics Or It Didn't Happen
8495Jazz is on the beat throughout SNE
This week’s edition of your favorite regional jazz newsletter is light on the prose and heavy on the pose. The entire 8495Jazz staff took it out on the road, taking in songs old (Louis Armstrong’s Hot Five recordings played by trumpeter Bruce Harris and his band) and brand new (Jen Allen’s CD release show at The Side Door).
We also took in the last couple of faculty concerts at the Litchfield Jazz Camp.
There’s still plenty of summer left, with club shows, festivals, outdoor freebies, and jam sessions. No better way to spend a hot night than with a cold drink and some cool music.
No better way to start a jazz journey than to go back to the wellspring of Satch and the Hot Five. Trumpeter Bruce Harris, author Ricky Riccardi, and a stellar band brought entertainment and enlightenment to a full house at Westerly, RI’s United Theater July 18. And yes, Bruce tackled Louie’s opening riff on “West End Blues” with aplomb. (8495Jazz photo)
Ricky Riccardi, director of research collections at the Louis Armstrong House Museum, gave Bruce Harris and the band some time to rest their chops between songs with stories of Armstrong’s journey from New Orleans street kid to the world’s first true jazz ambassador. (8495Jazz photo)
A short ride down I-95 took us from Westerly to Jen Allen’s show the next night celebrating her new album, Possibilities, at The Side Door in Old Lyme, CT. Jen’s band for both the album and the show included the folks shown here, well-known to jazz fans in the 8495 – vocalist Alejandra Sofia, guitarist Dan Liparini, bassist Matt Dwonszyk, and drummer Jonathan Barber. (8495Jazz photo)
From the clubs to the campus…we next took a quick jaunt from 8495Jazz world headquarters to the Frederick Gunn School in Washington, CT, for the penultimate Litchfield Jazz Camp faculty concert, featuring camp alums and Grammy winners Nicole Zuraitis on piano and vocals and Luques Curtis on bass. Mike Godette is on guitar and Ian Carroll on drums. (8495Jazz photo)
Jimmy Greene, Alexa Tarantino albums drop
It’s probably coincidental, but two of Connecticut’s best-known sax players, Jimmy Greene and Alexa Tarantino, both have albums that officially dropped the same day – Friday. Jimmy’s As We Are Now has already gotten highly positive reviews, including this one from Paris Move.
Jimmy will also be playing Monday, August 4, with the Noah Baerman Quartet at Hartford’s Bushnell Park’s Paul Brown Monday Night Jazz Series.
Alexa’s album, The Roar and the Whisper, is her fifth, and her first on Blue Engine Records, the in-house label of Jazz At Lincoln Center.
Among the songs on Jimmy Greene’s As We Are Now, “Flood Stage” was inspired by one of Greene’s musical heroes, Wayne Shorter. The song was named in the aftermath of the devastating “once-in-a-thousand-year” storm that ravaged Greene’s home and southwestern Connecticut community in August of 2024.
Out and About with 8495Jazz
These listings are a curated sampling of shows in the region. As an independent resource for jazz news, 8495Jazz does not receive any consideration, free tickets, or affiliate fees for these listings. Please confirm events are still happening directly with the venue.
8495Jazz Wild Card Gig of the Week
Ballard Park, Ridgefield, CT
Junco Partners (New Orleans funk, jazz, groove), Tuesday, July 29, 7 pm. Free. (Rain venue is Ridgefield Playhouse)
8495Jazz Spur of the Moment Gig TODAY
HW Longfellow House, Cambridge, MA
Pete Smith, Gregory Ryan (guitar, bass), standards and Great American Songbook, 3 pm. Free.
Other Shows This Week
Jimmy’s Jazz and Blues Club, Portsmouth, NH
Dan Pugach Big Band feat. Nicole Zuraitis, Thursday, July 31, 7:30 pm. GA $20.15-$57.25 including service fee.
Bushnell Park, Hartford, CT
Paul Brown Monday Night Jazz Series feat. Dave Giardina & Goza Latin band, William Cepeda AfroRican Quintet Monday, July 28, 6 pm. Free.
Music Mountain, Falls Village, CT
Bill Charlap Trio (piano, combo) Saturday, Aug. 2, 7 pm. GA $50-$65, student/teacher/veteran $20-$35.
Regattabar, Cambridge, MA
Berklee Garden Bar Series feat. LR Collective (combo), Wednesday, July 30, 6 pm. Free.
VFW Post 399, Westport, CT
Jim Royle’s Caribbean Jazz Connection (combo), Thursday, July 31, 7:30 and 8:45 pm. GA $20.76 for first show, $10.76 for late show. Student/vet $15.76 for early show.
Jazz Forum Arts, Tarrytown, NY
Anders Bergkrantz Quartet (trumpet, combo), today, 4 and 6 pm. GA $27.25 including service fee.
The Parlour, Providence, RI
John Lee Zortette (combo), today, 6 pm. All ages, GA $10.
Jams
Cafe Nine, New Haven CT
New Haven Jazz Underground jam, usually 2nd and 4th Tuesday of every month: free admission
Saturday jazz jam most Saturdays, 4 pm. Free.
Blackeyed Sally’s, Hartford, CT
Jazz Wednesdays, featured set 7 pm, jam session afterward.
Carmine’s, East Hartford, CT
Paisley’s All Star Memorial Jam, 3rd Tuesday of the month, 7:30 pm. House band set followed by jam. Free.
Mahoney’s, Poughkeepsie, NY
Poughkeepsie Jazz Project, every Tuesday, 7 pm. Free.
Jazz Societies and Organizations (great info on events, festivals, and more)
Jazz Society of Fairfield County
Jazz Fridays at Three Sheets New Haven 1st/3rd Fridays from 6-9pm
Jazz Thursdays at The Cannon New Haven every other Thurs from 7-9pm.
8495Jazz takes its name from the two Interstate highways that cross our region, I-84 and I-95. Within short driving distances from either, you can find incredible entertainment, from local jams to world-famous festivals in New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts. 8495Jazz: From Newburgh to Newport!
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