A Day-Long Jazz Picnic on the Connecticut River
The Hartford Jazz Society's 50th Annual Jazz Cruise will Take Place Sept. 18
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2010 marked the 50th anniversary of the The Hartford Jazz Society (HJS). The yearlong celebration wound down with the 49th annual Jazz Cruise on the Connecticut River on Sunday, September 12. Performing on board were the Dezron Douglas Quartet (with Douglas on bass, Abraham Burton on tenor sax, Cyrus Chesnut on keyboard, and Victor Lewis on drums). Opening for the quartet was The Alvin Carter Jr. Project featuring vocalist Nita Zarif, Carter on drums, Abu Carter Sr. (congas), Doug Long (electric bass), Warren Byrd (keyboard), and Tony Lee (guitar).
HJS is the oldest continuously operating jazz society in the United States. Formed in 1960, the group has sponsored concerts and special events for its members and for the communities of Greater Hartford and beyond. The Jazz Society was one of the first integrated social organizations in central Connecticut, allowing blacks and whites to interact around their common interest in what has been called “America’s Classical Music.”
The goals of the all-volunteer organization include fostering greater interest, understanding and appreciation of jazz through programming for community groups, educational institutions and general audiences. Over the years the Jazz Society has sponsored concerts featuring the giants of jazz (Dizzy Gillespie, Coleman Hawkins, Oscar Peterson, Dexter Gordon and McCoyTyner, to name a few) as well as local and up-and-coming performers.
In 2008, the Society took over production of the Monday Night Jazz Series, originally begun in 1967 by jazz legend Paul Brown. The series is the oldest continuously-run free jazz festival in the nation and, appropriately enough, takes place in one of the oldest public parks in this country, Hartford’s Bushnell Park.
The Hartford Jazz Society also provides scholarships each year to graduating high school seniors in Greater Hartford. Recipients must be enrolled in a four-year institution, majoring in music . . . . with a strong interest in jazz, of course.
In honor of their 50th anniversary, the Society sponsored the creation of the New Directions Jazz Ensemble, co-led by Earl MacDonald and Kris Allen. The 10-piece group provides an opportunity for young musicians to play side-by-side with jazz veterans. The ensemble made their debut at the August 2nd Monday Night Jazz concert and performed the following week at the ongoing Monday Night Jam at Black Eyed Sally’s in downtown Hartford.
You might say the Hartford Jazz Society is old, but, like jazz itself, remains always fresh and exciting. The Society will continue (as their website proclaims) to foster “jazz’s continued growth, while reveling in its glorious past.”
For more information on the cruise or other events, or to support HJS with a tax-deductible donation, contact: The Hartford Jazz Society, 116 Cottage Grove Road, Bloomfield, Connecticut or call (860) 242-6688 (weekdays 10:00 am - 2:00 pm).
(Music tracks on the video are from live performances on the 2010 Jazz Cruise and used with the permission of the Dezron Douglas Quartet and The Alvin Carter Jr. Project.)
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