Here is an article from the Times Union newspaper talking about the festival and some of the changes for this year:
https://www.timesunion.com/entertainment/article/Major-changes-for-Jazz-Festival-13010787.php.
Here are some of the big changes mentioned in the article:
A key to Melnick’s revision was the new stage at the rear of the SPAC grounds that debuted last year. Before it was a small gazebo stage. Now it’s a genuine second stage. It’s dubbed the Charles R. Wood Jazz Discovery Stage (funds for it came from the Charles R. Wood Foundation in Glens Falls). It’s much larger.
“I can book some good groups on this stage. I can book some different names. I can book, physically, some bigger groups. I want to be able to pump it up and do more,” he said.
Performances at that stage will start at 11 a.m. The amphitheater will start at 3 p.m. There will be some overlapping of the stages, but the competition will be reduced. Artists will garner more individual attention. The arts and crafts tent in the rear will be moved to accommodate a larger audience at the second stage.
In another major twist, people who want to camp out early on the main lawn, or sit in an amphitheater seat, will be entertained. Melnick is bringing in Todd Barkan, a renowned jazz producer and NEA Jazz Master, who will be on the mainstage acting as a DJ, spinning classic jazz albums by greats who appeared during the festival’s early years and sharing anecdotes. That will start as people are filing in at 10 a.m. and run until about 1:30 p.m.