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It looks like we’ll have good weather for the festival! Gates open 10am tomorrow morning.

Lineup with set times is available.

An article in Friday’s Saratogian explained that the US World Cup Match will be televised at the festival.

Jazz aficionados torn by their love of soccer need not be concerned about attending the 33rd annual Freihofer’s Jazz Festival on Saturday and missing out on the World Cup match between the U.S. team and Ghana.

Due to the public’s tremendous interest in the match, Saratoga Performing Arts Center will stream the match live during the Jazz Festival on four large screen TVs in the Hall of Springs’ indoor/outdoor Jazz Bar.

Saratoga Springs-based artist Frankie Flores has created the design for the official 2010 festival t-shirt:

Festival Producer Danny Melnick will appear on WGBH FM in Boston, MA and WTCC FM in Springfield, MA this week to discuss some of the artists scheduled to perform at the festival.

He’ll be on WGBH 89.7 in Boston, MA with Eric Jackson on Wednesday June 2nd at 9pm. You can listen online at http://www.wgbh.org/897/.

And then on WTCC 90.7 in Springfield, MA with Rodney Malloy on Thursday June 3rd at 11am. You can listen online @ http://www.wtccfm.org/.

The 2010 Festival is quickly approaching!

Veteran festival goers will be pleased to hear that:

… men’s and women’s bathrooms under and to the left of the theater have been completely renovated for the upcoming concert season. The bathrooms were always there but had deteriorated over the years. Funding for their restyoration came from state Parks, Nigro said, and the improved bathrooms features an exterior concrete patio area for people to lounge about.

– http://blog.timesunion.com/saratogaseen/spac-stack-on-hold/4793/

The Saratoga Performing Arts Center has announced the lineup for the 2010 Extended Season, an emerging artist showcase presented at the Spa Little Theatre in late Spring.

This year’s program will offer performances by acclaimed jazz bassist and 2009 Thelonious Monk Award winner Ben Williams on Saturday May 22, and jazz vocalist Sachal Vasandani on Thursday June 3.

Tickets for SPAC’s Extended Season performances are $25 each. Tickets can be ordered online.

With a strong artist lineup that included performances by Patti LaBelle, George Benson and Bettye LaVette, SPAC’s 2009 Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival had higher attendance than last year. The two-day festival attracted 12,027 guests, a one percent increase over last year.

“We are grateful that in these difficult economic times, attendance for the Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival increased over last year. It’s a result that underscores the strength of the program developed by our partner Danny Melnick, President of Absolutely Live Entertainment and it also suggests that people are prioritizing quality time and experiences with family and friends, perhaps now more than ever,” said Marcia J. White, SPAC’s President & Executive Director.

“It was wonderful to see colorful umbrellas and blankets spread from one end of our lawn to the other as people came together to enjoy a weekend of jazz and relaxation. They came with sumptuous picnics, cold drinks, games and books. They browsed at the fine arts and crafts fair, ate barbeque and strolled our stunning grounds in the Spa State Park. It was a weekend of great music, great fun and great memories – the quintessential SPAC experience,” she concluded.

— Attendance For Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival Tops Last Year

The 2010 Festival will take place on Saturday June 26th and Sunday June 27th, 2010.

“In addition to world-class jazz, the Freihofer’s Jazz Festival is known and loved by jazz fans from across the Northeast for its idyllic setting. Our lush lawn, framed by the majestic pines of the Saratoga Spa State Park, is the perfect place to stretch out and relax. With FREE parking, the opportunity to bring in food and beverages, blankets and tents, our festival offers a welcoming, vibrant atmosphere that enhances the whole jazz experience,” said Marcia J. White, President and Executive Director of SPAC. “In addition we have affordable food for sale including our fabulous finger-licking barbeque, hamburgers, hot dogs and more, plus a full bar located in the beautiful Hall of Springs on site. Modern restroom facilities are also conveniently available.”

James Lamperetta highlighted six CDs recently released by artists scheduled to perform at this year’s Freihofer’s Jazz Festival in his most recent Jazz Beats column.

The Freihofer’s Jazz Festival in Saratoga is going strong into its 32nd year, but today The New York Times published an interesting article explaining why many other long running jazz festivals, including the JVC Jazz Festival in New York City, will not take place this year.

Two years ago the impresario George Wein sold his company, Festival Productions, to a group led by Chris Shields, a charismatic entrepreneur who planned to transform Mr. Wein’s empire through aggressive growth. Now that plan has all but collapsed, as Mr. Shields’s company, Festival Network, has lost its top sponsor, as well as several signature festivals, delivering what many call a painful blow to jazz.

Last year Festival Network presented 17 festivals around the world, but Mr. Shields said he has none to announce this year. The company lost its contract for the Newport jazz and folk festivals in Rhode Island because of late payments for use of state parkland. The Freihofer’s Jazz Festival in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., another longtime Wein event, has gone to a competitor…

— New York Loses Its Jazz Festival