Taj Mahal will be performing at the 2010 festival on Saturday June 26th. This is Taj’s first performance ever at the Saratoga Jazz Festival!
Taj’s wikipedia entry calls him “an internationally recognized blues musician” and notes that he has won two Grammy Awards!
His Official Site includes a biography, discography, and list of tour dates.
His 2009 Release Maestro featuring guest appearances by Ben Harper, Jack Johnson, Ziggy Marley’s Band, Los Lobos, and others can be purchased as a CD or MP3 download.
Read more…
2010 headliners will include legendary blues musician Taj Mahal.
Expect more artists to be announced in the coming weeks.
Until then, check out Taj Mahal in action!
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.
We’re less than five short days away from the 2009 Festival! To help you prepare for a wonderful weekend, the expected set times (PDF) have been announced.
“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.
La Timbistica is performing at the Festival Saturday on the Gazebo stage. Recently Berklee College of Music published the young band’s biography, which reads in part:
La Timbistica, who also perform as the Berklee Latin Jazz All-Stars, is led by conguero and Berklee student Paulo Stagnaro; and includes students, drummer Marcos Lopez and bassist Juan Maldonado; trombonist Nick Noonan and saxophonist Godwin Louis, both Berklee alumni; and pianist Alex Brown, a student at New England Conservatory. The Berklee Latin Jazz All-Stars won the 2008 Down Beat Student Music Award for Best Jazz Band, and recently lit-up the stage at the Duke Ellington and Monterey jazz festivals, two of the largest and most prestigious festivals in the U.S.
La Timbistica’s Latin jazz repertoire ranges from Afro-Cuban and Brazilian classics to some of its own modern original compositions. The group also performs contemporary salsa and timba by artists like Isaac Delgado, Marc Anthony, and Victor Manuelle. La Timbistica has quickly become a mainstay in the Boston music scene, making regular appearances at Havana Club, Mojito’s Lounge, and Wally’s Jazz Café, and at various music festivals in the area. Its members have performed and recorded with some of the Latin music industry’s most prominent musicians, including Paquito D’Rivera, Danilo Perez, Batacumbele, Truco y Zaperoko, N’Klabe, and Tony Perez, among many others.
— La Timbistica Plays 32nd Freihofer’s Jazz Festival in Saratoga Springs
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
It looks like the lineup has been announced in its entirety. Of course, things are still subject to change…
