First Wave of Talent, Presented by BDP Holdings, LLC
Craig Handy 2nd Line Smith, B3 Organist Akiko Tsuruga, Winard Harper & Jeli Possie, Rising Star Nicole Glover + more, plus DJ Brother Mister Dance Party returns to the summer stage
The award-winning MONTCLAIR JAZZ FESTIVAL, presented by BDP Holdings, LLC and produced by JAZZ HOUSE KiDS, is the largest FREE jazz festival in the greater NYC area and one of the largest free jazz festivals in the country, featuring more than 50 hours of FREE live music, four downtown stages, 50 musical acts, 200+ artists, 100 food + artisan vendors and 40,000+ music fans. This year’s festival returns to Montclair, New Jersey’s downtown corridor with more activities, events and music plus and after party at the Wellmont Theater on the final day in September.
This week, as the nation officially observes Juneteenth marking the final end of slavery in 1865 in this country, the MONTCLAIR JAZZ FESTIVAL celebrates jazz, an original music born of creativity and resiliency of the African-American experience, now a symbol of freedom celebrated around the world. The three month long jazz festival kicks off with the Soundcheck Series, two evening concerts in July hosted by collaborating partner, Montclair Center BID, followed by the Lackawanna Block Party, an all-day mini-fest in August capped off by the return of DJ Brother Mister, aka, Christian McBride’s dance party before heading to the Grand Finale in September for an exciting fleet of exciting events following Labor Day.
BDP Holdings, LLC, the owner and redeveloper of Lackawanna Plaza which serves as the epicenter of the festival, is returning as the MONTCLAIR JAZZ FESTIVAL’s Presenting Sponsor and serves as a member of the Board of Directors of JAZZ HOUSE KiDS.
