The Northampton Jazz Festival returns for its 15th year this Friday and Saturday at venues in downtown Northampton — and female bandleaders will be in the spotlight.
“They’re still sometimes overlooked or not considered, but they’re great musicians and they are making huge strides in the jazz world, and we want to embrace that. … In this town, women power is very important,” said Ruth Griggs, president of the Northampton Jazz Festival, which is expected to draw at least 2,000 people.
The festival had its first female headliner, clarinetist Anat Cohen, in 2024.
“That was great,” Griggs said, “but we gotta keep it going.”
This year’s headliner will be alto saxophonist Lakecia Benjamin, a six-time Grammy nominee who is a bandleader, composer, arranger, educator and scholar of John Coltrane.
Benjamin, joined by pianist Oscar Perez, bassist Elias Bailey and drummer Jonathan Barber, will play at the Academy of Music Saturday at 7:30 p.m. — the only ticketed event of the festival.
“Lakecia Benjamin offers a new sound, a new approach to jazz. She blends hip-hop and funk and R&B into her jazz compositions in a really powerful way. … I’m really excited to give her our headliner stage,” Griggs said.
On Friday, as part of the Jazz Strut, artists perform at downtown bars, breweries and restaurants. That programming includes sets by the Northampton High School Jazz Combo; the Smith College Jazz Combo; Jon Fisher Trio; Claire Arenius Mothership Trio; Jeff and Dawning Holmes; The Cruztet; Soulful Jazz Trio; Joe Belmont and Sean Riddle; Jalbert, Hommel, Philippone & Ball; and Alex Tremblay Trio. Kai Caban will also lead a late-night jam session with William Hill III as his special guest.
Saturday, which the festival calls Jazz Fest Day, will include:
- a workshop for elementary school-aged kids at 33 Hawley at 11 a.m.
- solo pianist William Hill III at CLICK Workspace at noon and 1:30 p.m.
- the Expandable Brass Band, marching from 33 Hawley to Pulaski Park at noon
- Jack Frisch, who will be live-broadcasting his radio show “The Downbeat” in Pulaski Park at 12:45 p.m.
- Sarah Hanahan Quartet at the Iron Horse at 1 and 2:30 p.m.
- Pasquale Grasso and Paul Gill at the Parlor Room at 1:30 and 2:45 p.m.
- Champian Fulton Quartet at the Unitarian Society of Northampton at 2 and 3:30 p.m.
- Johnny O’Neal Trio at Edwards Church at 2:30 and 4 p.m.
- Bad News Jazz and Blues Orchestra at Pulaski Park at 3 p.m.
- Hot Club of New England in Pulaski Park at 5 p.m.
“Last year, we had so many people that some of them weren’t able to see the concerts because the concerts were at capacity, so this year, we are instituting double sets,” Griggs said. That means most artists will perform two 45-minute sets instead of one 90-minute set.
“Same amount of music, but it gives more people an opportunity to see the musician,” she added.
That said, the schedule is subject to change due to predicted inclement weather. In case of rain, audience members should check the festival’s website and Facebook page for announcements about venue changes.
Jazz singer and pianist Champian Fulton, who first performed at the festival in 2014, said in an email, “I think that is a beautiful part of Massachusetts and I love the people there, so I’m excited to see everyone again.”
Her sets, during which she’ll be joined by bassist Nathan Francis, drummer Fukushi Tainaka, and alto saxophonist and clarinetist Klas Lindquist, will feature a number of tunes from her latest album, “House Party,” which she called was “a celebration of my 20-plus years in New York City” and of her 35-plus years of working with Tainaka, whom she said will play “some epic drum solos!”
This year, the festival will be happening concurrently with another one: Fun Sized: A Tiny Public Art Festival, set up as a scavenger hunt for small art hidden in out-of-the-way places throughout downtown Northampton, will make its debut on Saturday and Sunday.
“They will absolutely complement each other, and I would love it if the Fun Sized Art Festival would attract a newer, different audience to the Jazz Festival and vice versa, because there’s always an opportunity to introduce people to jazz that haven’t known about it before,” Griggs said.
“There’s a lot of that happening in Northampton these days,” she added. “There’s a lot going on, and it just elevates the city as a destination that much more.”
Admission to most of the Northampton Jazz Festival is free and open to the public, but tickets to Benjamin’s performance, not including fees, are $35 to $55 or $20 for students via aomtheatre.com, by phone at 413-584-9032, or at the Academy of Music box office. Card to Culture tickets are available for $10. The workshop on Saturday requires advance registration. For more information about the festival, visit northamptonjazzfest.org.
