Litchfield Jazz Camp Gears Up For Year 28

Litchfield Jazz Camp is set for its 28th season this July. We begin on June 30th and end our month of classes and concerts on July 26th. The festival begins that very evening at the Frederick Gunn School where you can join us for a wonderful opening night party before the main event. Our talented students will perform for you in the early evening, followed by the opening concert of the 29th annual Litchfield Jazz Festival in the Thomas S. Perakos Arts and Community Center.

Litchfield Jazz Camp Talent Competition March 2nd

Before we leave the subject of Litchfield Jazz Camp, we would like to announce the first annual Litchfield Jazz Camp Talent Search. On March 2nd we will hold our first talent competition for scholarships to this summer’s jazz camp. Applications for the competition will be available on our website soon. 

We are currently looking for scholarship sponsors, so if you are the owner of a business that would like to support a young player or a private individual interested in jazz education, please get in touch at [email protected].

Camp Page

Litchfield Jazz Festival 2024 Preview

Litchfield Jazz Festival - July 26 - 28

In a programming move that seems to be becoming a tradition, our featured opening night performer, saxophonist Alexa Tarantino, is a former Litchfield Jazz Camper. These days she appears regularly with Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. At our show, she will play with pianist Steven Fifke, drummer Mark Whitfield Jr (yet another Litchfield alum), and Philip Norris on bass. That's a little sneak peek of the festival. We’ll be back to you with the list of festival performers soon-ish. The dates for the Jazz Festival are July 26, 27 and 28, and we'll close as always on Sunday with another wonderful alfresco jazz brunch.

Litchfield Jazz Presents @ The Poli Club

POLI CLUB Friday Night Shows

We hope you all know by now that we have joined forces with Mike Gow of New England Arts and Entertainment for a Litchfield Jazz Presents series of Friday evening shows and Sunday Jazz Brunches at the Poli Club at the Palace Theater in Waterbury. The Poli reads like a smart New York jazz club but has better sound than most and less expensive drinks!

Our December 1st show stars award-winning vocalist and songwriter Allegra Levy. The Allegra Levy Quartet features Carmen Staaf (a Monk scholar who tours with Dee Dee Bridgewater) on piano, Mimi Jones on bass and Allison Miller on drums. 

On February 16 you can treat your Valentine to Music from the Movies with the Richard Baratta Quintet. In addition to being a Grammy-nominated drummer, Rich is a producer of over 50 movies including the Wolf of Wall Street, Awakenings and the Spiderman franchise. Recently returning to his first love, jazz, he appears for us with renowned saxophonist Vincent Herring, pianist Bill O'Connell, guitarist Paul Bollenback, bassist Michael Goetz, and Paul Rossman on percussion.

On May 10 we are delighted to present Jazz Meets the Great Brazilian Songbook, featuring classics of samba and bossa nova through a jazz lens. The show was conceived and produced by Brazilian drummer Sam Martinelli. The Sam Martinelli Quintet features pianist Ehud Asherie, world renowned clarinetist Ken Peplowski, bassist Martin Wind and singer Karina Calistro. They will be playing the music of iconic Brazilian composers Antônio Carlos Jobim, Ivan Lins, Joao Gilberto and others.

Our Friday nights come to a close on June 7. The fabulous drummer Matt Wilson brings us a show he calls Permission Slip. Matt, one of the most in-demand drummers in jazz, has a decades-long history with Litchfield Festival and Camp. Like so many of our nearest and dearest, he is a committed mentor. So for this occasion, he has “gathered bright young sonic spirits for an ensemble where the answer is always a resounding, ‘Yes’!” Don’t miss this one!!

NEW: FRIDAY STUDENT TICKETS: The Friday night Poli Club shows are presented at 7 and 9 PM. As there is frequently room for more guests at 9, we are offering student tickets for the 9 PM shows – all of them—throughout the year. These shows will be offered at just $10. Please bring a student ID.

Buy tickets to the shows on the Palace Theater's Website linked below

If you cannot get to the Friday Litchfield Jazz Presents shows in person you will find a link to livestream them on our Instagram and Facebook pages shortly before each show. Our live streams are always free.

Poli Club Show Tickets

POLI Club Sunday Jazz Brunches

Our first Jazz Brunch on September 24th was a sell-out and a resounding success. It was so enjoyable, that one of our audience members volunteered on the spot to support the next brunch! So what started as a season opener became the first of a 4 brunch series!! 

Our second Sunday Jazz Brunch @ the Poli is set for December 10. It stars Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter/pianist Nicole Zuraitis. Nicole, who tours extensively and teaches at SUNY Purchase, NYU, and Litchfield Jazz Camp, is –you guessed it—yet another Litchfield Jazz Camp alum. She started with us at age 12. Her group will include special guest Albert Rivera on saxophones and Matt Dwonsyk on bass. Others TBA. The series will include two additional brunches, dates, and lineups TBA shortly.