Podcast 429: Previewing the Burlington Discover Jazz Festival

The first major jazz event of the summer is on its way. OK, the summer solstice doesn’t start the season until June 21st, but for my money, Memorial Day starts off the summer season, and the Burlington Discover Jazz Festival will start on May 30th and run until June 8th. Good enough for me. And the Festival is more than good enough for jazz fans. For 10 days and nights, the idyllic Vermont town will host major artists like Tony Bennett, Regina Carter and Benny Golson; up and coming acts like Julian Lage, Dawn of Midi, Cecile McLorin Salvant and Warren Wolf; plus a slew of films, discussions, workshops and educational performances. Add to all that a pair of outdoor tented shows right on the shores of Lake Champlain with funkmaster Maceo Parker and local legends Belizbha, and you’ve got yourself a time. I had the pleasure of discussing the events with Linda Little, the Managing Director of the Festival.  Linda earned a B.M. in Jazz Performance Studies from Berklee College of Music. Her longstanding commitment to jazz presentation started while at Berklee where she formed the college’s first jazz record label and established a 10-week jazz concert series with Lyme Properties. She performed extensively as a professional saxophonist throughout the United States, England and Japan.  Prior to joining the Jazz Festival, Linda was Managing Director of Kingdom County Productions, bringing world-class performing arts to one of the most isolated areas of Vermont.   Podcast 429 is our preview of the Festival, including musical selections from artists performing during the 10 days of music, such as: Regina Carter -"I'm Going Home" from Southern Comfort. Benny Golson - "Killer Joe" from Meet the Jazztet. Dawn of Midi - "Nix" from Dysnomia Warren Wolf - "Grant Central" from Wolfgang Cecile McLorin Salvant - "You Bring Out the Savage in Me" from WomanChild. Jerry Bergonzi - "Of a Feather" from By Any Other Name.