Hudson is already a must-see during the leaf-peeping season. Now, there is a plethora of other reasons to visit this bucolic town. The annual Hudson Jazz Festival has moved its annual event to the Fall! This year’s Festival starts with a FREE Community Day on Sep 28th filled with live music throughout the town, an art exhibit celebrating visual artists from the area, and top-notch artists performing at Hudson Hall Oct 4-6.
Here are some highlights:
Leading Jazz Artists in Concert Oct 4-6:
Cameroonian-American vocalist and two-time Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition finalist Ekep Nkwelle kicks off the festival with an evening dedicated to the indomitable spirit of Ella Fitzgerald; Downbeat magazine’s “25 for The Future” trumpeter Riley Mulherkar headlines the Saturday evening slot; and jazz pianist and “master of melody” (Downbeat) Ethan Iverson closes out the mainstage on Sunday afternoon with his “truly remarkable” trio (Jazzwise). Media personality and host of the popular jazz podcast Artimacy, Keanna Faircloth, joins the festival as host.
Local Breweries and Pop-Performances Around Town:
New for 2024, the Hudson Jazz Festival expands city-wide with the addition of three new festival venues. Hudson brewery and taphouse Return Brewing hosts the Hudson Jazz Festival Opening Night Party with live music by Phat, Incorporated (Oct 4), jazz pianist Jesse Fischer at the The Half Moon (Oct 5), while Wayne Tucker and the Bad Mothas offers festival-goers a chance to wind down their weekend in style at Kitty’s Backyard (Oct 6). The festival vibe permeates throughout town all weekend thanks to popup performances by Bard College Jazz musicians and local jazz artists.
FREE Community Day Sep 28th:
Also new for 2024, the festival begins with a free Community Day on Saturday, September 28. The day includes an outdoor block party, an art exhibition in Hudson Hall’s first-floor galleries, and Melanie Charles’ Make Jazz Trill Again (MJTA): Trill Mega Jam. Vocalist/flutist Charles leads a high-energy set featuring an all-star ensemble. Cat Henry adds, “Melanie Charles is an artist that ‘takes us on a journey that embodies the soul of jazz’ (NPR) and a central figure in a vibrant musical community made up of loving, talented, and innovative musicians, poets, DJs, and artists.” Following the set, audiences are invited to participate in a community jam session.
Support Local Visual Artists
Hudson-based artist Reginald Madison curates the 2024 Hudson Jazz Festival visual arts exhibition at Hudson Hall, opening at Community Day (Sep 28) with an artist’s reception. Titled Between the Cracks, the exhibition features his own work alongside Hudson Valley artists Nchota Badila, Lyle Ashton Harris, Francine Hunter McGivern, Shanekia McIntosh, Sedat Pakay (1945-2016), Randall Schmit, Kianja Strobert, and Lenox, MA-based artist Jim Youngerman.
For a complete line-up, more information and to reserve your tickets, visit HudsonHall.org
