Springfield Jazz and Roots Festival Set to Draw Thousands to Downtown Springfield on August 10

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - June 17, 2019 - PRLog -- This August will mark the sixth season of the Springfield Jazz & Roots
Festival, a free annual celebration that brings world-class music to downtown Springfield,
accessible to people from all walks of life. The festival draws visitors from throughout the
Northeast and has become a powerful expression of civic pride, uniting the region's diverse
cultural communities through music, arts, education, and revelry. On August 10th, both national
legends and local talent will take the stage, and the whole family will be entertained by a
participatory parade and free art, music, and basketball activities, as well as local artisan
booths, a bar, and food for any taste.
Celebrating the roots and evolution of American music, the festival will showcase spirited jazz,
beautiful African melodies, syncopated Afro-Cuban rhythms, high energy and soulful funk, and
more. Before event day, festival artists will provide educational programming for children and
perform for people of all ages in Springfield (for details to come, see springfieldjazzfest.com).
The event will end with an after-party at one of the best spots for Springfield's nightlife.
Headlining acts this year include: Cory Henry and the Funk Apostles, Elio Villafranca & the Jass
Syncopators, and Tia Fuller.
Elan Trotman will be playing a special afterparty show at MGM Springfield.
Other acts on the day of include: Samite (supported by a grant from New England Foundation
for the Arts), Firey String Sistas!, Kotoko Brass, Molly Tigre, The Convergence Project, Tap
Roots, The Billy Arnold Trio, Bomba De Aqui, Ryan Hollander and The HCC Student Jazz
Combo. Short bios on each act are below.
The performance of Elio Villafranca and the Jass Syncopators, presented in collaboration with
Painted Bride Art Center, Inc. and San Jose Jazz is supported by Presenter Consortium for
Jazz, a program of Chamber Music America funded through the generosity of the Doris Duke
Charitable Foundation.
Samite's performance is funded in part by the Expeditions program of the New England
Foundation for the Arts, made possible with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts,
with additional support from the six New England state art agencies.
The Springfield Jazz and Roots Festival is made possible by scores of volunteers, and is funded
solely by donations from individuals, organizations and corporations.
Blues to Green would like to thank all of the festival sponsors up to this point for without them
none of this would be possible. Sponsors include: MassMutual, MGM, NAI Plotkin, Springfield
BID, Springfield College, Springfield Technical Community College, Taylor Street Dental, Bimbo
Bakeries, Appleton Corp, Baystate Restoration Group, Berkshire Bank, United Bank, Dietz &
Company Architects, Inc., Home City Development, Inc., Tree Market SPFLD, Mass Cultural

Council, Polish National Credit Union, The SilverBrick Group, T&S Pro Cleaning, and Disability
Management Services, Inc..
Sponsorship opportunities are still available for businesses and other
organizations to be involved; to sponsor visit: https://springfieldjazzfest.com/sponsor/
The Jazz Fest also survives on volunteers for the Fest; for a fun and fulfilling volunteer
opportunity please visit: https://springfieldjazzfest.com/volunteer/
To make a donation, go to: https://springfieldjazzfest.com — Donate
ABOUT THE FESTIVAL
The Springfield Jazz & Roots Festival is presented by Blues to Green, Inc., whose mission is to
use music and art to celebrate and nurture community and culture and to catalyze social and
environmental change. By presenting the festival in the heart of downtown, Blues to Green
seeks to bolster a positive image of Springfield, engage artists and a diverse community in
fueling its revitalization, and emphasize its place as a cultural hub and driver of cultural
excellence in the region. Recognizing Springfield's rich history and the diversity of its population,
it has been our goal to spotlight and celebrate the rich heritage of American music, particularly
those originating from communities of color. In celebrating Jazz & Roots music, we strive to
bring greater awareness to its history, the social contexts out of which it has arisen, and
highlight the significant role this music plays in the pursuit of freedom— the freedom of artistic
expression and the ability to imagine and create the world anew.
Last year's very successful festival was dedicated to Charles Neville, the legendary "Horn Man"
for the world famous New Orleans based Neville Brothers and husband to our Executive
Director, Kristin Neville, who passed away last spring. The festival serves as a living monument
to his prolific musical legacy and testament to their deeply-held belief that music has the power
to unite people and inspire positive change. After Hurricane Katrina devastated the Neville's
home city of New Orleans, Kristin worked to learn from peoples' experiences there, build
relationships and begin to form the idea for Blues to Green. Struck by the historical, cultural, and
economic parallels between the two river cities, she was inspired to establish a jazz festival in
Springfield, the third largest metropolitan area in Massachusetts. Kristin founded Blues to Green
(a 501c3 organization) and joined forces with Evan Plotkin, festival co-executive producer, to
launch the festival in 2014. Six years later, it's safe to say that they have delivered on their
mission to leverage music as a means of revitalizing the city and bringing people together.
"JazzFest has become the city's signature cultural event," says Springfield Mayor Domenic
Sarno "bringing thousands of people together in our vibrant downtown to celebrate Springfield's
diversity."
For more information:
www.springfieldjazzfest.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/springfieldjazzfest
Media contacts: Ryan McCollum; ryan@rmc-strategies.com, (413) 313-1475