Brass City Jazz Fest
August 5, 2023 @ 2:00 pm - 10:00 pm UTC-4
On Saturday, August 5, the Brass City Jazz Fest returns to downtown Waterbury.
This free, all-day contemporary jazz festival brings together some of the country’s and region’s top performing artists, including headliner jazz keyboardist Chris “Big Dog” Davis, a two-time Grammy nominated composer and producer with 20 BillBoard #1 hits to his credit.
Other performers include world-renowned bassist Gerald Veasley, Billboard’s Smooth Jazz and Sirius XM Watercolors Hit-Maker Carl Cox, guitarist Ray “The Weeper” Fuller, multi-instrumentalist saxophonist Curtis Haywood, Billboard Charting Vocalist Rebecca Jade, and Brass City Jazz Fest musical director and bassist Steve Clarke. The event will also feature special guest Andrea Deyo, a vocalist from Waterbury.
The festival, which runs from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. in Library Park, will also feature a variety of artisans and business vendors, as well as food and drink options.
The headliner, Davis, grew up in Waterbury and started playing piano at age four. He played every day at the Refuge Church of Christ, where his mother was the choir director. He recorded his first record at age 16 and went on to study under Jackie Mclean at The Hartt School of Jazz. Throughout his musical career, he has appeared on the Arsenio Hall Show, The Tonight Show, and The Rosie O’Donnell Show. He has worked for several decades as a producer and recording and touring musician, including alongside funk legends George Clinton, Brian McKnight, Maysa, and many others.
“The Brass City Jazz Committee, in conjunction with Main Street Waterbury, worked diligently to put together an all-star jazz line up that will delight audiences of all ages,” said Event Chairman Al Taylor. “We can’t wait to fill downtown Waterbury with the sweet sounds of jazz!”
In 2022, the Brass City Jazz Fest attracted thousands of jazz fans from across the region, drawn in by a stellar line-up of musicians, including #1 Billboard Charting saxophonist Paul Taylor, who closed out the night with a captivating performance that had attendees up and out of their chairs and dancing the night away.
The Brass City Jazz Fest is hosted and produced by Waterbury’s own Event Chairman Al Taylor of ACT Jams Productions and the Assistant Programmer of SmoothJazzCD1019.com. Taylor is also the curator of “The Groove Show,” a weekly contemporary jazz syndicated radio show.
The Rhythm-level sponsors are: Powerstation Events, Republican American, and We Do Life…Together, A Division of ICES, Inc. If you are an area business or organization looking to reach a new audience, or a jazz enthusiast, consider sponsoring the event. To learn more about sponsorship, contact Chris Caulfield at 203-757-0701 or email ccaulfield@waterburychamber.com
For more information, visit: www.brasscityjazzfest.com
