Burlington Jazz Fest tunes up for 40th anniversary run

BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) - The Burlington Discover Jazz Festival opens for a five-day run on Wednesday.

It’s the 40th anniversary of the summer’s premier music event in Burlington. As usual, there will be free shows all across Burlington.

The Flynn’s Matt Rogers says the focus for the anniversary is on new artists who are the future of the genre. “Honoring kind of the past of jazz, but then really, really focusing on bringing on these younger artists. You know, we have Samara Joy at the festival. She just won the Grammy for Best New Artist. She’s the second jazz artist ever to win that category. And then Lakecia Benjamin -- who’s our curator -- and Samora Pinderhughes are three acts on opening night here. And they’re three of the acts that are just representative of where the jazz genre is heading,” he said.

The event starts Wednesday night with those opening acts at the Flynn. The Block Party is Thursday at the top of Church Street from 4:00 to 10:00. And there are performances at the Waterfront Friday and Saturday. The festival wraps up on Sunday.

Click here for more information about schedules and tickets.

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