Festival Shows Off Best of New England

What are the best things about New England? According to Ed Fast, the spectacular hues of fall foliage, native foods and local jazz talent top the list. So the local drummer and composer mixed all those things together into an eclectic autumn festival to be held Saturday at the Polo Grounds from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The New England Autumn Festival, now in its second year, will also feature equestrian demonstrations, arts, crafts and food booths and more.

“It’s about jazz, horses, lobster and beer. It’s a big party where we’re trying to create a jazz festival, a family festival that really captures the spirit and essence of New England,” Fast said.

While there are other jazz festivals in Connecticut, Fast said this one capitalizes on the “bucolic” backdrop of the Polo Grounds in the fall.

“I’m a musician. I’ve traveled all over the world with Broadway shows, worked at casinos here, played festivals here and there with a Latin jazz band, been to Cuba, but when I went to the Polo Grounds I thought, ‘this is a beautiful setting,'” Fast said.

Beauty’s not all the area’s got going for it.

Fast has lined up a long list of talented local musicians, including students from Farmington valley high schools performing together as The Farmington Valley All-Star High School Big Band. Students, faculty and alumni of the Hartt School of Music, from which Fast graduated, will also perform.

Dave Giardina and the Goza Latin Jazz Ensemble, the Atticus Kelly Ensemble, the female-dominated UMOJA, the Mike Casey Quintet and Fast's own Latin jazz band, Conga-Bop.

“Here you have a great opportunity to see headliners before they were headliners,” Fast said.

Fast knows his way around the area and around jazz. Most recently, he toured with “Chicago” as the show’s drummer and has shared a stage with big names including Aretha Franklin and Frank Sinatra Jr., at Mohegan Sun. Locally, he performs with the Hartford Symphony Orchestra and was music director of a Hartford-based youth group.

In addition to jazz, visitors can peruse the arts and crafts booths of local artisans, tour the Hartford Jazz Society Wine Garden, the Thomas Hooker Brewery Pavilion, and J's Crab Shack (formerly Tinker's). Farmington’s Flaggstead Texas Smokehouse and the Nick of Time of West Simsbury will also set up shop there.

Children will enjoy an equestrian exhibition, a polo demonstration and free pony rides.

The day’s events look like this:

• 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. Food; beer, wine garden; all vendors available
• 11 a.m. - 11:45 a.m. - Dave Giardina and Goza Latin Jazz Ensemble
• 11:30 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. & 2 p.m. - 2:45 p.m. - Pony Rides
• 12 Noon - 12:45 p.m. - Atticus Kelly Ensemble
• 12:45 p.m. - 1:15 p.m. - Hartt School Jazz Ensemble
• 1:15 to 2 p.m. – UMOJA led by Yunie Mojica and Raynel Frazier
• 2 to 2:45 p.m. – Mike Casey Quintet
• 4:45 to 6 p.m. – Ed Fast & Conga-Bop, featuring Zaccai Curtis on piano and Hall High School jazz instructor John Mastroianni on saxophone

General admission is $10; children under 13 are free; special rates for seniors and groups. For more information see the festival's website or call 860-990-8168.