Arlington Jazz Festival Returning In April

ARLINGTON, MA — The Arlington Jazz Festival is returning for its 15th year, bringing a slate of mostly free concerts to town and neighboring Belmont from Wednesday, April 8 through Sunday, April 12. The festival has been held annually since 2012, usually in April, which the organizers note has become known internationally as Jazz Appreciation Month. Contact information for this year’s festival is posted online.

Festival originator and resident Dan Fox first called the event the A-Town Jazz Festival when it began as a smaller experiment. According to the festival information, Fox continued programming the festival every year, including 2020, when it moved to a virtual format due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The festival is supported in part by a grant from the Arlington Commission for Arts and Culture while also receiving organizational and production assistance from Arlington-based Morningside Music Studio, which Fox is also involved with.

The festival’s goal is to raise awareness and appreciation of jazz through a mix of top performers, local rising ensembles and student groups. The festival information also states that Fox is focused on building community and showing that Arlington and its surrounding towns outside Boston can serve as cultural destinations. Morningside Music Studio’s motto is, “keep the groove in your life.”

The event will kickoff on April 8 with the Mitch Livstone Quartet at Town Tavern, 201 Massachusetts Ave., at 8 p.m. with no cover charge. On Thursday, April 9, Debby Larkin & Jeff Stout Quartet will perform at Tryst, 689 Massachusetts Ave., at 6 p.m., followed by Jesse Williams Group feat. Duke Robillard at Menotomy Grill, 25 Massachusetts Ave., at 8:30 p.m. Both shows list no cover charge.

The lineup continues Friday, April 10, with Jazz on the Edge at Morningside Annex, 108 Summer St., beginning at 7:30 p.m., featuring John Dalton's Spheres of Influence and The Fully Celebrated Orchestra. Advance tickets are recommended. Also that night, Annie & the Fur Trappers and District 5 are scheduled at Mill St. Café, 14 Mill St., starting at 7 p.m., with no cover charge and food and beer available from the Arlington Brewing Company.

Saturday includes performances at Morningside Annex, Maxima Hive, Donut Villa and Wellington Tavern in Belmont. Sunday’s schedule includes Jon Wheatley & Sheryl Bailey Duo at Tryst, an open jazz jam at Comella in Belmont, and the festival headliner, the Stanley Jordan Trio with Wes Wirth and Kenwood Dennard at 7:30 p.m. at the Regent Theatre, 7 Medford St. Advance tickets are required for the headlining show.

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