The event kicks off Jazz Appreciation month, April, and is put on in partnership with the City of Salem. Salem Five, a major festival sponsor, has donated the room and the concert is free to the public.
The free show will take place in the Salem Five Community Room on the Essex Street Walking Mall, Saturday, April 6, from 2 to 4:30 p.m.
Performing this year will be the Brian Cogger Band, made up of several young musicians from around the North Shore.
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The band plays a variety of jazz, funk and original music. The players are from Salem, Newburyport and Topsfield. Cogger and Aidan Scrimgeour (piano) have been playing together since meeting at the Northeast Jazz and Recording Camp, run every summer in Salem. They’ve both performed at the last two Salem Jazz and Soul Festivals, in student ensembles.
Eric Reardon, the band’s guitarist, has performed at the festival in several capacities, and he will again this summer.
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Additionally, members from the Massachusetts and Salem Cultural Councils will be on-hand to present the Salem Jazz and Soul Festival with a coveted Gold Star Award, one of a handful given each year across Massachusetts. The ceremony will take place during intermission.
The festival is a nonprofit, volunteer-run organization that produces free concerts and raises money for music education causes on the North Shore.
