Claes Brondal on First Annual Hamptons Jazz Fest 2021

Claes Brondal is very enthusiastic when talking about the Jam Session Inc.

“First Annual Hamptons Jazz Fest 2021.”

He said it will have 50+ concerts from Southampton to Montauk during July, August and September. Brondal stated, “There really has never been anything like this before attempted on the east end to celebrate Jazz music.” Claes was born in Copenhagen, Denmark but has been living in the United States since 1999 and has been out on the east end (Sag Harbor) since 2001. As he said,  “For the last almost 20 years I have been trying to create conditions and scenarios where we can do this (live Jazz.)”

About the genesis of the Jazz festival, Claes Brondal said, “The origins go back to the Jam Sessions Inc. which is a non-profit origination and we have produced live music mainly jazz on the east end for roughly twelve years. So that were the roots are in this equation. Then, subsequently we have a radio show WLIW FM on Sunday nights, and record most of our performances live to tape and then air it on that program. Due to Covid everything was put on hold, so we were just mainly doing interviews and airing old shows. This Spring we began conversations with an anonymous donor, who is a big Jazz music fan about producing free live Jazz concerts out on the east end although some of the show might have a slight admissions fee depending on how we do this because we plan these concerts being big, medium, and small.

Mr. Brondal said the concerts are intended to expose as many people as possible to the wonderful diverse world of jazz music. He explained, “… we intend to accomplish this with mostly free concerts, small and large, inside and outside and accessible to all. It is to celebrate us coming out of Covid and coming out of confinement. It’s to celebrate live Jazz and to support musicians who haven’t been working for way too long. We have hired as many local and global musicians as possible. WE intend to produce around 50 shows.”

Brondal said local restaurants, libraries, arts organizations, and galleries will participate in this music extravaganza. “We intend to expose the cultural diversity and roots of jazz with performing artists including some not usually represented on the East End of Long Island. We have a handful of wonderful headliners which surprisingly with generous gestures on their behalf have choose to come and appear out here because our little Jazz Fest has turned out to be quite a giant undertaking compared to what we thought it would initially be. It grew from 15 concerts to now around 50! Some of the headliners include Jazz legends and Latin Jazz legends such as Ravi Coltrane, John Coltrane’s son and Paquito D’Rivera from Cuba.”

The full announced lineup to date includes: Randy Brecker/Ada Rovatti Quintet, Donald Harrison with Curtis Bros, Yacouba Sissoko World Collective, Bill O’Connell Latin-Jazz All Stars with Paquito D’Rivera, Morris Goldberg SafroJazz with Bakithi Kumalo and Diego Urcola, Trio Da Paz & Friends, Godwin Louis Haitian Jazz Project, Ravi Coltrane Quartet, Joel Ross Quintet with Immanuel Wilkins, Conrad Herwig Quintet, Rich Baratta – Music In Film, HipLaJaz with Baba Israel, Baron Lewis, Sheryl Bailey Trio with Ada Rovatti, Caleb Wheeler Curtis Trio, Jon Irabagon Trio, Caroline Davis Duo, Elegant People – Fusion Explosion, Greg Lewis Organ Monk, Olivia Foschi Quintet, Martin Fabricius Quartet with John Pattitucci, Oscar Feldman Quintet, Hector Martignon Banda Grande. Sejal Kukadia & Deepa Paulus Duo, Peter Weiss Trio and many more.

Participating venues include Southampton Arts Center – Southampton, Parrish Art Museum – Watermill, Watermill Center – Watermill, Baron’s Cove – Sag Harbor, Gosman’s Dock – Montauk,Hampton Coffee Co – Watermill, Hayground School – Bridgehampton, John Jermain Library – Sag Harbor, Hamptons Library – Bridgehampton, North 53 Gallery – East Hampton, Left Hand Coffee – Montauk, Navy Beach – Montauk, The Clubhouse – East Hampton, Sag Harbor American Music Festival – Sag Harbor, OLA of Eastern Long Island, Longhouse Reserve – East Hampton and Sylvester Manor – Shelter Island.

For more information visit : www.HamptonsJazzFest.com