The motto on the Morningside Music Studios web site is “keep the groove in your life.” Words to live by.

By Steve Provizer

Dan Fox of Morningside Music Studios. Photo: courtesy of Dan Fox.

April is America’s Jazz Appreciation month and a local event created to mark this, the Arlington Jazz Festival, has been growing into an increasingly ambitious celebration. The 7th edition of the festival will run from April 26 through 29, with performances throughout Arlington, in venues ranging from Arlington City Hall (indoors) and Town Hall Gardens(outdoors), to cafes, restaurants and Art spaces. For residents of Boston, Cambridge, Somerville, and Medford, Arlington is a quick bus or car ride away.

This year’s festival includes national talent and also features many Boston area musicians. Participating performers include Jay Azzolina (New York-guitar), James Kamal Jones (Boston, drums), Mike Caudill (MA-sax), Steve Langone (Boston-Drums), Maxim Lubarsky (Boston-piano) and George Darrah (Boston-drums). A complete list of participating musicians can be found at www.arlingtonjazz.org/artists.html.

This year’s headliner is bass player John Patitucci, who will be joined by his daughter, singer/songwriter Grei, along with guitarist Jay Azzolina and drummer Nate Winn. Patitucci has won three Grammys and been nominated for that award more than a dozen times. He’s performed and/or recorded with Dizzy Gillespie, Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Stan Getz, Freddie Hubbard, Roy Haynes, Wynton Marsalis, Michael Brecker and is a long time member of the Wayne Shorter Quartet. He’s also active as a composer and has performed as a soloist with a number of orchestras in the U.S. and abroad. Patitucci is a Visiting Scholar at Berklee College of Music’s Global Jazz Institute.

The festival is presented with production assistance from Morningside Music Studio, which is run by Dan Fox, an area musician and music educator who has been a force behind the festival. The motto on the Morningside web site is “keep the groove in your life.” Words to live by.

Note: The Arts Fuse is always interested in providing rich media content, bringing added depth and sharper focus to the stories we post. In addition to writing for the Arts Fuse, Steve Provizer hosts a weekly radio show on WZBC. For this week’s program, on Thursday, April 26, from 5-6 p.m., Steve will preview the Arlington Jazz Festival with his phone guests Dan Fox and Grei Patitucci. Fox is a well-traveled musician, educator and director of Morningside Studio in Arlington. Grei is the daughter of featured Festival performer John Patitucci and is an accomplished musician in her own right. Make sure to tune in—to listen online you can use the embedded stream player below:

Note to users of mobile devices: If the embedded player above doesn’t work on your smartphone or tablet, the WZBC stream can heard using an app like TuneIn Pro.

Here’s the basic listing info for the festival:

Festival headliner concert:
Sunday, April 29, 7:00-9:30 p.m.:
John Patitucci and Grei, with Jay Azzolina and Nate Winn, 8:00-9:30 p.m.;
with opening acts:
Arlington High School Jazz Band, led by Tino D’Agostino, 7:00-7:30 p.m.;
Kevin Harris and Steve Langone Duo, 7:30-8:00 p.m.
Arlington Town Hall, 730 Massachusetts Ave., Arlington 02476.
General admission: $20, students/seniors $10, kids age 10 and under $5, kids on laps free.
Advance concert tickets: https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/3358280.
[Advance ticket holders may also attend for free the John Patitucci Master Class, held earlier in the day.]

Festival headliner John Patitucci, with his daughter Grei. Photo: courtesy of Grei.

Other Festival events, listed chronologically:
Thursday, April 26, 8:00-11:00 p.m.:
Trish and the Eclectics, 8:00-8:30 p.m.;
Deviated Septet, 8:30-11:00 p.m.
Common Ground, 319 Broadway, Arlington 02474.
No cover.

Friday, April 27, 7:00-9:00 p.m.:
Peter Cicco Group
Kickstand Cafe, 594 Massachusetts Ave., Arlington 02476.
No cover.

Friday, April 27, 10:00 pm-midnight:
Jesse Williams Group
Menotomy Grill, 25 Massachusetts Ave., Arlington 02474.
No cover.

Saturday, April 28, 8:00-11:00 p.m.:
Arlington Composers’ Collective (with Jonathan Fagan, Mike Caudill, Dan Fox & George Darrah), 8:00-9:00 p.m.;
Yulia Musayelyan Quartet, 9:00-10:00 p.m.;
followed by an Open Jam Session,10:00-11:00 p.m.
Artlounge Arlington, 1346 Massachusetts Ave., Arlington 02476.
$10 cover.

Sunday April 29, 1:00-2:00 p.m. (rain or shine):
The A-Town Brass Band
Arlington Town Hall Garden, 730 Massachusetts Ave., Arlington 02476.
No cover.

Sunday April 29, 4:00-5:00 p.m.:
John Patitucci Master Class: open to musicians and all other music appreciators.
Arlington Town Hall Hearing Room, 730 Massachusetts Ave., 2nd floor, Arlington 02476.
$5 cover (or free with headliner concert advance ticket: https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/3358280).
For more information, go to: www.arlingtonjazz.org, contact: arlingtonjazzfestival@gmail.com, 1-339-707-5170. For festival updates and final schedule, please refer to: www.arlingtonjazz.org/2018-lineup.html and www.facebook.com/Arlington-Jazz-Festival-1136997489665817/.

Steve Provizer is a jazz brass player and vocalist, leads a band called Skylight, and plays with the Leap of Faith Orchestra. He has a radio show Thursdays at 5 p.m. on WZBC, 90.3 FM and has been blogging about jazz since 2010.