2018
Our biggest year since our founding, CJF went global in 2018 and found itself presenting at new venues ranging from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, to Mezzrow Jazz Club in NYC, to the Palazzo Corsini in Florence, Italy! Our year first kicked off with a sold-out three concert series of jazz, classical and gospel led by multi-genre master Damien Sneed at Bard College, accompanied by winter series in Millbrook with Millbrook Arts Group and Tannersville with 23Arts in the Snow. CJF also forged a new partnership in 2018 with the Woodstock Playhouse, growing our regional audience across Ulster County. Our summer Spiegeltent series, Jazz Through the Looking Glass, was presented in partnership with the New York Hot Jazz Festival, and CJF partnered with 23Arts Summer Music Festival to present the Jazz-themed weekend of their multi-genre festival.
Major highlights of 2018 included our New Generation Festival debut in Florence, Italy, our second annual summer series with the New York Botanical Gardens, and the sold-out world premiere of Les Belles Chansons Francaises featuring Dan Tepfer and Cecile McLorin Salvant in her first ever all-French performance.
Modern Warrior LIVE at Sheen Center
Led by Dominick Farinacci & Jaymes Poling
January 13
Jazz in the Snow: Puccini Meets Bechet: Parallels in Opera & Jazz at Cairo-Durham High School and Mountain Top Library
Featuring Aaron Johnson, Steven Feifke & Faylotte Crayton
January 19
Puccini Meets Bechet: Parallels in Opera & Jazz at Millbrook Library
Featuring Aaron Johnson, Steven Feifke & Faylotte Crayton
January 20
Cupid Painted Blind at HTC Elementary and Mountain Top Library
Featuring Meredith Lustig, Michael Axtell & Steven Feifke
February 2
Music & Words at Bard College Fisher Center
Featuring Damien Sneed, Brandie Sutton & Justin Michael Austin
February 9
Jazz at CIA: Valentine's Do You Zazou? at Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park
Featuring Tatiana Eva-Marie & the Avalon Jazz Band
February 14
One Love: Jazz Through the Islands at Dutchess Day School, Mountain Top Library and Millbrook Library
Featuring Shenel Johns, Gabe Schnider & Matt Dwonszyk
February 23-24
The Lost Women of Song at Bard Prep Music School
Led by Dida Pelled
March 2
The Golden Age of Song at Bard College Fisher Center
Featuring Damien Sneed & Keyon Harrold
March 17
Jazz in the Snow: Porgy & Bess Suite at Mountain Top Library
Featuring Peter & Will Anderson with Adam Moezinia
March 23
Jazz at CIA: Porgy & Bess Suite at Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park
Featuring the Peter & Will Anderson Quintet with Brianna Thomas
March 24
The Man Who Fell to Earth at Brooklyn Museum
April 4
CJF at Mezzrow: Tribute to Clifford Brown
Featuring Aaron Diehl & Dominick Farinacci
April 6
Alan Moon's Verse Sonata in Five Movements at Triad Theatre
April 12
Sanctified Soul: 1960s to Today at Bard College Fisher Center
Featuring Damien Sneed & the Levites
April 21
Jazz at CIA: Good Enough to Eat at Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park
Featuring Veronica Swift, Ilya Lushtak, Ben Tiberio, Scott Lowrie
April 28
The Silver Screen Experience: The Cabinet of Dr Caligari at Bell House Brooklyn
Featuring Chris Washburne’s Rags & Roots
May 4
CJF at Mezzrow: The Magic of Mahalia
Featuring Brianna Thomas, Marvin Sewell, James Hurt
May 6
Stereo Hideout: Brooklyn Brahms V Radiohead at Kings Theatre, Brooklyn
Featuring Steve Hackman’s Stereo Hideout Orchestra
May 19
Ladies of the Blues at Woodstock Playhouse
Featuring Dominick Farinacci Quintet with Shenel Johns
May 26
CJF at Mezzrow: Gospel & Blues
Featuring Damien Sneed and Shenel Johns
June 10
CJF at NYBG: Salute to Crescent City, New Orleans at 300 with Absolutely Live Entertainment at New York Botanical GardensEvan Christopher
June 22
Jazz Through the Looking Glass: Sidney Bechet, the Soul of Crescent City at Bard Summerscape Spiegeltent
Aurora Nealand and the Royal Roses / New York Hot Jazz Festival
July 5
Jazz Through the Looking Glass: Get Rhythm In Your Feet at Bard Summerscape Spiegeltent
Gordon Au’s Grand Street Stompers / New York Hot Jazz Festival
July 12
CJF at NYBG: Songs for Dr. King with Absolutely Live Entertainment at New York Botanical Gardens
Brianna Thomas Band with Wycliffe Gordon
July 13
Another Side of Silver at Mountain Top Library
Camille Thurman and the Darrell Green Trio
July 13
Live @ Last Chance
Camille Thurman and Brianna Thomas
July 14
Brianna Meets Nina at Last Chance Tavern
The Brianna Thomas Band
July 14
Ladies Sing the Blues at Kaaterskill United Methodist Church
The Brianna Thomas Band with special guests Camille Thurman & Chris Washburne
July 15
Jazz Through the Looking Glass: Hotter than That at Bard Summerscape Spiegeltent
Bria Skonberg Band / New York Hot Jazz Festival
July 19
CJF at Mezzrow: Pops & Piano
Alphonso Horne and Chris Pattishall
July 22
Jazz Through the Looking Glass: The Unsung Jazz Geniuses of Prohibition at Bard Summerscape Spiegeltent
Ghost Train Orchestra / New York Hot Jazz Festival
July 26
CJF at NYBG: Old, New & Blue Celebrating Gershwin’s Rhapsody with Absolutely Live Entertainment at New York Botanical Gardens
Dominick Farinacci
July 27
Hildegaard at Scribner’s Catskill Lodge
July 27
Live @ Last ChanceFeaturing Hildegard
July 28
Crossing the C’s at Orpheum Performing Arts Center
Featuring Derek Gripper, Camila Meza, and Shilpa Ray
July 28
One Night on Earth at Kaaterskill Church
Featuring Derek Gripper & Camila Meza
July 29
Jazz Through the Looking Glass: Bix & Tram, A Red Hot Retrospective at Bard Summerscape Spiegeltent
Featuring the Patrick Bartley Orchestra / New York Hot Jazz Festival
August 2
Phoenicia International Festival of the Voice: Sirens of Gospel
Featuring Damien Sneed
August 3
23Arts Summer Music Festival Finale at Anne & Skip Pratt’s Home, Twilight Park
Featuring Damien Sneed, Shenel Johns and Shareef Clayton
August 5
CJF at New Generation Festival in Florence, Italy
Featuring the Brianna Thomas Band
August 29-30
Swingin’ the Songbook at Windham Civic Centre Concert Hall
Aaron Johnson Ensemble
September 1
23Arts Discovering Johannesburg Jazz at Mountain Top Library
McCoy Mrubata & Paul Hanmer
October 12
23Arts Discovering Nazareth at Mountain Top Library
Ehud Asherie
October 19
Pros Meet Pupils Residency at Millbrook High School
Steven Feifke
October 23
Silver Screen Experience: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari at Bard College Fisher Center
Chris Washburne’s Rags & Roots
November 2
Les Belles Preview at Lotos Club
Cecile McLorin Salvant and Dan Tepfer
December 18
Les Belles Chansons Francaises at Bard College Fisher Center
Cecile McLorin Salvant and Dan Tepfer
December 22
Holiday Swing at Woodstock Playhouse
Patrick Bartley Band & The Copacetics
December 30