Attendees to the 43rd Atlanta Jazz Festival, regarded as one of the country’s most popular and largest free festivals, will get more than entertainment from some of the best modern-day jazz greats this year. Six featured artists from this year’s Atlanta Jazz Festival will hold free Jazz 101 master classes for up to 250 attendees per workshop.
The Jazz 101 workshops will be led by Grammy-nominated, Grammy-winning and esteemed jazz musicians, including vocalist Jazzmeia Horn, bassist Ron Carter, saxophonists Mike Phillips, Miguel Zenon and Archie Shepp, and trumpeter Sean Jones. Each one-hour workshop will be held at Greystone in Piedmont Park, and advanced registration is recommended due to limited seating. For more information on advanced registration, click here.
The jazz education topics, available for jazz lovers of all ages, will be based on each artist’s area of expertise. There also will be four, 30-minute workshops called “African Drums for Kids,” led by two-time Grammy nominated trumpeter, composer and band leader Russell Gunn. The workshops, two held on Sunday, September 5, and two on Monday, September 6, will introduce children to the rhythmic stylings of the African diaspora.
“The Atlanta Jazz Festival attracts music lovers of all ages, and this year we wanted to give festival goers a chance to learn even more about jazz culture and provide them a more intimate setting to interact with their favorite musicians,” said Camille Russell Love, Executive Director – City of Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs. “We want people to leave the festival feeling enriched with jazz culture from the music they hear to the education they receive,” she added.
The festival returns after a hiatus in 2020 due to the pandemic and will be held at Piedmont Park over Labor Day weekend, Sunday, September 5 – Monday, September 6. This year will showcase many of the best performers and jazz acts in the country, including Patti Austin, Archie Shepp, Mike Phillips and more.
For more information on how to attend the Atlanta Jazz Festival, and the Jazz 101 workshops, please visit www.atlantafestivals.com or visit the mobile channel at www.atljazzfest.com.