Burlington Discover Jazz Festival: Here's one show every day that you shouldn't miss

Brent Hallenbeck, Burlington Free Press
·4 min read

The season for jazz has arrived.

The Burlington Discover Jazz Festival is back for the second year in a row after two years off because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Last year’s event was a cause for celebration because it was literally the first big celebration Burlington had seen since the virus changed our lives in March 2020.

This year’s festival is a big deal, too, as unlike last year’s almost-entirely-outdoor event the schedule includes shows inside the Flynn and the smaller cabaret-like venue FlynnSpace. The lineup is filled with dozens and dozens of shows at locations throughout town, creating a sense that you couldn’t avoid music even if you tried.

More: Here's the full lineup for the Burlington Discover Jazz Festival

But why would you try? There’s so much music worth hearing when the festival starts Friday, June 3. We’re going to make things really simple here and tell you about one event each day you should make sure to catch during the festival’s 10-day run. That’s a fairly preposterous proposal, of course — why limit yourself to one performance a day? — so consider this your starter list for a week and a half of musical joy.

Friday, June 3

Michael Mwenso leads "The Sound of (Black) Music."
Michael Mwenso leads "The Sound of (Black) Music."

8 p.m., festival curator Michael Mwenso joins musicians including Brianna Thomas, Charenee Wade, Vuyo Sotashe and Zhanna Reed for “The Sound of (Black) Music,” an Afro-futurist take on the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical that’s so connected with Vermont, “The Sound of Music,” the Flynn. $10-$50.

More: Highlights from Waking Windows: Sold-out crowds, standout shows and happy tears

Saturday, June 4

3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 p.m., “X-VOTIVE” is an immersive video experience featuring Burlington soul group Acqua Mossa that’s presented by Burlington City Arts’ Jazz Lab, Contois Auditorium, Burlington City Hall. Free.

Vermont band Acqua Mossa performs May 14, 2022 at the Waking Windows festival in Winooski.
Vermont band Acqua Mossa performs May 14, 2022 at the Waking Windows festival in Winooski.

Sunday, June 5

10 p.m., a new-to-the-festival venue is rechristened Big Joe’s for several jam sessions, including this one with Ruben Fox, Jalen Baker and the Jon Thomas Trio, Vermont Comedy Club. Free.

Monday, June 6

11 a.m., the music that to many observers defines the Burlington Discover Jazz Festival is created weekdays by Vermont school musicians; the one that starts it all this year is the Arlington Memorial High School Band, Church Street Marketplace in front of City Hall. Free.

A bass clarinetist in the Charlotte Central School Jazz Band holds down the low end in "The Peter Gunn Theme" by Henry Mancini on on Burlington's Church Street on June 9, 2021. The school band is one of many that performed at the Burlington Discover Jazz Festival.
A bass clarinetist in the Charlotte Central School Jazz Band holds down the low end in "The Peter Gunn Theme" by Henry Mancini on on Burlington's Church Street on June 9, 2021. The school band is one of many that performed at the Burlington Discover Jazz Festival.

More: Summer in Vermont means outdoor concerts where you'll find your happy place

Tuesday, June 7

4:30 p.m., this performance brings a veteran Vermont pianist together with musicians from the Flynn’s Teen Jazz Combo when Tom Cleary and the Flynntones perform in City Hall Park. Free.

Wednesday, June 8

6:30 and 8:30 p.m., a musician who’s been making the blues happen since the 1950s, Grammy-winner Bobby Rush, delivers a pair of sets in the basement club known as FlynnSpace. $25 per show.

Thursday, June 9

4:30 p.m., sure, the music is great during the festival, but some of the signature moments come when the musicians talk about what they do; “Jazz in the Green Mountains: Local Legends and the Growth of Jazz in Vermont” features Paul Asbell, Rich Davidian, Rob Guerrina, Jenni Johnson and Will Patton diving into that rich history, Burlington City Arts. Free.

Friday, June 10

8:30 p.m., it’s hard to pick the highlight of a 10-day festival, but it doesn’t get much cooler than George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic performing before a big crowd at Waterfront Park. Free.

The Vermont jazz trio Vorcza - from left to right, Ray Paczkowski, Robinson Morse and Gabe Jarrett - performs June 11, 2021 on the Church Street Marketplace during the Burlington Discover Jazz Festival.
The Vermont jazz trio Vorcza - from left to right, Ray Paczkowski, Robinson Morse and Gabe Jarrett - performs June 11, 2021 on the Church Street Marketplace during the Burlington Discover Jazz Festival.

Saturday, June 11

6 p.m., sightings of the legendary Vermont instrumental jazz trio Vorcza are almost as rare as finding Sasquatch dining alfresco at Leunig’s Bistro, so expect fans to descend upon the Church Street Marketplace in front of Burlington City Hall for this one. Free.

Saxophone player Joshua Redman
Saxophone player Joshua Redman

Sunday, June 12

7 p.m., the festival will be over before you know it, so you might want to start planning how to end it; you could certainly do worse than to catch saxophone giant Joshua Redman’s latest project, 3x3, the Flynn. $30-$47.

For more information: www.flynnvt.org/Community/Burlington-Discover-Jazz-Festival

Contact Brent Hallenbeck at bhallenbeck@freepressmedia.com. Follow Brent on Twitter at www.twitter.com/BrentHallenbeck.

This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: What to do at Burlington Discover Jazz Festival: 10 shows for 10 days