This year’s festival celebrates several firsts: a free, prefestival outdoor block party and concert/jam session in Hudson Hall’s theater; a citywide expansion to several different venues, and a shift from winter to fall to take advantage of the region’s famous leaf-peeping season. Having grown in both size and reputation since it first began in 2018, the seventh annual Hudson Jazz Festival presents world class headliners with wide-ranging musical influences and styles in a celebration of music, art, and community. “We are thrilled to have the opportunity to showcase not just some of the most exciting jazz artists of today, but the unique beauty of our region during the spectacular fall season,” Hudson Hall Executive Director Tambra Dillon said.
The 2024 Hudson Jazz Festival main stage lineup at Hudson Hall features “performers that delight audiences with their ability to effortlessly integrate tradition, innovation, and fun!” festival curator Cat Henry said. Cameroonian-American vocalist and two-time Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition finalist Ekep Nkwelle kicks off the festival with an evening dedicated to the indomitable spirit of Ella Fitzgerald; Downbeat magazine’s 25 for The Future trumpeter Riley Mulherkar headlines the Saturday evening slot; and jazz pianist and “master of melody” (Downbeat) Ethan Iverson closes out the mainstage Sunday afternoon with his “truly remarkable” trio (Jazzwise). Media personality and host of the popul.