April was designated as "Jazz Appreciation Month," known as JAM, in 2002 by the Smithsonian Museum to herald and celebrate the extraordinary heritage and history of jazz. The year 2017 also marks the centennial of the first recorded jazz album and the first commercial use of the word “jazz,” when the Original Dixieland Jazz Band recorded their New Orleans rooted music at Victor Talking Machine. The recording was an instantaneous success, ushering in a new era of popular music, the “Jazz Age.”
To celebrate all of this, and to preview an event at The Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival this summer, we welcome Danilo Perez. Pianist, composer, educator and social activist, Pérez is among the most influential and dynamic musicians of our time.
On Saturday, June 24th, he'll perform Jazz 100: The Music of Dizzy, Mongo and Monk with Joe Lovano, Jason Palmer, Josh Roseman, Roman Diaz, Ben Street and Adam Cruz.
The Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival is one of the most renowned and longest-running jazz festivals in North America and it marks its 40th anniversary this year.
