Burlington Discover Jazz Festival is back for it's 42nd year. This year's festival, produced by the Flynn and presented by Vermont Tire And Service Inc. with Nokian Tyres, takes place across Downtown Burlington The Flynn is also thrilled to announce that Anthony Tidd, an international jazz artist, multi-instrumentalist and Guggenheim Fellow, will serve as the curator for the 2025 Burlington Discover Jazz Festival. Tidd will present an exclusive World Premiere of Origins: Sounds and Stories of the African Diaspora, a collaborative performance showcasing seven jazz musicians and seven special guests.

Schedule of Events:

June 4, 2025

Flynn Main Stage

7:30pm - Opening night show - Origins: Sounds And Stories of the African Diaspora

Free

With performances by Fred Wesley, Camille Thurman, Cedric Burnside, Sa-Roc, Duke Amayo, Melvis Santa, Julian and Bobby Hackney Sr., Orrin Evans, Damion Reid, Clay Sears, Greg Osby, Jonathan Finlayson, and Kalia Vandever.

Burlington Discover Jazz Festival curator Anthony Tidd was honored with a Guggenheim Fellowship for his work exploring the creative music of the African Diaspora. On the festival's opening night, Anthony will present a unique, one of a kind show, that aligns with his work and curatorial vision. This extraordinary show, "Origins," will offer a powerful lens for the audience to explore the historical and contemporary links between the diverse cultures of the African diaspora. Over the centuries, these cultures have been at the forefront of musical innovation, giving birth to a wide array of genres, including Ragtime, Blues, Jazz, Gospel, Folk, Country, Soul, Rhythm and Blues, Rock 'n' Roll, Funk, Disco, Hip-hop, House, Dance, Electronica, Salsa, Samba, Bossa Nova, Calypso, Soca, Zouk, Reggae, Reggaeton, Afrobeat, and many more.

For one night only, and exclusively at the Burlington Discover Jazz Festival, Anthony will present an unforgettable evening of exciting music, breath taking visuals, and insightful storytelling, spanning multiple genres and generations. Backed by a phenomenal seven-piece band musically directed by Anthony, and seven special guests, this amazing cast will bring the Flynn Main Stage to life with song, narration and imagery, set to explore the many threads which comprise the vast universe of jazz.

This special, not to be missed, event will feature performances by Fred Wesley, Camille Thurman, Cedric Burnside, Sa-Roc, Duke Amayo, Melvis Santa, Julian and Bobby Hackney Sr., Orrin Evans, Damion Reid, Clay Sears, Greg Osby, Jonathan Finlayson, and Kalia Vandever.

Location: Flynn Main Stage 153 Main Street, Burlington, VT 05401.

Big Joe's

8:30 PM - Jon McBride's Big Easy with special guest Ryan Montbleau

Free

Jon McBride's Big Easy traverses the roots of funk music–early jazz, blues, gospel, and Caribbean styles–playing songs that have entertained audiences for generations. Their skillful musicianship is rooted in jazz and blues traditions but draws on varied experience and eclectic taste, yielding a unique and modern approach to these storied melodies. Captivating group interaction and melodic improvisation leave listeners and dancers of all ages hungry for more. Laissez les bons temps rouler!

Location: Vermont Comedy Club 101 Main St Burlington, VT 05401

10:00 PM - Grippo Sklar Quartet feat. JD Haenni and Gabe Jarrett
At Big Joe's

Location: Vermont Comedy Club 101 Main St Burlington, VT 05401

June 5, 2025

Flynn space

5:30 PM - Vorcza

Free

Vorcza is explosive; a musical evolution at high speed.  Performing an official Discover Jazz Festival show for the first time since 2022, this instrumental trio is composed of Ray Paczkowski on hammond organ and keyboards, Gabe Jarrett on drums and Rob Morse on acoustic and electric bass.  Though the three members are known for their sideman roles in groups from the Trey Anastasio band to the Hadestown Orchestra, the democratic unit that is Vorcza (or Vorcza Trio) has been playing together for 25 years and has continued to move and inspire crowds with their singular brand of fiery, danceable jazz/funk improvisation.

A standout on the eastern U.S. creative music circuit since its inception in the early 2000's, Vorcza has two albums of original material to their credit and have appeared on stage with luminaries Trey Anastasio, Peter Apfelbaum, Josh Roseman, Cyro Batiste and Nicholas Cassarino among many others.  After performing at festivals from Bonnaroo to Evolve in Nova Scotia, Vorcza returns to its Vermont roots this summer at the Discover Jazz Festival.

Location: Flynn Space 153 Main Street, Burlington, VT 05401.

7:30 PM - Paris Monster

Free

Beat-driven. Employing heavy elements of funk and soul, paris_monster closes a gap between synthesized sound And garage; between modern detail and old-school grit. Solid earth. Soaring soundscapes. A mass of noise. Volatility. Vocal singularity.

Dirty, glitchy, lyric-centered, groove-based. Funk and soul join with lyrical themes of bygone eras in rural settings. Characters lost, mortality confronted. Love achieved, and denied. Americana. These themes stand in stark contrast to pounding grooves and electronic mayhem, creating depth and dimensions that could have been otherwise achieved only by dropping a modular synth in the corn fields of central New York or the woods of Connecticut.

paris_monster follows up the recent release of their latest full-length album "Opalesce" immediately with the singles "Laugh It Off" and "Say It Again".

Location: Flynn Space 153 Main Street, Burlington, VT 05401.

9:30 PM - James Francies

Free

Since his debut album Flight entranced listeners in 2018, pianist-producer James Francies has expanded personal explorations of sound bending and orchestral approaches to the music. Collaborations across stylistic realms — including those with Childish Gambino, Pat Metheny, Mark Ronson, The Roots, YEBBA, Chris Potter, Common, Eric Harland, Marcus Miller, DJ Dahi and Ms. Lauryn Hill — have enhanced his development and refined his sound. In issuing Purest Form, his second Blue Note release, Francies accesses intimate chambers of his artistry across 14 tracks, interpreting love, grief, frailty, and fortitude.

Francies' expression blooms across false borders of genre and style. He nurtures a celestial fascination with melody and texture. "Music, in its purest form, is an honest space we're trying to get to where there are no preconceived ideas of what we think something should sound like," says Francies. "When you really tap into who you are on the inside, musically and as a person, that energy supersedes anything else."

The Houston native-turned-New Yorker spent the past year and a half planning each component of Purest Form, down to song sequence. "I really took my time with it," he says. The album's sole producer, Francies spent many hours sending ideas and raw elements back and forth with mixing engineer Jason Rostkowski who served as co-recording engineer with Josh Guinta at GSI Studios in Chelsea. With similar setups at Francies' home studio and GSI, the process of remote mixing heightened accuracy and nuance. "We spent several months dialing everything in and mixing it," he says. "It was a super thorough process."

Francies' sonic marksmanship radiates from the first fade-in. "Adoration" summons an immersive world that shapeshifts through the recording. The track features spoken word from Francies' beloved wife Brenda, her voice submerged in waves of resonance. "Levitate" spotlights interlocking lyricism and sparking pulses of collective intuition among the album's core trio, frequent Blue Note stablemates Burniss Travis on bass and Jeremy Dutton on drums. For more than a decade, the three Houston-raised artists have been playing together and developing alongside one another. Throughout the high-velocity track, they interpret snaky arcs of melody and rhythmic subversions with fire and grace. "Transfiguration" welcomes longtime collaborator and fellow Blue Note artist Immanuel Wilkins on alto saxophone. Following Francies as lead improviser, he spins a sonic kaleidoscope of lines and lamentation.

Appearances from fellow Houston native, guitarist Mike Moreno and Chicago-grown New Yorker and Blue Note artist, vibraphonist Joel Ross serve the record's soulful harmonic depth and textural layering. Ross performs a blistering solo on "Where We Stand" while Moreno gravels his distinct tone on "Eyes Wide Shut" as Francies plays into the liquid ether. All five artists take the lead on "My Favorite Things," an arrangement Francies wrote at age 15. "I love just demolishing songs that don't need to be touched," he says, "but I still touch them [laughs]." He and Dutton decided together that everyone would solo on the recording. "All of us are best friends," says Francies. "So we thought, ‘This'll be the longest track on the album, but we'll all get a chance to just play.'"

Because Francies' aesthetic is as orchestral as it is melodic, Purest Form unveils creative partnerships with some of the music's most compelling vocalists. Peyton, Francies' former classmate at HSPVA, lends her ethereal presence and songwriting talent to "Blown Away." After receiving the song from Francies, Booker sent it back to him, fully realized. "It felt like a perfect collaboration," he says. "I think she's the next great singer out of Houston."

Fellow Texan Elliott Skinner and GRAMMY Award-winning artist Bilal also appear on Purest Form, each composing original lyrics for their respective tunes. "Rose Water" serves Skinner's unyielding vulnerability. A kind of resonant whisper at times, his voice befits Francies' tender luminescence. "He's such an incredible singer," says Francies, "and I was really hearing a male voice for the song." Francies and Bilal co-wrote "Eyes Wide Shut," the album's rock anthem, seven years earlier, and recorded it remotely while Bilal was at home in Morocco.

Named for Houston's longstanding area code, "713" serves the trio's intrinsic connection. Francies colors in and outside the lines, taking bold chances in performance and production. Evoking those mysterious paradoxes — dense and weightless, laid back and flexed, sparse and crowded — the trio sinks into a groove. Buoyed by Travis' fluid foundation, Dutton selects moments to meet Francies' netting of production with his signature matrices of patterns and articulation.

Lo-fi and mood-bending, "Melting" reflects Francies' breadth as a songwriter and producer. "I feel like I'm in two different worlds," he says. "I'm using whatever tools I have in my bag to get my voice and what I'm hearing in my head out on record."

From a combination of tireless dedication and a little magic, Purest Form came together at a challenging time for Francies. His mother Shawana passed away a day after he finalized the album. "It was as though she knew," he says. Shawana, who's played a critical role throughout Francies' musical development, called him into her room after he'd already composed "Still Here," one of the album's two string quartet interludes. In her shimmering vocal, she laid out a musical idea that complemented what he'd written, even though she'd never heard the music. "It's almost as though she's singing in tempo with strings she doesn't even hear," says Francies.

His father James Francies, Sr. shares a stirring spoken word contribution on "Freedmen's Town." Reading excerpts from his own memoir, Francies, Sr. discusses the stark resonance of generation loss as a result of systemic racism in the United States. "I didn't have to do much," says Francies. "Everything, even the cadences, worked so perfectly."

For Francies, Purest Form is more than a recording. It's an essence. "I hope that what I was trying to go for — an immersive, multidimensional experience — really reaches people. I hope that for 56 minutes, they step into this world of sounds and textures. That's the idea. And [laughs] I hope it sounds good on every speaker."

Location: Flynn Space 153 Main Street, Burlington, VT 05401.

Big Joe's
at Vermont Comedy Club

8:30 PM - Rachel Ambaye Quartet

Free

Rachel Ambaye is a jazz vocalist and composer from South Burlington, Vermont. She is a recent graduate from the University of Vermont, where she completed degrees in both Jazz Studies, Global Studies and minored in French. She is passionate about sound, the memories it awakens, and its connection to culture. Rachel cherishes her studies and performances of jazz, as they allow for further education, connection, and exploration of African American culture—an expansive culture that has been integral to the foundations of this country. She will begin pursuing her Masters of music in Jazz Performance at New England Conservatory this upcoming Fall.

Rachel Ambaye will be joined by three incredible local musicians, Tom Cleary on piano, Jeremy Hill on bass, and Zach Brownstein on drums.

Location: Vermont Comedy Club 101 Main St Burlington, VT 05401

10:00 PM - Parker Shper Ensemble

Free

Parker Shper's original music for Piano, Synthesizers, and various expanded ensembles include drone-like psychedelic soundscapes, minimalist piano ostinatos, growling synthesizers, and percussive samples. Layers of compelling melodies and open-sounding harmony form jumping-off points for improvisations.

Shper grew up in Central Vermont, playing piano by ear from a young age. He began classical piano studies at age 6 and became the pianist for the Vermont Youth Orchestra and the VT All-State Jazz Ensemble by his teenage years. He remained in New England for several years, working professionally composing for his groups, playing with various bands, and on many recording sessions. In 2005 he moved to Montreal to attend McGill University where he pursued studies in Jazz Piano Performance. During his studies, he spent a year living abroad in Sweden studying Music at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, forming ongoing connections with musicians from the creative and imaginative Scandinavian music scene.

He has performed piano, synths and Hammond organ with such artists as Leif Vollebekk, Richard Reed Parry (Arcade Fire), Michael Chorney, Anais Mitchell, The Barr Brothers, Craig Finn (The Holdsteady), Trey Anastasio, Alexi Murdoch, Georgia Anne Muldrow, Land Of Talk, Akil The MC (Jurassic 5), and many more.

Location: Vermont Comedy Club 101 Main St Burlington, VT 05401

43+ Student Bands
school Bands from throughout the area play along Church Street

Student Bands
Church Street
Cost: Free

June 6, 2025

Waterfront Park

9:15 PM - A Celebration of The Meters: Dumpstaphunk featuring George Porter Jr.

Free

Don't miss this special performance by New Orleans modern funk ensemble, Dumpstaphunk, featuring original member of The Meters' George Porter Jr. on bass for an unforgettable evening.

New Orleans' funk outfit, The Meters (George Porter Jr., Leo Nocentelli, Zigaboo Modeliste, Art Neville and produced by Alan Toussaint), produced some of the most vibrant funk this universe has ever known. The band's deep pocket was utilized by music icons Dr. John, Paul McCartney, Patti Labelle, Robert Palmer, and many others (and their samples included in hip hop classics by Public Enemy and more); however, The Meters' catalogue is most celebrated through the slew of songs covered by the likes of Widespread Panic, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Grateful Dead and countless others in their performances.  Concertgoers rejoice at the familiar opening riffs of The Meters classics Hey Pocky Way, Cissy Strut, and Just Kissed My Baby.

Dumpstaphunk with their rooted pedigree, alongside original groove creator George Porter Jr. will lead this party, funking out all the revelers.

Location: Waterfront Park 20 Lake St, Burlington, VT 05401

7:00 PM - Kat Wright

Kat Wright, whose voice is both sultry and dynamic, delicate yet powerful; gritty but highly emotive and nuanced, has been described as "a young Bonnie Raitt meets Amy Winehouse". Add to that voice enough stage presence to tame lions, and the combination of feline femininity proves immediately enchanting. There's soul flowing in and out of her rock ‘n' roll with a serpentine seduction. Some of soul music's sweet, grand dames belt, shout, seethe, and succumb, while Wright sings gently like a heartache's apology. It's funky in spots and beautiful all over. And it hurts a little … like it should.

After touring for the last decade as a 7–9-piece soul band with horns And keys a-blazing, this new era finds Kat Wright being born anew - more herself than ever - revealed in a startlingly honest And glimmering light. With the initial restrictions imposed by the pandemic, Wright And her cohorts have recently come to enjoy writing And touring in a stripped down formation, mostly trio or quartet, in contrast to the big band she fronted for the better part of the last decade. Fans of Wright's singing And style have been thrilled to discover this paired down line up which puts the groups raw talents front And center to shine, instead of drenching them in horns and fanfare. You'll still hear the Raitt And Winehouse influences, but now also likenesses with Gillian Welch, Brandi Carlisle And Norah Jones. The resulting music is more intentional, more distilled, more potent - a direct balm for the trying times we face today. It's truly a scenario of "less is more" - allowing Wright's voice to really take center stage, to shine and ache and yearn and howl - unburied, out in the open, beaming.

A quote from the folk publication Red Line Roots from November '21 sums it up best: "The first time I saw Kat Wright live was a festival gig where the band's horn section alone was comprised of 3 people. Wright has that special balance of power and grace in her voice that can shimmer and float to the top of a big band setting, I don't think anyone who has witnessed her perform could deny that. But the intimacy and vulnerability that she and collaborators Bob Wagner and Josh Weinstein has crafted with their newly (and COVID necessary) formed (trio) outfit is something truly magnificent."

Location: Waterfront Park 20 Lake St, Burlington, VT 05401

8:00 PM - OKAN

Free

Fusing Afro-Cuban roots with jazz, folk and global rhythms in songs about immigration, resistance and love, OKAN takes their name from the word for heart in their Afro-Cuban religion of Santeria. With vocals in Spanish, Yoruba and Spanglish, OKAN is led by the Cuban-born violinist and vocalist Elizabeth Rodriguez and percussionist and vocalist Magdelys Savigne, both Grammy and Latin-Grammy nominees.

Having performed and recorded with Bomba Estereo, Lido Pimienta, The Halifax Symphony Orchestra, Hilario Duran and Dayme Arocena, OKAN's recent release Okantomi was awarded the 2024 Juno Award (the band's second Juno recognition) and included in NPR Alt Latino, Le Monde, and CBC Music's "Best of 2023" lists, garnering critical praise from Songlines UK, Billboard, Pop Matters and JAZZIZ.

Charged with the profound power of their Afro-Cuban ancestry, OKAN alchemizes Lacumi chants and rhythms from their Santeria religious practice with virtuosic jazz and classical performances and indie-pop hooks.

Exploring themes of immigration, justice and love, OKAN takes its name from the word for ‘heart' in Santeria. With vocals in Spanish, Yoruba and Spanglish, OKAN is led by the Cuban-born violinist and vocalist Elizabeth Rodriguez and percussionist and vocalist Magdelys Savigne, both Grammy and Latin-Grammy nominees.

Having performed and recorded with Bomba Estereo, Lido Pimienta, Symphony Nova Scotia, Hilario Duran and Dayme Arocena, OKAN's recent release Okantomi was awarded the 2024 Juno for Best Global Music Album, earning mentions in NPR Alt Latino, Le Monde, and CBC Music's "Best of 2023" lists and garnering critical praise from Songlines UK, Billboard, Pop Matters and JAZZIZ. (The album also charted on the transglobal music and WMEC charts, reaching number one on !Earshot international and NACC Latin charts as well top rank on at least 8 North American community stations.)

Building on their Juno-winning sophomore Espiral (2020) and the Juno-nominated debut Sombras (2019), Okantomi, passionately advocates for freedom of expression, queer rights and gender equality through what CBC Music calls "joy as a form of resistance."

Magdelys and Elizabeth's mesmerizing harmonies, virtuosic musicianship and potent lyrics, as well as an unfailing ability to connect with audiences on a deep emotional level, are earning the duo a dedicated audience worldwide.

Part of the next wave of Cuban women composers and multi-instrumentalists who embrace genres that have not historically fostered women artists outside of the role of singer, OKAN co-leaders have faced many challenges. Magdelys talks about the obstacles she faced in pursuing percussion in her native Cuba and how "coming out as a percussionist" to her family. was as significant as revealing her sexual orientation in a culture that was very homophobic.  

Born in Havana, Cuba, Elizabeth Rodriguez is a classically trained violinist who served as concertmaster for Havana's Youth Orchestra. Magdelys Savigne hails from Santiago de Cuba and graduated with honors in orchestral percussion from Havana's University of the Arts.  

Official showcases at SXSW, Folk Alliance International, Mundial Montreal, Contact East, Folk Music Ontario, Pacific Contact, Ontario Contact and Global Toronto have led to invitations to perform across Canada and the U.S. with stops at The Lincoln Center, The Kennedy Center, Winter Jazzfest in NYC and Cal Performances in Berkeley, CA, as well a The Calgary, Canmore and Mission Folk Festivals. Recent highlights include opening for Snarky Puppy at the Toronto Jazz Festival, and featured performances at Montreal, Rochester and Atlanta  Jazz Festivals.

Location: Waterfront Park 20 Lake St, Burlington, VT 05401

5:30 PM - Roy Hargrove Big Band
At Waterfront Park

Free

"There's nothing like the feeling you get when you're hearing your compositions and
arrangements played by a wall of sound."
Roy Hargrove

Originally started in the rehearsal space that would later become the Jazz Gallery, the Roy Hargrove Big Band had its inaugural performance at the Panasonic Village Jazz Festival in 1995. Since then, the band has toured domestically and internationally and has played everywhere from the Blue Note Tokyo to the Hollywood Bowl. As with everything Roy, his broad musical range is evident in his big band. You can expect to hear everything from his quintet compositions, bebop and lush ballads to soulful funk, hip-hop, and Latin songs. The arrangements are comprised of Roy's original works, timeless standards and new music by band members and other contemporaries whom he respected.

In 2022 Roy Hargrove Legacy LLC, the company founded by his wife and daughter re-launched The Roy Hargrove Big Band to continue Roy's music, spirit and the big band sound that he loved. A true all-star cast consisting of mostly original band members with the addition of a few bright, young talents, this powerhouse ensemble continues to electrify audiences and bring down the house at every performance. Bruce Williams, lead alto and big band member from 1997 until Mr. Hargrove's death in 2018, leads the band on stage. Jason Marshall, baritone saxophonist and also long-time member of the big band, serves as second conductor. Roy's wife Aida Brandes- Hargrove is the band's executive director.

In addition to performing at venues and festivals across the country the big band is now in its fourth year of its successful monthly residency at The Jazz Gallery, the iconic NYC venue co-founded by Roy. This year marks the 30th anniversary for both The Jazz Gallery and The Roy Hargrove Big Band, a testament to the enduring legacy of one of jazz's most in?uential trumpeters. This anniversary celebrates not only the history of jazz but also its thriving future, as the band continues to honor Roy's visionary spirit while pushing the boundaries of the big band sound.

Location: Waterfront Park 20 Lake St, Burlington, VT 05401

6:00 PM - Tad Cautious

Free

An omnivorous musical enthusiast, Tad Cautious is a radio disc jockey and DJ from Burlington, VT. He is host of All Ears, a new music-discovery show launching this spring on Vermont Public, and The Bunny on SiriusXM, based on the on-site station he has helmed at Phish festivals since 1996. A genre-agnostic selector, his live sets featuring international funk, psychedelic jazz and classic afrobeat have improved the lives of audiences from Hollywood to Montgomery Center.

Location: Waterfront Park 20 Lake St, Burlington, VT 05401

Flynn space

5:30 PM - Nicole Mitchell

Free

Location: Flynn Space 153 Main Street, Burlington, VT 05401.

7:30 PM - Immanuel Wilkins

Free

You don't appreciate growing up until you look in the mirror and notice something's different. Though maturing in itself is the act of physical and hormonal evolution, it's not until you're in a foreign city, eating something an elder used to cook to see how it compares, that you long for yesteryear. You start to miss that rickety screen door and the couch that no one could sit on. You try to make your grandma's biscuits and realize they're not quite hers. This nostalgia anchors Immanuel Wilkins' third studio album, Blues Blood, a meditative offering partially inspired by his childhood in the Philadelphia area. Co-produced by Meshell Ndegeocello, and featuring Micah Thomas on piano, Rick Rosato on bass, Kweku Sumbry on drums, and vocalists Ganavya, June McDoom and Yaw Agyeman—as well as special guest appearances by vocalist Cécile McLorin Salvant, guitarist Marvin Sewell, and drummer Chris Dave—it's Wilkins' most ambitious LP to date, a multimedia performance about the legacies of our ancestors and the bloodlines connecting us.

One can hear dedication to the past right away. Where 2020's Omega and 2022's The 7th Hand began with quick, vigorous arrangements that dropped listeners right into the proceedings, Blues Blood begins peacefully, emphasizing tranquility. The opening track "MATTE GLAZE" centers wistful vocals and piano chords that place us in a carpeted living room somewhere in the past. Close your eyes and you can almost see the steam billowing from the kitchen.

On purpose, Blues Blood feels airy and celestial, almost voyeuristic. "It's like you're listening in on an activity," like your mother taking you into the kitchen to share family recipes, Wilkins says. "I wanted the record to feel like people getting together, making music and feeding the pot. Imagine there's a ball of energy in the middle of the room, and we're all focused on it." To that end, Blues Blood floats along, from this space to that space, calmly gathering momentum as it unfolds — like a simmering Crock-Pot slowly coming to a boil. While it has pronounced flourishes, like the hypnotic centerpiece "AFTERLIFE RESIDENCE TIME" and the expansive title track, the music on Blues Blood is mostly serene and atmospheric.

For "AFTERLIFE RESIDENCE TIME," Wilkins says he was inspired by the idea of generational memory and the teachings of the author Christina Sharpe, who also wrote the liner notes for Blues Blood. "In her book, In The Wake, she talks about how long an element lasts in water," he says. "She was thinking about the Transatlantic Slave Trade, how blood contains a lot of sodium, and how it has a residence time in water of 260 million years. I started thinking about our ancestors existing in the water, kind of carrying that memory for a long period of time. So that song is about the water and thinking about the Atlantic as this house for memory and for all of our ancestors."

Blues Blood marks the first time Wilkins has included vocalists on an album. "I was really influenced by Theaster Gates and the Black Monks," Wilkins says about the blues and gospel ensemble he's played with recently. "I've grown pretty close with Theaster, and he showed me a lot of recordings that were early references for me. The voice is really close to the saxophone in that it's an air instrument, something you breathe life into." That influenced the music he wrote for Blues Blood: "I wanted to write music that felt like community. It was about creating this tapestry of vocals, almost like a congregation of voices during their own thing."

To that end, the voices on this album all tap into different aspects of heritage. On "MATTE GLAZE," McDoom longs for some form of solace beyond the gaze of bypassing strangers. "Lawd build me a home dwelling," she sings. "I will not refuse." On "DARK EYES SMILE," Salvant sings about a paternal figure in his habitat. It's a sweet, yet mournful tune about loved ones becoming ancestors, and how grieving tears become comforting ones. "I remember you now your starlight, yesterday, sitting in your best chair," she reflects. "In my best and worst times, my reflection will resemble you."

The album title culls inspiration from a quote by Daniel Hamm, a member of the Harlem Six, a group of young boys who were falsely accused of murder in 1964 and severely beaten by prison guards while awaiting trial: "I had to, like, open the bruise up and let some of the blues [bruise] blood come out to show them." He said this while attempting to seek medical attention for his wounds. The police refused to address Hamm's injuries because, although they had beaten him themselves, he had no visible blood running across his skin.

Within Hamm's quote, the mistaken placement of the word ‘blues' in place of ‘bruise' when read aloud or silently, lends subtly to a new interpretation of the sentence. "The blues as a feeling has served as a symbol of pleasure in pain for Black folk dating back to work on the plantation," Wilkins says. "There is a dichotomy of Black people singing songs about how bad their conditions were, yet the blues is something that feels so good.

"Blood is often a symbol of things ancestral and generational," he continues. "The history and preparation of most foods across the African Diaspora have been passed down through oral tradition. Mothers teach their children recipes that they learned from their mother, and their mother's mother, so on and so forth, generating a sensorial and ancestral memory through taste and smell." Meals are cooked onstage during the live performance of Blues Blood. The pan and table are set up with mics, allowing the composition to fill up with the sounds of knives chopping, water boiling, and oil frying in a pan.

While Blues Blood is rooted in the experiences of Wilkins and his collaborators, it's meant to be a soothing balm for anyone searching for peace, and for Black people trying to reconcile history in a country that tries to erase it. "I don't even know how to put it in words," Wilkins says of the album's sheer potency. "What I do know is that there are alchemical properties in the music. It's powerful. It's our calling to take care of this music properly and make sure that it does something to people."

Location: Flynn Space 153 Main Street, Burlington, VT 05401.

Big Joe's
at Vermont Comedy Club

8:30 PM - Janéa Hudson Quintet

Free

Janéa Hudson, a Vermont raised jazz vocalist and graduate of Northern Vermont University is passionate about all things music. Janéa loves performing in Vermont communities and says "Being known in an intimate jazz community and just being a part of a small and friendly jazz community is so rewarding." At Northern Vermont University Janéa enjoyed performing in a funk-fusion ensemble, in musicals, and even performed with a dance ensemble. She currently performs as lead vocalist with several bands around the state and beyond, and is always excited to meet other passionate musicians. As a biracial woman, it's important to her to bring diversity to the Vermont world of jazz.

She is accompanied by Bruno John on bass, Randal Pierce on piano, Gehrig Loughran on drums, and Jake Whitesell on Saxophone.

Location: Vermont Comedy Club 101 Main St Burlington, VT 05401

10:00 PM - Sara Serpa And André Matos

Free

The combination of the voice and guitar of Sara Serpa and André Matos is magic, dazzling and calm. The Portuguese native and New York based artists have been working together since 2005. They achieved a unique sonic world, drawing upon pure and contemplative sounds through a personal approach to melody and poetry. Their musical identity reveals both their Portuguese culture as well as a certain allure inspired by the creative artistic environment of New York. Serpa and Matos have been performing their music in countries like Portugal, Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, Germany, Netherlands, Spain, and the United States.

They have been, individually and collectively, performing with prominent musicians such as in the Jazz and Improvisation world such as Ran Blake, John Zorn, Danilo Perez, Leo Genovese, Dan Weiss, Billy Mintz, Thomas Morgan, Pete Rende, Kris Davis, Tony Malaby, and Guillermo Klein, among others.

Location: Vermont Comedy Club 101 Main St Burlington, VT 05401

Students Bands

Free

Church Street

June 7, 2025

Waterfront Park

5:00 PM - Sabouyouma

Free

Sabouyouma is a high energy 7-piece polyrhythmic groove machine that formed through ongoing musical relationships in Burlington, Vermont's vibrant West-African dance and drumming scene. Sabouyouma is led by Guinean-born Ousmane Camara: the band's front man, composer, and master Balafonist (the Balafon is a West-African marimba).

In 2017 Sabouyouma opened for nationally touring acts like Xenia Rubinos (Brooklyn), Polyrhythmics (Seattle), Ikebe Shakedown (Brooklyn), and Jonathan Scales Fourchestra (Asheville, North Carolina), and has performed at music festivals that have become staples of the Vermont music scene: Burlington Discover Jazz Fest, Waking Windows, and The Manifestivus.

Ousmane Camara is a 6th generation Griot: Historically, in West Africa, Griots passed messages from the king throughout the kingdom before pen and paper. Griots continue to play an important role in Africa today as poets, musicians, singers, and historians, preserving their ancient traditions through song. At the age of seven, Ousmane left his family's home to go live with his teacher, Djeli Sana Camara. He would study and play balafon with his teacher for the next fifteen years. Ousmane continued to play throughout Guinea and traveled through nine other African countries. He has subsequently taught students from around the world.

Location: Waterfront Park 20 Lake St, Burlington, VT 05401

6:00pm - DJ Taka

Free

From Osaka, Japan. Started dj in the early 90s in Japan.

Based in Burlington, VT

Resident DJ at the light club lamp shop since 2015.

Location: Waterfront Park 20 Lake St, Burlington, VT 05401

6:20 PM - Anthony Tidd's Quite Sane

Free

Quite Sane, an innovative experimental band that originated in London, is renowned for its unique fusion of hip-hop, jazz, and thought-provoking political themes. Their debut album, "The Child of Troubled Times," released in 2002, continues to captivate audiences even after two decades. Despite the challenges of maintaining a band across two continents, the band's leader, Anthony Tidd, has heeded the global call of fans by reuniting the octet two decades later to create a worthy sequel, "To Kill a Child of Troubled Times.

Location: Waterfront Park 20 Lake St, Burlington, VT 05401

7:40 PM - Butcher Brown

Free

"So, what kind of music do you make?" This question is the bane of every musician's existence because it requires that they shrink down the wide expanse of their creativity to an easily (mis)understood genre description.

No matter how vivid or elaborate the description, "show" will always be more powerful than "tell." The words we use to describe music don't encapsulate what the listener's experiences as much as give context clues.

That's why Butcher Brown – the multifaceted band from Richmond, Virginia – call their sound and their follow up to 2020's #KingButch and their second release on Concord Jazz, Solar Music.

"Solar music" is not simply a description; it's an invitation to listen and an invitation to feel.

Friends and bandmates Corey Fonville (drums), Andrew Randazzo, (bass), Morgan Burrs (guitar), Marcus "Tennishu" Tenney, (trumpet, saxophone, vocals) and Devonne "DJ Harrison" Harris (multi-instrumentalist) make music that is as diverse as their own varied tastes and backgrounds. It's a seamlessly blended amalgam of sounds including jazz, hip-hop, rock, funk, RAndB, alternative, soul, country, house, bossa nova, pop, and more. "We are the melting pot. We are the mix," says Devonne. "I feel like that's what we represent and that's what this album represents."

But Butcher Brown's eclecticism isn't for the sake of musical masturbation or to impress chin-stroking critics. Theirs is music of, and for, the people. "It's music for everybody," says Tennishu reflecting on how well-received they've been on stages across the globe. "You can see it on all kinds of different faces, young, old, big, small, short, tall, they all start dancing eventually. It's literally music for the whole solar system."

So how did this band of brothers make the sun come out on this new album? They challenged themselves to break from routine and old formulas. "[In the past] we'd make a record, like [2014's] All Purpose Music and put constraints on what we do in the studio with the thought of the live show, thinking ‘let's make this something that we can recreate at the show,'" explains Andrew. "We did that for a few records but then #KingButch was the one where we kind of departed from that idea and took more of a Sgt. Pepper … approach of, let's just explore what we can present in the studio, even if it's not something that we can pull off live."

Realizing that listening to their albums and their live show are two distinct experiences unlocked a new level of creativity for the band. Now Butcher Brown could allow themselves to explore new sounds and approaches to songwriting and production. This new unbridled creativity informed their approach to making Solar Music over the course of many sessions in 2021 and 2022 at go-to studios Montrose Recording, Minimum Wage Studios, and their homebase Jellowstone.

Of course the sun is at the center of the solar system, giving us warmth, lighting our days and keeping the planet revolving around it. Similarly, when it came time to create Solar Music the band saw themselves at the center of their sound drawing in other like-minded musicians with gravitational pull.

What could have been an insular musical conversation between the five became a collaboration with some of their friends and faves including Oakland-bred wordsmith Nappy Nina ("Half of It"), hip-hop iconoclast Pink Siifu ("Eye Never Know," "Run It Up"), East London rapper Jay Prince ("Move"), real-life guitar hero Charlie Hunter ("Espionage") and more.

On the new album, Butcher Brown flexes their musicianship not only as players but also songwriters, producers, and composers collaborating with guests. "We can do everything on our own, sure, and we have done that for forever, but it's also cool to have other people come in and get their perspectives," explains Morgan. "Butcher Brown is evolving, maturing, and we're growing as people," adds Corey reflecting on the making of Solar Music.

The results of these collabs are extraordinary. Take the album's first single, "I Can Say To You" for instance. "You'll find your way/ tomorrow or today/ there's nothing else I can say to you …," sings guest Vanisha Gould in a voice that sounds both angelic and ancestral. "She has a voice that almost sounds like a sample, almost like Billie Holiday or something, " says Corey who sought her out to feature on the song. "It's got that warmth, like somebody's mama singing to you."

Warmth, light, and connection through a sound that like the sun itself is for everyone. Welcome to Solar Music.

Location: Waterfront Park 20 Lake St, Burlington, VT 05401

9:15 PM - The Soul Rebels with special guests Rakim and Talib Kweli

Free

Brass sensation The Soul Rebels started with an idea - to expand upon the pop music they loved on the radio and the New Orleans brass tradition they grew up on. They took that tradition and blended funk and soul with elements of hip hop, jazz and rock all within the style of a modernized and contemporary brass band.

The Soul Rebels built a career around an eclectic live show that harnesses the power of horns and drums in a party-like atmosphere. The eight-member collective frequently appear on major record label releases with star artists including Sony Music artist G- Eazy's single ‘When You're Gone" featuring Lil Wayne, Def Jam artist Dave East and Nas' "Godfather 4", Big Freedia and Icona Pop's "Pipe That" and Warner Music Group artist Phony Ppl's new album. The Soul Rebels have scored original music for Walt Disney's 2023 movie Haunted Mansion and appeared on the official soundtrack for Universal Pictures' hit comedy Girls Trip.

The Soul Rebels have impressed viewers with two appearances on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, featured on NPR's Tiny Desk series with Wu Tang Clan front man GZA, and headlined the global TED Conference.

The Soul Rebels are riding high in 2024 after receiving national attention following the release of their new album, Poetry In Motion. The Soul Rebels continue to expand their international reach touring four continents
including Europe, Australia, China, South Korea and Japan. Their explosive stage presence has led to live collaborations with the likes of Katy Perry, Nas, G-Eazy, DMX, Robin Thicke, Macy Gray, Portugal. The Man, Robert Glasper, Pretty Lights, Macklemore And Ryan Lewis, Matisyahu and most notably their new supergroup with the legendary Wu Tang Clan.

The Soul Rebels continue to chart new territory and are respected for their ability to combine topnotch musicianship with songs that celebrate peace, love and soul.

Location: Waterfront Park 20 Lake St, Burlington, VT 05401

Flynn space

Steve Lehman Trio with special guest Paul Cornish

9:30 PM - Marshall Allen's Ghost Horizons

Free

The Burlington Jazz Festival proudly welcomes centenarian powerhouse Marshall Allen and his ever-changing Ghost Horizons ensemble for a must-see performance.

Still traveling the spaceways after more than 100 years on the planet, the indefatigable Maestro Marshall Allen remains a brilliant imaginative force whose life has spanned nearly the entire history of jazz. A key member of the Sun Ra Arkestra for more than six decades and its dauntless leader for the last quarter century, Allen has kept the iconic bandleader's cosmic torch blazing brightly while forging a path through the spaceways as a singular voice on the alto saxophone and Electronic Wind Instrument (EWI).

Over the past few years, Philadelphia's Ars Nova Workshop has showcased several diverse incarnations of Marshall Allen's Ghost Horizons ensembles, featuring longtime collaborator and guitarist DM Hotep. Highlights from these performances are, for the first time, compiled on Ghost Horizons' debut album, released by Otherly Love Records. Now, Allen brings his visionary ensemble to the Burlington Jazz Festival for a performance that promises to be both historic and unforgettable.

Location: Flynn Space 153 Main Street, Burlington, VT 05401.

Big Joe's
at Vermont Comedy Club

8:30 PM - Tiffany Pfeiffer Trio

Free

Tiffany Pfeiffer is a jazz chameleon—she becomes what she is in the moment of a song. Morphed into an emotional current, she blends generational roots from Appalachia with a classical sensitivity and an edge of improvisational joy.

A vocalist, composer And educator, Tiffany relocated to Vermont from Brooklyn, NY, in 2008, in search of a more sustainable lifestyle. She grew up in Omaha, Nebraska, started singing at age 4, and made music her life's study and passion, along with helping others to access their unique selves through music.

Tiffany began practicing yoga in her early 20s, and found through her yoga And meditation practice, along with years of travel, inquiry, teaching, and collaboration, a steady connection to intuition and healing through creative work. She received her MFA in music composition from Vermont College of Fine Arts in 2019, worked as Assistant Director of the program from 2020-2022, and maintains a private teaching studio for voice, piano And songwriting. She has released two albums, including an original EP, Amor Frio, in 2010, and an EP of jazz standards, Stampede of Love, in 2016. She is currently performing her new original work with Jane Kittredge on violin and Zoe Keating on cello.

Parker Shper is a pianist and composer who grew up in Central Vermont, playing piano by ear from a young age. In 2005, he moved to Montreal to attend McGill University where he pursued studies in Jazz Piano Performance. During his studies he spent a year living abroad in Sweden, studying music at the University of Gothenburg, forming ongoing connections with musicians from the creative Scandinavian music scene.

He has performed piano, synths and Hammond organ with such artists as Leif Vollebekk, Richard Reed Parry (Arcade Fire), Michael Chorney, Anais Mitchell, The Barr Brothers, Craig Finn (The Holdsteady), Trey Anastasio, Alexi Murdoch, Georgia Anne Muldrow, Land of Talk, Akil the MC (Jurassic 5), and many more.

For the past 15 years, upright bass player JD Haenni has been a staple of the New Orleans music scene. Playing a wide range of styles around the Crescent City, he has performed and recorded with many pillars of the jazz world including Carl Leblanc, Warren Battiste, James Andrews, Jamil Sharif, Jason Marsalis and Steve DeTroy. Since moving to Vermont in 2023, JD has been quickly expanding into new territory in Burlington and across the Northeast, bringing his New Orleans feel to the bands of Ray Vega, Alex Stewart, Dan Ryan, Jon McBride, Dwight Ritcher and many others.

Location: Vermont Comedy Club 101 Main St Burlington, VT 05401

10:00 PM - Dan Ryan Express

Free

aving played with some of the state's most popular acts (Madaila, Grippo Funk Band, James Harvey, Kat Wright, Craig Mitchell And Motor City, Strength in Numbers) and more over his nearly two-decade tenure in town, Dan Ryan is known for bringing a fiery yet subtle touch to the kit.

With his group, the Dan Ryan Express, Ryan serves dual roles as drummer and front man while also toeing the line between tradition and modern expression, often bouncing back and forth between jazz classics and more contemporary music written by his bandmates.

Location: Vermont Comedy Club 101 Main St Burlington, VT 05401

June 8, 2025

Flynn Main Stage

6:00 PM - Translinear Light: The Music of Alice Coltrane Featuring Ravi Coltrane with Special Guest Brandee Younger

Main Stage
$32 - $63.5

The City of Burlington's Great Streets initiative is ongoing. Visit the city's website for information about Main Street construction and detours. Please allow extra time to get to the theater.

Alice Coltrane's pioneering and trailblazing career has changed the course of history. She forged masterful creative works that beam universal love and spirituality to anyone that is listening and laid the groundwork for musicians for years to come to do the same.

To honor her legacy, 2025 has been declared the Year of Alice, The celebration will included tributary musical events as well as recording released to celebrate her life and legacy.

In collaboration with the Coltrane Family, Foundation and Home, The Year of Alice is sure to inspire as well as illuminate the breath and genius that was Alice Coltrane.

Location: Flynn Main Stage 153 Main Street, Burlington, VT 05401.

Big Joe's
at Vermont Comedy Club

8:30 PM and 10:00 PM - Melissa Aldana

A fascinating paradox defines Echoes Of The Inner Prophet, Melissa Aldana's 2024 follow-up to her acclaimed Blue Note Records debut as a leader, 2022's 12 Stars. As the GRAMMY-nominated saxophonist and composer explains, her new album reflects her "personal journey, with an especially introspective point of view. The inner prophet is my own self, now older, who has the knowledge and the intuition and the truth about what my path should be.

"So it's this idea of connecting with that inner prophet," she continues, "which reveals things about myself, including those things I don't like."

At the same time, this deeply intimate, searching project is a celebration of collaboration and community. It documents the evolution of her quintet — Lage Lund, guitar and effects; Fabian Almazan, piano and effects; Pablo Menares, bass; Kush Abadey, drums — capturing the collective insight they've garnered after extensive touring and travel, and arguing for their place among the most incisive working groups in jazz today.

Aldana was born in Santiago, Chile and grew up in a musical family. Both her father and grandfather were saxophonists and she took up the instrument at age six under her father Marcos' tutelage. Aldana began on alto, influenced by artists such as Charlie Parker and Cannonball Adderley, but switched to tenor upon first hearing the music of Sonny Rollins. She performed in Santiago jazz clubs in her early teens and was invited by pianist Danilo Pérez to play at the Panama Jazz Festival in 2005.

Aldana moved to the U.S. to attend the Berklee College of Music, and the year after graduating she released her first album Free Fall on Greg Osby's Inner Circle label in 2010, followed by Second Cycle in 2012. In 2013, at 24, she became the first female instrumentalist and the first South American musician to win the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Saxophone Competition, in which her father had been a semi-finalist in 1991. After her win, she released her third album Melissa Aldana And Crash Trio (Concord Jazz, 2014). Other releases followed-Back Home (Wommusic, 2016) and the Frida Kahlo-inspired album Visions (Motéma, 2019), which earned the saxophonist her first-ever GRAMMY nomination for Best Improvised Jazz Solo.

Aldana was one of the founding members of ARTEMIS, the all-star collective that released their debut album ARTEMIS on Blue Note in the Fall of 2020. The album featured Aldana's simmering composition "Frida," which was dedicated to Mexican painter Frida Kahlo, who inspired the musician through "her own process of finding self-identity through art."

Aldana is also an in-demand clinician and educator, and the New England Conservatory's Jazz Studies Department recently appointed her to their jazz faculty beginning in the Fall of 2021.

Location: Vermont Comedy Club 101 Main St Burlington, VT 05401

Date: June 4 - 8, 2025

Location: Various Venues in Burlington, VT

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