Jazz Fest is set to bring nine musical events to downtown White Plains Sept. 2-7.
There will be outdoor performances, indoor cabaret offerings and jam sessions all leading up to an all-day street festival on the final day.
A collaboration between ArtsWestchester, the city of White Plains and the White Plains Business Improvement District, the festival is about more than the music.
As Janet Langsam, executive director of ArtsWestchester, said, Jazz Fest is designed to energize and draw patrons to the city”™s downtown. It will put money into the pockets of not only the musicians but also restaurant owners and merchants.
“We want people to walk and listen to music, grab something to eat, go into a store that they might not have known about,” Langsam said.
It offers the opportunity to explore the city, with the performances ”” as art often does ”” serving as the draw.
“I think music does bring the community together in ways that other things don”™t,” Langsam said. “It”™s celebratory. Let”™s put it this way, music and food bring people together. ”¦ This event has both and it”™s an opportunity to spend some time in the downtown, unrushed, chat with neighbors.”
Kevin Nunn, executive director of the White Plains BID, said the festival is gaining momentum.
“I think Jazz Fest has got a lot of potential to grow considerably,” Nunn said. “There are a lot of jazz fans in the area.”
The event, he added, falls naturally into what the BID does.
“It”™s part of our mission to bring people downtown, so we do that by collaborating, in this case collaborating with ArtsWestchester and the parks department.”
Though Nunn considers himself a country and rock fan, he said the talent he has seen at Jazz Fest, such as multiple Grammy Award-nominated drummer Bobby Sanabria, has left him “super impressed.”
Nunn said since the festival is still a “growing event,” the BID “spends a fair amount advancing” it, from socialmedia campaigns to billboards.
Nunn said some merchants, especially those who participate in the sidewalk sales ”” which the BID helps secure permits for ”” see their business “go up considerably” during festivals.
With Jazz Fest, Langsam of ArtsWestchester said success is a testament to the event”™s ability to connect with an audience.
“The first two have been very successful, brought out a lot of people,” Langsam said. “It”™s gotten bigger in the sense that we have more venues and events. ”¦ It”™s a nice mix of indoor and outdoor.”
There are free events on the schedule, Langsam said, but added, “We have some ticketed events that are really special.”
These include performances at the 400-seat White Plains Performing Arts Center as well as at the Arts Exchange, the Mamaroneck Avenue headquarters of ArtsWestchester.
As Langsam said, “Downtown districts all over the country are finding that music and food bring people together, so spend some time in the downtown, spend some money in the downtown and enjoy the urban environment.”
The schedule, featured in full at ArtsW.org/jazzfest, kicks off Sept. 2 with an opening reception featuring “Latin Jazz” with Gilberto “Pulpo” Colon and food at Elements Restaurant. Alysa Haas Jazz Cabaret, featuring Tedd Firth on piano and special guest Joe Luckinbill on guitar, will be presented Sept. 4 at ArtsWestchester, while “The Blue in Green Project: A Tribute to Miles Davis” will be offered Sept. 6 at the White Plains Performing Arts Center.
The festival culminates Sept. 7 with the White Plains Jazz and Food Festival from 11:30 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. on Mamaroneck Avenue, between Martine Avenue and Main Street, with free performances throughout the day.
