Montclair Jazz Festival – 2023 BLOCK PARTY

Starting at 12 noon, ensemble performances on the Lackawanna stage will feature 150 talented emerging musicians from five states and three continents taking part in the Jazz House Summer Workshop. The young performers are followed by a set from jazz guitarist Charlie Sigler and his band opening for one of jazz’s most vibrant artists on the scene today, Endea Owens & the Cookout. As the sun sets, the Montclair Jazz Fest keeps it cooking as bassist and composer Endea Owens takes the stage with her masterful band, The Cookout. Affectionately known as Bass Bae, Owens and her entire band – including Jazz House alum Zoe Obadia – are Juilliard School graduates. Since her years at Juilliard, Owens has won an Emmy, GRAMMY and Peabody Award.

At 8:00 pm, chairs get folded and tables pushed aside and Montclair gets its groove on as music fans get on their feet for an incredible, diverse and inter-generational boogie fest – a colossal street dance party – featuring DJ Brother Mister, aka Christian McBride. The Montclair Jazz Festival and Jazz House artistic director and 8-time GRAMMY Award-winning bassist is a noted historian of classic R&B, soul and funk. All night long, McBride will be spinning and mixing classic favorites on original analog vinyl from what he considers the “sweet spot” of dance music, the 1960s to 1990s, and often playing along, embellishing the bass line with his masterful skill.

The Block Party features the return of the Family Jazz Discovery Zone for the younger set and their parents, and for all the shoppers and foodies, the Festival Marketplace with 30 local food + artisan vendors. The Dexter Gordon Open Air Lounge with premium seating is reserved for sponsors, Take 5 and Friends of the Festival supporters.

*RAIN DATE: SUNDAY, AUGUST 13