Litchfield Jazz Festival

This Summer, We're Celebrating Something Special.

When Litchfield Jazz Festival launched in 1996, the dream was always bigger than a single weekend of great music. One year later, Litchfield Jazz Camp was born, and for thirty summers since, it has changed lives, launched careers, and sent hundreds of extraordinary musicians out into the world. 

This year, the 31st Annual Litchfield Jazz Festival honors that legacy. Every artist performing on our stage this July has deep, personal roots in the Camp as students, faculty, and family. Come hear what thirty years of dedication to music sounds like.

July 24 to 26, 2026 | Frederick Gunn School | Washington, CT

[GET YOUR TICKETS →] https://LJF2026.eventbrite.com

THE LINEUP 

Friday, July 24: Opening Night

5:30 PM | Opening Night Gala Music by Litchfield Jazz Camp Stars

The 31st Litchfield Jazz Festival swings into the weekend with its traditional Opening Night Gala, and it is a party you won't want to miss. Litchfield Jazz Camp Star Combos take the stage, and if you've never heard what these young musicians are capable of, prepare to be amazed. While the music flows, so do the hors d'oeuvres from Ciesco Catering, vintage French wines from Vandoren Vineyards, and cocktails from Litchfield Distillery.

Following the Gala, guests are ushered to their reserved seats for the Opening Mainstage performance by Don Braden & The Litchfield Jazz Fest Dectet. 

7:45 PM | Don Braden & The Litchfield Jazz Fest Dectet

Don Braden, saxophone · Jen Allen, piano · Sean Pentland, bass · Anton Kot, drums · Dave Ballou, trumpet · Peter McEachern, trombone · Albert Rivera, saxophone · Kris Allen, saxophone · Andrew Hadro, saxophone · Melinda Rodriguez, vocals

There is no better person to lead this celebration than Don Braden. Now in his 29th year as a member of the Litchfield Jazz Family, Don has served as Music Director of Litchfield Jazz Camp, co-director alongside Albert Rivera, and a two-term President of the Litchfield Performing Arts Board of Directors. A world-class saxophonist, flutist, composer, and educator with a career spanning 45 years, Don has performed at Carnegie Hall, on Saturday Night Live, and at jazz festivals around the globe. He holds a faculty post at Montclair State University and the Prins Claus Conservatoire in the Netherlands, and directs the Harvard Jazz Combo Initiative.

For this milestone celebration, Don has assembled a ten-piece ensemble of world-renowned players, all Litchfield Jazz Camp faculty with deep ties to the program. The program will feature original compositions and new large-ensemble arrangements written expressly for this occasion. This one is not to be missed.

Saturday, July 25: Festival Continues

2:00 PM | Jimmy Greene Quintet

Jimmy Greene, saxophone · Christian Sands, piano · Mike Godette, guitar · Matt Dwonszyk, bass · Jonathan Barber, drums

One of the most respected saxophonists of his generation, Jimmy Greene was fresh out of college when he joined the very first Litchfield Jazz Camp faculty in 1997. He has maintained his connection to the Camp and Festival ever since. His discography is remarkable, with twelve albums as a leader and over 100 as a sideman, including the GRAMMY-nominated Beautiful Life (Mack Avenue, 2014). He tours internationally with his own groups and as a member of the Ron Carter Quartet, and has performed or recorded alongside Horace Silver, Freddie Hubbard, Harry Connick Jr., Dee Dee Bridgewater, and the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band, among many others. Today, Jimmy is Professor of Music and Co-Coordinator of Jazz Studies at Western Connecticut State University in Danbury. We are thrilled to welcome him back to the Mainstage. 

3:45 PM | Steve Davis Sextet

Steve Davis, trombone · Mike DiRubbo, saxophone · Julian Shore, piano · Avery Sharpe, bass · Abena Koomson-Davis, vocals · Steve Johns, drums

Steve Davis is widely regarded as one of today's leading voices on the trombone, and for those who know the Litchfield story, he holds a very special place. Steve was the first Music Director of Litchfield Jazz Camp in 1997. After graduating from The Hartt School's Jackie McLean Institute of Jazz, he gained early recognition as the final member to join Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers and has since recorded and performed with Chick Corea, Jimmy Heath, Freddie Hubbard, Roy Hargrove, Horace Silver, and many others. He appears on over 150 recordings, including 20+ as a leader, and recently joined Berklee College of Music as a Full Professor. Joining Steve for this set is a group equally woven into the Litchfield fabric, including Mike DiRubbo, a member of that original 1997 Camp faculty, and Julian Shore, who first came to us as a camper at age 12 and now enjoys an international career. 

5:30 PM | Paul Bollenback Quintet

Paul Bollenback, guitar · Alejandra Williams, piano · Conway Campbell, bass · Albert Rivera, saxophone · Jerome Jennings, drums

George Benson has called Paul Bollenback's playing "bona-fide... up-front and powerful," and it is easy to hear why. A guitarist of remarkable range and depth, Paul's musical influences run from Carlos Santana and Wes Montgomery to Herbie Hancock and John Coltrane. He has performed on The Tonight Show, Good Morning America, and alongside a who's who of jazz, including Gary Bartz, Terri-Lyne Carrington, Stanley Turrentine, and Jeff "Tain" Watts. Paul's connection to Litchfield Jazz Camp runs deep. He began teaching here early in the Camp's history, and his entire quintet for this performance shares that bond. Alejandra Williams, Conway Campbell, and Albert Rivera all began as Jazz Campers, and Albert has since become the Camp's long-time Director of Operations.

7:15 PM | Curtis Brothers Trio

Zaccai Curtis, piano · Luques Curtis, bass · Richie Barshay, drums

If any performance on this year's bill embodies what Litchfield Jazz Camp is all about, it may be this one. Zaccai Curtis, Luques Curtis, and Richie Barshay have played together since they were kids, forming a band called Latin Flavor as preteens, entering our student Jazz Festival, winning the outstanding band award, and earning their first scholarships to Jazz Camp. Thirty-some years later, all three are acclaimed professional musicians whose careers speak for themselves.

Zaccai won the 2025 GRAMMY for Best Latin Jazz Album with Cubop Lives!, co-founded the record label TRRcollective, and serves on faculty at the University of Hartford's Jackie McLean Jazz Studies Division. Luques has performed on over 100 recordings, spent 14 years as bassist for the legendary Eddie Palmieri, and remains a beloved teaching artist at the Camp. Richie was snatched out of New England Conservatory by Herbie Hancock for a world tour, and has since performed and recorded with Chick Corea, Esperanza Spalding, Fred Hersh, and many others. He has also traveled across five continents as an American Musical Envoy with the U.S. State Department. Watching these three play together is a joy that only deepens when you know the story behind it. 

Sunday, July 26: Jazz Brunch

Noon | Steve Kortyka Sextet

Steve Kortyka, saxophone · Will Evans, piano · Ian Carroll, drums · Sam Dingle, bass · Jean Caze, trumpet · Anson Jones, vocals

End the weekend the right way. The ever-popular Litchfield Jazz Brunch returns to the lovely Bourne Courtyard for an al fresco celebration, and like every set this year, the music is rooted in the Litchfield Jazz Camp family. Steve Kortyka, a fixture on the Cincinnati jazz scene and perhaps best known for his work with Lady Gaga's jazz and piano band, brings a powerhouse sextet of Jazz Camp stalwarts. Highlights include Haitian-born trumpeter Jean Caze, who spent nearly two decades touring with Michael Bublé, and vocalist Anson Jones, a Princeton grad and Fulbright fellow whose talent spans every style she touches.

For those who love the food as much as the music, Litchfield's beloved Chef Charlene returns with her always-delicious spread. The menu features bagels and lox, chicken salad, sweet potato home fries, caesar salad, crustless spinach quiche, brioche bread pudding with bourbon butterscotch, and a full dessert bar. Pair it all with Vandoren Vineyards wines or our signature Tegan's Sangria.

This event sells out every year. Reserve your spot early.

Three Days. Thirty Years. One Unforgettable Weekend.

The 31st Annual Litchfield Jazz Festival is a tribute to what happens when you give young musicians an exceptional environment, surround them with greatness, and trust what comes next. The proof is on this stage.

We hope to see you there.

[GET YOUR TICKETS →] https://LJF2026.eventbrite.com