Jazz is coming to Flushing Town Hall. The town hall and the Queens Jazz OverGround (QJOG), which promotes jazz education and musical enrichment, are hosting the first annual Spring Jazz Festival on Saturday, April 27.
Three founding members of QJOG, a nonprofit collective, along with Ellen Kodadek, Flushing Town Hall executive and artistic director, trumpeted the event on Tuesday, April 23. Guitarist Amanda Monaco, bassist Mark Wade and trumpeter Josh Deutsch also played an original composition by Deutsch called “Take the 7 train.”
“It’s going to be a very fun learning experience,” Kodadek said. It will “strengthen jazz for years to come.”
The free festival will begin at noon and run through 9:30 p.m. It will feature free music workshops for children and adults, master classes for students and live performances by seven Queens-based jazz groups playing original pieces. Renowned saxophone and flute player James Spaulding is scheduled to perform.
The festival will also feature the talents of middle and high school bands.
The event is free and open to the public at Flushing Town Hall, located at 137-35 Northern Boulevard. The last performance of the evening is scheduled for 9:30 p.m.
“We welcome as many walk-ins as we can fit in here,” said Wade.
The festival is part of Flushing Town Hall’s jam session series designed to bring jazz to members of different communities.
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