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Boston Jazz Fest is a free event taking place on Friday and Saturday, Aug. 30 and 31 at Maritime Park in the Seaport District. Showcasing local talent as well as performers from outside of Boston, the event, produced by Boss-Ten Productions and Larry J’s BBQ, is an opportunity to experience a range of music. Performers are reaching into the origins of jazz as well using music to express psychological concerns.
Performers include Alana, Pat Braxton, Betty Ding, The GroovaLottos, Alexus Lee, Vivian Fang Liu, Jon Samson and Matt Savage.
“Boston Jazz Fest started 14 years ago when the National Urban League came to Boston, and it was to showcase Boston artists to a diverse group of visitors,” James Braxton, CEO of Boss-Ten Productions, told the Banner. “We try to show jazz in many forms. Both my wife [Pat Braxton] and I are Grammy members, so many non-local artists are people we met at the Grammys.”
Betty Ding brings a mix of Chinese heritage filtered through the jazz idiom. Currently a third-year student of voice performance and contemporary writing and production at Berklee College of Music with a minor in Africana Studies, Ding was a contestant on China Central Television’s Avenue of Stars.
“Growing up in a Chinese household, I was simultaneously influenced by the Chinese music my parents played and the R&B I listened to on the radio,” Ding told the Banner. “My music reflects my identity and things I love; it’s a fusion of Chinese traditional folk music and R&B. Featuring an R&B band with Chinese instrumentation, I hope to tell a story at the festival about solidarity, healing and self-love with my band The East West Collective. The band is Ezekiel Freeman-Fanfan on drums, Marco Marcel on bass, Marc Monroe on keyboards, and Leah Liu on Guzheng. ”
Alexus Lee PHOTO: COURTESY BOSS-TEN PRODUCTIONS
Jon Samson, originally from Johannesburg, South Africa, and now a music therapist and performer in Brooklyn, told the Banner he was “captivated by growing up in a region with rich vocal harmonies, polyrhythmic drumming and beautiful counterpoint.”
For music from closer to home, the festival has Rhode Island-based Alexus Lee, the Wareham-based GroovaLottos and Bostonians Matt Savage and Pat Braxton.
The GroovaLottos features Mwalim on keys and vocals, The ZYG 808 on drums and vocals, Alphonse3 on bass and vocals, and Bishop the Shadowman on vocals, and defines itself as a “soul-funk-Afrobeats jam band.” The band was nominated for a Grammy in 2017 for their album, “Ask Yo’ Mama.”
Mwalim told the Banner that the GroovaLottos’ set “will include a few fan favorites from our albums, a few new ones from our forthcoming album and songs from our touring members.” He added, “The Boston Jazz Fest has become one of our favorite music testing grounds.”
The Matt Savage Groove Experiment PHOTO: COURTESY BOSS-TEN PRODUCTIONS
Alexus Lee takes a path guided by music that makes your body move.
“My band and I perform a variety of music, including the soulful tones of Marvin Gaye, the smooth stylings of Sade, the feel-good energy of Bob Marley and, of course, my own original music inspired by these greats,” Lee told the Banner. “The band is made up of me on lead vocals, Matthew Marcus on keys, Tony Irons on bass guitar, Matt (Muu) Williams on drums and Mike Christman on guitar.”
Matt Savage, originally from New Hampshire, came to Boston via Berklee College of Music. Once a child prodigy, these days Savage performs with The Matt Savage Groove Experiment, his “jazz/funk sextet.”
“I’ll be on keyboards, and band members for the festival will be Aaron Gratzmiller on tenor and soprano sax, Javier Rosario on electric guitar, Sam JC Lee on electric bass, Henry Godfrey on drums and Robbie Pate doing vocals,” Savage told the Banner. “You should prepare for a powerful and rhythmic set of jazz-funk and jazz fusion music — we try not to disappoint.”
Pat Braxton’s new album, out this summer, is “Lady of the Day,” described by James Braxton as a mix of standards and original songs.
Throughout the festival, a beer garden will be open and vendors Mahalab Bakery, LAS Lemonade and Mr. Petisco will be selling food.
You won’t go hungry, you won’t go thirsty, and music may fill your soul.
