The Greg Thompkins Quintet plays “Comin’ Home Baby”
Another year. Another fabulous Jazz Festival!
The Chestertown Jazz Festival, founded and organized by Dr. Melvin Repelyea, has been a landmark of the local arts calendar since 1996. Since then, with an occasional year off and a few tweaks to the format, it now brings audiences some of the finest artists on the current jazz scene, with both local and international talents on display at venues around the county.
On Saturday, Sept. 14, a large crowd, drawn by a very attractive lineup of performers, filled the main tent and spilled out onto the surrounding lawn to enjoy the seasonable weather along with the music. The all-day program of concerts in Wilmer Park included performances by Chestertown’s 100 Voice Choir and the Washington College Jazz Ensemble led by Joe Holt. The Saturday event was the centerpiece of an entire weekend of performances, with shows at the Mainstay and the Garfield Center and a film at Sumner Hall added to the musical mix.
Here are a few of Saturday’s highlights as seen by your Spy photographer.
All photos by Peter Heck
Gregor Hubner’s Violino Latino ensemble performs John Coltrane’s “Equinox”
Some of the JazzFest crowd.
This sailboat found a prime spot for listening to the sounds of JazzFest
Gregor Hubner
Greg Thompkins on tenor sax
Scott Budden’s Oyster Point Oysters was one of the food options available to JazzFest audience members
Melvin Rapelyea says
Your depiction of the festival was ‘right on.’ This is a beautiful event for it’s location, the music, the food vendors and the mix of wonderful people who love jazz. Thank you for the article and I look forward to an even better 2020 festival. M. S. Rapelyea, M.D.