For Arlington Jazz Festival, The Show Must Go On

ARLINGTON, MA — The 10th annual Arlington Jazz Festival will be presented virtually this year, as the show must go on, no matter the pandemic weather. For the milestone anniversary, Arlington Jazz has scheduled a series of one-hour concerts, presented online over a three-night stretch.

The festival will be live-streamed from PBS Studios in Westwood and will be available for real-time viewing on the Arlington Jazz Facebook event page: facebook.com/Arlington-Jazz-1136997489665817.

The nonprofit Arlington Jazz is coordinated with assistance from Arlington-based Morningside Music Studio, under the direction of Dan Fox, a multi-instrumentalist and dedicated music educator.

The Arlington Jazz Festival has been held annually since 2012, usually in the month of April, which has become known internationally as Jazz Appreciation Month. Since 2018, Arlington Jazz has also embarked on presenting a series of additional workshops and concerts throughout the year. All events are either free or for minimal admission cost. The 2021 Arlington Jazz Festival is funded in part by the Arlington Cultural Council, a local agency that is funded by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency. Arlington Jazz also relies on donations from fans.

The following artists will perform virtually:

-- Witness Matlou Trio (Friday, April 23rd, 8 pm):

From Johannesburg South Africa, pianist Witness Matlou is a composer and performer whose work is influenced by South African folk music, contemporary classical music, jazz, and other world music. Matlou earned his Master’s degree from the Berklee Global Jazz Institute, where he studied with Grammy winning pianist Danilo Perez, Terri Lyne Carrington, John Patitucci, George Garzone and Joe Lovano, whom he has performed with at the Lincoln Center and the Monterey Jazz Festival. Matlou has also shared the stage with other artists such as Gary Burton, Yoron Israel, John Lockwood, and Antonio Sanchez. Joining Witness Matlou for the Arlington Jazz Festival will be John Lockwood on bass, and Lee Fish on drums.
witnessmatlou.wixsite.com/witnessmatlou, facebook.com/Witness-Matlou-387266567964690

-- MIXCLA (Saturday, April 24th, 8 pm):

MIXCLA is an Afro Cuban Jazz Trio that has quickly turned the attention of major agents locally and internationally. The trio has headlined at the 59th Monterey Jazz Festival, the 2016 Stave Sessions of the Celebrity Series of Boston, the 2015 Montreal International Jazz Festival, Boston’s Scullers Jazz Club in 2018 and 2020, and more. MIXCLA is Gerson Lazo Quiroga on bass, Takafumi Nikaido on percussion, and Zahili Gonzalez Zamora on piano.
facebook.com/MixclaTrio

--- The Dan Fox Group (Sunday, April 25th, 8 pm):

Trombonist Dan Fox, the Arlington Jazz Festival’s principal organizer, has assembled a noteworthy group of local musicians to perform a set of original music, as well as jazz and Brazilian standards. The following band members joining Fox have toured and recorded with a host of acclaimed acts: Jacques Schwarz-Bart (sax w/D'Angelo and Roy Hargrove); Gregory Ryan (bass w/Bobby Sanabria and Arturo O'Farrill); Alexei Tsiganov (piano w/Esperanza Spalding and Antonio Sanchez); and Rafael Barata (drums w/Hermeto Pascoal and Eliane Elias).
danfox.com, facebook.com/dan.fox.31945

Basic listing info:

Friday, April 23, through Sunday, April 25, 8 p.m. daily concerts. Free, with donations appreciated. Presented online by Arlington Jazz. Further information: [email protected], (339) 707-5170; festival updates available at arlingtonjazz.org/2021-virtual-jazz-festival-lineup.html.