Coverage of the Greater Hartford Festival of Jazz from Friday July 17, 2015 this is just a 90 minute taste of the day which and features Tony Succar and his Band in the first 45 minutes and Monty Alexander and The Kingston Express in the last 45 minutes. The Greater Hartford Festival of Jazz is a non-profit organization originally conceived by Paul Brown, noted Hartford jazz bassist and music educator. For 26 years, Paul had produced the Monday Night Jazz Concerts in Bushnell Park, drawing thousands of music lovers to Hartford’s Bushnell Park for picnics and world-class entertainment. That first Greater Hartford Festival of Jazz, in July of 1992, was dedicated to the 25th anniversary of those wonderful summers. Paul gathered some friends to help plan that first festival, but ultimately turned the Festival over to a Board of Directors comprised of volunteers from the Central Connecticut area, who continued to fulfill his dream of a world-class jazz event in Hartford, while he concentrated on his professional career and the Monday Night Jazz Concerts. Now in its 24th year, this free-of-charge Festival is supported by small and medium-sized charitable gifts and donations from foundations, businesses and corporations as well as City of Hartford and State of Connecticut grants. The Festival is also generously supported by contributions from individual jazz lovers throughout the region. Tony Succar Born into a family of talented musicians in Lima, Peru on May 18, 1986, Tony Succar’s very DNA must be imbued with cadence and rhythm. The Succar family moved to Miami, Florida when Tony was just two; at the ripe old age of 13, Tony’s own music career began. He says, “I was privileged to be brought up in a family of musicians: I couldn’t be more grateful.” Succar’s music education began on piano then segued to percussion. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Jazz Performance from Florida International University in 2008 and his Master’s degree in 2010. Succar has worked with artists Arturo Sandoval, Néstor Torres, Ed Calle, Tito Nieves, La India, Obie Bermudez, Jennifer Peña, and Tito Puente Jr., among others. Growing up in Miami—a multi-cultural “Melting Pot”—molded him into a versatile musician, prompting him to make the most of his prodigious talent. Monty Alexander In a career spanning five decades, pianist Monty Alexander has built a reputation exploring and bridging the worlds of American jazz, popular song, and the music of his native Jamaica, finding in each a sincere spirit of musical expression. In the process, he has performed and recorded with artists from every corner of the musical universe and entertainment world: Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Ray Brown, Dizzy Gillespie, Sonny Rollins, Clark Terry, Quincy Jones, Ernest Ranglin, Barbara Hendricks, Bill Cosby, Bobby McFerrin, Sly Dunbar, and Robbie Shakespeare, among others. Born on D-Day (June 6, 1944) and raised in Kingston, Jamaica, he took his first piano lessons at age six, although he is largely self-taught. As a teenager, he witnessed concerts by Louis Armstrong and Nat “King” Cole at Kingston’s Carib Theater. These artists had a profound effect on Alexander’s aspirations. He formed Monty and the Cyclones in the late 1950s and also recorded on sessions with the musicians who would catapult Jamaican music to international recognition as The Skatalites (Bob Marley’s first backing band). Watch it on AccessTV.org or GO Mobile • Share it with Colleagues, family, friends, and foe, that way you can help keep them in the know. The AccessTV.org Network is Funded by J. Stan and Nyesha McCauley. Additional support made possible by community volunteers. Help me make more fresh quality content. Every contribution is helpful, big or small. Click to Support: http://accesstv.org/archives/3628 Get our Mobile App: http://mob.accesstv.org/ Be a force for good! If you can't save the world - save someone that can! Thanks for Watching! J. Stan McCauley www.Jstan1.net

• published: 21 Jul 2015
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