Philadelphia’s Chris’ Jazz Cafe will join five others music clubs to create the inaugural East Coast Jazz Festival, which will take place online on March 20 from 5-11 p.m.
More than 60 of the top jazz performers in the world will perform over the course of six hours.
The music will flow live with some pre-recorded sessions mixed in from six different stages.
Performances from Chris’ Jazz Cafe at 1421 Sansom Avenue will include Alex Claffy Quartet, featuring saxophonist/vocalist Sonny Step; Ari Hoenig Trio with pianist Gadi Lehavi and bassist Ben Tiberio; and Orrin Evans Quartet with bassist Luques Curtis, drummer Mark Whitfield Jr., and special guest saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins.
“It’s a musical first, but one that was needed in order to shake up the jazz world and keep the importance of saving our stages foremost in the minds of audiences around the country,” explained Mark DeNinno, Chef/Owner of Chris’ Jazz Café. “We recently celebrated a major milestone – 32 years of continuously operating in Philly — 2021 marks the 56th continuous year for Blues Alley, and the other jazz clubs have been around even longer, but their continued survival will not be possible if we don’t unite and conceptualize creative ways to ‘ride out’ the coronavirus storm that has decimated the live music industry. We all agreed, as owners of these struggling venues, that we had to do something to keep the live music going and the awareness alive, and this is ‘that something’.”
The event is “pay-what-you-wish.” Visit http://bit.ly/ECJF0320 to pre-register or visit www.chrisjazzcafe.com for more information.
