2 Days, 2 Stages And 21 Electrifying Artists!
Get into the rhythm as the Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) welcomes back the 46th Annual Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival on Saturday, June 24 and Sunday, June 25. Load up your cooler, grab a blanket or beach chair, and enjoy the laidback atmosphere of one of North America’s premiere jazz festivals, set in the idyllic 2,400-acre preserve of Saratoga Spa State Park. With twenty-one genre-bending acts on two stages playing jazz to roots, funk, blues and beyond, there is something for every music lover in Freihofer’s 2023 line up.
“The 2023 jazz festival features ‘A-list’ artists from start to finish, on both stages, all weekend,” says Danny Melnick, the festival’s producer, and President of Absolutely Live Entertainment. Elizabeth Sobol, President and CEO of SPAC agrees, “from our stellar line up to the unparalleled setting that our beautiful grounds provide, it is the ‘can’t miss’ weekend of the summer!”
Making her highly anticipated return to the festival for the first time since 1988 is thirteen-time GRAMMY® winner, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductee, and GRAMMY® Lifetime Achievement recipient Bonnie Raitt. Known for her unique blend of blues, R&B, rock and pop and hits like “I Can’t Make You Love Me,” and “Something to Talk About,” Raitt’s appearance follows the success of her critically acclaimed album, “Just Like That…,” which won three 2023 GRAMMY® awards including the title track’s win of Song of the Year. The explosive 19-piece mega-band and four-time GRAMMY® winning ensemble Snarky Puppy headlines on Saturday, joining returning jazz icons like 20-time GRAMMY® winner and NEA Jazz Master Pat Metheny; global music superstar Angelique Kidjo; R&B and funk group Tower of Power, Afro-Cuban jazz legend Chucho Valdes, and more.
Among the 11 artists making their festival debuts this year is jazz and funk guitarist Cory Wong; eight-piece psychedelia and funk fiery band St. Paul & The Broken Bones; jazz and rock drum dynamo Cindy Blackman Santana; and “Silky-voiced rising jazz star” (New York Times) Samara Joy, fresh off her 2023 GRAMMY® win as Best New Artist.
In addition to two non-stop days of great music on SPAC’s Amphitheater Stage and the more intimate Charles R. Wood “Jazz Discovery” Stage, fans can mill about the fine arts and crafts fair full of local and artisan made items, get their posters or albums signed by their favorite artists, and enjoy this year’s new and diverse food offerings like the oyster and seafood bar, New Orleans cuisine, and traditional BBQ.
Tickets are available at www.SPAC.org where you can also find the full festival line-up. Children 12 and under receive 50% off tickets in the amphitheater and are free on the lawn. Performances begin at 11 a.m. on the Charles R. Wood “Jazz Discovery” Stage and 12 p.m. on the Amphitheater Stage on Saturday, June 24 and 11:30 a.m. and 12:45 p.m., respectively, on Sunday, June 25.
