22nd Annual Festival Celebrates 100th Birthday of the Great Charles Mingus

Jazz in the Valley (JITV) returns to Poughkeepsie’s Waryas Park on Sunday, August 21, noon to 6:00 pm, with a celebration of the Legacy, History and the Future of Jazz. Presented by TRANSART & Cultural Services, Inc., and led by Guest Curator Craig Harris, the day-long festival celebrates the centennial of bassist/composer/bandleader Charles Mingus (1922-1979) with Harris, Buster Williams, Regina Carter, Camille Thurman, Carla Cook, Michael King and Joaquin Pozo, who, in the spirit of Mingus, are taking the music forward.

For Greer Smith, festival founder, producer and recipient of the Jazz Journalist Association’s 2021 Jazz Hero Award, this 22nd annual festival is a continuation of its highly successful return to live audiences last year in the Valley after a virtual presentation of the festival during the worst of COVID-19.

The award-winning trombonist/composer/arranger Craig Harris, who serves as the festival’s Guest Curator, is one of a legion of musicians who are influenced by Mingus and has been a major force in modern music for four decades. With nine releases as a leader, including his latest Managing the Mask, and 39 recordings as a sideman with an eclectic array of musicians including Sun Ra, Abdullah Ibrahim, Cecil Taylor and the hip-hop group, The Roots, Harris spans a wide spectrum of music, including R&B, straight-ahead jazz and the avant-garde. He is a member of Harlem Jazz Boxx, a mobile, jazz/gospel performance consortium, and he composed and performed the score for the critically acclaimed Oscar-nominated motion picture, Judas and the Black Messiah.

Jazz in the Valley is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts and is also made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support from the New York State Legislature. Support also comes from funding through Dutchess Tourism, Inc. administered by Arts Mid-Hudson. Additional support and resources are provided by the City of Poughkeepsie.

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