Greater Hartford Festival of Jazz
A non-profit organization originally conceived by Paul Brown, noted Hartford jazz bassist and music educator, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of his Monday Night Jazz Concert Series, since 1992 The Greater Hartford Festival of Jazz has given continued support and exposure to America's only true art form. The festival brings together the region's diverse racial, ethnic and cultural groups; exposes young talent to an audience of thousands of jazz fans, and contributes to the revitalization of downtown Hartford and the Greater Hartford Region.

The Greater Hartford Festival of Jazz is an all-volunteer organization supported by donations from foundations and local businesses, municipal and State of Connecticut grants, and by individual jazz fans. www.hartfordjazz.com

Hartford International Jazz Festival
This four year old festival is looking to become the signature jazz festival for the Capitol City. For three glorious days in October the whole of downtown Hartford is transformed into a walk-around music festival featuring jazz in all it's forms, as well as blues, funk and world music. Main Stages are set up all around the central business district. Hartford's best downtown restaurants participate as "Encore Stages" serving up jazz by some of the areas top musicians in addition to their culinary delights. This festival is truly a feast for the ears and the taste buds.
www.hijf.com

Hartford Jazz Society
Founded in 1960, The Hartford Jazz Society is the oldest continuously operating jazz society in the country. With the motto "Keeping Jazz Alive," this all-volunteer organization presents internationally known jazz musicians, encourages and assists in the education of young jazz performers, and works to educate and expand the audience for jazz.

Since 1971, the organization has awarded over 50 scholarships (totaling $66,000) to promising local high school students. Past recipients have included up and coming jazz musicians Joel Frahm and Jimmy Greene.

Besides providing scholarships, the Society presents master classes by the artists featured in its concert series, offers low priced student admission to the concerts, and has local high school jazz bands open for the featured artists.
www.hartfordjazzsociety.com

The Jackie McLean Institute of Jazz
The Hartt School of the University of Hartford’s Jazz Studies major, founded by American jazz saxophone great Jackie McLean, is one of the nation's top programs in jazz studies. Under the tutelage of Hartt's jazz faculty, who are also active performers, students are given the opportunity to perform throughout their undergraduate program.

The program focuses on the jazz and African-American idioms, and includes special courses on improvisation, music history, jazz transcriptions, and arranging. Students interact with internationally recognized jazz musicians in special workshops and master classes. Visiting master instructors include Eddie Henderson, Randy Johnston and Hartt alumnus Jimmy Green. Students find additional inspiration in the unique cultural relationship the school has with Hartford's community-based "Artists Collective," an organization dedicated to the promotion of African and Caribbean art forms.

Recent masterclasses have featured such world-renowned jazz artists as Christian McBride, Larry Willis, Rene McLean, Eddie Henderson, Harold Mabern, Wynton Marsalis, Dena DeRose, Jimmy Greene, Tony Reedus, Don Sickler, Cedar Walton, Curtis Fuller, Cecil Payne, Slide Hampton, Benny Greene, John Lee, Abraham Burton, Eric McPherson, Eric Alexander, Jim Rotondi, David Hazeltine and Joe Farnsworth.

www.hartford.edu/hartt

Jump Start Jazz
After a four year stint as producer of the Greater Hartford Festival of Jazz (1999-2002), Kevin McCabe formed Jump Start Jazz in order to produce and promote live contemporary jazz. The company launched its' series at the Arch St. Tavern in Hartford during August 2003. The 200 capacity club is an intimate setting, serving as the primary venue for sold-out crowds at nearly every show. Performers at the "Lite 100.5 Smooth Jazz Saturday Night Concert Series" have included Marion Meadows, Special EFX featuring Chieli Minucci, Nelson Rangell, David Mann, Jay Rowe, Richard Elliot and Acoustic Alchemy, Kim Waters, SP and special guest Ken Navarro, Chuck Loeb with Jeff Kashiwa, Grammy Winner Nestor Torres and Jeff Lorber.
www.jumpstartjazz.com