North New Castle News

The Clifford Brown Jazz Festival returns to Rodney Square in downtown Wilmington, Delaware, to celebrate its 36th year June 21 to 24, 2023. This year’s lineup includes the Marquis Hill Quartet, Monty Alexander and the Harlem Kingston Express, Angelique Kidjo, Lao Tizer, Dayramir Gonzalez, Cory Wong, Keyon Harrold, Melani Fiona, KEM, The Clifford Brown Festival Orchestra, Mark Guiliana Quartet, Hiromi Sonicwonder, Jason Moran and Harlem Hell Fighters | James Reese Europe and the Absence of Rain, and Kamasi Washington. The 2023 jazz festival mainstage performances will take place Wednesday through Friday beginning at 4:45 p.m. and on Saturday starting at 12:30 p.m. Each night of the festival will open with the Boysie Lowery Living Jazz Residency ensembles.

A pre-festival special event at the Delaware Theater Company will feature a performance by the Boysie Lowery Living Jazz Residency and a Delaware premier dance performance choreographed by Leon Von Brown, nephew of the late Clifford Brown. Registration is required for this free program and can be found at www.buytickets.at/cityfest.

Post-festival Jam Sessions will take place Wednesday through Saturday from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. at local venues including Nomad Bar and the Wilmington Public Library. For a full festival line-up, jam session locations/dates, and more information please visit www.cliffordbrownjazzfestival.org.

All pre-festival activities, mainstage performances, and jam sessions are FREE to attend and open to the public, making it the largest free jazz festival on the East Coast. All ages are welcomed to attend, and guests should be sure to bring lawn chairs or blankets for seating. Rodney Square will be lined with food trucks and vendors throughout the festival week, and guests should be sure to pick up this year’s festival t-shirt featuring the 36th annual logo designed by Christopher Mack. All festival announcements and updates can be found on the festival website and on Facebook or Instagram @Cliffordbrownjazzfest.

The Clifford Brown Jazz Festival is an annual tribute to the late jazz trumpeter and Wilmingtonian Clifford Brown, who was born in 1930 on the east side of the City. Also known as 'Brownie,' he died in 1956 at the age of 25 in a car accident on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, leaving behind only a few years' worth of recordings. However, Brown's short life and limited work has had a considerable influence on later jazz trumpet players such as Arturo Sandoval, Donald Byrd, Lee Morgan, Booker Little, and Freddie Hubbard. Two of Brown's compositions, "Joy Spring" and "Daahoud," have become jazz standards.

The festival is FREE to enjoy, but donations to Cityfest, Inc., a 501c3 non-profit, are encouraged. Donations can be made on the Cityfest, Inc. website www.cityfestwilm.com or by check payable to Cityfest, Inc., 800 North French Street, Wilmington, DE 19801 Attn: Tina Betz, President

The Clifford Brown Jazz Festival is presented by Cityfest, Inc. and the City of Wilmington, Mayor Mike Purzycki, with generous support from New Castle County, The Episcopal Church of Sts. Andrew and Matthew, WRTI 90.1 FM, The Delaware Theatre Company, The Kenny Family Foundation and Shop Rite, Downtown Visions, The Gilliam Charitable Fund of the Delaware Community Foundation, Delmarva Power An Exelon Company, Gerald Chavis Music, The Christina Cultural Arts Center, Greater Wilmington Convention and Visitors Bureau, Westin Wilmington, Hyatt Place Wilmington Riverfront, Sheraton Suites Downtown Wilmington, Double Tree by Hilton Hotel Downtown Wilmington, Hotel duPont, Nomad Bar, Wilmington Public Library, and Wilmington Ballet Academy of the Dance. 

Original source can be found here.