The 20th Anniversary Summer Solstice Jazz Festival (SSJF) makes its way to downtown East Lansing June 17 & 18, featuring the very best in local, regional and national talent.
This FREE-to-all festival is centered around a large tent located in the heart of downtown East Lansing in Parking Lot 1, 230 Albert Ave., Ann Street Plaza, located on the northwest corner of the Albert-M.A.C. intersection and the Eli & Edythe Broad Art Museum, 547 E. Circle Dr.
This year the SSJF will be throwing itself a great big birthday party and all are invited! Friday’s festivities include a performance by 2012 Grammy Award winner and MSU alumnus Ben Williams with his band, Sound Effect. Saturday kicks off with an extended Kozmic Picnik, an avant-garde jazz event programmed by Deanna Relyea, the Artistic Director of Kerrytown Concert House and Edgefest in Ann Arbor. Saturday will also feature 2016 Grammy-nominated pianist/vocalist Karrin Allyson, former Wynton Marsalis sideman Marcus Roberts and the Chicago Jazz Orchestra.
Get ready to tap your feet and move to the rhythm! The SSJF will also feature more main stage performances, the Jazz Kids children’s activity area, onsite food vendors, jazz cafes, and the MSU Outreach and Engagement Education Stage – fun for the whole family to enjoy!
The festival is presented by the City of East Lansing, Wharton Center for Performing Arts and the MSU College of Music, with artistic direction by Rodney Whitaker.
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