Northampton Jazz Festival Returns the First Weekend in October
The Northampton Jazz Festival will kick off on Friday, Oct. 1 with a Jazz Strut in downtown Northampton, and free performances are scheduled that first weekend of October in the event’s return after a pandemic-year hiatus. The headliner for this year’s event is the Art Blakey Centennial Celebration, performing at the Academy of Music on Saturday, Oct. 2 at 7:30 p.m. Ruth Griggs, president of the festival’s board of directors, said this year, the event has a focus on woman-led ensembles and will feature more female musicians than ever before.