Wall Street Jazz Festival 2015 We are proud to announce the stellar line-up of our 12th Annual Wall Street Jazz Festival, Friday & Saturday, September 4th & 5th, outdoors at the corner of Wall Street & North Front Street. For the past eleven years the town of Kingston in upstate New York has marked summer's unofficial end with its annual Wall Street Jazz Festival. And once again for 2105 the festival's founder and artistic director, Peggy Stern, has assembled another irresistible dance-in-the-streets evening event. Friday, September 4th, 8 PM Old Dutch Church, 272 Wall St, Kingston $15 suggested donation, at the door THE ART OF THE DUO featuring SHEILA JORDAN - VOCALS CAMERON BROWN - BASS with Sue Terry - clarinet, sax Peggy Stern - piano Teri Roiger - vocals John Menegon - bass Saturday, September 5th, 6-11 PM Corner of Wall Street & North Front Street (outdoors). In case of bad weather, the Festival will be held indoors at Backstage Productions, 323 Wall Street, Kingston. Free, and open to the public 6 PM - The Jaki Byard Project featuring Jamie Baum 7 PM - Dena Derose Trio 8 PM - Ingrid Jensen, Christine Jensen Quintet 9 PM - Estrella Salsa Directions to the Festival From the NYS Thruway Exit 19 or Route 28: Take the Washington Ave. exit from the traffic circle. For Free Parking and shuttle bus to Festival, go left on Schwenk Drive. [map] The Wall Street Jazz Festival came into being in 2004 when John Bilotti and Peggy Stern were attending a jazz festival and noticed there were no women included in the line-up. "What's wrong with this picture?" gave way to "Well, what are we going to do about it?" And so, a concept was born: a jazz festival where the traditions meet the progressives, and all the leaders are women. We are seeing that the concept of a homegrown, grass roots, community jazz festival really works. People love it, are not overwhelmed by it, and gradually we introduce the audience to players they may not know about while keeping the local players in the mix. We love the non 'ho-hum' nature of it; presenting the unexpected, keeping the theme of women leaders, and the absence of commercialism. This is a family event, with actual and extended family helping out, and good friends dotted throughout the crowd. The presentations at The Wall Street Jazz Festival are elegant and professional, and the environment is intimate. We intend to keep that hometown flavor, seeing our neighbors enjoying this world-class music for free. Some of our audience has been following our artists’ careers for many years, while others are new to the scene. The festival draws people from beyond our borders too; from Albany to NYC. The atmosphere is comfortable for everyone, from children to older adults, we have them all. John Bilotti: Executive Producer John Bilotti  has much experience in the music world. Having owned and operated his own Jazz Club in the Hudson Valley for 5 years, known as The Half Note Café, in the sleepy hamlet of Palenville, as well as a stint as managing owner of the famed Joyous Lake Café in Woodstock, John is no stranger to the whims of artists and audiences alike. Blessed with extreme patience ( a mighty virtue in the music business), John’s mellow overview has produced, 3 years and counting, a peaceful, exciting, and artistically generous concert outing, always free to the public, and always gratefully received. Peggy Stern: Artistic Director Peggy Stern has been a member of the greater jazz community for many years, as  a well-known pianist, composer, conductor and recording artist (see Peggy Stern Bio). Having moved to the Hudson Valley in 2001, she and John were not satisfied with the summer offerings, and decided to create their own festival, to the specifications of their own  vision of artistic excellence, filling a void in the pristine environment in which they found themselves. This project is made possible in part through a grant from the Dutchess County Arts Council, administrator of public funds through the New York State Council on the Arts' Decentralization Program.