Jazz feels like New York. There’s no city with greater historical ties to this truly American genre. Chicago, New Orleans, and Kansas City are worthy competitors, but as in most things, you can’t beat New York. Top names in jazz have called New York home, like John Coltrane, Ella Fitzgerald and Thelonious Monk, Count Basie, Benny Goodman and Louis Armstrong. And the list goes on.
This past June was the first time in 37 years that New York City did not host a jazz festival. Thanks to the good people at CareFusion, a global health care company, the Jazz Festival will be brought back to New York from June 17 – 26, 2010.
George Wein created the famed Newport Jazz Festival in 1954, which started the “festival era” and advanced the concept of live music. He’s producing the series that will come to such esteemed New York venues like Carnegie Hall, Central Park’s SummerStage, Crotona Park in the Bronx, Harlem Stage Gatehouse, The Jazz Gallery, Jazz Standard, (Le) Poisson Rouge, Louis Armstrong House Museum, Music Hall of Williamsburg, and Prospect Park’s Bandshell: Celebrate Brooklyn. The various shows will typically be priced between $15-$20, making it more accessible for all to enjoy the different performances.
CareFusion is also sponsoring the annual Jazz Festival in Newport this summer, which drew 13,000 people last year. These festivals sample the range of talent on the current jazz landscape, bringing established giants of the genre together with up and coming artists. And if you haven’t gotten your fill in June, Newport serves up a tidy weekend getaway on August 6-8. With the bitter winter upon us, it’s nice to start thinking about warmer weather at the end of the tunnel. So you can stay local, plan an escape, or indulge in both because there’s nothing quite like jazz on a summer’s day.
For more information or to keep updated on the lineup, visit nycjazzfestival.com. Photo courtesy BrooklynVegan.
Sarah Knapp is a Brooklyn based entrepreneur whose love for the outdoors and community building led her to the October 2013 creation of OutdoorFest. She has a BA in History, is a Wilderness First Responder and a NY state hiking, camp and boating guide. Her proudest achievement to date is reading the Aeneid in Latin. 
Allison was one of our first top writers and Chief Editor but is no longer working with offMetro. Allison is a native New Yorker, who has lived in Rome, Tuscany, Melbourne, Toronto and Los Angeles. She frequently contributed travel pieces to Family Travel Forum, using her own children as guinea pigs as they travel the globe. She never missed a chance to sample local delicacies, as her love for travel goes hand-in-hand with her love for food and wine. 
Josh Laskin is a freelance travel writer and photographer based in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. When he is not at work or on the road, you can find him in the mountains snowboarding, climbing, hiking, fly fishing, mountain biking, and eating bagel bites.
Annie is a travel writer, environmentalist, and surfer based in Venice, CA. She heads up our West Coast team, keeps our grammatical errors in check, and makes sure our California writers always have a plan for their next adventure. Follow Annie’s travels @annelisemcb.
Carly Pifer is a freelance writer who has been known to follow whims inspired by romantic movie scenes or colorful street style shots to India, Japan, Tunisia and Argentina. After stints living in Seoul, Boston, Paris and Los Angeles, writing and searching for something intangible, she landed somewhat steadily in Brooklyn and has begun to find inspiration in her more immediate surroundings. 
Kate E. O’Hara is a New York based freelance writer and photographer who loves all things food—especially the people who make it and market it. Her writing aims to capture the essence of the food experience; the stories that go well beyond a plate of ingredients. In addition to her love of food, Kate is also known to have a hankering for red wine and craft beer. You can also find Kate on Instagram