10th annual Salem Jazz and Soul Festival takes place at Salem Willows, Aug. 20-21

Dwayne Dopsie and the Zydeco HellraisersThe nonprofit Salem Jazz and Soul Festival will cap its 10th season with a two-day music festival at the Salem Willows, Aug. 20-21.

August 2, 2016 – Salem, MA – The free festival will feature 10 bands, a MusicKidz tent, Salem Five Community Foundation Music-Education Tent, artisan fair and 21-plus Notch Brewing beer pavilion.

“We’re extremely excited to have made it this far as a volunteer-run nonprofit,” said Larry Claflin Jr., the festival’s co-founder and executive director. “Without the city’s help and that of our generous sponsors and growing number of patrons, this would not have been possible. This is truly a community effort.”
The festival will offer all styles of music over two days: Big band jazz, Latin, funk, soul, blues, zydeco and more. Bands hail from the North Shore, Boston, New York and Louisiana.

Organizers rarely repeat groups but made two exceptions this year: Dwayne Dopsie and the Zydeco Hellraisers, who were such a hit at the 2015 festival; and Jen Kearney, who performed at the first Salem Jazz and Soul Festival, in 2007.

Saturday’s line-up consists of Salem High School Jazz Band; What Time is it, Mr. Fox; Austin Torpedoes; Brian Thomas / Alex Lee Clark Big Band; and The Nth Power, a powerful soul band from New York, led by drummer Nikki Glaspie, who has toured with Maceo Parker and Beyoncé.

Sunday will feature the North Shore Jazz Project All Stars; Edmar Colón; Jen Kearney; Tim Gearan and Dwayne Dopsie and the Zydeco Hellraisers.
Parking is limited at the Salem Willows and attendance is expected to be at an all-time high this year, so festival organizers and the city ask that attendees walk or bike to the festival, or park free at Shetland Park and take an inexpensive trolley to the festival.

The festival is a nonprofit, volunteer-run organization that produces free concerts and raises money for music education causes on the North Shore. Check salemjazzsoul.org for more information. Photos provided upon request.

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Selah Poitier Performing at SJSF/Berklee Summer Series, July 9 Derby Square

Selah Poitier will perform at SJSF/Berklee Summer Series on July 9 in Derby Square

Selah Portier bassist

Selah Poitier, a recent Berklee College of Music graduate, will play the third SJSF/Berklee Summer Series concert of 2016 with her band in Derby Square, Salem, on Saturday, July 9.

The free show will take place from 5 to 7 p.m. and will feature an educational interview about music and the Berklee experience.

The Lobster Shanty will sponsor the performance, which marks the festival’s third outdoor show of its 10th season Multi-talented Bahamian bassist and singer Selah Poitier is a new artist with an eclectic musical style influenced by fresh sounds from modern jazz/hip-hop fusion, blues, neo-soul and R&B to funk, gospel, Afropop and reggae, as well as traditional Bahamian music. Poitier is also a songwriter, poet, composer, actress, activist and recent graduate of Berklee College of Music. To her, music acts as a powerful tool for emotional healing, social change, spiritual transformation and to explore the profound aspects of the human experience. Selah describes herself as a storyteller and uses her music to not only relate to listeners from all over the globe but also to reflect the times. One more SJSF/Berklee Summer Series concert will take place this year: RickExpress on Aug. 13. The 10th-annual Salem Jazz and Soul Festival will follow during the weekend of Aug. 20-21, featuring 10 bands, a MusicKidz tent, music-education tent, artisan fair and 21-plus beer pavilion. The two-day concert is free. The festival is a nonprofit, volunteer-run organization that produces free concerts and raises money for music education causes on the North Shore. Check salemjazzsoul.org for more information. Photos provided upon request.