THE SALEM JAZZ AND SOUL FESTIVAL RETURNS TO SALEM WILLOWS FOR ITS 18TH SEASON ON AUGUST 16, 2025

Jun 30

FREE FESTIVAL CELEBRATES SALEM'S RICH HISTORIC CONNECTION TO JAZZ AND SOUL MUSIC AND BENEFITS LOCAL MUSIC EDUCATION

[SALEM, Mass.] – Dig into Salem's rich and diverse past in a way the textbooks won't tell you at our free celebration of the town's history of jazz and soul music legends performing at the ballrooms where arcades stand today! Join us for more musical history in the making at the return of the nonprofit Salem Jazz and Soul Festival for their 18th season event on August 16, 2025, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Salem Willows Park at 167 Fort Avenue in Salem, Mass.

Plan for a beautiful oceanfront day at the Willows Bandshell, getting down to a showcase of fantastic bands providing soulful melodies and jazz rhythms, enjoying music education clinics for the community, craft booths, artisan vendors, merchandise tents, and an expanded, 21-plus Mercy Tavern Lawn. Funds raised support the production of free concerts and initiatives promoting music education throughout Boston's North Shore. Great music for a greater cause!

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE

11 a.m. – Noon - Salem High School Jazz Band

Kicking off our day is the talented Salem High School Jazz Band. These young musicians have earned outstanding ratings at national festivals and even performed at the French Quarter Festival in New Orleans! Led by the accomplished Cyndi Napierkowski, this ensemble represents the bright future of jazz and the excellence of Salem's music education.

12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. - Zayra Pola Sessions

Salsa singer, drummer and percussionist Zayra Pola brings the vibrant, tropical rhythms of Puerto Rico to Boston where she carved her groove from her time as Berklee College of Music's first full-scholarship female percussionist to garnering accolades from "Best Timbales Player of the Year" and "Salsa Artist of the Year" both locally and beyond. Affectionately dubbed "The Queen of Timbales" by Tito Puente Jr., Zayra has spiced up stages for renowned artists ranging from Gilberto Santarosa and Luis Enrique to Annie Lennox and Willie Nelson. Tighten the straps on your cha cha heels as they'll instinctively dance to the command of her drumsticks!

2 p.m. – 3 p.m. - Albino Mbie

Mozambican-born guitarist, singer, composer, and producer, Albino Mbie is known for blending African rhythms with jazz and global music styles. Much like his first guitar he built from an oil can, scraps of wood, and electrical cords for stings, his resourceful ingenuity has made him masterful at incorporating his musical experiences from Mozambique, the states and places all over the globe to combine rhythmic patterns and musical concepts into his unique cross-cultural Afro-Pop and Moz-Jazz sound. Dress lightly as Mbie's set will bring heat from south of the equator to the Willows!

3:30 p.m. – 5 p.m. - Los Sugar Kings

Los Sugar Kings is a Boston-based quartet known for their dynamic live performances, rich harmonies, intense musicianship and ability to transcend genres with an authenticity rarely heard. In their world, respect is paid to the forefathers of Afro-Cuban Son, Salsa, and Rumba-Flamenca. But that's only part of their story. Los Sugar Kings also actively draw on influences from nearly every continent in their unique Roots-Rock-Reggae repertoire. Be there when they bring it all together in Salem.

5:30 p.m. – 7 p.m.: Heavy Metal Horns

As an eleven-member band with a four-piece horn section now spread throughout the country, a convergence of Boston's classic Heavy Metal Horns can be as rare as a planetary alignment or a desert superbloom. Still, the Bay State's legendary funk, jazz & soul groovemasters are oiling the valves and greasing the handslides to properly culminate this year's festival. Led by Salem Jazz and Soul Festival's original co-founder Henley Douglas, it seems more than apropos for this juggernaut of talent to funk up the Willows to close the day. Come on down and shake your brass with the Horns!

Between All Live Music Sets - DJ Skot Void

DJ Skot Void has been a presence in and around Salem and the North Shore for the past 15 years. A record collector and DJ first, Skot plans on spinning a set of northern soul, rare funk, and deep disco jukebox 45s from his expansive vinyl collection.

The Salem Jazz and Soul Festival is reviving and reinvigorating the vibrant jazz scene that originated at the Salem Willows in the early 20th century, when the leaders of the Big Band era performed at the seaside park's ballroom. The festival builds on this rich jazz history — adding soul, blues, and funk to the mix — by offering a series of annual free concerts to the public, concluding with our annual main festival.

"It's an opportunity to bring our community together over a shared love of jazz and soul entertainment and appreciation of art and education at a historic place where you can still hear echoes of Duke Ellington resonating from his first stint here almost 100 years ago," said Festival president Larry Claflin Jr. "We aim to amplify those good vibes with the Salem Jazz and Soul Festival and with our giving initiatives in the community, as well as a lot more evenings of entertainment throughout the year."

The Salem Willows of the 1920s featured the Charleshurst Ballroom, located at the site now occupied by the Willows Casino. Due in part to the convenience of its location on the east coast circuit's coastline pathway, the nightspot attracted big bands from around the country. Owner Charlie Shribman facilitated appearances of many of the greats in the Salem area: Count Basie; Guy Lombardo; Glen Miller; and perhaps most notably Duke Ellington for a run of shows in the summer of 1927, shortly after Bostonians Johnny Hodges and Harry Carney joined Ellington's line up on alto and baritone sax, respectively. Reviews of the day confirmed that Ellington's appearances "...set New England's dance crazy," and the Jazz and Soul Festival is here to keep it that way!

ABOUT SALEM JAZZ AND SOUL FESTIVAL

The Salem Jazz and Soul Festival began in the early aughts, when a group of imaginative residents of Salem – a city teeming with gifted musicians – proposed the idea of starting a music festival celebrating the rich history of jazz and soul music in the area. Set with a goal to bring the diverse community together with a plan to use the festival as an engine for music education, the group grew into a team, adding musicians, actors, writers, promoters, and businesspeople from the North Shore until the Salem Jazz and Soul Festival was fully formed with a dedicated board of directors. The festival's inaugural fundraiser, a sold-out event, took place on April 21, 2007. The festival attracts thousands of visitors each year to enjoy a free, day-long concert at Salem Willows, as well as several concerts and events throughout the year. So far, the festival board has hosted over 100 free concerts and raised more than $75,000 to support music education efforts throughout the North Shore.

The Salem Jazz and Soul Festival is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that produces free concerts and supports music education causes on Massachusetts' North Shore. The festival is passionately dedicated to enriching the North Shore's cultural landscape. It orchestrates a spectacular array of free concerts that showcase a vibrant mix of jazz, soul music, and other genres. Moreover, the organization actively fundraises to provide vital financial support to music education initiatives throughout the North Shore region, fostering the next generation of musical talent.

· Salem Jazz and Soul Festival Website

· Facebook Festival Page

· Facebook Event Page

· Instagram Page

GIVING INITIATIVE HIGHLIGHTS

· Made grants to area group homes and after-school music programs

· Funded a summer percussion workshop at the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Salem

· Donated money and new equipment to North Shore High School jazz bands

· Produced more than 100 free concerts

· Developed an intern program in which local students can learn audio production

· Running an annual music-related art contest for children in elementary school

· Funded an 8-week interactive workshop for children in the neurodivergent spectrum