GREENE COUNTY
The Jazz Legacy Project returned to Festival Hall on Feb. 4 for the start of its 2026 season.
Led by drummer and narrator Justin Varnes, with saxophonist John Sandfort, bassist Kevin Smith, and pianist Nick Rosen, JLP brought the music and history of legendary pianist, composer, and bandleader Duke Ellington to life.
Ellington was one of the most important innovators of the stride piano technique, which combines a fast tempo, often-complicated left-hand bass pattern, with intricate, frequently improvised right-hand solos. Ellington was a master of the style and published almost 2,000 compositions, more than 100 of which became acknowledged jazz standards.
As a band leader, he also contributed to many Big Band styles, influenced by the many artists he met while leading a band at the famous Cotton Club in Harlem. He added several of them to his own band, The Ellington Orchestra, which he led from 1924 until he died in 1974 at 75 years old.
The Jazz Legacy Project will return to Festival Hall on May 4 to cover the music of Louis Armstrong, another jazz pioneer and musical genius.
For tickets or more information, visit Festival Hall online at festivalhallga.com.