NEWSLETTER
Bard College jazz students and faculty, Hudson Valley and local musicians perform free shows at markets, parks, restaurants and bars, shops, and galleries September 26–October 4, 2026
Part of the 2026 Hudson Jazz Festival, October 2–4, featuring Dafnis Prieto, Vuyo Sotashe & Chris Pattishall, Shenel Johns and more
Hudson, NY — The 2026 Hudson Jazz Festival expands throughout the city this fall with the return of Sounds Around Town, a free live performance series at venues, restaurants, bars, retail stores, galleries, and public spaces across Hudson, New York. Curated by Bard College Professor of Music and jazz pianist John Esposito, the series features nearly 30 Bard College jazz students and faculty and Hudson Valley musicians and local artists playing 16 free shows. Performances begin September 26 and continue throughout the Hudson Jazz Festival weekend, October 2–4.
Sounds Around Town begins with performances at the Hudson Farmers Market on September 26 by the Sivaan Barak Saacks Quintet and Miles Taylour Sweeny: Bad Times Trio. The series resumes during Festival week with free performances at Hudson Hall, the Hudson Amtrak Station, Pocket Park outside Mel The Bakery, and retail stores, galleries, restaurants, bars, and breweries throughout the city. Sounds Around Town artists include John Esposito, Maia Jarrett Quartet, Nico Bald Trio, Sparrow Lore, Sam Bernhardt Quartet, Armen Donelian, and many more.
“The festival is at its best when the entire city becomes a part of it!” says Hudson Jazz Festival curator Cat Henry. “This year’s artists bring exciting and diverse cultural perspectives to Hudson, and our partner events and Sounds Around Town give audiences more ways to encounter their work and experience the festival in the city’s creative spaces.”
“Sounds Around Town gives Bard’s emerging musicians the opportunity to perform across a wide range of settings and for very different audiences,” says curator and Bard College Professor of Music John Esposito. “That breadth of live experience is invaluable. They’re not adjacent to the festival, they’re part of its lineup, performing alongside established artists and helping shape the musical character of the weekend.”
The free Sounds Around Town series is part of a city-wide program surrounding three headline concerts at Hudson Hall: GRAMMY Award-winning Cuban drummer and composer Dafnis Prieto with his Sí o Sí Quartet on Friday, October 2; South African vocalist Vuyo Sotashe and American pianist and composer Chris Pattishall on Saturday, October 3; and vocalist Shenel Johns on Sunday, October 4. The Festival brings together artists whose music reflects traditions and experiences spanning Cuba, South Africa, Jamaica, Brazil, France and the United States.
On Saturday night at 9PM at Park Theater, French-born multi-instrumentalist Mino Cinélu, a former member of Miles Davis’s band, marks Davis’s centennial with Mino 4 Miles: A Celebration of Miles Davis, featuring Cinélu’s original compositions alongside stories of his time working with the jazz legend.
Free and family-friendly programming is also woven throughout the Festival, including the October 1 free Community Kick-Off at The Hudson Harmonic, featuring the Hudson Valley Maverick Jazz Camp Ensemble, Hudson High School Jazz Band, and Flying Elements from Bard College. Complimentary light snacks will be provided with a cash bar, along with information to help residents and visitors plan their Festival weekend. Then, on Sunday at 1PM, Lady Moon & Friends play a Family Concert at The Half Moon.
Other city-wide events include a free Lunch & Learn: A Conversation on Jazz, Collaboration and Home with Vuyo Sotashe, Chris Pattishall and Festival host Keanna Faircloth at The Spark of Hudson; a Sunday jazz brunch with Brazilian guitarist Vinícius Gomes at Pocketbook Hudson; and The Late Set, the Festival’s multi-level opening-night afterparty at The Spark of Hudson on Friday, October 2 at 9PM, featuring live music by bassist Tristen Jarvis and a live DJ set to get the dance floor pumping.
Set during the height of the Hudson Valley’s fall season and approximately two hours direct from New York City by train, the Hudson Jazz Festival invites visitors to explore the city between performances. Hudson’s restaurants, independent shops, galleries, historic architecture and riverfront are all within walking distance of Hudson Hall, the Festival’s partner venues and Hudson’s Amtrak station.
2026 HUDSON JAZZ FESTIVAL SCHEDULE
All mainstage performances at Hudson Hall
Tickets at hudsonhall.org/hudson-jazz-
Saturday, September 26
9–10:45 AM | Hudson Farmers Market
Sivaan Barak Saacks Quintet
Sivaan Barak Saacks, vocals
Erin Hobson, guitar
Jasmine Caperton, bass
Micah Kelleher, drums
11:15 AM–1 PM | Hudson Farmers Market
Miles Taylour Sweeny: Bad Times Trio
Miles Taylour Sweeny, guitar and vocals
Max Liebman, bass
Thomas Wandell, drums
Thursday, October 1
Hudson Jazz Festival Community Kick-Off
6–9 PM | The Hudson Harmonic
Hudson Valley Maverick Jazz Camp Ensemble
Hudson High School Jazz Band
Flying Elements
Free; reservations recommended.
It’s Hudson Jazz Festival Eve! Join friends and neighbors at the beautifully restored Hudson Harmonic for a family-friendly kick-off featuring live music from the Hudson Valley Maverick Jazz Camp Ensemble, the Hudson High School Jazz Band, and Flying Elements.
Cash bar and complimentary light snacks provided, along with information to help guests plan their festival weekend.
Co-presented by The Hudson Harmonic.
Friday, October 2
Sounds Around Town
1:30–3:30 PM | Hudson Hall
John Esposito
Solo piano
4–6 PM | Hudson Amtrak Station
Leo Belsky / Maxwell Barnes Duo
Leo Belsky, vocals, keyboards and guitar
Max Barnes, tenor saxophone
4–6 PM | Hudson Brewing Company
Maia Jarrett Quartet
Maia Jarrett, vocals
Randy Stevens, saxophone
Nico Bald, piano
Micah Kelleher, drums
6–9 PM | Isaan Thai Star
John Esposito
Solo piano
Festival Events
7 PM | Hudson Hall
Dafnis Prieto: Sí o Sí Quartet
Dafnis Prieto, drums, music director
Peter Apfelbaum, soprano sax, tenor sax, flute
Martin Bejerano, piano
Cuban-born composer, MacArthur Fellow, and GRAMMY-winning drummer Dafnis Prieto opens the festival with a high-energy ensemble driven by Afro-Cuban rhythm, modern jazz harmony, and Prieto’s unmistakable command of the drum kit.
9 PM | The Spark of Hudson
The Late Set
Opening Night Afterparty for the 2026 Hudson Jazz Festival
Head to The Spark of Hudson for The Late Set—the official afterparty of Hudson Jazz Festival's opening night. Settle into the 2nd floor for a cash bar, small bites, and live music by bassist Tristen Jarvis, then head to the 3rd floor Skydeck where a live DJ carries the energy from the stage straight to the dance floor.
Hosted by The Spark of Hudson.
Saturday, October 3
Sounds Around Town
9:15–10:45 AM | Hudson Farmers Market
Nico Bald Trio
Nico Bald, piano
Jamie Harte, bass
Micah Kelleher, drums
11 AM–1 PM | Pocket Park
Pocket Merchant
Alden Slack, saxophone
Adriana Tampasis, flute
Justin Geyer, keys and synth bass
Marco Spodek, drums
11:15 AM–1 PM | Hudson Farmers Market
Sparrow Lore
Jef Brown, guitar
Max Liebman, bass
Aidan Samp, drums
1:30–3:30 PM | Pocket Park
Sam Bernhardt Quartet
Sam Bernhardt, guitar
Paul Kleinschmidt, guitar
Mark Roman, bass
Thomas Wandell, drums
3:30–5:30 PM | Padrona
Lillie Rivera Rosario Trio
Lillie Rivera Rosario, vocals and guitar
Azalea Bettigole, percussion
Additional musician TBC
4:30–6 PM | Marine Penvern
Leo Belsky & Max Barnes
6–9 PM | Isaan Thai Star
Leo Belsky
Leo Belsky, piano, guitar and vocals
Max Barnes, saxophone
Bass TBC
Micah Kelleher, drums
Festival Events
1 PM | The Spark of Hudson
Lunch & Learn: A Conversation on Jazz, Collaboration and Home
Vuyo Sotashe and Chris Pattishall with Keanna Faircloth
Catered by Circles Bagels
Free; registration required.
Festival host Keanna Faircloth joins vocalist Vuyo Sotashe and pianist and composer Chris Pattishall for an intimate conversation about their musical partnership, the influences behind their work and the new Hudson Hall commission premiering at the Festival that evening.
Co-presented by The Spark of Hudson and The Open Gate Network™.
7 PM | Hudson Hall
Vuyo Sotashe & Chris Pattishall: Ancestral Technologies
Vuyo Sotashe, vocals
Chris Pattishall, piano
Zwelakhe-Duma Bell le Pere, bass
Adriel Vincent-Brown, drums
South African vocalist Vuyo Sotashe and American pianist and composer Chris Pattishall bring their expressive musical partnership to Hudson Hall with music spanning continents and generations. The performance includes the premiere of a new Hudson Hall commission.
9 PM | Park Theater
Mino 4 Miles: A Celebration of Miles Davis
Multi-instrumentalist Mino Cinélu marks Miles Davis’s centennial with a special evening of original compositions, evocative storytelling, and immersive visuals inspired by the years he spent collaborating with the jazz legend. A former member of Davis’s band, Cinélu’s collaborators also include Weather Report, Herbie Hancock and Dizzy Gillespie.
Sunday, October 4
Sounds Around Town
11 AM–1 PM | The Secret Gardener
Tampasis / Shemesh
Adriana Tampasis, flute
Omer Shemesh, oud and keyboards
5:30–8:30 PM | Isaan Thai Star
Armen Donelian
Solo piano
Festival Events
11 AM | Ambos Café and Lounge at Pocketbook Hudson
Jazz Brunch: Vinícius Gomes
Bring a little Brazilian cool to Sunday brunch with São Paulo-born guitarist and composer Vinícius Gomes. A sought-after collaborator featured on more than 40 recordings, Gomes has performed at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center and jazz festivals around the world. His music brings together Brazilian traditions and modern jazz.
1 PM | The Half Moon
Lady Moon & Friends: Back to the Garden Family Concert
Bring the kids to sing, dance, make art and eat pizza with Hudson’s own Lady Moon, also known as Ngonda Badila.
This fun, family-focused afternoon begins with children’s art activities led by artist and illustrator Ntangou Badila and a playful banjo circle with Zack Munsell, followed by a concert by Lady Moon and friends. Celebrating the release of Ngonda and Ntangou’s first children’s book, Back to the Garden, the event also includes a book signing and copies available for purchase.
5 PM | Hudson Hall
Shenel Johns
Shenel Johns, vocals
Jon Thomas, piano
Jonathon S. Muir-Cotton, bass
Jonathan Barber, drums
Vocalist Shenel Johns closes the Hudson Hall mainstage with music shaped by the jazz, gospel and reggae she heard growing up in her Jamaican family. Johns has performed with Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and appeared on stages across the United States and abroad.
TICKETS & FESTIVAL PASSES
Festival Passes include admission to all three Hudson Hall mainstage performances and access to the pre-show Hudson Jazz Festival Lounge, plus 20% off all partner venue performances and discounts at participating shops, restaurants, and bars.
For tickets, passes, and festival updates, visit hudsonhall.org/hudson-jazz-
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Photo: Leo Belsky outside Hudson Amtrak Station as part of Sounds Around Town (2024). Photo by JD Urban