Saxophonist Albert Rivera has been part of the Litchfield Jazz Festival nearly as long as the event has existed.
“This is my 18th or 19th year,” Rivera says in a phone call from his Bronx apartment. “Even though I can’t give you the exact year I started in the camp, the Litchfield Jazz Festival means so much to me. It literally changed my life.” The 23rd Annual Litchfield Jazz Fest is July 28 and 29 at the Goshen Fairgrounds.
At the turn of the century, Rivera, who is now 35, earned a scholarship to the Litchfield Jazz Camp as a saxophone student, which enabled him to leave the gritty Bronx for the placid suburb of Connecticut.
“I can’t express to you how much of an impact it had on me,” Rivera says. “There was the musical impact and then there was the social impact. I’m not sure which was more important. I had the opportunity to leave the Bronx for the Litchfield Hills. It was a necessary change in environment. I made so many friends, who are still my pals today.”
Some of those friends are Hartford’s Zaccai and Luques Curtis. The brothers inspired Rivera’s “The New York-Hartford Connection,” which is a cut from his 2008 solo debut “Re-Introduction.”
Rivera will perform with the former Saturday when Curtis leads the Litchfield Jazz Orchestra. “Zaccai is a great composer,” Rivera says. “I’m looking forward to performing with him.”
Rivera will also jam with his own quartet at Hanq’s in Torrington Saturday evening, which is the after-party. “Anyone can join in,” Rivera says. “If you want to sing or just jam with us, come on by.”
But Rivera isn’t just about performing at the festival. Rivera is also the co-director of the Litchfield Jazz Camp with Don Braden, who has toured with such jazz heavyweights as Wynton Marsalis, Betty Carter and Ron Haynes. “Don was my mentor when I was a kid at this camp,” Rivera says. “Being part of this is my way of giving back.”
Unlike Rivera, pianist Yoko Miwa and drummer Dan Brubeck, each of whom will perform Saturday, have never played Litchfield.
“Considering that I’ve played pretty much everywhere, I’m surprised that I’ve never been there,” Brubeck says from his Vancouver home. “I think my dad played there. I think I recall my dad talking about playing Litchfield once.”
Brubeck’s father was the iconic pianist and composer Dave Brubeck, who wrote such standards as “Take Five” and “The Duke.”
“My father had a huge impact on me but so did my mother,” Brubeck says. That’s evident since Brubeck, 63, and his quartet recently released “Celebrating the Music and Lyrics of Dave and Iola Brubeck.”
“A lot of people don’t know this but my dad wrote the music to a lot of his songs and my mother wrote the lyrics,” Brubeck says. “She also managed him.”
Expect to experience a number of Brubeck classics.
“My dad’s songs never go out of style,” Brubeck says. “When we play festivals like the one in Litchfield, we just go out and have as much fun as possible.”
That’s the same game plan Miwa has for when she performs. “I love playing festivals like Litchfield,” Miwa says from her Boston home. “Those kind of events are so laid-back.”
The jazz pianist, who hails from Kobe, Japan, will showcase songs from her latest album “Pathways.” The project is comprised of jaunty originals and inventive covers, such as a pretty version of The Beatles’ “Dear Prudence.”
“I’m always looking for something new and interesting for my trio to do,” Miwa says. “You can’t go wrong with the Beatles and I’m still so passionate about jazz.
Miwa, 48, didn’t grow up in a jazz household, like Brubeck. It was all classical for the inventive post-bop player. “I didn’t know much about jazz as a child since I was focused on classical,” Miwa says. “I didn’t discover jazz until I was 19.”
The soft-spoken Miwa was a bit late to the game. The prestigious Berklee College of Music gave her a scholarship when she was 25. Miwa studied jazz theory and performance. “It wasn’t long before I knew that jazz was my life’s work,” Miwa says. “I was just hooked.”
Like Rivera, Miwa loves to teach. She’s on staff at Berklee. “There’s nothing better than watching someone learn music and play it,” Miwa says. “I know there are programs at Litchfield, which is awesome. Combine that with the performances and the Litchfield program is going to be fascinating.”
“It’s going to be very interesting,” Rivera says. “You never know what’s going to happen. Every year is unique. I have so many memories from the Litchfield Jazz Festival. It’s time to make more memories.”
Saturday’s Schedule
Friends of the Festival Benefit Brunch: 11 a.m. on the Student Stage
Yoko Miwa trio, noon on the Main Stage
Litchfield Jazz Orchestra: Led by Zaccai Curtis, 2:45 p.m. on the Main Stage
Trio Da Paz: 4:30 p.m. on the Main Stage
Dan Brubeck & Friends: 6:15 p.m. on the Main Stage
Jeff Tain Watts Trio: 8:30 p.m. on the Main Stage
Saturday Night After-Party & Jam at Hanq’s Torrington, 131 Water St.
Sunday’s Schedule
Kris Allen Trio at noon on the Main Stage
Doug Munro & La Pompe Attack with Matthew Westerby Company Dancers: 1:45 p.m., Main Stage
Orrin Evans: 3:30 p.m., Main Stage
Emmet Cohen Trio with Jimmy Cobb: 5:45 p.m., Main Stage
Jane Bunnett & Maqueque: 7:30 p.m. on the Main Stage
THE 23RD ANNUAL LITCHFIELD JAZZ FESTIVAL is July 27 and 28 at the Goshen Fairgrounds, 116 Old Middle St., Goshen. Tickets are $37 lawn, $69 tent; two-day lawn, $60, two-day tent, $125, $100 Saturday brunch and $500 backstage VIP. litchfieldjazzfest.com
