“Origins: Sounds and Stories of the African Diaspora” at Burlington Discover Jazz Festival, Flynn Main Stage, Wednesday, June 4:
As I stepped into the Flynn for the official start of this year’s Burlington Discover Jazz Festival, I sensed a change. With the house lights down and the unadorned brick wall towering behind the stage as naked as the day it was built, the art deco aesthetic gave way to something much more raw and fitting of the vision brought to life by this year’s guest curator, Anthony Tidd. “Origins: Sounds and Stories of the African Diaspora” examined the many cultures that have emerged from the African diaspora and the historical and contemporary musical innovations that resulted. If a person is to be judged by the company they keep, the success of this year’s festival reflects favorably on Tidd. And from what I heard and saw the rest of the week, the likes of George Porter Jr., Ian and Ivan Neville, Fred Wesley, Duke Amayo, Julian and Bobby Hackney Sr., Camille Thurman, Ravi Coltrane, Brandee Younger, Melissa Aldana, Tony Hall, and Talib Kweli would have to agree.
This article appears in Jun 11-17, 2025.
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