Banner Year for Berklee Beantown Jazz Festival

Record crowds and unprecedented mix of artists highlight the festival's ninth year.
October 9, 2009

The ever-expanding Berklee BeanTown Jazz Festival had its biggest year ever, featuring 20 bands and 130 musicians on ten stages, stretching over several days in September. While the ticketed concerts attracted large crowds, the free outdoor festival drew an estimated 80,000—a new festival record, earning accolades from The Boston Phoenix: "Berklee is a bottomless resource for the city's music scene—the BeanTown Fest has to rank as one of its sweetest gifts," writes Jon Garelick.

The Baystate Banner drew comparisons to the New Orleans Jazz Festival and cited the "multicultural mix of music" as one of the BeanTown festival's strong suits. 

Over the nine days of the festival, performers took to stages at Scullers Jazz Club, Regattabar, and Wally's Cafe, in addition to several Berklee venues. Artists ranged from legendary musicians to emerging stars and from veteran Berklee faculty members and alumni to current students.