Maine Jazz happenings in July 2026

6/30/26

Dear Jazz Lovers,

July is upon us, summer is upon us and the Maine jazz season is now in full swing.   This year’s Ellington and Strayhorn show has yet more surprises about these iconic, legendary musicians.  The show covers compositions copyrighted over 62 years, between 1933 and 1995.  But how, you say, could there be a tune copyrighted long after the deaths of both Ellington and Strayhorn?  The particular tune in question (by Billy Strayhorn--you'll have to come and hear which tune!) was actually estimated to have been written in 1945 but never recorded until sleuths discovered the manuscript in a dusty box of Strayhorn’s belongings in the 1990s.  The Strayhorn family then commissioned the Dutch Jazz Orchestra to arrange and perform the piece.  That’s just one example of the surprises in our 2026 Ellington and Strayhorn show.  Every tune has a story.  It is not overstating things when we say that the jazz of Billy Strayhorn and Duke Ellington is still very much alive and swinging! 

The Novel Jazz Septet has three public Ellington/Strayhorn shows this July:

--Friday,10 July   7PM
Cadenza, 5 Depot Street, Freeport, ME; https://www.cadenzafreeport.com/     
                 
--Friday, 17 July  7PM
Deer Isle Jazz Festival- Opera House Arts, 1 School Street, Stonington, ME 04681 (the Novel Jazz Septet will be opening for the Afro-Cuban band, the Yosvany Terry Quintet;  https://operahousearts.org/deer-isle-jazz-festival-2026/ )

--Sunday, 19 July      6PM
Bowdoinham Malley Park Series, 1 Main Street, Bowdoinham; https://www.bowdoinham.com/event/2026-sunday-summer-concert-series

Then there are a few other public jazz events of smaller assorted groups to fill all of your July jazz needs:

--Friday, 3 July  3:30-6:30PM
High Tide Restaurant, 275 Main St., Rockland, ME   Hadocol Bouncers (This is associated with the Rockland Great Schooner Races)

--Saturday, 11 July   Noon-2PM
Boothbay Center Common; Pride Festival,  Sheepscot Jazz- Barney and friends (quintet)

--Thursday, 30 July   4:30-6:30PM
Bigelow Laboratory “Big Splash” event (ticketed)  Sheepscot Jazz- Barney and friends (quartet)  https://www.bigelow.org/news/bigsplash/

--Friday, 31 July  4-6PM
Jazz at the Brodis Blueberry Farm, 87 Jones Hill Road, Hope, ME;  Peter Saladino Jazz Trio  (with Barney Balch and Mickey Felder;  https://www.brodisblueberries.com/events )

We’d love to see you for any/all of these July shows. Our full 2026 public schedule is shown below.

As always, thanks for supporting live jazz!

Best summer wishes to you!
Barney Balch