The Center City Jazz Festival is back after a three-year COVID hiatus

When we first met in 2012, Ernest Stuart was a 28-year-old trombonist frustrated by the opportunities provided to jazz musicians in Philadelphia, raising funds via Kickstarter and uncertain whether the inaugural Center City Jazz Festival would happen at all.

By 2015 he was looking back on a sold-out year and the memorable attendance of then-Mayor Michael Nutter. Three years later he was planning the 2018 edition long-distance from Indianapolis, where he was living with his wife and newborn son.

After more than a decade, discussing the latest Center City Jazz Festival with Stuart feels like a way of charting his personal growth as much as taking the pulse of the event.

This year my call found Stuart living in Manhattan’s East Village, juggling a kindergartner and a new full-time job as program director for the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation. It was also our first conversation in three years, following the festival’s pandemic-induced hiatus.

On April 22, the ninth annual Center City Jazz Festival will finally pick up where the 2019 edition left off.

The CCJF was particularly unimaginable during that era of lockdowns and social distancing. While the lineup of musicians is always stellar — this year featuring legendary pianist George Cables, adventurous bassist Dezron Douglas, vibraphonist Sasha Berliner, and virtuoso guitarist Pasquale Grasso, alongside Philly favorites like Anthony Tidd, Nazir Ebo, James Santangelo, Joanna Pascale, and Jeannie Brooks, among others — the draw of this festival has always been the energy of the event itself, with lively crowds packing the clubs clustered around Sansom Street.

“A virtual event just wouldn’t be the same,” Stuart said. “Once you start messing with the communal aspect of this festival, you lose the vibe that makes it really special.”

Despite his relocations and new opportunities, Stuart has never considered relaunching his festival in a new locale. “Philly and the Philly jazz scene are at the center of who I am,” he said. “I can’t overstate how important all those hours I spent in Ortlieb’s until 5:00 in the morning were when I was still forming my identity.”

From the beginning, the CCJF has been Stuart’s way of giving back to the city and the scene. He’s long objected to the way that other festivals shunt “local musicians” off to smaller side stages in favor of big-name touring acts. At CCJF, Philly artists are the attractions, on par with the out-of-towners.

“This festival is not about the individual parts,” Stuart said. “It’s about the whole. I had a theory that if you consistently book good things, people would stop wondering and just show up. If you know the artists’ names, great; if not, it’s still going to be cool.”

That’s not to suggest that Stuart isn’t interested in growing the festival. This year, the CCJF is presented by WRTI and has found producing partners in Jazz Philadelphia, Peco, and Turtle Studios. With these organizations on board, Stuart has his eye on expanding — something that’s been part of the conversation since the beginning.

“I don’t know that it needs to remain the Center City Jazz Festival. Jazz musicians on the scene have been talking about a Philadelphia International Jazz Festival for a long time, and I think we can begin taking steps towards that.”

The Center City Jazz Festival takes place April 22 at multiple venues. For details and tickets, visit www.ccjazzfest.com.