Al is the founder, organizer, and Event Chair of the Brass City Jazz Fest (the first ever), which he started in 2018. He is the president of ACT Jams Productions, with the mission of "Keeping Great Music Alive!" Al also produces the syndicated weekly radio program "The Groove Show," which airs on Smooth Jazz / CD1019.com New York, 102.5 FM WJTI Smooth Jazz / Milwaukee, Smooth Jazz / Florida.com, 100.7 FM The Wave Daytona / WDJZ.com, and more. He is an artist consultant, host, and producer of contemporary jazz concerts and an assistant programmer for CD101.9 New York. Al has been an integral part of the Boscov’s Berks Jazz Fest since 2015, hosting shows in the DoubleTree Cheers Lounge and co-producing "Al Taylor’s Artist Spotlight." Along with his wife, he is also the founder of the Western Connecticut Autism Speaks Walk.
About the festival
Waterbury is up on jazz
A free outdoor jazz festival in the heart of the Brass City — built by ACT Jams Productions and the city it calls home.
Founded in 2018 by Al Taylor, the Brass City Jazz Fest has brought Billboard-charting contemporary and smooth-jazz artists to Downtown Waterbury every summer. A look back at recent festivals:
Who runs the fest
The team behind the music
Barbara coordinates the festival’s food, craft, and business vendors through Main Street Waterbury, handling applications, approvals, and payment from the office at 83 Bank Street, 4th Floor, in Waterbury.
Helen Taylor
Volunteer Coordinator
Helen leads the volunteer corps that keeps the festival running, from merchandise and artist hospitality to the photography and videography teams that document each year.
Festival history
Who's played the Brass City
Vincent Ingala
Saxophone · 2024 Headliner, Connecticut native
Vincent Ingala (#1 Billboard Smooth Jazz Artist of the Year 2023, saxophonist and producer) returned to his roots performing in Waterbury. One of the fastest-emerging contemporary jazz recording artists in recent history — a multi-instrumentalist, composer, and producer — he has notched eight number-one hits on the Billboard Smooth Jazz Chart and twenty songs in the Billboard Smooth Jazz Top 10 since his 2010 debut, "North End Soul." A Yamaha Performing Artist, he is a regular on the smooth-jazz festival and cruise circuit.
Barry Eastmond
Producer & Keyboards · 2024
One of the most prolific R&B / pop songwriter-producers, Barry Eastmond has over sixty gold, platinum, and multi-platinum albums and cumulative sales of more than 80 million copies. His credits include hit records for Anita Baker, Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, Billy Ocean, Al Jarreau, George Benson, and many more — with songs such as "You Are My Lady," "When The Going Gets Tough," and "There’ll Be Sad Songs."
Ragan Whiteside
Flute & Vocals · 2024
Flute-playing soul-jazz phenomenon Ragan Whiteside is one of the genre’s most consistently dynamic artists. In 2022 she became the first artist to win Best Contemporary Jazz Artist at the inaugural Jazz Music Awards, and she is a 2023 NAACP Image Award nominee. The Atlanta-based musician, songwriter, and vocalist has garnered nine consecutive Top Ten Billboard airplay singles as an independent artist on Randis Music, the label she founded.
JJ Sansaverino
Guitar · 2024
New York guitarist JJ Sansaverino has multiple Billboard-charting singles — including a #1 with "Style and Elegance" — and five acclaimed albums, reaching millions with his "Benson meets Santana" style. A Berklee graduate, he has shared the stage with Maceo Parker, Gerald Albright, Randy Brecker, Sean Paul, Rick Braun, and the Marley family, and performed for Sir Paul McCartney’s wedding in 2002.
Get in touch
Questions about the fest?
Reach the festival team directly — we'd love to hear from you.