Melissa Walker began her music career as a singer, but that has grown into so much more over the 15-year run of the Montclair Jazz Festival that runs today (September 14) from noon to 8pm.
Walker is the co-founder of the Montclair Jazz Festival with her husband and Grammy-winning bassist Christian McBride.
The CEO and founder of Jazz House Kids, spoke to WBGO's Doug Doyle about the festival becoming a beloved community event filled with musical talent from all over.
"One of the things we want to do is introduce to our fans and the public to talent they may not already know. We like to have these surprises. On our downstage stage, we bring out the veterans. I think at its heart, this music is folk music. This music is passed down. When I was starting off as a singer I was struck by this comradery between artists of all ages really sharing in this music. For as serious as this music is, it has a very social element to it. It's about community."
You can see the entire interview with Melissa Walker here.
