Dumpstaphunk will bring New Orleans funk to the festival. Above, Ivan Neville on the keyboards.

The 13th annual Springfield Jazz & Roots Festival is happening for two days only on Friday, July 10, and Saturday, July 11. Taking place at Court Square in downtown Springfield, it is more than a free musical event; it is a cultural experience aimed at bringing together the many communities of a city that thrives because of its people.

Established and organized by Kristin Neville, the festival is informed by Neville’s love of her years in New Orleans, where she lived with her husband Charles, famed musician and one of the Neville Brothers. Charles Neville died in 2018. Carrying on in his tradition, which identified music as a catalyst in building community, Kristin Neville, through her organization Blues to Green, created a festival that is spirited in every sense of the word.

The festival embodies Charles Neville’s artistry as well as the vibes of a city working hard to build a future. Performers include regional and local musicians Lexi Weege, Zaccai Curtis, Malado! and Chestina Thrower. Coming from outside of New England are Dumpstaphunk (Ivan Neville and Ian Neville and Tony Hall), Omar Sosa and Etienne Charles.

Kristin Neville spoke to the Banner about the festival, Blues to Green and how music is a foundation of culture.

Banner: Tell us about what’s happening at the festival this year.

Neville: We’re celebrating the African diaspora and featuring jazz, blues and funk: Afro-Caribbean music and Latin and world music. Local and international artists will be performing.

We’re also going to screen two films made locally: “Ashes in My Neighborhood” and “Beyond the Storm.” “Beyond the Storm” is a short documentary from Blues to Green that reflects on climate injustice, displacement and community resilience through the experiences of Puerto Rican families and other local voices in Holyoke and Springfield. Part of the film looks back at Hurricane Maria and the upheaval and migration that followed. Part of it stays rooted here in western Massachusetts, where people continue to navigate the everyday realities of environmental inequality while building connection, care and belonging.

How did you get started doing this festival?

A major motivation was being in New Orleans and seeing how music can be used to effect positive change. Charles and I relocated to western Mass. and then a few of us got involved in discussing artistic possibilities and ways to collaborate with other presenters in New England.

What’s unique about Springfield as a venue?

Springfield is not a huge city, but it is the largest city in western Massachusetts. We’re two and a half hours from New York City and an hour and a half from Boston, so it’s kind of centrally located. It is a culturally vibrant place. There is a generosity here. Strong African American and also Latino communities. We’re surrounded, too, by rural and semi-rural areas and college towns. Having a festival in Springfield was a way to bring these different groups together. To break down the separation and segregation. To show a bright, positive Springfield; the richness of that. The festival spotlights this through the music and creates something accessible to everyone.

Tell us about Blues to Green, the nonprofit behind the event.

Blues to Green is an arts space-based organization using music and other arts to bring people together to celebrate music and arts of the Black diaspora. We address social and environmental issues and serve as a cultural catalyst to establish cross-cultural understanding.

How can people get and stay involved in this work? Like the Blues and Green Jazz Club.

Jazz Club is a new offering this year and a way for people to become a sustaining member of the organization through a donation. We operate year-round and our main program is the festival, but we also have the Legacy Education Program that brings artists into the schools to show Black music and history and culture. At the festival itself, we have a Jazz Club Members Lounge with some food and refreshments. It’s an air-conditioned space.

ON THE WEB

For more information visit springfieldjazzfest.com/#jazz-club