Bay State Hot Jazz Festival coming to Medford's Condon Shell

If you want to know the importance of really good band directors, just ask Annie Linders.

She was in middle school when she joined her first jazz band and 20, or so, years later she is still playing jazz and is now the moving force behind this month’s free Bay State Hot Jazz Festival.

Formerly known as the Medford Trad Jazz Festival, the show is a two-day affair, Aug. 23 and 24, running from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. both days at the Condon Shell, 2501 Mystic Valley Parkway.

The sure-to-be roistering, daytime party will celebrate New Orleans style pre-war jazz and feature eight bands across the two days. 

Saturday’s showcase includes the Busted Jug Band, kazoo-, washboard-, mandolin- and banjo-uke-playing group of guys in top hats and derbies inspired by the street bands of the early 20th century. Also taking the stage will be 440, Rahsaan Cruse Jr., and the Whozit/Whatzit All Star Band.

Linders' own band, Annie & The Fur Trappers, will headline Sunday, but the legendary Jim Kweskin will also take the stage. Best known as the founder of the 1960s Jim Kweskin Jug Band, the American folk, jazz and blues player will perform with the Saturday Night Berlin Hall Revue playing songs from their newest album, along with other timeless classics. 

The She Bop Swing Orchestra and the Orleans Kids will also be featured Sunday. 

How it got started

Linders said when she first moved to the Bay State she settled on Main Street in Medford and would pass the Condon Shell during her commute. After repeatedly thinking that someone should use the shell for a music festival, she made a call about renting it, she said. 

“It was pretty affordable,” Linders said. “So, I thought, ‘I’ll just call some of my friends' bands and see if they'll come in and play for tips.’” And they did, and that, Linders said, was how it all got started.

Three years in and working with a planning committee now, Linders admits it's a bit more work. 

The first year about 150 people showed up, she said, and the next year it grew a little more and they grew as well.  

“Last year was the first year we had a beer vendor, so that was a cool addition,” she said.  

This year they’re working with an actual promoter, and they’ve added a food truck vendor as well. While festival goers are encouraged to bring picnics and coolers, this year they could also choose to grab a taste of New Orleans from the Revelry N’awlins Cuisine food truck. Medford Brewing Company will also be on hand serving up micro brews.

What to expect

More Louis Armstrong, less Miles Davis, she said.

Linders, who grew up in St. Louis, said she didn’t really get into what she calls “hot jazz” until she graduated from college.

“I started with the big band era, then throughout school … I kept getting more modern,” she said. “When I finally graduated, I did a one-eighty and went straight back to the roots of the music, back to the 1920s and 30s.”

She said the older she gets, and she’s in her mid 30s, the further back she travels in regard to jazz roots and the more her music is influenced by it. Linders said right now she’s studying ragtime, which was popular in the late 1800s and early 1900s

“It's been kind of a fun journey with this music and everything,” she said. 

And it's that journey that is sprinkled throughout the festival. 

Because she’s working with a promoter this year, Linders said, she is hoping to see a larger crowd, but large or small, expect a community vibe. She said part of the fun is that there are not a whole lot of people that play the early jazz style,  so it’s become a very welcoming, tight-knit community. 

“Everybody who plays this music kind of knows each other, even if you live in California,” she said. 

As for the actual event, Linders said if people show up before noon they should expect to find a lot of parents and kids. By early afternoon it will transition to swing dancers dancing on the grass, she said. 

“It’s very much a laid-back vibe, but very festive and kind of exciting too,” Linders said. 

The music, she stresses, is for all ages. She’d even love to see folks bused in from local assisted living places, if possible, because it would be a nice thing to do and it would add to the community vibe.

If you're not sure if you like pre-war jazz or even know what that is, head down to the Condon Shell anyway because, Linders said, “It's totally free … you have nothing to lose by coming by.”

The Schedule

Saturday, August 23, 2025; 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.

440 – Expands the gypsy jazz tradition of Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli with swinging sounds of the 1920s, 30s and 40s, featuring violin and clarinet.

Rahsaan Cruse, Jr. –  a rising vocalist/songwriter, who was first inspired by his grandmother, a member of the esteemed gospel aggregation Shepherd Singers.

The Busted Jug Band – Kazoos, washboards, slide guitar and more focused on the street bands of the early 20th Century

The Whozit/Whatzit All Star Band – all are leaders of their own bands.

Sunday, August 24, 2025; 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.

The She Bop Swing Orchestra – A professional all-female/gender non-binary swing band based in the greater Boston area focuses on the classics from Duke Ellington, Count Basie, and Benny Goodman, alongside more modern tunes.

Jim Kweskin and the Saturday Night Berlin Hall Revue will perform songs from their newest album, among other timeless classics

Orleans Kids – Focusing on repertoire from the 1920's by Louis Armstrong, King Oliver, Jelly Roll Morton, Bix Beiderbecke. The band is led by New York City's Alex Owen, who lived in New Orleans for seven years.

Annie and the Fur Trappers — Linders’ band will headline the day playing a blend of classic trad jazz, blues, and swing music.