The Melrose Messenger

Melrose Jazz Fest Returns for the Second Year

By Ellen Putnam

This Sunday afternoon, Follow Your Art Community Studios will be hosting the second annual Melrose Jazz Fest. Music fans and visitors looking to enjoy great music and a relaxed atmosphere can attend for part or all of the free event. Five bands that feature Melrose musicians and other local talent will each play for an hour between 3pm and 8pm.

Melrose High School junior Oren Santillo, who is known in the community for his work as a jazz pianist, organized the first Melrose Jazz Fest last year, and is organizing this year’s event as well.

Santillo explained that last year’s Jazz Fest happened on a very short timeline. “I saw that April 30th was International Jazz Day,” he said, “and I started planning about a month before. It was kind of crazy.” With the support of Kris Rodolico, Follow Your Art’s executive director, “we were able to pull together four bands,” said Santillo, and two hundred visitors stopped by during the four-hour event.

“With more time to plan, we knew this year would be even better,” Santillo added.

Santillo said that he has been playing the piano “my whole life,” and has played in many different styles. Six years ago, his teacher introduced him to jazz, and he has been playing jazz with different combinations of friends ever since. Santillo often plays around Melrose as part of The Peanut Gallery, and he will be performing with the Oren Santillo Jazz Collective during Jazz Fest.

Melrose jazz fans will also recognize Joe Mulholland, who will be performing as part of the Joe Mulholland Sextet. Mulholland teaches at Berklee College of Music and can often be found performing as a soloist and with other musicians in Melrose and beyond. Betty’s Bounce, the Jon Bean Quartet, and Gateway Jaz will round out the list of performers.

The La Cabaña food truck will be parked outside Follow Your Art during the event, and Green Street Grooves will be selling vinyl records on site.

To learn more about Melrose Jazz Fest, follow them on social media.

Posted April 30th, 2025