The website for the 36th Sun Valley Jazz Festival describes the annual event in the Idaho Rockies as a vibrant celebration of music. Over the years, the Festival has been a dynamic and intimate gathering where music lovers and artists alike come together to celebrate the joy of jazz while continuing a cherished tradition that has thrived for over three decades in a world-class resort area.
The Festival schedule is like a smorgasbord of music that delights, refreshes and entices each and every listener. Four venues (three in The Inn, plus Satchmo’s); 130 sets over four days; 47 musicians; a 21-member Big Band Bash (led by Terry Myers); a taste of the Blues; Gospels; Banjomanics; tributes to Miles Davis and Jerry Lee Lewis; clarinet clambake; and dance lessons. Concluding the music sessions is a 90-minute Grande Finale which ends with a big band on stage playing the Festival’s theme song, “Moonlight Seranade.” An Afterglow dinner and dance wraps up the weekend Sunday evening.
Two groups will be making their first-ever appearances at the Festival. San Lyon is a Los Angeles-based Swing Jazz quartet. Their music is a mix of early 20th Century Parisian Gypsy Swing and American jazz standards as well as original vintage-inspired songs. They have been playing together since 2019 and have recorded several albums. Mentored by Katie Cavera, members of the group hail from San Antonio, Santiago, Chile and Lyon, France.
Established in 2017, the Alpha Rhythm Kings have caught the attention of music fans all over the globe, from the Greystone Mansion in Beverly Hills, to performances in Hungary, Austria, Germany, and back to the USA to play at the Grammy Awards Nominee-San Francisco Chapter Celebration with their high-energy vibes and exciting, king-size California sound.
Co-directors Jeff and Carol Loehr are quick to point out that “It is important that people hear jazz live. This experience of telling the story of America’s music is our passion. We all get to be part of this history while it’s still in the making. You tell people how much fun it is and that they need to come to Sun Valley. Part of our mission is also to keep jazz alive for generations to come It will continue as long as we all do our part to provide a place for these dedicated artists to express themselves and expose us to this art form called Jazz.”
Tom Hazzard
The idea for holding a jazz festival in Sun Valley came from the creative mind of Carol Loehr’s father, Tom Hazzard. Tom grew up sneaking into jazz clubs and speakeasies to listen to music during Prohibition, which led to a lifelong love of jazz. In 1988, driving home to Boise with his wife Barbara after attending a jazz festival in California, he came up with the concept of a five-day party at the Sun Valley Resort, complete with marching band salutes, big band bashes, and Swing dancers cutting a rug into the wee hours of the morning. Two years later, the Sun Valley Swing ’n’ Dixie Jazz Festival was born. Over the succeeding three-plus decades, it has continued to delight festival goers from all 50 states, every Canadian province and a multitude of foreign countries. That same energy and spirit that inspired Tom Hazzard to create the Festival is now being carried on by his family. Tom was also a founder of the Idaho Jazz Society.
Sun Valley and the Resort
Sun Valley is the first destination-ski resort to be built in the United States. It was a pet project of Averill Harriman of the Union Pacific Railroad, who in 1935 enlisted the help of Austrian Count Felix Schaffgottsch to scout the Western United States for the ideal spot for a grand American resort. The Count’s odyssey took him to many mountainous areas throughout the West, all of which were rejected.
On returning East with no location to recommend, he happened upon the old mining town of Ketchum in the picturesque Sawtooth Mountains of Southern Idaho and was overwhelmed by what he saw. He wired Harriman: “This area combines more delightful features for a winter resort than any place I have ever seen in Switzerland, Austria or the United States.”
Harriman rushed to join him and purchased 4,300 acres of what was to become Sun Valley. Capitalizing on the stunning scenery and diverse terrain, the resort opened in the winter of 1936 after only seven months of construction and included a four-story mountain lodge complete with a glass-enclosed pool, ice skating rink, luxurious accommodations, world-class cuisine, impeccable service and nightly orchestra performances.
Sun Valley has since become a year-round tourist mecca that annually attracts a quarter-million visitors. Over the years, the resort has stood the test of time with modern upgrades and a tasteful touch of class. It has retained the small-town flavor of a Swiss village and especially attracts people seeking an active lifestyle. For the foodies, there are a ton of delectable restaurants five minutes down the road in Ketchum.
Call for Tickets and Lodging
For tickets to the 36th annual Sun Valley Jazz Festival, call 1-877-478-5277; for lodging at the special Festival rate at Sun Valley Village, call 1-800-786-8259. Daily badges are only sold on site. Day passes will be available for purchase online at the end of August.
You’re in the mountains (elevation 5,945). Expect the weather in mid-October to be mildly cool and breezy, with average temperatures to range from a low in the low 40s to a high in the 60s. Best to dress in layers as the temperature fluctuates; have a jacket for the possible evening chill.
How to get to Sun Valley
Roughly 90% of the Festival attendees will come from outside of the Sun Valley-Boise area and will probably fly into Boise, rent a car and drive the 155 miles to Sun Valley. There is an airport in Hailey (SUN), which is 15 miles from Sun Valley, but is served by a limited number of airlines.
The Loehrs are optimistic about the future of the Festival, pointing out that more people today are reaching senior age and therefore have more time for leisure activities. “Word-of-mouth is our best form of advertising,” the co-directors point out. “People who come to Sun Valley for the Festival will invariably come back for future festivals, which have taken on more of the jazz party format.”
With an estimated 1,200-plus jazz fans expected to show up this coming October 16-19, making the trek to Southern Idaho for the annual Sun Valley Jazz Festival as the aspens and maples are turning is an experience one should not miss. I know I may sound like the local Chamber of Commerce, but thank you, Jeff and Carol Loehr, and thanks to all who had a part in keeping Tom Hazzard’s dream alive.
Lew Shaw started writing about music as the publicist for the famous Berkshire Music Barn in the 1960s. He joined the West Coast Rag in 1989 and has been a guiding light to this paper through the two name changes since then as we grew to become The Syncopated Times. 47 of his profiles of today's top musicians are collected in Jazz Beat: Notes on Classic Jazz.Volume two, Jazz Beat Encore: More Notes on Classic Jazz contains 43 more! Lew taps his extensive network of connections and friends throughout the traditional jazz world to bring us his Jazz Jottings column every month.
