If you believe in the tried-and-true, be aware that there are eight festivals and one jazz party coming up in the next two-and-a-half months that take the prize for longevity and quality jazz. The “beat” starts north of the border in Canada with the 22nd Pentastic Hot Jazz Festival in Penticton, British Columbia (Sept. 7-9).
Ten years before the Pentastic Fest came into being, a group of Northeast Ohio jazz fans formed a club called EARLYJAS (the Earlville Association of Ragtime Lovers for Jazz Advancement and Socialization) that put on a Dixieland festival for the next 25 years. The group reorganized in 2012 as the Grugelfest, named in honor of Ralph Grugel, a former EARLYJAS member and bandleader. This year’s party is appropriately at the Holiday Inn French Quarter in Perrysburg, Ohio, Sept. 7-9.
The end of the month takes us to the high altitude of the Rockies for the Colorado Springs Jazz Party (Sept. 28-30), an event that is currently operating under new management, but actually has a long history that goes back to the legendary Broadmoor Hotel.
Sun Valley, Idaho is the ideal setting for the 29th Jazz & Music Festival (Oct.17-21), especially in the Fall when the aspens are at their colorful best. It’s a five-day event at this historic ski resort, with a wide choice of 40 bands and 200 sets that produce a million smiles for those who make the trek to the high
