Well, this one didn’t exactly turn out as planned…
JUMP, JIVE, & JAZZ (Wilsonville, OR) Mar. 7-8
The second annual jazz and swing mini-festival has been finalized by the popular “Live at the Shrine” dance committee. The event, titled “Jump, Jive & Jazz,” will expand to showcase five bands and two dance floors, with two days of continuous music.
Event Chairperson Earline Dawes said, “After the success of this year’s event, the Al Kader Shrine committee agreed to expand “Jump, Jive & Jazz” to two days. We know that Pacific Northwest jazz audiences are eager for a fun mid-winter festival, and we now have the complete band line up in place.”
Bands will perform from Noon to 7:00 pm on Saturday, March 7, and from Noon to 4:00 pm on Sunday, March 8. The band schedule will soon be announced. Featured bands include: Black Swan Classic Jazz Band with Marilyn Keller, Columbia Classic Jazz Band, Jass Two plus One, James Mason’s Gypsy Hicks, and The John Bennett Dance Band.
Marilyn Keller will be the featured vocalist, and also will perform a Sunday noon Gospel service. Ticket price is $50 per person for both days. Food and beverages are available for purchase both days.
The event is a fund raiser to benefit the Al Kader Shriner’s Oriental Band. The Al Kader Shrine Center is located at 25100 SW Parkway Ave, Wilsonville, OR, approximately 15 miles south of Portland near Interstate 5. Three hotels are located nearby.
Tickets are limited, so we recommend ordering soon. For more information on tickets and lodging, contact Earline Dawes (call/message) at 503-789-5608 or Sarah at Al Kader Shrine Office, 503-682-4420.
JAZZ BASH BY THE BAY (Monterey, CA) – March 6-8
The fortieth annual Jazz Bash By the Bay Monterey takes place March 6 through 8, 2020, in the renovated Conference Center and Portola Hotel & Spa with eight venues and seven dance floors.
Among the world-class musicians who will make Monterey their home once again in 2020 are Blue Street Jazz Band, Bye Bye Blues Boys Band, Carl Sonny Leyland Trio, Clint Baker’s New Orleans Jazz Band, Cornet Chop Suey, Crescent Katz, Don Neely’s Royal Society Jazz Orchestra, Fast Mama Excitement, Holland/Coots Jazz Quintet, Ivory&Gold®, Le Jazz Hot Quartet, Midiri Brothers, Sierra 7, Tom Rigney & Flambeau, We Three, Yve Evans and Company, and Zydeco Flames. Special guests include Bob Draga, Brian Holland, Danny Coots, Dawn Lambeth, Eddie Erickson, Gary Ryan, Jeff Barnhart, Jerry Krahn, and Katie Cavera. Musician of the Year is Marc Caparone.
Kick off Jazz Bash by the Bay on Thursday, March 5, 2020, with a big band dance party featuring Clicktrax Jazz Orchestra at the Portola Hotel and Spa from 7:30 to 11 pm. Admission is $25.00. Also on Thursday, We3, featuring Bob Draga, Jeff Barnhart, and Danny Coots, will be playing from 7 to 8:30 pm. Admission is $30.00. Add the dance for $20 more.
All-event badges, $115 until 12/31; $125 thereafter. Event and single day badges, $25-$75. Order discount Early-Bird All-Event badge before December 31, 2019. Badges can be ordered by phone at 831-754-8786 or 888-349-6879. Download mailable order form at jazzbashmonterey.com; Jazz Bash by the Bay, 177 Webster St., #206, Monterey, CA 93940.
SARASOTA JAZZ FESTIVAL (Sarasota, FL) March 8-14
The fortieth annual Sarasota Jazz Festival, held March 8 through 14, 2020, covers the realms of Blues, Classic, Latin, and Contemporary jazz and takes place at seven different venues: Bayfront Community Center, Holley Hall, Cohen Hall, Municipal Auditorium, Arts Center Sarasota, Burns Court Cinema, and Phillippi Estate Park. Music director is Ken Peplowski.
2020 Sarasota Jazz Festival lineup includes The Manhattan Transfer, Ken Peplowski, Clairdee, Dick Hyman, Russell Malone, Charles McPherson, Houston Person, Terell Stafford, La Lucha (with Mark Feinman, John O’Leary, and Alejandro Arenas), Katt Hefner, Randy Sandke, Bobby Blackmon, Betty Fox, Art Seigel, Jeremy Carter, Gumbi Ortiz, and Frankie Pineiro.
VIP Combo tickets are $400 ($350 for Jazz Club of Sarasota members); event tickets range from $10-$100; park concerts are free. For more information visit sarasotajazzfestival.org. Jazz Club of Sarasota, 330 S. Pineapple Ave, Suite 111 Sarasota, FL 34236; 941-366-1552.
TRIBUTE TO BIX FEST (Racine, WI) – Mar. 12-15
Phil Pospychala announces a partial line-up for the 31st edition of his long-standing gem of a festival (held annually in Racine, Wisconsin), along with a substantial early-bird discount:
“Are you ready for another good time? The Tribute to Bix Fest 2020 is fast approaching. Mark your calendars for March 12th-15th, 2020, Racine, WI. Patron pass only $80 if paid before December 1st, enjoy everything! Andy Schumm’s Cellar Boys, Marla Dixon’s Shake ’Em Up Jazz Band, mystery band, Nicole Wood’s Galaxie Girls and new tap dance treat by Duni, plenty more! Pay in advance through PayPal with [email protected] or the old fashioned way. We hope to see you there!”
Write Phil Pospychala, 15745 W. Birchwood Ln., Libertyville IL 60048-5101 or telephone (847) 996-0246. Visit online at www.bixfest.com.
SOUTH COAST CLAMBAKE MUSIC FESTIVAL (North Bend, OR) – March 13-15
Since 1988 jazz fans have flocked to southwestern Oregon to attend the annual South Coast Clambake Festival now staged at the Mill Casino, in North Bend. The bands play at four different venues—the Salmon Room, Hazel Room, Cedar Room, and Saw Blade—within the hotel owned and operated by the Coquille Indian Tribe. Located on Highway 101, the venue overlooks lovely Coos Bay, an S-shaped water inlet and estuary where the Coos River enters the big bay.
Volunteers from the Bay Area Traditional Society for Jazz (“B.A.T.S for Jazz”) continue to keep the flame burning for Dixieland jazz. This year’s clambake serves a hot mix of traditional jazz, swing, doo-wop, blues, big band and zydeco. Performers will include the Alpha Rhythm Kings, Bay City Swing, Black Market Trust, Dave Bennett Quartet, Ellis Dyson and The Shambles, Gator Nation, Gino & The Lone Gunmen, The Jazz Cartel, Lisa Mann, Steve Lucky and The Rumba Bums, and The Young Bucs.
Early Bird All Event Badge, $97.11 (through Mar. 1); Mar. 1-Mar, 13: Fri. only $38.77; Sat. All Day, $65.28; Through Mar. 1: Sat. before 5 PM, $33.46; Sat. 5 PM-Midnight, $44.06; Sun. only, $33.46; Youth Badge, $22.85 (with ID). (Prices reflect online ticketing fees.)
For info, telephone (541) 267-7665; email [email protected]; or write to P.O Box 374, North Bend, Ore. 97459; or visit clambakejazz.com.
FRENCH QUARTER FESTIVAL (New Orleans, LA) – April 16-19
The 37th annual French Quarter Festival in New Orleans traces its origin to 1984 when it was produced as a way to bring residents back to the Quarter following the World’s Fair and extensive sidewalk repairs in the neighborhood. That humble, hopeful gathering has blossomed into “The World’s Largest Block Party” where visitors can join locals to enjoy the best of Louisiana music, food, and culture, all for free.Featuring more than 800 musicians on 23 stages, five-dozen food-and-beverage vendors, works by New Orleans’ top artists and plenty of kid-friendly attractions, this year’s French Quarter Festival presented by Chevron is all set for April 16 through 19.
Staged over a half-dozen blocks between Bourbon Street and the Mississippi Riverfront, the festival is presnted without fences enclosing the site, so attendees are free to come and go as they would at any block party.
Longtime restaurant participants include Antoine’s, Pat O’Brien’s, Trey Yuen, Tujague’s, Desire Oyster Bar, and Court of Two Sisters.
This year’s musical lineup features well-established combos such as Dejan’s Olympia Brass Band, Bonerama, Banu Gibson, the Rebirth Brass Band, and Don Vappie & The Creole Serenaders.
Neo-jazzers like Aurora Nealand & The Royal Roses will return to French Quarter Fest along with Tuba Skinny and Meschiya Lake & The Little Big Horns.
Dozens of the Crescent City’s most celebrated jazzmen such as Leroy Jones, Tom Saunders & The Tomcats, Wendell Brunious, Tom McDermott & His Jazz Hellions, Tim Laughlin, the Treme Brass Band, the Assunto Dukes, and Tommy Sancton’s New Orleans Legacy Band also appear. Tokyo-born trombonist Haruka Kikuchi can be heard in two different groups, Cha Wa and the all-girl Shake ’Em Up Jazz Band.
And a few Mardi Gras Indian ensembles will strut their colorful stuff and chant their funky anthems, including Big Chief Bo Dollis & The Wild Magnolias and Big Chief Monk Boudreaux & The Golden Eagles. For information, call (504) 522-5730, or visit fqfi.org/frenchquarterfest. —Russ Tarby
JAZZAFFAIR (Three Rivers, CA) – April 17-19
The 47th annual Jazzaffair, hosted by the Sierra Traditional Jazz Club, takes place at three venues in Three Rivers: the Lions Club Arena, the Memorial Building, and St. Anthony’s Retreat.
When the High Sierra Jazz Band (long-time host band at Jazzaffair) announced in September 2018 that the band would retire at Jazzaffair in April 2019, they fully expected that to be the end. Little did they know how much pressure would be exerted on them to continue. They held a meeting and decided unanimously that the band should continue as the Sierra Seven, replacing the retiring HSJB members but playing the same exciting hard-driving West-Coast style.
In addition to the Sierra Seven, the “All New” High Street Party Band, Blue Street Jazz Band, Bob Draga and Friends, Gator Nation, Gino and the Lone Gunmen, Dave Bennett Quartet, Memphis Speed Kings, Reedley River Rats, Carl Sonny Leyland, Dixie Dominus, Tom Rigney and Flambeau, and Holland & Coots Jazz Quintet are scheduled to play.
Early birds’ three-day all-event badges are $110 if postmarked before March 15, $120 thereafter; children attend for free; the Lions Recognition Dinner with Music on Thursday, April 16, is $15. Sponsor Jazzaffair as a Jazz Patron for $500 (two badges, preferred seating, access to hospitality room); be a Band Sponsor for $1000 (four badges, preferred seating, access to hospitality room), be a Jazz Enthusiast for $1500 (six badges, preferred seating, access to hospitality room).
Visit the Sierra Traditional Jazz Club online and download order form: sierratraditionaljazzclub.com; S.T.J.C., PO Box 712, Three Rivers, CA 93271.
ZEHNDER’S RAGTIME FESTIVAL (Frankenmuth, MI) – April 22-25
Zehnder’s 26th Annual Ragtime Festival featuring the pride of Michigan, pianist Bob Milne, will be staged at Zehnder’s of Frankenmuth, 730 S. Main St., in the colorful city nicknamed Little Bavaria. Also called “Muth” for short, the city is located in Saginaw County, in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula, about 22 miles south of Lake Huron. Events include dinner concert on Wednesday, lunch concerts on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Vaudeville Night Thursday, a Friday-night picnic, and a grand finale dinner concert on Saturday. By the way, Zehnder’s serves a world-famous chicken dinner along with tantalizing breads and pastries. Performers for 2020 tentatively include homeboy Bob Milne along with Andrew Ratajczak, Jeff Barnhart, Kerry Price, Bob Seeley, Martin Spitznagel, Bryan Wright, Anne Barnhart, and Dan Petrella.
Ticket prices for individual events range from $16 to $60. Reservations are required for lunch, brunch, and all dinner concerts. For more info or reservations call (844) 288-1484; or visit zehnders.com.
JAZZ PARTY WEEKEND (McCall, ID) – April 24-26
The beautiful Shore Lodge at McCall, Idaho, is again the host venue for the Loehr’s Jazz Party Weekend, which this year takes place over the last weekend in April. A fine roster of musicians has been lined up for the weekend: Paolo Alderighi, Brian Casserly, Josh Collazo, Bobby Durham, Brian Holland, Paul Keller, Bob Leary, Eddie Metz, Jr., Terry Myers, Russ Phillips, Stephanie Trick, Greg Varlotta, Shirley Van Paepeghem, and Rob Verdi.
This is an intimate event, with limited table seating. Reservations should be made soon; the event will sell out quickly. Call (877) 478-5277 to purchase tickets; www.sunvalleyjazz.com.
NEW ORLEANS JAZZ & HERITAGE FESTIVAL (New Orleans, LA) – Apr. 23-May 3
The 51st annual New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival presented by Shell will fondly recall Dr. John the Night Tripper and keyboardist Art Neville, both of whom passed away in 2019. Sets will be performed by some of the world’s best-known musicians on two successive weekends – April 24-26 and May 1-3 – at the Fair Grounds Race Course, in the Mid-City neighborhood at 1751 Gentilly Boulevard.
One of the grandest of America’s many music festivals, this annual Big Easy happening features 12 stages, more than 70 food vendors, regional arts and crafts, interviews, second lines, kids’ activities, demonstrations and cultural displays.
While crowds will flock to main-stage sets by artists including Trombone Shorty, The Who, Stevie Nicks and the Black Crowes, those “in the know” will make their way to the Economy Hall Tent which exclusively showcases traditional jazz and to the Jazz & Heritage Tent which presents New Orleans brass bands and Mardi Gras Indians.
Many of the city’s best jazz revivalists will appear including the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, and Nicholas Payton. Tributes will be performed for the late Dr. John and Art Neville.
This year’s performers also include New Orleans stars such as Aaron Neville, Irma Thomas, Kermit Ruffins, John Boutté, Jon Batiste, Marcia Ball, The Hot 8 Brass Band, Big Freedia, Walter Wolfman Washington, and Sonny Landreth and the Soul Rebels.
The admission price at the gate on opening day is $85 per day for adults, and $5 for kids ages 2 through 10; subsequent gate prices are TBA; a four-day weekend pass costs $275; nojazzfest.com; (504) 410-4100. —Russ Tarby
REDWOOD COAST MUSIC FESTIVAL (Eureka, CA) – May 7-10
This year’s The Redwood Coast Music Festival festival, which takes place in Eureka, California, boasts seven venues: The Adorni Center, Pierson Building Center Stage at The Sequoia Center, The Eagle House Stage at The Inn & 2nd and C, Sun Valley Group Stage at Morris Graves Museum, and The Red Lion Hotel (which is the home base of the festival). Added for 2020 are the Arkley Center For the Performing Arts and the newly restored Eureka Veteran’s Memorial Building. All venues have food, bars, and dance floors—with complimentary shuttles between venues.
Over 30 bands and artists are scheduled to the four-day event, including Marcia Ball, Jon Cleary & The Absolute Monster Gentlemen, Michael Doucet, Ben Polcer’s Swingin’ Six, Brian Casserly, Carl Sonny Leyland, Charlie Halloran & His Tropicales, Chris Cain Blues Band, Cornet Chop Suey, Dave Stuckey & The Hot House Gang, Dave Stuckey’s Hoot Owls, Gator Nation, Gino & The Lone Gunmen, Holland – Coots Jazz Quintet, Josh Collazo, Katie Cavera, Kris Tokarski, Marc Caparone’s Armstrong Allstars, Joel Paterson’s Modern Sounds, Nate Ketner, On The Levee Jazz Band, Reunion Jazz Band, Groovus, Sam Rocha & His Cool Friends, Tom Rigney & Flambeau, Two Tone Steiny & The Cadillacs with Danny Sandoval, Dawn Lambeth, Jonathan Doyle Swingtet, James Mason, Freshwater 450, Charlie Baty, Sugar Ray Norcia, Dale Watson & The Lone Stars, Joel Paterson, Clint Baker Jazz Band, Duke Robillard, Danny Coots, Brian Holland, Sugar Ray & The Bluetones, Dennis Lichtman, The Sactown Playboys, The Uptown Kings, Jake Sanders, Sweet & Low Melody Co., Jenni & David Sweet Soul Band, Hal Smith’s Swing Central, Nice & Easy, Yve Evans & Company, The Tropicali Flames, The Delta Nationals, Jacob Zimmerman, The Yokels, Dan Walton, and the Paula Jones Band.
Advance price for a four-day Adult Pass (over 23 years)is $105; after April 23, $125; a four-day youth pass (ages 13-23) is $35 (ages 12 and under free with adult); through April 23, Prime Time tickets (after 5:00pm Friday or Saturday) are $35; single-day tickets are $40 (Friday), $55 (Saturday), and $30 (Sunday); Thursday night only, $20 (Thursday night events included in four-day pass).
Telephone (707) 445 3378. Open Tuesday & Thursday, 10am-4pm. Please leave message. Send payment to P.O. Box 314, Eureka, CA 95502. State which tickets you want and include your name, mailing address, phone number and email. Checks are payable to RCMF. PayPal options and other information online at www.rcmfest.org; email [email protected]. Please check the hotel page to see if there are ticket packages available from official festival hotels. Special combination packages may be available.
53rd ANNUAL WEST TEXAS JAZZ PARTY (Odessa, TX) – May 17-19
The 2020 West Texas Jazz Party—the 54th annual—will be held at the brand new Odessa Marriott Hotel and Conference Center, May 14-16, 2020. Musicians to appear at the Jazz Party will be announced soon.
Ticket prices are: Single ticket, $250 (all performances); Table, $2500 (all performances). To purchase tickets, please visit wtjs.org or call (432) 217-0765 for details and membership information. The address for the Marriott is 305 East 5th St., Odessa, Texas 79761. Contact the Marriott at (432) 580-5805 to book your rooms at the special Jazz Party rate. wtjs.org
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP OLD-TIME PIANO PLAYING CONTEST & FESTIVAL (Oxford, MS) – May 21-24
Every year over Memorial Day weekend in Oxford, Mississippi, the World Championship Old-Time Piano Playing Contest is held to provide an opportunity for pianists to compete and learn in a stimulating atmosphere, and to educate people about old-time piano music written prior to 1940.
Through the years, the contest has provided more than $60,000 in prize money to more than 500 piano players from across the United States and from five foreign countries. Players in 2020 will compete in three divisions—Regular, Junior & Senior—as they vie for over $6,000 plus trophies—as well as the New Rag Contest, where aspiring composers present their original tunes.
A variety of other activities include workshops, guest artist performances, silent movies, an old-time sing-along, a double-decker bus tour of historic Oxford, and after-hours events every night on the Oxford Square.
For more information, write: Old Time Piano Contest, 350 University Ave., Oxford, MS 38655; [email protected]; telephone 662-915-1282; www.oldtimepianocontest.com.
SCOTT JOPLIN RAGTIME FESTIVAL (Sedalia, MO) – May 27-30
More than 6,000 people attend the Scott Joplin Ragtime Festival each June, turning downtown Sedalia into a turn-of-the-20th century party. The 2020 festival features an emphasis on women in ragtime in honor of the 100th anniversary of Women’s Suffrage.
This year’s scheduled presenters and musicians include Clint Baker, Ramona Baker, Anne Barnhart, Jeff Barnhart, Taslimah Bey, Mimi Blais, Danny Coots, Bill Edwards, Virginia Eskin, Frederick Hodges, Brian Holland, The Kirby Family (Scott, Sara, and Lea), Dave Majchrzak, Larisa Migachyov, David Reffkin, Joyce Richardson, Martin Spitznagel, Squeek Steele, Adam Swanson, Virginia Tichenor, Stephanie Trick, and Bryan Wright..
Ticket pricing not available at press time; Write: Scott Joplin International Ragtime Foundation, P O Box 1244, Sedalia, MO 65302; (660) 826-2271; [email protected]; scottjoplin.org.
JAZZFEST BY THE RIVER (West Sacramento, CA) – June 6 th
A FULL day of fun, music and great food and drink at the historic Sacramento Yacht
Club, featuring eight bands in two venues, both with dance floors! Enjoy a day in (or out)
of the sun along the Sacramento River listening to Todd Morgan and the Emblems,
Two-Tone Steiny and the Cadillacs, Sister Swing, Cocuzzi Courtet, Parker & the Weis
Guys, the HWY 50 Cruisers, and Crescent Katz. Also featured will be local youth trad
band TNT (The New Traditionalists).
Band performances begin at 10AM and end at 8PM. Ticket price is $55 if purchased
before June 1 st – after that, $65. Food and beverages will be available for purchase on
site. Festival organizers Ron and Patti Jones host this event, now in its third year, as a
fundraiser for the Sacramento Yacht Club.
Tickets are limited! For more info and ticket purchase, as well as lodging suggestions,
contact Patti Jones at [email protected] or 916-712-1501.
AMERICA’S CLASSIC JAZZ FESTIVAL (Lacey, WA) – June 25-28
America’s Classic Jazz Festival, hosted by the Greater Olympia Dixieland Jazz Society, returns to the Marcus Pavilion at Saint Martin’s University, 5300 Pacific Avenue SE. Lacey is a suburb of Olympia, in the western part of state of Washington, at the southern end of Puget Sound. The music is staged at four Marcus Pavilion venues with large dance floors, with dance lessons by David and Linda Ensign of Montana. Special features include nearby lodging, on-site RV parking, shuttle service, and parasol parades. Scheduled bands include Black Market Trust, Black Swan featuring Marilyn Keller, Wolverines, Yerba Buena Stompers, Bob Schulz Frisco JB, Ivory & Gold®, Jeff Barnhart with Seattle Style, Tom Rigney & Flambeau, Queen City featuring Wende Harston, Ray Skjelbred & His Cubs,
Sierra Seven, and Grand Dominion.
All-event four-day badge prices cost $115 before May 31, $125 thereafter; three-day badges cost $100 before May 31, $110 thereafter; individual event ticket prices range from $15 to $60. Tickets and sponsorships available at door. Lodging is available at two dozen hotels in the Olympia-Lacey area, and RV parking is available by calling Kayla West (406) 253-3157 or Charlotte Dickison at (360) 943-9123; olyjazz.com; [email protected].
EVERGREEN JAZZ FESTIVAL (Evergreen, CO) – July 24-26
Located just 30 minutes southwest of Denver, the scenic mountain community of Evergreen provides an idyllic setting for the 3-day event. Five distinctive, intimate venues ranging from a church to a bar and grill give audiences a delightful variety of up-close-and-personal listening experiences.
This year’s invited performers include five Denver-based bands, After Midnight, the Queen City Jazz Band with Wende Harston, Hot Tomatoes Dance Orchestra, Joe Smith and The Spicy Pickles, and
LAPOMPE. Others featured will be the Carl Sonny Leyland Trio, the Felonius Smith Trio, Holland-Coots Swingin’ West, Louis Ford & His New Orleans Flairs, and The Dalton Ridenhour Trio.
All tickets purchased online can be picked up at Evergreen Jazz Festival Will-Call at the Evergreen Elks Lodge beginning Friday, July 24 at 11 am. Discounted prices through June 30: Festival Pass (All 3 Days): $110; Friday Session Ticket (All Day): $65; Friday Evening: $30; Saturday Pass (All Day): $95; Saturday Day or Evening Session Ticket: $75; Sunday Session Ticket: $65. Student and Active Military (with ID): Festival Pass (All 3 Days): $50; Individual Sessions (Half Day): $20..
For ticketing, venue, and lodging information, please call 303-697-5467 or visit evergreenjazz.org; [email protected].
