This is the Roundup from way back in May 2016, for the latest month look for “Events” in our menu.
RED CAT JAZZ FESTIVAL. (Galveston, Texas.) – May 5-8.The sixth annual Red Cat Jazz Festival hosted by the Red Cat Jazz Preservation Society, Inc.is staged at Oleander Bowl at Moody Gardens, just south of Offatts Bayou in Galveston. Performers include Kermit Ruffins, Chris Mitchell, Mike Phillips, Alex Bugnon, Theresa Grayson, Gerald Albright, Karen Briggs, Joey Sommerville, Marion Meadows, Michael Ward, Mindi Abair, and Jessi J.
Day pass prices range from $42 to $130; ticket prices for individual event range from $37 to $68; (713) 226-7870;
[email protected]; RedCatJazz.com.
BUNNY BERIGAN JAZZ JUBILEE (Fox Lake, Wisc.) – May 13-15.
Roland “Bunny” Berigan was one of the most charismatic trumpeters of all time. Now his humble hometown of Fox Lake, Wisc., celebrates his short life with a three-day jubilee. In addition to more than 20 hours of jazz, swing and Dixieland favorites, the event includes presentations about Berigan’s contributions to jazz and swing. The festival stages concerts throughout Fox Lake, located 55 miles north of Chicago, Ill. Venues include Moose’s Root Beer Stand, the Fox Lake Community Center, Mullin’s Drive-In and the American Legion Hall._Headliners are the Bob Schulz Mid-West All-Stars, the St. Louis Stompers, the Kaye Berigan 5-Tet, the Monday Morning Dixie Band, and the Matt Miller Jazz Trio. There will be a Dixieland Graveside Service at Bunny’s resting place at Annunciation Cemetery.
If purchased in advance, weekend passes cost $105 and daily tickets cost $30. For info, contact jubilee chairperson Julie Fleming at_920-928-6094; [email protected]; bunnyberiganjazzjubilee.com.
COON-SANDERS NIGHTHAWKS FANS’ BASH. (Huntington, W.Va.) – May 13-14.
Celebrating the music of the legendary Coon Sanders Nighthawks Orchestra, these free-wheeling jam sessions – which have a proud 48-year history – are staged at the Grand Salon of the Pullman Plaza Hotel, in Huntington, West Virginia, at the confluence of the Guyanotte and Ohio rivers. Admission is free! Assembled in 1919 in Kansas City by Carleton Coon and Joe Sanders, the 10-piece combo reached its peak between 1926 and 1932. Live performances at the Muehlebach Hotel in K.C. were broadcast over WDAF, a radio station which could be received throughout the United States. In later years, the orchestra held forth at the Blackhawk restaurant in Chicago giving performances that were aired on WGN. The orchestra’s top Victor recordings included “Nighthawk Blues” and “Flamin’ Mamie.” The bash’s jam-session format allows musicians to move on and off the stage as they desire, reports President Dale Jones. Musicians for 2016 TBA. The Pullman Plaza Hotel is located in Huntington at 1001 Third Ave., (304) 525-1001. The entertainment is free and open to the public and will likely run from 6 until 11 p.m. both nights. “Last year, the hotel treated us very well and we were able to order food from the menu,” Jones noted; (304) 633-5241; [email protected].
JACKSONVILLE JAZZ FESTIVAL. (Jacksonville, Fla.) – May 26-29.
Experience the heart of Downtown Jacksonville as it comes alive with the sounds of Snarky Puppy, Jon Batiste & Stay Human, Yellowjackets, and more at the 2016 Jacksonville Jazz Festival this Memorial Day weekend. Join the City of Jacksonville May 26 – 29, 2016 and experience three stages of live entertainment, local food, drinks, shopping and more in Downtown Jacksonville. _For over 30 years the Jazz Fest has become one of the largest jazz festivals in the country offering a fun and vibrant street festival atmosphere and this year you can experience it throughout 15 blocks of downtown.
jacksonvillejazzfest.com.
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP OLD-TIME PIANO PLAYING CONTEST. (Oxford, Miss.) – May 26-30.
Since its inception as a fundraiser for the Monticello Railway Museum in 1975, the World Championship Old-time Piano Playing Contest and Festival sought to educate the general public about Ragtime melodies and other popular music written prior to 1930. It recently relocated from Illinois to Mississippi and all competitions, workshops and concerts take place at Nutt Auditorium in the Music Building on the campus of the University of Mississippi in Oxford. Ole Miss is located in the north-central hills of Mississippi. The Silent Movie Box Lunch and Grand Old Flag Brunch are in the Band Hall. The Tune–Ups, Bus Tour Luncheon, Dinner with the Champion and Ring of Ragtime are located around the Lafayette County Courthouse square. Featured pianists include last year’s winner, Adam Swanson, plus Paul Asaro, Jeff Barnhart, Mimi Blais, Bill Edwards, Brian Holland, Sue Keller, Marty Sammon, and Bryan White, among others. California-born Multi-instrumentalist “Blind Boy” Paxton will conclude the weekend’s events with a concert at 7 p.m. concert playing guitar, banjo, piano and violin to cleverly recreate the blues idiom of the 1920s and ’30s.
All-events badges cost $70 in advance, or $105 after May 1; admission prices for individual events range from $10 to $35. For contest info, contact [email protected]; Festival Board President Ted Lemen: (815) 922-3827.
SACRAMENTO MUSIC FESTIVAL. (Sacramento, Calif.) – May 27-30.
Every Memorial Day Weekend since 1974, Old Sacramento and more than a dozen other downtown venues have hosted one of the area’s biggest parties of the year. Originally known as the Old Sacramento Dixieland Jazz Jubilee, the festival has expanded into other styles of music in addition to classic jazz and swing. This will be the 43rd edition of what many fans consider the granddaddy of jazz festivals hosted by the Sacramento Traditional Jazz Society. The event’s three dozen performers include all-stars Bill Allred, Banu Gibson, Paolo Alderighi and Greg Varlotta along with bands such as Beaufunk with Michael Jeffries, Clint Baker’s Hot Five, Cornet Chop Suey, Crescent Katz, Dave Bennett and the Memphis Speed Kings, High Sierra JB, Fulton Street JB, High Street Blue, Lisa Haley & the Zydekats, Mick Martin & the Blues Rockers, Midnight Rose Jazz Band, Mumbo Gumbo, stride pianist Stephanie Trick, The Rhythm Vandals, Todd Morgan & the Emblems, Tom Rigney & Flambeau, Latin Touch, and from Poland, Dixie Company Jazz Band. The parade has been moved to 10 a.m. Saturday.
$116.49 all-event pass; $315.99/VIP; daily passes range from $41.94 to $48.24; sacmusicfest.com; (916) 444-2004.
GRAND INTERNATIONAL RAGTIME FESTIVAL SPRING FLING (Alexandria Bay, N.Y.) –May 27-29.
Located in the heart of the Thousand Islands, on the lovely St. Lawrence River in Upstate New York, the Grand International Ragtime Jazz Festival Spring Fling blooms toward the end of May every year, at Alexandria Bay’s Bonnie Castle Resort. Festival directors are husband-and-wife Wayne and Nancy Pauli, who are affiliated with the Kitchener-Waterloo Dixieland Jazz Club, in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada.
This year’s Spring Fling bands include the JazzHappensBand from Cortland, N.Y., the Jon Seiger Trio from Rochester, N.Y. and the Mardi Gras Spirit Brass Band from Alex Bay, N.Y. Piano soloists will be Prof. Don Burns, Jack Hutton, Jon Seiger, and British stride pianist Neville Dickie. This year’s themes are “Back to the Rags” and “Fats Meets Satch.” Trumpeter Jon Seiger, who is internationally known for his perfect imitations of Satchmo’s vocals and horn playing, will present “Songs & Stories about Louis Armstrong You May Not Know.”
Festival admission costs $135; (519) 744-2665; email [email protected]. For room reservations, call the resort at 1-800-955-4511 or 1-315-482-4511. For festival info, visit alexbayjazz.wordpress.com.
SCOTT JOPLIN RAGTIME FESTIVAL. (Sedalia, Mo.) – June 1 – 4.
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 weeklong celebration of Scott Joplin’s music takes place at the historic Hotel Bothwell, which opened in 1926. The Katy Depot Historic Site, one of the largest train depots between Kansas City and St . Louis, is only a mile away. The festival stages several free concerts, while some are ticketed. You can take lessons to learn the steps to the dances such as the Grizzly Bear, Turkey Trot, Bunny Hug, and Camel Walk. Audience members are also invited to show off their skills tickling the ivories. This year’s featured pianists are Tom Brier, Phillip Dyson, Frank LiVolsi, and Sue Keller.
Individual concert ticket prices range from $20 to $32; (660) 826-2271; scottjoplin.org.
RIVERSIDE JAZZ PARTY. (Boise, Idaho) – June 3-5.
Jeff and Carol Loehr, directors of the Sun Valley Jazz & Music Festival, host this late-spring jazz bash at The Riverside Hotel in Boise, Idaho. The hotel’s Sapphire Room will sparkle with 21 hours of music beginning at 5 p.m. Friday and continuing until 3 p.m. Sunday. Artists will be mixed and matched as they effortlessly float across wide spectrum of American music styles. This year’s performers include trumpeter Charlie Bertini, singer SherriLynn Colby, bassists Bobby Durham and Sam Rocha, pianists Yve Evans, Jason Wanner and Tom Hook, trombonists Jim Fryer and Greg Varlotta, drummers Paul Johnson and Ed Metz Jr., reedmen Nate Ketner and Terry Myers, and guitarist/banjoman Bob Leary.
Table seating is available at prices ranging from $239 to $339; sunvalleyjazz.com/riverside-jazz-party; (877) 478-5277.
AMERICA’S CLASSIC JAZZ FESTIVAL. (Lacey, Wash.) – June 23-26.
The 26th annual festival at the Marcus Pavilion at Saint Martin’s University, 5300 Pacific Avenue SE, is hosted by the Greater Olympia Dixieland Jazz Society. Lacey is a suburb of O-Town, in the western part of state of Washington, at the southern end of Puget Sound. The music is staged at four Marcus Pavilion venues – three for dancing, one for listening – and dance lessons will demonstrate the Balboa, Foxtrot and Charleston. Special features include nearby lodging, on-site RV parking, shuttle service, parasol parades, a swing set, and After Glow Party. Pacific Northwest favorites such as Uptown Lowdown from Bellevue will be featured along with jazz greats such as Grand Dominion, Yerba Buena Stompers, St. Louis Rivermen, Jeff Barnhart & Charlotte’s Boys, Bob Schulz Frisco Jazz Band, The Black Swan Classic JB, Tom Hook and the Terriers, Fat Babies, High Sierra, and the Graystone Monarchs. Tom Rigney and Flambeau will cover the Cajun and zydeco two steps, and jazz singer Joep Peeters from Breda, Holland, will also entertain.
All-event badge prices range from cost $90 to $150; individual event ticket prices range from $15 to $50. Lodging is available at two dozen hotels in the Olympia-Lacey area, and RV parking is available; olyjazz.com; (360) 705 3024; [email protected].
ELKHART JAZZ FESTIVAL. (Elkhart, Ind.) – June 24-26.
Since 1988, jazz legends and fans have gathered each summer at the Elkhart Jazz Festival which combines warm, intimate, small-town hospitality with the excitement of big-city jazz. Known as the Band Instrument Capital of the World, Elkhart companies employ nearly 2,000 skilled craftsmen in the production of musical instruments. Headliners for 2016 have yet to be announced, but the festival will continue its educational component. Students ages 5 to 25 are welcome at “Hoagy’s Workshop.”_Two days of sessions at Elkhart Central High School will culminate in a performance with the pros at the free EJF All-Stars Jam on the unofficial opening night of the festival on Thursday, June 23. The 2016 All-Stars will include trumpeter Randy Reinhart, reed player Terry Myers, trombonist John Allred, pianist Terry Lower, guitarist Howard Alden, drummer Butch Miles, bassist Frank Tate, and singer Edye Evans-Hyde. Ticket prices range from $110 to $400; individual session tickets cost $35; elkhartjazzfestival.com; (800) 597-7627 or (574) 529-1455; box office: (574) 293-4469.
ROCHESTER INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL. (Rochester, N.Y.) – June 24-July 2.
Organizers for the Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival announced Tuesday that this year’s concert headliners will be Grace Potter, Erykah Badu, Chris Botti, and Chick Corea. All four concerts will take place at the Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre over the nine-day event. Potter, a blues-rock singer-songwriter, will play opening night on Friday, June 24 at 8 p.m. Badu, R&B’s “First Lady of Neo Soul,” will follow on Saturday, June 25 at 8 p.m. Corea will share the stage with 12-year-old jazz piano prodigy Joey Alexander on Tuesday, June 28 at 8 p.m. And Botti, a Grammy-winning trumpeter, will take the stage Thursday, June 30 at 8 p.m. Prices range from $55-95 for Potter, $70-105 for Badu, $40-75 for Corea and Alexander, and $55-105 for Botti. According to the Democrat & Chronicle, passes for multiple days are also available through rochesterjazz.com. A three-day Club Pass costs $154 and a nine-day Club Pass costs $204, plus service fees; rochesterjazz.com; (585) 454-2060.
BEACON JAZZ FESTIVAL. (Beacon, N.Y.) – June 25.
Staged at Pete and Toshi Seeger Riverfront Park at 1 Flynn Drive, in Beacon, the festival features world-class jazz performed alongside Hudson Valley’s distinctive craft distilleries and breweries. The Sun Ra Arkestra will headline this second annual event showcasing the New Standard Trio, The Willie Martinez & La Familia Sextet, Judi Silvano’s Zephyr Quintet, and the Joe McPhee Quartet. The music will ring out from 2 to 7 p.m. on Saturday, June 25. Musician/activists Pete and Toshi Seeger were mainstays of the Beacon community for generations and were instrumental in efforts to clean up the Hudson River and improve the community. One of those efforts was the conversion of the city’s landfill on the Hudson into what is now the Riverfront Park, best known as the site of the Beacon Sloop Club’s Strawberry, Corn and Pumpkin Festivals. Toshi died in 2013, and Pete passed the following year.
General admission to the Beacon Jazz Fest costs $30, but advance-sale tickets will be available for $25 online until May 31. The pre-party on the evening of June 24 will cost $10 or $5 in advance, also until May 31; beaconjazz.com; (212) 353-6971.
*SARATOGA JAZZ FESTIVAL. (Saratoga Springs, N.Y.) – June 25-26.
For more than 30 years, the Saratoga Jazz Festival has presented some of the best jazz musicians in the world at its gorgeous performance space in the foothills of the Adirondacks. In addition to the music performed on both the main stage and at the gazebo, guests enjoy fine arts vendors, barbecue, children’s events and a lawn party over the course of two days. This year’s headliners are Smokey Robinson, Chick Corea, and Joey Alexander who will perform there on his 13th birthday. Also featured will be Pieces of a Dream, Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah and the Steps Ahead Reunion. Other 2016 performers include Elaine Elias, Shemekia Copeland, Eric Lindell, Karrin Allyson, Lizz Wright, Pat Martino, John Cleary & The Absolute Monster Gentlemen, the Bria Skonberg Quintet, and Vincent Herring & The Kings of Swing.
Amphitheater seating prices range from $75 to $105 per day; lawn tickets $65 per day; Ticket info: [email protected]; (518) 584-9330; spac.org/events/2016/06/26/freihofers-saratoga-jazz-festival.
MONTREAL JAZZ FESTIVAL. (Montreal, Quebec, Canada.) – June 29-July 9.
Set in the heart of the Quartier des spectacles in downtown Montreal, the 37th annual Festival International de Jazz de Montréal site occupies the quadrilateral area bordered by St. Laurent Boulevard and De Bleury Street from east to west, and Ste. Catherine Street and President-Kennedy Avenue from north to south. By virtue of their central location amid the festivities, the Complexe Desjardins and Place des Arts are useful landmarks. Initial performers confirmed for 2016 include Gregory Porter, Melody Porter, the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra featuring Wynton Marsalis, Lauryn Hill, Joey Alexander, the Chick Corea Trio with Christian McBride and Brian Blade, Emilie-Claire Barlow Orchestral, Jay-Jay Johanson, Susie Arioli, Avishai Cohen, Fred Hersch, Rufus Wainwright, Angele Dubeau, Ben Harper, and a battle of the ghost bands of Glenn Miller and Cab Calloway is scheduled for the festival’s final day.
Ticket prices for individual concerts range from $31.45 to $158.50; (514) 871-1881, toll-free at 85JAZZFEST; montrealjazzfest.com.
WATERFRONT BLUES FESTIVAL. (Portland, Ore.) – July 1-4.
The 29th annual Waterfront Blues Festivalis a four-day event staged at Tom McCall Waterfront Park. Headliners include the Tedeschi-Trucks Band, JJ Grey & Mofro, Maceo Parker, ZZ Ward, Curtis Salgado Band , Soul Rebels Brass Band, Femi Kuti ,Chubby Carrier & the Bayou Swamp Band and additional performers include the California Honeydrops, Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys, Liz Vice, the Polyrhythmics, Los Straitjackets, Grace Love & the True Loves.
Passes range in price from $35 to $1,250, with all proceeds benefitting the Oregon Food Bank; waterfrontbluesfest.com; (503) 282-0555.
NEW YORK STATE BLUES FESTIVAL. (Syracuse, N.Y.) – July 8-9.
Billed as the largest, admission-free blues festival in the Northeast, this two-day affair is staged at Clinton Square, the former site of the Erie Canal, in downtown Syracuse smack dab in the center of the Empire State. Friday’s performers include the hometown Westcott Jug Suckers, harp-meister Brandon Santini, and Sister Sparrow & the Dirty Birds. Saturday’s audiences will see guitarist Tas Cru, Skip Murphy & His Merry Pranksters, Chicago six-stringer Toronzo Cannon, The Fabulous Ripcords, Mississippi guitarist Sonny Landreth, and Butch Trucks & Freight Train.
Admission is free; nysbluesfest.com; (315) 422-8284.
CLINE WINE & DIXIELAND JAZZ FESTIVAL. (Sonoma, Calif.) – July 9.
This single-day event is staged from 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., at the beautifully landscaped Cline Cellars, an award-winning winery specializing in California Rhône-style wines and Zinfandels, at 24737 Arnold Drive, in Sonoma, on California’s North Coast. Performers include Beyond Salvation, Black Diamond Blue Five, Devil Mountain Jazz Band, Fog City Stompers, Golden Gate Rhythm Machine, Jambalaya Big Swing Band, Natural Gas Jazz Band, Ray Skjelbred and his Cubs, and the Royal Society Jazz Orchestra. Pianists include Tom Barnebey, Tom Brier, Frederick Hodges, Gary Neuman, Ray Skjelbred, and Virginia Tichenor.
Tickets cost $40; (800) 546-2070; clinecellars.com.
RAGTIME TO RICHES FESTIVAL. (Omaha, Neb.) – July 10.
The First Central Congregational United Church of Christ, in Omaha, Neb., is_the site for the 12th annual Ragtime to Riches Festival, Proceeds from this year’s festival will benefit the Great Plains Ragtime Society. Performers this year include Marty Mincer from Hamburg, Iowa, the 1993 Regular Division champion at the World Championship Old-Time Piano Playing Contest and Festival; Jim Boston of Omaha, a seven-time finalist at Iowa’s National Old-Time Country, Bluegrass, and Folk Music Festival.
All-event tickets cost $10; r2rfestival.webs.com; (402) 556-3340.
NORTHEAST JAZZ & WINE FESTIVAL. (Syracuse, N.Y.) – July 29-30.
Known from 2003 to ’07 as Jazz in the Square, the ninth annual Northeast Jazz & Wine Festival presented by the CNY Jazz Arts Foundation will take place this year in downtown Syracuse’s Clinton Square on July 29 and 30. The free festival is part of Syracuse ArtsWeek, a partnership between the music fest and the Syracuse Arts & Crafts Festival in nearby Columbus Circle. This year’s main-stage headliners are TBA. Two ancillary stages – the Mardi Gras Tent and the World Beat Pavilion – showcase dance bands and sounds from the around the globe; (315) 479-JAZZ; cnyjazz.org.
EVERGREEN JAZZ FESTIVAL. (Evergreen, Colo.) – July 29-31.
The Rocky Mountains never sounded so good! Eleven world-class bands will perform and The Fat Babies, Joe Smith and the Spicy Pickles and the Kris Tokarski Trio all appear for the first time ever in Evergreen. Other performers include Nicki Parrott & B.A.D. Rhythm, the Carl Sonny Leyland Trio, After Midnight, Poudre River Irregulars, Queen City Jazz Band with Wende Harston, and Denver’s own Gypsy Swing Revue. The festival’s four venues are Evergreen Elks Lodge, the lovely Evergreen Lake House, Evergreen Christian Church, and the Stagecoach Sports Grill. Three-day pass $100 before May 31, then $130; three-day badge for students, $50; daily ticket prices range from $55 to $105; evergreenjazz.org; (303) 674-5390.
NEWPORT JAZZ FESTIVAL. (Newport, R.I.) – July 29-31.
Established in 1954 by socialite Elain Guthrie Lorillard, the Newport Festival is one of the longest-running such events in the world. This year the festival is under the direction of Christian McBride. Performances will take place this year at Fort Adams State Park and the International Tennis Hall of Fame at the Newport Casino. The park offers panoramic views of Newport Harbor and Narragansett Bay, and the Newport Casino, located at 186-202 Bellevue Ave., is a designated National Historic Landmark dating back to 1880. Headliners this year include Chick Corea, vocalist Gregory Porter and saxophonist Kamasi Washington, New Orleans’ Galactic, vocalist Tierney Sutton, the brass quartet the Westerlies, the Hot Sardines; Potter, Holland, Loueke & Harland; and pianists Rossano Sportiello, Kris Davis, and Terry Waldo. More than 50 acts are booked including Angélique Kidjo; John Scofield/Joe Lovano Quartet; Darcy James Argue’s Secret Society; Charles Lloyd New Quartet; Robert Glasper Experiment; Django Festival All-Stars; Kenny Barron Trio; Yosvanny Terry Quintet; Toshiko Akiyoshi; Steve Coleman and Five Elements; Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah Presents Stretch Music; José James; Kneebody. New ensembles or artists presenting new projects are Eric Revis Parallax; the Bad Plus performing Ornette Coleman’s 1972 album Science Fiction; Monty Alexander Harlem-Kingston Express; Edmar Castañeda World Ensemble; Butler, Bernstein & the Hot 9; Stefon Harris Sonic Creed; Dave Liebman Expansions Group and Anat Cohen’s Clarinet Re-Imagined.
Ticket prices range from $45 to $100 at the International Tennis Hall of Fame and between $15 to $170 at Fort Adams. newportjazzfest.org; email [email protected]; or call (401) 848-5055.
BIX BEIDERBECKE MEMORIAL JAZZ FESTIVAL. (Bettendorf, Iowa.) – Aug 4-7.
The Bix Beiderbecke Memorial Society has changed the location for its 2016 festival. Because the Davenport Rivercenter was unavailable this year, the society has partnered with the Isle of Capri and the City of Bettendorf to host the 45th annual Bix Fest at the Waterfront Center and Isle of Capri Hotel and Convention Center. Performers include the Hot Jazz Alliance, the Thrift Set Orchestra, the Lakeshore Syncopators, Dave Bennett Quartet, Bill Allred, the Fat Babies, the St. Louis Stompers, the Graystone Monarchs, and Miss Jubilee and her Humdingers.
All-event passes cost $110 in advance and $130 at the gate; all-day tickets cost $55 for Friday and $65 Saturday; individual weekend sessions cost $30 and $35; (888) BIX-LIVS; (563) 324-7170; info@bixsociety.org.
SATCHMO SUMMERFEST. (New Orleans, La.) – Aug. 4-7.
The 16th annual Satchmo Summerfest will draw thousands of trad-jazz fans to New Orleans on Aug. 4 through 7. The free event is presented by French Quarter Festivals, Inc. Music will ring out all weekend on festival stages spotlighting traditional jazz, brass bands and children’s programming. Among many SatchmoFest highlights is the “Satchmo Club Strut” down Frenchmen Street. The three-day festival features more than 40 jazz performances by local legends and nationally touring virtuosos as well as screenings of jazz films and documentaries, in-depth seminars on jazz history, hands-on workshops, swing dance lessons, trumpet tributes to Pops and interactive exhibits. This year’s musical lineup is TBA, but past festivals have featured The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, James Andrews, Glen David Andrews, Don Vappie & The Creole Jazz Serenaders, Leroy Jones, Wycliffe Gordon, Kermit Ruffins, and Mark Braud.
Admission is free all weekend; (504) 522-5730; fqfi.org/satchmo.
TELLURIDE JAZZ FESTIVAL. (Telluride, Colo.) – Aug. 5-7.
Since 1977, Telluride’s majestic perch high in the San Juan Mountains of southwestern Colorado has been the site of an annual cultural event produced by the Telluride Society for Jazz. Combining pristine natural aesthetics and boundless artistic creativity, the Telluride Jazz Fest is a three-day-and-night live music event centered around jazz that is staged annually on the first weekend of August. Performers for the 40th annual festival include Kermit Ruffins & The BBQ Swingers, Jon Scofield/Jon Cleary Duo, the Rebirth Brass Band, Caleb Chapman’s Crescent Superband, Galactic, Jon Cleary & The Absolute Monster Gentlemen
Weekend all-access passes cost $175 in advance, $200 after May 31; three-day park passes cost $125 in advance and $145 at the gate; children ages 12 and younger will be admitted free; camping costs $69 per person or $79 per vehicle; (970) 728-7009; adam@telluridejazz.org.
LITCHFIELD JAZZ FESTIVAL. (Goshen, Conn.) – Aug. 6-7.
Launched in 1996, the Litchfield Jazz Festival relocated two years later to the Goshen Fairgrounds in the southern Berkshire Mountains because it had outgrown the Litchfield park. This year marks the festival’s 21st anniversary. Performers include Andrew Hadro with Tony Malaby; Richie Barshay with Jimmy Greene; Albert Rivera with Paul Bollenback; Nicole Zuraitis with Dave Stryker; Daryl Johns with Orrin Evans; Big Bass Blowout with Avery Sharpe and Matt Wilson; Emmet Cohen with Jimmy Heath; the Curtis Brothers with Donald Harrison; and, of course, the Litchfield Jazz Orchestra with Don Braden. On Sunday, the festival will present its first ever Scat & Scramble Jazz Brunch, to benefit need-based scholarships to Litchfield Jazz Camp. Delicious Southern-style food served by O’Deens BBQ will create a Big Easy atmosphere with music to match. Donald Harrison will lead a big band of top jazz campers and instructors from New Orleans. The Goshen Fairgrounds are located at 116 Old Middle St. (Rte. 63), just south of the center of town. A large portion of the Mohawk State Forest is located in the Northwest Connecticut town.
Ticket prices range from $39.96 to $524.95; (860) 361-6285; litchfieldjazzfest.com.
HUDSON VALLEY JAZZ FESTIVAL. (Warwick, N.Y.) – Aug. 11-14.
Founded in 2010 as the Warwick Valley Jazz Festival, the event was renamed Hudson Valley Jazz Festival in 2012 and expanded into other areas in Orange County and the greater Hudson Valley. Centered in Warwick, an affluent town in southwest Orange County, N.Y., the seventh annual festival will be staged at several area venues including a theatre, cafés, restaurants, parks, arts centers and libraries. “The idea to present varied formats in different environments,” said drummer Steve Rubin, the festival’s chief organizer. In the past, venues have included the Dautaj in Warwick, the Falcon in Marlboro, and even the Bean Runner Cafe in Peekskill over in Westchester County. Performers for 2016 are TBA.
Admission prices at the various venues range from free to $20; hudsonvalleyjazzfest.com; (917) 903-4380.
SUTTER CREEK RAGTIME FESTIVAL. (Sutter Creek, Calif.) – Aug. 12-14.
Hosted by the Mother Lode Ragtime Society, the 18th annual Sutter Creek Ragtime Festival will be staged Aug. 12 through 14, at venues such as the Sutter Creek Ice Cream Emporium, the Hotel Sutter and the Sutter Creek Theatre. Known far and wide as the jewel of the gold country, Sutter Creek is located 46 miles southeast of Sacramento. Performers for 2016 include Elliott Adams, Patrick Aranda, Jack and Chris Bradshaw, Tom Brier, Michael Chisholm, Danny Coots, the Drivons, the Crown Syncopators, Brian Holland, Carl Sonny Leyland, Ray Skjelbred, Squeek Steele, Virginia Tichenor, and others.
All-event badges cost $70 before July 15, or $80 after that date; day badge prices range from $15 to $35; children ages 16 and younger will be admitted free if accompanied by a paying adult; (209) 405-1563; suttercreekragtime.com.
GRANDJAZZFEST. (Grand Rapids, Mich.) – Aug. 20-21.
Founded in 2012 by jazz enthusiast Audrey Sundstrom, GRandJazzFest is West Michigan’s only free, weekend-long jazz festival. The fifth annual event will be staged Aug. 20 and 21, at Rosa Parks Circle in the heart of downtown Grand Rapids, at 135 Monroe Center NW, a couple blocks east of Grand River. The family-friendly festival will present notable jazz performers as well as up-and-coming artists for diverse audiences. “We’re proud to say GRandJazzFest is one of the most diverse, community-oriented festivals for people who live here, who travel here, and who want to enjoy two days of great live music in a vibrant downtown setting,” Sundstrom said. Performers for 2016 were being announced April 27; grandjazzfest.org; (616) 617-7720.
PRESCOTT JAZZ SUMMIT. (Prescott, Ariz.) – Aug. 26-28.
Prescott, Arizona is located in Arizona’s high country, just 90 miles north of Phoenix. Combining the dulcet sounds of some of the nation’s most outstanding jazz musicians with the moderate summer temperatures and towering shade trees of Prescott means “cool” is a word often uttered by attendees at the annual Prescott Jazz Summit. Performers and prices for 2016 TBA; (928) 277-1576 or (928) 830-2462 or (484) 558-0066; prescottjazz.com.
HOT JAZZ JUBILEE. (Sacramento, Calif.) – Sept. 2-5.
Staged at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Sacramento, this festival kicks off at noon on Friday, Sept. 2 when The Ophir Prison Band leads a parade of festive ladies in flapper dresses, parasols, boas, and beads. Performers include the Au Bros., Vince Bartels All-Star Band, Bechet Fantasy Band, Blue Street, Shelly Burns, Brian Casserly, Kylie Castro, Randi Cee, John Cocuzzi, Danny Coots, Crescent Katz, Bill Dendle, Bob Draga, Eddie Erickson, Yve Evans, Fulton Street, Gator Nation, Ken Hall, High Sierra, Brian Holland, Tom Hook & the Terriers, Hot City, Midiri Brothers, Tom Morgan & the Emblems, New Orleans Racket Makers, Tom Rigney & Flambeau, Side Street Strutters, Ray Skjelbred & The Cubs, Sister Swing, Smart Fellers, Claudette Stone, Vanna Turner, Bob Williams, and Pat Yankee.
Badge prices range from $20 for students per session to $110 for a four-day all events badge ($100 if purchased before July 31); hotjazzjubilee.com; (916) 813-7665.
GRUGELFEST 2016. (Toledo, Ohio.) – Sept. 9-11.
Grugelfest will be staged at the Park Inn by Radisson Hotel in downtown Toledo starting at 6 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 9. Five veteran jazz bands, plus world-class piano players will be featured on the two main stages. On Thursday, Sept. 8, a free pre-festival party at the Durty Burd Gastropub on St. Clair Street at Washington, starts at 8 p.m. Ragtime Rick and the Chefs of Dixieland will perform, and many guest musicians are likely to join them. The full festival line-up is TBA. Toledo’s Cakewalkin’ Jass Band will once again be featured, and special guest Duke Heitger will return on trumpet.
Tickets for Grugelfest 2016 will soon be on sale at the Huntington Center Box Office (419 321-5007) and also at ticketmaster.com. Weekend passes will be available along with individual session tickets.
Tickets cost $45 per session or $130 for all three days, and $160 for VIP pass. Profits from Grugelfest 2016 will benefit the Dyslexia Education Training Center of Northwest Ohio (formerly the 32° Masonic Learning Center for Children); grugelfest.com; (419) 389-9070.
PENTASTIC HOT JAZZ FESTIVAL. (Penticton, B.C., Canada.) – Sept. 9-11.
The 20th anniversary Pentastic Fest will feature Dave Bennett & Memphis Speed Kings, Gonzalo Bergera Quartet, Black Swan Classic JB, Lance Buller, Cornet Chop Suey, Draga’s Dragons, Gator Nation, Tom Hook, Le Dixieland and Tom Rigney & Flambeau. The festival’s various venues include cruises on the SS Sicamous and concerts at the Shatford Centre, and a shuttle makes regular runs between the venues to transport patrons from one location to another.
Tickets cost $60 Friday, $75 Saturday and $55 Sunday, or $110 for all three days; pentasticjazz.com; (866) 599-3494.
CLEVELAND CLASSIC JAZZ PARTY. (Cleveland, Ohio.) – Sept. 15-18.
Presented by the Allegheny Jazz Society at the Intercontinental Hotel in Cleveland, the third annual party showcases Howard Alden, Harry Allen, Bill Allred, Ehud Asherie, Dan Barrett, Dan Block, Jon Burr, James Dapogny, Faux Frenchmen, Mike Greensill, Marty Grosz, Duke Heitger, Jon-Erik Kellso, Rebecca Kilgore, Dan Levinson, Kerry Lewis, Ricky Malichi, Randy Reinhart, Scott Robinson, Pete Siers, Hal Smith, Rossano Sportiello, Andy Stein, Frank Tate, Wesla Whitfield, and historian Phil Atteberry.
Ticket prices range from $50 per session to $310 for full-four-day admission. One free student ticket is available with each paid ticket to any session; (216) 956-0886; alleghenyjazz.org.
STEAMBOAT STOMP MUSIC FESTIVAL. (New Orleans, La.) – Sept. 23-25.
The New Orleans Steamboat Company kicks off of the fourth annual Steamboat Stomp Music Festival on Friday, Sept. 23 in old New Orleans. The three-day program will feature some of the world’s finest musicians performing New Orleans-style jazz on the last authentic steamboat on the Mississippi River. “The Steamboat Stomp emphasizes the historical and cultural significance of jazz on the Mississippi River through a weekend of live performances in local venues,” said Duke Heitger, bandleader of Duke Heitger & The Steamboat Stompers. “The event is a time to appreciate our jazz roots with great local music and recognize the importance of riverboat culture in bringing jazz music to the world.”
The Steamboat Stomp opens in the French Quarter with an opening concert on Friday night followed by Saturday afternoon festivities, a Natchez Dinner Jazz Cruise on Saturday night and a Jazz Brunch cruise on Sunday. Venues for Friday night and Saturday afternoon along with the musician lineup TBA.
Weekend packages are available for $225. Patron-level and sponsor packages are also available starting at $300. Tickets to individual events will be made available in the summer; (504) 586-8777;
steamboatstompneworleans.com; [email protected].
