COLORADO SPRINGS JAZZ PARTY (Colorado Springs, CO) – Oct.11-13
Situated at the foot of Pikes Peak, Friends of Colorado Springs hosts the 7th Colorado Springs Jazz Party on October 11, 12, and 13 at the Antlers Hotel, 4 S. Cascade Ave, Colorado Springs, CO. This year’s lineup includes: Adrian Cunningham, Saxophone; Dennis Litchman, Clarinet and Mandolin; Nicki Parrott, Bass and Vocal; Houston Person, Saxophone; Chuck Redd, Drums and Vibes; Dalton Ridenhour, Piano; Ben Polcer, Trumpet; Alfonso Horne, Trumpet; Richard Moten, Bass; Alex Raderman, Drums; Danny Coots, Drums; Rosanno Sportiello, Piano; Nate Najar, Guitar; Doin Tucker, Trombone. Special offer: Weekend Badges $200 paid bycheck or credit card and purchased by July 15. Call 719-471-3124 for reservations. Mail check to P.O. Box 2257, Colorado Springs, CO 80901. csjazzparty.com
SUN VALLEY JAZZ & MUSIC FESTIVAL (Sun Valley, ID) – Oct. 16-20
The 30th anniversary edition of Idaho’s Sun Valley Jazz and Music Festival covers five days and offers forty excellent bands (with over 200 shows to choose from), and will be headquartered at the Sun Valley Inn at the Sun Valley Resort. Performance venues include the Limelight Room, the Continental Room, the River Run Lodge, the Opera House, the Duchin Room, Dollar Mountain Lodge, The Village Gate (new this year), and Satchmo’s, with free concerts daily at Giacobbi Square in Ketchum, Idaho. Music starts on Wednesday at 12:30 pm, and the last set ends on Sunday at 3:30 pm, with an Afterglow Dinner Sunday 7:15-10 pm (extra ticket required).
Performers at the festival include Banu Gibson, The Black Market Trust, Blue Street Jazz Band, Bob Draga with Friends, Carolyn Martin Swing Band, Carl Sonny Leyland Trio, Clint Baker’s Hot 5, Cocuzzi Quartet, Cornet Chop Suey, Gator Nation, High Street Party Band, Holland-Coots Jazz Quintet, Hot Jazz Collective (with Jeff Barnhart, Terry Myers, Bobby Durham, Eddie Metz, Katie Cavera, Russ Phillips, and Davy Jones), Midiri Brothers Septet, Pearl Django, Professor Cunningham & His Old School (introducing Shaymus Hanlin), Side Street Strutters with Meloney Collins, Tom Rigney & Flambeau, US Coast Guard Dixie Band, The Young Bucs, and Yve Evans.
Also performing are Gary Ryan, Bruce Innes Trio, Blue Renditions, Barnhart-Midiri, Boise Straight Ahead, Ivory & Gold®, Kings of Swing, Sherri Colby’s Racket Makers, We Three, and NNU Jazz Revival.
Special sets include: Banjomaniacs, three All Star Big Bands, Clarinet Clambake, Dance Competition, Dueling Pianos, Free Dance Lessons, Gospel Services, Ladies Sing, Marching Band Salute, Pianorama, and Silent Movies w/ Jeff Barnhart.
On Sunday, October 20th at 7:30 pm, the Afterglow Dinner will start with dinner and music with Yve Evans, and will be followed by dancing with the All Star Big Band.
Early Bird Special: 5-Day General Admission Pass is $165 through July 31, and $185 thereafter. Afterglow is $65, including dinner. Tickets available by telephone or at website; (877) 478-5277; sunvalleyjazz.com. Write for brochure (with full ticket pricing information) at Sun Valley Jazz, PO Box 2745, Sun Valley, ID.
ROSWELL JAZZ FESTIVAL (Roswell, NM) – Oct. 16-20
Founded in 2006, the Roswell Jazz Festival is set to celebrate its 14th year as New Mexico’s premier jazz event. The five selected venues in Roswell are the Anderson Museum of Contemporary Art, Chaves County Courthouse, First United Methodist Church, Roswell Civic Center, and Stellar Coffee Co. The festival is funded in part by the City of Roswell lodgers tax.
Roswell’s 2019 Guest of Honor is bassist Richard Simon. Other invited musicians include Harry Allen, John Allred, Dan Barrett, Pepe Carmona, Rich Chorné, Dr. Roger Dickerson, Scott Edmunds, Christine Fawson, Michael Francis, Charles Gordon, David Jellema, Rebecca Kilgore, Glenn Kostur, Juan Lechuga, Kathy Lyon, Ricky Malichi, Ceci Noel, Ken Peplowski, Houston Person, Chuck Redd, Ted Rosenthal, Barron Ryan, Randy Sandke, Jim Shearer, Hillary Smith, Erik Unsworth, Allan Vaché, Johnny Varro, Tom Wakeling, and Curt Warren.
The Baymont Inn & Suites is the official hotel of the 2019 RJF. Call 575-208-0536 and ask for the jazz festival rate. Ticket prices will be announced soon; for more information visit roswelljazz.org, email jazzroswell@gmail.com, or telephone 505-359-4876.
JUBILEE BY THE SEA (Pismo Beach/Arroyo Grande) – Oct. 24-27
Jazz Jubilee (by the Sea) is celebrating its 43rd year—and the event has grown to include the neighboring city of Arroyo Grande. The Pismo Jubilee is always the last full weekend in October.
Invited bands and performers include: Tuba Skinny, Larry, Dawn, & Friends, Tom Rigney & Flambeau, Cornet Chop Suey, Midiri Brothers Sextet, Gator Nation, Professor Cunningham and His Old School, Shake Em’ Up Jazz Band, Ivory&Gold®, Blue Street, Paul Ingle’s Australian Jazz Connection, Sue Palmer’s Motel Swing Band, Creole Syncopators, Jeff Barnhart, Bob Draga, Danny Coots, Carl Sonny Leyland, Steven Saavedra, Bob Schulz, Pat Yankee, Larry Scala, and the Night Blooming Jazzmen.
Thursday night’s special will feature We 3 + 1 at the Veterans’ Memorial Hall, with Bob Draga, Danny Coots, Jeff Barnhart, and Larry Scala jamming as only they can while making jokes and bantering. Tickets for this extra show to kick off the Jubilee cost $25.00.
Early Bird 3-Day badges (before Aug. 19) are $115; pre-festival $120; at the door $130. Single event tickets available. Badge sales: PO Box 356, Pismo Beach, CA 93448. For badges and more information, please visit pismojazz.com/JubileeByTheSea.htm. Information: pismojazz@pismojazz.com.
ARIZONA CLASSIC JAZZ FESTIVAL (Chandler, AZ) – Oct. 31-Nov. 3
This 30th annual event will take place at its home for the last 16 years, the Crowne Plaza San Marcos Golf Resort in beautiful Downtown Chandler, AZ. The Crowne Plaza is a co-sponsor of the Festival and a focal point of the vintage Downtown allure with plentiful restaurants and boutique shops only a few steps away. Among the many highlights of this Festival are the special educational sets presented by the bands. In conjunction with the Festival, the Phoenix Lindy Exchange hosts hundreds of dancers who Lindy Hop into the wee hours on Friday and Saturday. They love the “hot” live jazz played by the Festival bands.
The 2019 Festival begins on Thursday, October 31, at 5:30 pm and ends at 5:00 pm on Sunday, November 3, after a Grand Finale program by Stephanie Trick, Paolo Alderighi, and Nicole Pesce. The Festival will be followed by an Afterglow starting at 6 pm in the San Tan Room at the hotel; tickets for dinner and music must be purchased in advance at a cost of $30 per person.
Howard Alden will play both guitar and banjo with a few of the groups. The bands will be: “Big” B.A.D. Rhythm, Black Market Trust, Cheryl’s Vintage Swing, Dan Reed’s Dixieland Hotshots, Dave Bennett Quartet, Cheryl Thurston’s Jammers, Queen City Jazz Band, St. Louis Rivermen, Sentimental Breeze, Slide & Strings, Stephanie Trick & Paolo Alderighi, Sun City Stomperz, Tom Rigney & Flambeau, Wildcat Jazz Band, Wolverine Jazz Band, and We 3 + 1.
All Event badge price is only $110 if purchased before August 15th, $130 thereafter. Co-sponsorship is $500 minimum per person after cost of badge. The mailing address for ACJF is 10918 E. Michigan Ave., Sun Lakes, AZ 85248; phone (480) 620-3941; email her12@msn.com; website azclassicjazz.org. Day badges will be available at the door only: Thursday $25, Friday $50, Saturday $60, Sunday $45. Send checks or credit card orders to ACJF, 10918 E. Michigan Ave., Sun Lakes, AZ 85248.
MIKE DURHAM’S INTERNATIONAL CLASSIC JAZZ PARTY (Whitley Bay, UK) – Nov. 1-3
The Party was first founded in 1990 by Mike Durham in Whitley Bay, near Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, UK, and has grown bigger and better with each successive year.
The jazz party will run from mid-day on Friday until late on Sunday evening at the four-star Village Hotel & Leisure Centre, Silverlink North, Cobalt Business Park, North Tyneside, some 70 miles south of Scotland in northeast Great Britain. The festival takes place in a luxurious setting with assigned seating of eight to a table, and tables are rotated twice daily. The program explores jazz from its first 40 years, with special jam sessions in the Victory Pub in the wee small hours.
This year’s musicians include trumpeters/cornetists Enrico Tomasso, Andy Schumm, Malo Mazurie, Mike Davis, Torstein Kubban, Duke Heitger; reed players Claus Jacobi, David Horniblow, Stephane Gillot, Michael McQuaid, Matthias Seuffert, Richard Exall, Lars Frank; trombonists Alistair Allen, Graham Hughes, Dave Bock; pianists David Boeddinghaus, Morten Gunnar Larsen, Martin Litton, Andrew Oliver; banjoists/guitarists Thomas “Spats” Langham, Martin Wheatley, Jacob Ullberger, Henry Lemaire, Felix Hunot; percussionists Nick Ball, Nick Ward, Josh Duffee, Richard Pite; bassists/tubists Henri Lemaire, Malcolm Sked, Phil Rutherford, Richard Pite; violinist Emma Fisk; and vocalists Joan Viskant and Spats Langham.
Reservations for accommodations at the Village Hotel may be booked by calling (from the US) 011 44 191 338 5245 (Option 3) and quote Promotion Code JAZZ. (Book online through www.villageurbanresorts .com using same promo code.) Places for the 2018 Party will cost £160 per person for the weekend, and may be paid for through PayPal via the Jazz Party website. (Exchange rates as of September 17: $1.24 US = £1 UK.) All bookings are 100% refundable in case of cancellation due to serious illness, bereavement, or other unavoidable cause.
For tickets and other information, please visit whitleybayjazzfest.com; wbjazzfest@btinternet.com.
SUNCOAST JAZZ FESTIVAL (Clearwater Beach, FL) – Nov. 22-24
The 29th edition of the Suncoast Jazz Festival takes place in five indoor venues at two adjacent resort hotels, the Sheraton Sand Key and the Marriott Suites, in Clearwater Beach on the Gulf of Mexico. New to Suncoast this year are Jason Marsalis & His 21st Century Trad Jazz Band, Wycliffe Gordon, Harry Allen, Ehud Asherie, and Molly Ryan. Returning bands include Adrian Cunningham & His Old School, Dave Bennett Quartet, Cornet Chop Suey, Tom Rigney & Flambeau, Queen City Jazz Band with Wende Harston, The Sierra Seven, Tom Hook and the Terrier Brothers, Wally’s Warehouse Waifs, La Lucha. Featured guest performers are Nate Najar, Tommy Cecil, James Suggs, John Lamb, Heather Thorn, Bob Price, Dan Howard, Herb Roselle, Betty Comora, Mike Evans, and Pepper.
Sponsor packages $375+; Benefactors $250; 3 Day Weekend $155; Daily $50-60; Friday Swing Dance after 6 pm, $30.
For tickets and information, visit us online at suncoastjazzfestival.com; or write: PO Box 395, Largo, FL 33779; (727) 248-9441.
WEST COAST RAGTIME FESTIVAL (Rancho Cordoba, CA) Nov. 22-24
The West Coast Ragtime Festival will be staged for the sixth year running at the Sacramento Marriott Rancho Cordova, 211 Point East Drive, about 15 miles east of Sacramento, just off Hwy 50 at the Sunrise Blvd exit. Six venues at the 33rd annual WCRF present live music nearly nonstop through the festival’s three days. (Note that the Marriott will be undergoing renovations during this year’s festival which means we had to move some venue locations. Some venues will be on the 10th floor, easily accessible by elevator. Another will be at the Doubletree across the street.)
Performers scheduled to date include Elliott Adams, Jade Anderson, Nick Arteaga, Clint Baker, Ramona Baker, Tom Barnebey, Jeff Barnhart Tom Bopp, Chris & Jack Bradshaw, Buffalo Crossing. Diego Bustamante, Michael Chisholm, Crown Syncopators, Jared DiBartolomeo, Richard Dowling. Robyn & Steve Drivon, Richard Duree, The Easy Winners with Robert Armstrorg, Marty Eggers, Free Badge Serenaders, Lisa Gonick, Jeff Green, Frederick Hodges, Brian Holland, Stan Isaacs, lvory&Gold®, Martin Jäger, Vincent Matthew Johnson, Carl Sonny Leyland, Frank LiVolsi, Peter Lundberg. Larisa Migachyov, Bruce Mitchell, Oliver Moore, TJ Müller, Pacific Coast Ragtime Orchestra, Ezequiel Pallejá, Terry Parrish, Will Perkins, Porcupines, Ragnolia Ragtette, Raspberry Jam Trio, John Reed-Torres, David Thomas Roberts, Jack Rummel, Donald Ryan, Anthony Sarginson, Christoph Schmetterer, Sean Sharp, Martin Spitznagel, Squeek Steele, Stanley Stem & Mario Ojeda, Sullivans/Drivons, Adam Swanson, Virginia Tichenor, Matt Tolentino, and Ryan Wishner.
All-events badges cost $105, and $115 after Nov. 1; Fri-Sat badges $95; Sat-Sun $85; Fri $50, Sat $60; Sun $40 through Oct. 31. As always, children 16 and under may attend FREE (no badge required) when accompanied by a paying adult. (916) 457-3324; westcoastragtime.com.
40th ANNUAL SAN DIEGO JAZZ FEST (San Diego, CA) – Nov. 27-Dec. 1
Headquarters: Town & Country Hotel and Convention Center. Invited Guest Artists: John Royen, Katie Cavera, Carl Sonny Leyland. Invited Bands & Groups: On the Levee Jazz Band, Holland – Coots Jazz Quintet, After Midnight Jazz Band, Chicago Cellar Boys, Dave Bennett Quartet, Grand Dominion Jazz Band, Gino and the Lone Gunmen, Yerba Buena Stompers, Big Butter Jazz Band, Night Blooming Jazzmen, Mad Hat Hucksters, Sue Palmer and her Motel Swing Orchestra, Titanic Jazz Band, Heliotrope Ragtime Orchestra, High Society Jazz Band and more to be announced. For badge sales, sponsor details and lodging, please visit sdjazzfest.org or call (619) 297-5277. AFCDJS, P.O. Box 880387, San Diego, CA 92168-0387.
NORTH CAROLINA JAZZ FESTIVAL (Wilmington, NC) – Jan. 23-25
One of the oldest Traditional Jazz Festivals in the country, the North Carolina Jazz Festival, will celebrate its 40th anniversary Jan. 23, 24, & 25, 2020. This 3 day event, held in the ballroom of the Hotel Ballast (formerly Wilmington Hilton Riverside), features internationally known jazz musicians from across the United States, Australia, and Italy.
Thursday is Special Event Night featuring different styles of jazz. Opening the event will be Wilmington’s Jon Hill Ensemble. The second set will showcase song stylist Veronica Swift accompanied by the Emmet Cohen Trio. Veronica, acknowledged as one of today’s rising young stars, is often a headliner at New York’s Birdland and Lincoln Center. Her repertoire is built on the Great American Songbook, plus bebop and vocalese classics. The Thursday Evening All-stars, led by Adrian Cunningham, will close out the evening with a bit of Traditional Jazz.
On Friday and Saturday nights we will have thirteen jazz all-stars playing seven sets of traditional and classic jazz each night, with a different leader on each set. Invited musicians include Champian Fulton, Chris Gelb, Ben Polcer, Houston Person, Chuck Redd, Rossano Sportiello, and Nicki Parrott. All concerts begin at 7:30 pm, Thursday is a three hour concert, while Friday & Saturday concerts go until midnight.
Ticket are $40 for Thursday, and $60 for Friday & Saturday. Each night $25 military, $15 students. Patron tickets are $200, and include Fri. & Sat. evening concerts plus the special patron brunch at 10:30 Sat. morning, where the all-star musicians will play and socialize with patrons, then patron/musicians will be invited to “sit in” with the all-stars. Patrons receive preferred, reserved seating plus their names in the program. The $225 patron tickets include all of the above plus tickets to Thursday evening’s Special Event. Tickets may be purchased from the festival website, E-Tix, or at the AudioLab at 5732 Oleander Dr., Wilmington.
For more information visit www.ncjazzfestival.org, e-mail ncjazzfest@yahoo.com, or call 910-793-1111.
