JazzFest cues up soon
Published: Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Updated: Tuesday, April 6, 2010 14:04
This year, Pensacola's JazzFest, which attracts about 16,000 people annually, will include nationally known artists (such as Frank Sinatra's pianist of many years Russ Kassoff), and a performance by the Phillips Piano Jazz Competition winner.
The 27th annual JazzFest will be held April 10-11 at Seville Square. The hours will be Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Produced by the Jazz Society of Pensacola, JazzFest is an all-jazz event that is free and open to the public.
The funding for the festival also comes from corporate sponsorships and in-kind donations.
"We have some really top quality out-of- towners who are coming in," said Kathy Lyon, administrator for the Jazz Society of Pensacola, which sponsors the event.
The lineup will include Aaron Weinstein who was named a "rising star violinist" by "Downbeat Magazine,"
Loren Pickford, a Grammy-nominated saxophonist, flutist, pianist, vocalist, composer and recording artist, and Dennis Mackrel, a drummer who has performed with iconic musicians such as Quincy Jones.
Kathy Lyon will also perform a couple of jazz-blues blends from her CD on Saturday at 5 p.m. She said, "I'll be singing for an hour, so I'll be delivering the best songs I can do."
Local middle school, high school and college jazz bands will also perform on both days from 10 a.m. to about 1 p.m. They include the Ransom Middle School Jazz Band, Pine Forest High School Jazz Band, University of West Florida Jazz Band and Pensacola Junior College Jazz Band.
"It's just such a neat opportunity for these kids from middle school all the way to college to rub elbows and be able to connect and chat with these really famous guys who are top professionals," Lyon said. "It's a great mix, because there's all this inspiration and communication between all these different levels of people."
Lyon said that the musicians will be mingling with the crowd.
"At a lot of the jazz festivals, you never get close to the artists," she said. "Ours is kind of intimate, casual and relaxed."
Aside from jazz performances, JazzFest will also include food vendors and crafts exhibits featuring jewelry, paintings and photographs. At a jazz jam session for children starting at 3 p.m. on Saturday, kids will receive complimentary harmonicas and kazoos, and will be given basic music lessons.
In addition, the sixth-annual Phillips Jazz Piano Competition will coincide with JazzFest, and will be held April 10 at 7:30 p.m. at the Saenger Theatre. This event will also be free and open to the public.
Made possible by the generosity of Kathleen T. and Dr. Philip B. Phillips, the event is a nationally recognized jazz competition that gives jazz pianists the opportunity to showcase their skills. Contestants must be between the ages of 18 and 35 and enrolled in a jazz program in the United States.
"This year we received applications from 18 universities throughout the country from contestants who are then cut down through a preliminary judging process to five," said Kyle Marrero, interim vice president for university advancement.
The five finalists, who were chosen by a panel of UWF music professors were announced on March 25. They're from the University of Miami, William Patterson University, Columbia University, the University of Texas and the University of North Texas.
After the finalists perform their 20-minute sets, the judges deliberate, and the audience gets to choose an audience favorite. The judges will include Russ Kassoff and the 2008 Phillips Jazz Piano Competition winner, Donald Vega.
The first place winner will receive $5,000 and perform at JazzFest on Sunday at 1:10 p.m. The second place winner will receive $3,000, the third place winner will receive $1,500, and the fourth and fifth place winners will receive $250.
"Each year, the level of the competitors, and reach of the competition in terms of its national exposure, becomes greater and greater," Marrero said.
Lyon said that JazzFest audience survey results over the last couple of years showed that people from Mexico, Germany, and Japan attended.
She said, "There are a lot of great cultural events here, and we are glad to be one of the events that help to make Pensacola such a great vacation destination."
http://www.thevoyager.net/entertainment/jazzfest-cues-up-soon-1.2212822
The 27th annual JazzFest will be held April 10-11 at Seville Square. The hours will be Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Produced by the Jazz Society of Pensacola, JazzFest is an all-jazz event that is free and open to the public.
The funding for the festival also comes from corporate sponsorships and in-kind donations.
"We have some really top quality out-of- towners who are coming in," said Kathy Lyon, administrator for the Jazz Society of Pensacola, which sponsors the event.
The lineup will include Aaron Weinstein who was named a "rising star violinist" by "Downbeat Magazine,"
Loren Pickford, a Grammy-nominated saxophonist, flutist, pianist, vocalist, composer and recording artist, and Dennis Mackrel, a drummer who has performed with iconic musicians such as Quincy Jones.
Kathy Lyon will also perform a couple of jazz-blues blends from her CD on Saturday at 5 p.m. She said, "I'll be singing for an hour, so I'll be delivering the best songs I can do."
Local middle school, high school and college jazz bands will also perform on both days from 10 a.m. to about 1 p.m. They include the Ransom Middle School Jazz Band, Pine Forest High School Jazz Band, University of West Florida Jazz Band and Pensacola Junior College Jazz Band.
"It's just such a neat opportunity for these kids from middle school all the way to college to rub elbows and be able to connect and chat with these really famous guys who are top professionals," Lyon said. "It's a great mix, because there's all this inspiration and communication between all these different levels of people."
Lyon said that the musicians will be mingling with the crowd.
"At a lot of the jazz festivals, you never get close to the artists," she said. "Ours is kind of intimate, casual and relaxed."
Aside from jazz performances, JazzFest will also include food vendors and crafts exhibits featuring jewelry, paintings and photographs. At a jazz jam session for children starting at 3 p.m. on Saturday, kids will receive complimentary harmonicas and kazoos, and will be given basic music lessons.
In addition, the sixth-annual Phillips Jazz Piano Competition will coincide with JazzFest, and will be held April 10 at 7:30 p.m. at the Saenger Theatre. This event will also be free and open to the public.
Made possible by the generosity of Kathleen T. and Dr. Philip B. Phillips, the event is a nationally recognized jazz competition that gives jazz pianists the opportunity to showcase their skills. Contestants must be between the ages of 18 and 35 and enrolled in a jazz program in the United States.
"This year we received applications from 18 universities throughout the country from contestants who are then cut down through a preliminary judging process to five," said Kyle Marrero, interim vice president for university advancement.
The five finalists, who were chosen by a panel of UWF music professors were announced on March 25. They're from the University of Miami, William Patterson University, Columbia University, the University of Texas and the University of North Texas.
After the finalists perform their 20-minute sets, the judges deliberate, and the audience gets to choose an audience favorite. The judges will include Russ Kassoff and the 2008 Phillips Jazz Piano Competition winner, Donald Vega.
The first place winner will receive $5,000 and perform at JazzFest on Sunday at 1:10 p.m. The second place winner will receive $3,000, the third place winner will receive $1,500, and the fourth and fifth place winners will receive $250.
"Each year, the level of the competitors, and reach of the competition in terms of its national exposure, becomes greater and greater," Marrero said.
Lyon said that JazzFest audience survey results over the last couple of years showed that people from Mexico, Germany, and Japan attended.
She said, "There are a lot of great cultural events here, and we are glad to be one of the events that help to make Pensacola such a great vacation destination."
http://www.thevoyager.net/entertainment/jazzfest-cues-up-soon-1.2212822
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