Discover Jazz Festival

[BackLoafRiver]

Anyone in here ever go to the Discover Jazz Fest in Burlington? They just released their line up and there are several amazing acts worth going to. www.discoverjazz.com

Arturo Sandoval is playing June 4th with the Vermont All State Jazz Band, Jim Hall is playing the Flynn on Friday the 11th and finally, Sonny Rollins will be at the Flynn on Saturday the 12th!!!!!!

Sonny is getting up there in age,(turning 80 this year!) and the only one of his contemporaries still alive. It's pretty impressive he is still playing. I saw him 5 years ago and it was a struggle...he would play a chorus or two and let the band loose. Still, to see him still tearing it up at 80 is something else.

I am going to try very hard to get to Arturo on the 4th. Looks to be a great show!

 

[deadheadskier]

It was a real treat when I lived in town; not just the bigger acts, but all the smaller local stuff going on at various restaurants and what not.

Surprised to see no mention of Big Joe Burrell on the website. Dude was a legend and I recall a number of tributes to him from the festival when he passed.

 

[thetrailboss]

Yes. I've been to several and played in them before. It is a very good festival. Many shows are free.

 

[BackLoafRiver]

I forgot to post this earlier but went to Burlington last Friday to see Arturo Sandoval and his quintet. (it was billed as a sextet but they were sans a percussionist) I took 3 of my students with me. I didn't know this at the time but it was their first time seeing a major recording artist play jazz.

Easily one of the best concerts I have ever seen. The tenor sax player was un-freaking-believable. Absolutely all over the horn. And Arturo...holy crap. He did it all. When he wasn't playing trumpet, he picked up the auxiliary percussion stuff and did sounded pro on that. Oh, and then 45 minutes in, he kicked the piano player aside and did a GORGEOUS rendition of Smoke Gets in Your Eyes.

I hope that the rest of the concerts this week have lived up to the standard that he set. What a great night of jazz. One of the kids looked at me at the end and just said, "Thanks so much for taking us. This was unreal".

 

[thetrailboss]

The Discover Jazz Festival is a very good experience for students. My Junior High and High School Jazz bands played in it. They encourage schools to have their bands play in it. We played on the marketplace midweek. They'd be thrilled to have a ME band come!