JazzFest ready to bring beats to the streets in September
The 24th annual Hot Springs JazzFest, Sept. 2- 7, will mix the new and the favorite in a celebration of all that’s jazz.
Each year, organizers from the Hot Springs Jazz Society search out exceptional artists from across the country and place them throughout the festival so they can get to know them, experience their music, and become more familiar with today’s jazz scene.
During this 24th year, a highlight will be Allen Won, a saxophonist and flutist raised in Hawaii and educated in New York City. The Kansas City Star described the instrumentalist as a “super sax player named Allen Won drifts about the stage like an amiable Pied Piper.”
Now living in New York City, Won will be the featured artist during Sax in the Park on Sept. 2, the Classical & Jazz Explosion on Sept. 4, and with Anything That Moves at the Jazz in the Streets free outdoor concert on Sept. 5.
Another addition to this year’s JazzFest will be the opportunity to dance the night away with Shirley Chauvin’s little big band, S’Wonderful, in S’Wonderful Dancin’ on Sept. 3 in the Austin Convention Hotel & Spa’s Silver Fox Lounge. After a showcase of special arrangements with the group’s lively jazz sounds, attendees are sure to dance the night away to songs made famous by the greatest big band vocalists from the 1940s through the 1970s.
Sax in the Park on Sept. 2 will be a new twist on an old favorite. The event will bring together five saxophone players, each with a particular style and experience to bring to the stage. The program is set to feature Gary Meggs on alto sax, Brandon Dorris on tenor, Chris Sims on baritone, and Nathan Carmon on tenor — all joined by Won performing alto sax, soprano sax and flute.
Classical & Jazz Explosion is JazzFest’s most original concert and a special favorite of its sponsor, The Morris Foundation. On Sept. 4, the classical string group Quapaw Quartet, and the Clyde Pound Jazz Combo will come together in an evening’s experience of how the two complement each other, creating a fusion of musical styles.
Next will be the traditional outdoor Jazz in the Streets concert, taking place Sept. 5 in downtown’s Entertainment District. On two stages under the Broadway Street skybridge, six groups will perform from 11 a. m. to 5 p. m. Latin artist Calle Soul will be joined at 4 p. m. by Mark and Aura King, who will teach attendees how to dance the salsa.
On Sept. 6, St. Luke’s Episcopal Church will begin the day with a Jazz Mass, then Grand Avenue United Methodist Church will co- host Jazz After Church, featuring Christian jazz composer and pianist David Arivett leading a celebration of jazz and its roots in spirituals and the church. The day is set to conclude with a Stardust Big Band Tea Dance in the Arlington Resort Hotel & Spa’s Crystal Ballroom.
And last, but by no means least, will be a special “thank you” to JazzFest sponsors and volunteers at a party on Sept. 7. Featured will be Arkansas native Michael Eubanks’ smooth sax and soulful, sultry vocal jazz styles accompanied by good food and good fun on Lake Hamilton. For those who have helped the Hot Springs Jazz Society this year, it will be an occasion to remember.
A JazzPass is available for purchase and will allow attendance at a discounted price to Sax in the Park, S’Wonderful Dancin’ and Classical & Jazz Explosion. The cost is $ 60 for HSJS members and $ 75 for nonmembers. Detailed information about the festival and ticket purchasing is available at http:// www. HSJazzSociety. org, by calling 627- 2427, or emailing HSJazzSociety@ gmail. com.