Annual Village Jazz Series welcomes new faces this season

The Village Jazz Series will be getting some new flavors this year as it kicks off its 12th season.

“I look at it like this: Jazz is an art form that centers on individual creativity, and experienced performers really develop their own unique voice,” said series organizer Steve Hennig. “So even though we have truly world class musicians who would enjoy performing here year after year, we want to keep including new voices, keep things fresh, and present a variety of unique styles.”

The Village Jazz Series is set to begin on Jan. 11. Concerts will then be held every Thursday from 6

p.m. to 8 p.m. until April 26.

The jazz performances will take place in the Village Area of the Yuma Palms mall in front of Harkins Theaters, 1305 S. Yuma Palms Pkwy. Attendees are advised to bring their own seating.

In total, there will be 16

free jazz concerts featuring local artists as well as artists from around the region.

There will be first-time appearances by Grammywinning trumpeter Curtis Taylor and the San Diego Duo Lori Bell and Ron Satterfield.

Bell, who just released a new album, has received three global music awards. She and Satterfield play in many styles from Swing to Brazilian.

“I am really happy to be coming,” she said. “I am coming with my guitarist Ron Satterfield who is totally amazing. We have a brand new CD called ‘Blue’s.’ We are going to be playing a variety of material as well as a lot of things from the album. We’ve been playing together for more than 20 years

so we have a lot of repertoire.”

Taylor, who is also based in California, noted that he himself recently released an EP called “#Hashtagged” and plays primarily jazz with some R&B, Hip Hop Neo Soul and gospel influences.

“I am excited to see what’s happening in Arizona and Yuma,” he said. “I always try to communicate music very honestly and so do my musicians. We mix a range of styles and we try to keep it interesting and exciting for ourselves and the audience. I think an audience can just walk away with a real honest, musical experience.”

Returning artists to the series include the series’ host band, the Yuma Jazz Company Quintet, guitarist Peter Sprague with

vocalists Leonard Patton, trumpeter Gilbert Castellanos, guitarist/vocalist Pete Pancrazi, and Jon Cain and Kati Cat.

Dixieland will also be returning via the High Society Jazz Band.

Local performers include jazz/blues musician Jimmy Caves, bassist Cesar Juarez, vocalist Jennifer Wayman, the Yuma Big Band, and the duo Jason and Elle. Additionally, student ensembles from Cibola, Gila Ridge and Yuma Catholic high schools as well as Arizona Western College will be showcased.

For the sixth time, Yuma Palms Regional Center will be giving Village Jazz Series Education Awards to local high school senior music students who will be going on to higher education. According to Hennig,

the awards process will be facilitated by local nonprofit group Rio Colorado Performing Arts, and the awards will be presented at the final series event on April 26.

The annual series is presented by Yuma Palms Regional Center and is funded by its parent company, Inland Continental. This series is sponsored by the Yuma Sun, KYMA, KSWT, KAWC FM/AM, Long Realty, the Oak Tree Inn, Shilo Inn, and La Fuente Inn Suites.

Hennig noted that each concert will be recorded for one time playback on KAWC’s “Best of the Village Jazz Series” broadcasts. For more information, visit yumajazz.com/ village/index.html or call (928) 345-1534.