Cool weather, hot licks
Escape the winter blues at 6 jazz festivals happening in February
In February, the heart of winter, jazz festivals will be going on coast to coast, some outdoors, others indoors. February offers a calendar full of jazz designed to help you break out of the winter doldrums. These six fests offer a blend of wellknown, established artists with newcomers and veterans alike.
North Carolina Jazz Festival: Wilmington, North Carolina, Feb. 2-4
Wilmington, perched on the banks of the Cape Fear River, is filled with historic sites related to the Revolutionary and Civil wars, plus myriad boutiques and shops, art galleries, museums and restaurants. The festival performances are indoors at the Hotel Ballast. Among the artists scheduled to appear are Steve Washington, Lenore Raphael, Steve Hobbs,
Nate Najar, Jeff Rupert and Adrian Cunningham. The celebration, now in its 43rd edition, is one of the oldest in the country and among the largest traditional jazz events in the Southeast.
Hotel Ballast, 301 N. Water St., Wilmington.
General admission tickets are $15-$65; patron tickets at $215-$240, including Patrons’ Musical Brunch. Visit www.ncjazzfestival. org.
Fort Mose Jazz & Blues Series: St. Augustine, Florida, Feb. 10-19
The Fort Mose Jazz & Blues Series returns to
Fort Mose Historic State Park, the site of the first legally sanctioned free African settlement in what is now the United States. The event, held outdoors beneath a canopy of oaks and pines and surrounded by the marshes of the Florida Intracoastal Waterway, is in its second year. The impressive lineup of musicians includes Gladys Knight, Mavis Staples, Christian McBride’s New Jawn, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram with special guest Tinsley Ellis, Rhiannon Giddens and Valerie June. This year’s series will benefit the Fort Mose Historical Society in its effort to raise awareness of the fascinating site that dates to the late 1600s when the first former slaves arrived in St. Augustine to live as free men and women.
Fort Mose Historic
State Park, 15 Mose Trail,
St. Augustine. Tickets are
$42-$132. Visit www.discoverfortmose.com.
Biamp Portland Jazz Festival: Portland, Oregon, Feb. 16-25
The Biamp Portland Jazz Festival features an opening performance by the Bill Frisell Four, with the closing weekend highlighted by Dave Holland and the Derrick Hodge Trio, Dumpstaphunk with Jon Cleary, Three Sacred Souls and Orquestra Pacifico Tropical, Keifer and the Aaron Burnett Trio. Dozens more prolific artists, including NEA
Jazz Masters and Grammy winners, are scheduled to appear at the event, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary. PDX Jazz Executive
Director Chris Doss says the fest “highlights our commitment towards sharing the full breadth of jazz, its roots, its future, music that has influenced jazz and the music influenced by jazz.”
Various venues. Ticket prices vary by performance. Visit www.pdxjazz.org.
Hudson Jazz Festival: Hudson, New York, Feb. 16-26
This fest takes place at Hudson Hall, a historic landmark building dating to 1855 that is the home of New York state’s oldest surviving theater. The magnificent performance hall, in the picturesque Hudson Valley and about two hours north of New
York City, is the ideal venue for the festival that this year features Sarah Elizabeth Charles, Marquis Hill: New Gospel Revisited, Michael Mayo, Ulysses Owens Jr. and Generation Y, Lucy Yeghiazaryan and Vanisha Gould: In Her Words, Aaron Parks and Samantha Rise: Dreaming Home and Endea Owens and the Cookout. Don’t miss Marine Penvern’s Body and Soul exhibition that begins Feb. 16 through April 2 and features the renowned artist’s paintings, textiles and clothing.
Hudson Hall at the Hudson Opera House, 327 Warren St., Hudson. Tickets are $30-$60; festival passes are $102-$336. Visit www. hudsonhall.org.
Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival: Rockville, Maryland, Feb. 17-19
The Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival, presented by the Jazz Academy of Music Inc., is an annual three-day event that occurs over President’s Day weekend. Four stages run simultaneously, with three of them for paid performances and the last an open-air atrium that offers free shows. Among the artists scheduled to appear are the Fran Vielma Orchestra, Jazz Academy of Music Orchestra with special guest Randy Brecker, the Texas Tenor Titans, Chelsey Green and the Green Project, and 2022 DC JazzPrix winner Julieta Eugenio Trio. Also offered are master classes, interviews with performing artists, line and swing dancing and jam sessions that are free and open to the public.
Hilton Hotel and Executive Meeting Center, 1750 Rockville Road, Rockville. Tickets are $25-$85; grounds passes are $5-$12. Visit www.midatlantic jazzfestival.org or call (888) 909-6330.
San Diego Jazz Party: Del Mar, California, Feb. 24-26
The San Diego Jazz Party turns 25 this year, having begun in 1988. Musicians includes Chuck Redd, Dan Barrett, Danny Coots, Duke Heitger, Ed Metz, Harry Allen, Houston Person Jr., Jason Wanner, Jon-Erik Kellso, Ken Peplowski, Paul Keller, Peter Washington, Richard Simon, Rossano Sportiello, Vinny Raniolo, Evan Christopher and Russ Phillips. It’s all about the smooth sound of drums, vibes, trumpets, clarinets, saxophones, pianos and guitars, with vocals by the renowned Lia Booth.
Hilton San Diego Del
Mar, 15575 Jimmy Durante Blvd., Del Mar. Tickets are $85-$145; all-access patron passes are $250 and include an open-bar cocktail party and breakfast. Visit www. sdjp.org.