SPOTLIGHT ON MUSIC
Creekside Blues & Jazz Festival to put the focus on musicians
In the summer of 2019, when blues musician Vanessa Collier made her first appearance at the Creekside Blues and Jazz Festival in Gahanna, she still remembers the lively response from the crowd. h “They were such an expressive audience,” said Collier, 30, a saxophonist and vocalist who has been nominated seven times for Blues Music Awards. h “That’s usually what sticks with me: When they’re ready to roll on song one,” said Collier, a native of Dallas, Texas, who resides outside of Philadelphia. “They’re already into it. It sets the tone.” h Now, after the pandemic necessitated the cancellation of last year’s festival and the delay of this year’s from June to September, Collier will make a return appearance at Creekside.
Eager for return
At this year’s festival — set to take place on Sept. 17-19 in Creekside Park and Plaza in Gahanna — Collier might encounter eager but wary audiences: The festival returns amid a sharp rise of coronavirus cases and the reintroduction of an indoor mask mandate in Columbus.
The outdoor festival, which sells tickets for individual days as well as weekend passes, will urge attendees to maintain social-distancing and wear masks if they are unable to keep a distance. There is no set capacity limit, but if audience size starts to swell, organizers will stop admitting patrons.
Yet Collier, speaking by phone while on tour in Switzerland, said that she thinks audiences remain ready to embrace the live music experience.
“I’m going to play my worries away, and I think the audience (feels) the same: We all come together to celebrate this beautiful moment and create music ... and it lets everything else melt away,” said Collier, who will perform, with a band consisting of a drummer, bassist, guitarist and keyboardist, from 7:45 to 9:15 p.m. on Sept. 18 on the Electric Blues Stage on Town Street.
“It lets everything else kind of melt away, and hopefully everybody leaves happier and feeling good,” Collier said.
That’s the goal of festival organizers, who report keen interest in this weekend’s concerts as well as the retail, food and beverage vendors that will participate in the festival.
“We have over 300 people signed up to volunteer various shifts,” said Lori Kappes, the executive director of Visit Gahanna.
What to expect
“The Creekside area is a fantastic venue,” Kappes said. The feeling of it to me is unlike any other. You might see a festival in a big field somewhere. (Creekside) is not at all like that. It utilizes the assets of the area.”
Lawn chairs and blankets are suggested for those attending; single chair seating will be available, but table sales ended Sept. 1.
Several kids’ events, including carnival-type rides, have been eliminated out of an abundance of caution, but kayaking opportunities in Big Walnut Creek are available from 1 to 7 p.m. on Sept. 18 and from noon to 5 p.m. on Sept. 19.
Key to the festival’s success is its park setting, on the banks of Big Walnut Creek, and the area’s numerous surrounding shops and restaurants.
The local duo Honey and Blue — consisting of singer-songwriters Stephanie Amber, 32, and Adam Darling, 38, are set to perform from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Sept. 17 on the Jazz Stage on Mill Street — think that the outdoor setting will be a salve for music lovers anxious about large events.
“You can’t find a safer environment than being outside,” Darling said.
Though the recent streak of pleasant
temperatures won’t last forever.
“In a sense, it makes it to me a little bit sweeter,” Amber said. “It feels like the window of being outdoors, having these safe and fun events, is starting to
come to an end. I think it makes us even more grateful.”
Music, music and more music
This year’s lineup hits multiple notes, ranging from the trio of jazz pianist Tony Hagood (5-6:30 p.m., Sept. 17, Jazz Stage) to the blues-rock band Ralph and the Rhythm Hounds (1:55-3:10 p.m., Sept. 19, Electric Blues Stage) to the Columbus Academy Jazz Ensemble (noon-12:45 p.m., Sept. 19, Round Stage).
Exemplifying the eclecticism of the festival is guitarist Jonn Del Toro Richardson, a Texas native and resident who says his music owes much to his home state.
“You’ve got a little blues, a little country, a little Latin, a little rock, a little Louisiana,” said Richardson, 52, who will be making his debut at Creekside this year with a performance from 9:30-11 p.m. on Sept. 17 on the Electric Blues Stage.
He won’t know exactly what he’ll be playing, though, until he shows up in Gahanna.
“I don’t like to use a set list,” Richardson said. “I like to read the audience . ... I’m entertaining you, I’m playing for you.” tonguetteauthor2@aol.com infobox below