Thanks to a few big events, the Outdoor Jazz season continues for one more weekend! The Big Badd, Columbus’ purveyors of modern pop favorites imbued with jazz musicality and chops, get the weekend off to a good start with their performance at the Mac and Cheese Festival at Easton Town Center on Friday, October 5th, from 4 to 8pm (more details here). One of the area’s finest neighborhood traditions, the Columbus Italian Festival, offers great live jazz with Italian flair all weekend. On Friday at 7pm and 9pm, Italian-American crooner Sal “The Voice” Valentinetti will perform with the Rick Brunetto Big Band. Brunetto’s band will be in action again on Saturday, October 6th at 9pm supporting Italian classical crossover artist and storyteller Micheal Castaldo. And on Sunday, October 7th at 1:30pm, Columbus’ own Sinatra-styled vocalist Brian Michael Smith will be joined by the John Vermeulen Octet for more swingin’ favorites. See the full festival schedule and learn more about the artists here. Finally, the Harrison West Jazz Stage wraps up for 2018 with a rescheduled date for original season opener Birdshack (due to rain on the original date) at Harrison Park Gazebo on Sunday at 1pm – season details here. Keep reading for previews of Carl Sally, Denison Jazz Guitar Festival & Richard Lopez Jazz Master Sessions!
Shows To See This Week
Friday, October 5th (5 – 8pm): SCAT LSP 1st Friday Happy Hour Featuring Carl Sally at Lincoln Cafe. This monthly community-based event, organized by Connie Boykin and his SCAT: Experience the Avenue organization, continues to offer a variety of Columbus-based talent performing with the Long Street Project house band. Columbus native Sally has entertained the world over in his 70+ year career, and will lead a soulful blend of jazz favorites and more for this concert. A donation of $10 is requested for admission to enjoy world-class jazz in the historic King-Lincoln Bronzeville neighborhood. More details here.
Saturday, October 6th and Sunday, October 7th: 22nd Annual Denison Jazz Guitar Festival at Burke Hall of Music and Art, Granville. Though retired from Denison, guitar legend Tom Carroll continues to helm his pioneering annual jazz guitar festival, which always features renowned guitarists in concerts that are free and open to the public. The festival gets started on Saturday at 1pm with Guitar Clinics led by regional guitarists in the Burke Rehearsal Room (more details here). On Saturday at 7:30pm in Burke Recital Hall, Festival Concert I, entitled “Straight Ahead,” will present guitarist Dave Stryker with special guest Bobby Floyd on piano, Doug Richeson on bass, and Seth Rogers on drums (more details here). And on Sunday at 7pm, Festival Concert II, entitled “Swing’s The Thing,” will feature guitarists Matt Munisteri and Frank Vignola, and the concert will be followed by the traditional Grand Finale Jam Session directed by Carroll and including festival clinicians and artists (more details here). Head out to Granville this weekend for the best in jazz guitar, for FREE!
Sunday, October 7th (3 – 5pm): Richard Lopez Presents A Musical Journey to Latin American Jazz: From Cuba & Brazil to Miami Salsa! at Columbus Museum of Art. Pianist Lopez’s Jazz Master Sessions returns for another season with a concert celebrating Hispanic Heritage month by “exploring the evolution of Latin jazz traditions in its many exciting forms.” Lopez will be joined by an all-star cast of Kris Keith, Jim Masters, Ben Huntoon, Roger Hines, Antoine Fatout and Francisco Rojas. More details are available here and advance tickets are available here.
Have a great week!