2nd Annual Rochester City Jazz Festival
If you're looking to add a little tap to your step, don't miss out on the second annual Rochester City Jazz Festival hosted at Rochester Civic Theatre on Sunday August 13th from 1-8 p.m. The festival includes a debut of a Jazz Jam which allows local jazz heads to sit in with The D’Sievers’ jazz rhythm section and perform for their fans. Other additions are three bands including instrumental and vocal jazz: The John Paulson Group, The Jana Nyberg 5, and The illicit Sextet.
John Sievers is excited about the Jazz Festival. He said
It's is important to me because it is a way for Rochester's jazz lovers to gather together and nurture our love for jazz. It is incredible to have young and old alike join together to express themselves collectively through the language of jazz.
The John Paulson Group features Paulson on sax. A professor emeritus at Saint Mary’s University where he taught jazz for more than 30 years, Paulson has recorded six albums including his 2006 Way Out Blues and a collection of his works for big band on the 2013 John Paulson Big Band Project CD. His music includes everything from hard hitting swing to gentle bossa novas.
The Jana Nyberg 5 features Nyberg’s vocal jazz. She’s a vocalist and flautist from Minneapolis who appeared on season ten of American Idol. Nyberg's fourth full-length album will be released in 2017. Her small ensemble plays both well-loved standards and tunes that are sometimes overlooked. The Jan Nyberg 5 has a modern edge, but Nyberg’s vocals are soulful and expressive.
The headliner for the festival will be The illicit Sextet. The band got its start in 1987 as a “composer’s collective,” and it is still making its mark in the Minnesota jazz scene. WCCO CBS included The illicit Sextet in its list of Minnesota’s four best jazz bands in 2015, and in 2016, the group released a new album entitled Addendum. The sextet also won “Best Instrumental Group” at the Minnesota Music Awards. The post-bop group consists of Steve Kenny (flumpet), Paul Harper (sax), David Roos (guitar), Chris Lomheim (piano), Tom Pieper (bass), and Nathan Norman (drums).
The 2nd annual Rochester City Jazz Fest is sponsored by the Rochester Downtown Association, The Rochester Civic Theatre, The Rochester 507 Magazine, and Northern Sun Productions. For more information about the festival go to: www.facebook.com/rochestercityjazzfestival
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