Sioux Falls Jazz & Blues Society

5 Weeks Until JazzFest 2010

2010-06-10T10:33:00.003-05:00

Sioux Falls Jazz and Blues is gearing up for JazzFest 2010! There are a ton of new and exiting changes to the festival this year, the most substantial change being the addition of a THIRD DAY to the event. This year, the Sioux Falls Jazz and Blues Festival will begin on Thursday, July 15th. The event will run Thursday and Friday in the evenings, and Saturday starting at noon. For more information, including a list of performers, visit www.siouxfallsjazzfest.com.

Feeling like an Olympian? Don't forget to sign up for our Jazzfest 5K. JazzFest 5K signup

Be sure to follow JazzFest on twitter and facebook

In the picture is Los Lobos. Catch them at JazzFest on Friday, July 16th and you'll probably hear a free sneak-preview of songs from their new album, "Tin Can Trust", to be released August 3rd!

Los Lobos keep busy on the road ahead of new album

Sioux Falls Jazz & Blues Celebrates Jazz Appreciation Month with a Variety of Events in April

2010-03-29T17:27:00.005-05:00

Sioux Falls Jazz & Blues is preparing to celebrate Jazz Appreciation Month (JAM) by hosting a number of special events throughout the Sioux Falls area.

JAM was designated by the Smithsonian Institute's National Museum of American History in 2001 and the U.S. Congress passed legislation in 2003 that declared April as Jazz Appreciation Month.

Jazz flows free and has the ability to appeal to a wide variety of music lovers. With such a range, make yourself a part of an audience for one or more of the events below and discover your type of jazz.

Northlanders Jazz Band & All City Middle School Jazz Ensemble Concert
Tuesday, April 6 at 7:30 p.m.
Kresge Recital Hall - Augustana College
Ticketing Info: $5, call 605.335.6101 or visit www.sfjb.org

Brubeck Brothers Workshop
Thursday, April 8 at 3 p.m.
Kresge Recital Hall - Augustana College
Ticketing Info: free and open to the public

Brubeck Brothers Quartet
Friday, April 9 at 8:00 p.m.
Sioux Falls Orpheum Theater
Ticketing Info: $40/$22, call 605.335.6101 or visit www.sfjb.org

The Barnes & Noble Book Fair Supporting Sioux Falls Jazz & Blues
Sunday, April 11 at 10:00 a.m.
Barnes & Noble
Other: Live Music with Dakota Jazz Collective at 2pm and Elizabeth Hunstad at 3pm.
Help SFJB's Education Fund! Part of your purchase will be donated if you use a voucher (available the day of the event), or simply mention Sioux Falls Jazz & Blues when you make your purchases.

Jazz 101 for Adults-The Jazz Diversity Project
Tuesday, April 13 at 7:00 p.m. social hour (appetizers and cash bar), 7:30 p.m. program
CJ Callaway's - South Events Center
Ticketing Info: free to subscribers, $5 for public

Downtown Jazz Crawl
Saturday, April 17 at 5:00 p.m.
Various Locations Downtown
For More Information: call 605.335.6101

Build your own progressive food and music menu as you travel to the various hot spots to experience a wide array of jazz music!

• Horse Barn Arts Center, Danny Larsen 5 p.m.
• Wild Sage Grille, Jim McKinney 6 p.m.
• Taste of the Big Apple, So What 6:30 p.m.
• Michelle's, Against the Grain 7 p.m.
• Latitude 44, "Jazzed" 8 p.m.
• Paramount, Bielfeldt Duo 8 p.m.
• Club David, Lazer Rocket Arm and AdApt 8 p.m. ($6 cover)
• Monks, Take Two Trio 8 p.m.
• Touch of Europe, Polyphase 8:30 p.m.
• Parker's Bistro, Danny Larsen and Greg Olson 9 p.m.

***acts and times subject to change***

For more information about Jazz Appreciation Month events, visit Sioux Falls Jazz & Blues' website: www.sfjb.org.

This year, the national campaign poster featured Dave Brubeck as he was the 2009 Kennedy Center Honoree. He is also the father of Dan and Chris Brubeck who are part of the Brubeck Brothers Quartet; doing their part in Sioux Falls by sharing knowledge about the music and the history of jazz.

Come on out and support Jazz during Jazz Appreciation Month with Sioux Falls Jazz & Blues!

National Jazz Appreciation Month poster features Dave Brubeck

The National Museum of American History (NMAH) has developed a poster of the legendary jazz artist Dave Brubeck to celebrate Jazz Appreciation Month in April.

NMAH Curator of American Music John Hasse worked with the artist Leroy Neiman to have him create the portrait in tribute to Brubeck. Neiman has provided other jazz works for JAM posters featuring Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington.

Brubeck is a 2009 Kennedy Center Honoree. In a White House reception for the Kennedy Center honorees, President Barack Obama remarked that he became a lifelong jazz fan after attending a Dave Brubeck concert with his father.

Click here to watch a clip of the 2009 Kennedy Center video.

The museum has printed 250,000 posters for free distribution to schools, libraries, music and jazz educators, music merchants and manufacturers, radio stations, arts presenters, and U.S. embassies worldwide.

Several Past SFJB Artists Nominated for 52nd Annual Grammy's

2009-12-08T13:38:00.005-06:00

We always beam with pride when musicians we've presented as part of our concert series or at JazzFest are Grammy Nominees! Here's the listing of jazz and blues categories, as well as a gospel and pop category where jazz and blues artists are included. (Artists that the Sioux Falls Jazz & Blues Society has presented are in red.) Photo of Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi at the Sioux Falls Jazz & Blues Festival 2007 by Kristen Mors Photography.

Best Contemporary Jazz Album
(For albums containing 51% or more playing time of INSTRUMENTAL tracks.)

Urbanus
Stefon Harris & Blackout
[Concord Jazz]
Sounding Point
Julian Lage
[Emarcy/Decca]
At World's Edge
Philippe Saisse
[E1 Music]
Big Neighborhood
Mike Stern
[Heads Up International]
75
Joe Zawinul & The Zawinul Syndicate
[Heads Up International]

Best Jazz Vocal Album
(For albums containing 51% or more playing time of VOCAL tracks.)

No Regrets
Randy Crawford (& Joe Sample)
[PRA Records]
Dedicated To You: Kurt Elling Sings The Music Of Coltrane And Hartman
Kurt Elling
[Concord Jazz]
So In Love
Roberta Gambarini
[Groovin' High/Emarcy]
Tide
Luciana Souza
[Verve]
Desire
Tierney Sutton (Band)
[Telarc Jazz]

Best Improvised Jazz Solo
(For an instrumental jazz solo performance. Two equal performers on one recording may be eligible as one entry. If the soloist listed appears on a recording billed to another artist, the latter's name is in parenthesis for identification. Singles or Tracks only.)

Dancin' 4 Chicken
Terence Blanchard, soloist
Track from: Watts (Jeff "Tain" Watts)
[Dark Key Music]
All Of You
Gerald Clayton, soloist
Track from: Two-Shade
[ArtistShare]
Ms. Garvey, Ms. Garvey
Roy Hargrove, soloist
Track from: Emergence
[Groovin' High/Emarcy]
On Green Dolphin Street
Martial Solal, soloist
Track from: Live At The Village Vanguard
[CamJazz]
Villa Palmeras
Miguel Zenón, soloist
Track from: Esta Plena
[Marsalis Music]

Best Jazz Instrumental Album, Individual or Group
(For albums containing 51% or more playing time of INSTRUMENTAL tracks.)

Quartet Live
Gary Burton, Pat Metheny, Steve Swallow & Antonio Sanchez
[Concord Jazz]
Brother To Brother
Clayton Brothers
[ArtistShare]
Five Peace Band — Live
Chick Corea & John McLaughlin Five Peace Band
[Concord Records]
Remembrance
John Patitucci Trio
[Concord Jazz]
The Bright Mississippi
Allen Toussaint
[Nonesuch]

Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album
(For large jazz ensembles, including big band sounds. Albums must contain 51% or more INSTRUMENTAL tracks.)

Legendary
Bob Florence Limited Edition
[MAMA Records]
Eternal Interlude
John Hollenbeck Large Ensemble
[Sunnyside]
Fun Time
Sammy Nestico And The SWR Big Band
[Hänssler Classic]
Book One
New Orleans Jazz Orchestra
[World Village]
Lab 2009
University Of North Texas One O'Clock Lab Band
[North Texas Jazz]

Best Latin Jazz Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)

Things I Wanted To Do
Chembo Corniel
[Chemboro Records]
Áurea
Geoffrey Keezer
[ArtistShare]
Brazilliance X 4
Claudio Roditi
[Resonance Records]
Juntos Para Siempre
Bebo Valdés And Chucho Valdés
[Sony Music/Calle 54]
Esta Plena
Miguel Zenón
[Marsalis Music]

Best Traditional Blues Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)

A Stranger Here
Ramblin' Jack Elliott
[ANTI]
Blue Again
The Mick Fleetwood Blues Band Featuring Rick Vito
[429 Records]
Rough & Tough
John Hammond
[Chesky Records]
Stomp! The Blues Tonight
Duke Robillard
[Stony Plain Records]
Chicago Blues: A Living History
(Various Artists)
Larry Skoller, producer
[Raisin' Music]

Best Contemporary Blues Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)

This Time
The Robert Cray Band
[Nozzle Records/Vanguard]
The Truth According To Ruthie Foster
Ruthie Foster
[Blue Corn Music]
Live: Hope At The Hideout
Mavis Staples
[ANTI]
Back To The River
Susan Tedeschi
[Verve Forecast]
Already Free
The Derek Trucks Band
[Victor Records]

Best Gospel Performance
(For solo, duo, group as collaborative performances. Singles or tracks with vocal containing Gospel lyrics. All genres of Gospel music are eligible.)

Free To Be Me
Francesca Battistelli
[Fervent Records/ Word Entertainment]
Jesus Is Love
Heather Headley Featuring Smokie Norful
Track from: Audience Of One
[EMI Gospel]
I Believe
Jonny Lang With Fisk Jubilee Singers
Track from: Oh Happy Day
[Vector Recordings/EMI Gospel]
Wait On The Lord
Donnie McClurkin Featuring Karen Clark Sheard
Track from: We All Are One (Live In Detroit)
[Verity]
Born Again
Third Day
Track from: Revelation
[Essential Records]

Best Pop Instrumental Album
(For albums containing 51% or more playing time of INSTRUMENTAL tracks.)

In Boston
Chris Botti
[Columbia]
Legacy
Hiroshima
[Heads Up International]
Potato Hole
Booker T. Jones
[Anti]
Modern Art
The Rippingtons Featuring Russ Freeman
[Hear Music]
Down The Wire
Spyro Gyra
[Heads Up International]

Search & Shop For Good This Holiday!

2009-12-07T10:47:00.005-06:00

What if the Sioux Falls Jazz and Blues Society earned a donation every time you searched the Internet? Or how about if a percentage of every purchase you made online went to support our cause? Well, now it can!

GoodSearch.com is a new Yahoo-powered search engine that donates half its advertising revenue, about a penny per search, to the charities its users designate. Use it just as you would any search engine, get quality search results from Yahoo, and watch the donations add up!

GoodShop.com is a new online shopping mall which donates up to 30 percent of each purchase to your favorite cause! Hundreds of great stores including Amazon, Target, Gap, Best Buy, eBay, Macy's and Barnes & Noble have teamed up with GoodShop and every time you place an order, you'll be supporting your favorite cause.

And if you download the GoodSearch - Sioux Falls Jazz and Blues Society toolbar, our cause will earn money every time you shop and search online - even if you forget to go to GoodShop or GoodSearch first!

Add the Sioux Falls Jazz and Blues Society toolbar now!

Your gift truly makes a difference! Your financial contributions will help our organization send young students to music camp, pair them with music teachers for private lessons, and provide workshops with guest clinicians to develop their abilities and self esteem!

Thank you for your support of jazz and blues music and for inspiring our young people to live out their dreams through music.

Happy Holidays!

All City High School Jazz Ensemble and Northlanders Sizzle

2009-12-02T09:18:00.017-06:00

Last night, the All City High School Jazz Ensemble and Augustana College Northlanders Jazz Band performed at Kresge Auditorium to a nearly full house.

The All City program was established 8 years ago by the Sioux Falls Jazz & Blues Society and features a select group of high school musicians nominated by their band directors with a focus on the art of jazz improvisation. A high school group is selected and performs in the fall with a middle school program scheduled each spring.

Yamaha artist, trumpeter and composer Jeff Jarvis returned to Sioux Falls and held clinics with both groups and performed as a guest soloist. Mr. Jarvis was most recently in Sioux Falls playing with the Northlanders at the Sioux Falls Jazz & Blues Festival last July.

Mr. Jarvis sat in with the All City group for their entire set. He mentioned that as he flew in to Sioux Falls, he noticed all the agriculture in our area and noted that we also "grow good kids in South Dakota."

SFJB board president, Neal Eddy, awarded Lincoln High School senior trumpet player Jordan Hoffman the Sioux Falls Jazz & Blues Society Scholarship for Higher Learning - a $1,000 award to help with college tuition to a state institution.

As part of the scholarship process, Jordan submitted a written essay to the Sioux Falls Jazz & Blues Society. Here are a few excerpts that demonstrate his passion for jazz music:

"...to teach kids how to play jazz, we'll I'd pay to have that job and it truly will be a dream come true when it happens," said Jordan.

"Jazz education is essential. The torch is being passed on to my generation and many are ignoring its flame. I plan to take that torch, run with it and keep jazz alive because if jazz dies, then a part of me has too."

Jordan was also a recipient of the Mike Miller Lifetime Achievement Award Scholarship when he was an 8th grader playing in the All City Middle School Jazz Ensemble. He's truly a special kid and a heck of a trumpet player as well.

The Northlanders Jazz Band was smokin’! The band started and ended their set with a bari sax solo. Awesome! Combined with a sizzling rhythm section, accomplished vocalist and great solos peppered throughout their 8 song set – their sound was a wall of swinging greatness.

Its fun for us at the Sioux Falls Jazz & Blues Society to see kids that were involved in the All City Jazz groups evolve in their musicianship. Three of the Northlanders players are alums of the All City program: Chris Borchardt (alto and soprano sax), Meredith Reynolds (tenor sax), and Collin Block (trumpet).

The Sioux Falls Jazz & Blues Society would like to thank Dr. Paul Schilf, Ivan Fuller, Stan Eitrem and Augustana College; Jennifer Hawkinson band director at Washington High School, Robert Carlson band director at Lincoln High School, and Shane Macklin band director at Roosevelt High School. Thank you also to Ann Davis, Fine Arts Coordinator at Sioux Falls Public Schools.

The Sioux Falls Jazz & Blues Society would also like to thank Yamaha Corporation for its sponsorship making Jeff Jarvis's appearance possible.

2009-11-09T12:23:00.003-06:00

Kyle Eastwood Band to Perform and Educate in Sioux Falls This Friday!

Jazzman and Composer for Academy Award-Winning Films, Kyle Eastwood Kicks Off Society's Concert Series Friday at Orpheum Theater.

WHAT: Kyle Eastwood Band presented by the Sioux Falls Jazz & Blues Society
WHEN: Friday, November 13, 2009 at 8PM
WHERE: Sioux Falls Historic Orpheum Theater
TICKET INFO: Tickets are $42 or $25. Available by calling 605-335-6101 or online at www.sfjb.org. Student rush tickets are also available for $12 - ½ hour before the performance with a valid student ID.
WORKSHOP INFO: Eastwood will hold a FREE educational workshop at the Jeschke Fine Arts Center on the USF campus at 3 p.m. on Friday.
LISTENING PARTY AT TRE LOUNGE: Listen to Kyle's latest album "Metropolitain", enjoy happy hour specials and win a pair of tickets to Friday's concert - tomorrow night from 4-6p.m.

"Very sharp work. There's no denying Kyle has imagination and skill.”
- The Observer

The Sioux Falls Jazz & Blues Society will kick off its 2009-10 Concert Series with world-renowned bassist, band leader and composer, Kyle Eastwood and his band, on Friday, November 13 at the Sioux Falls Historic Orpheum Theater.

As the son of the Hollywood Legend Clint Eastwood it is perhaps unsurprising that Kyle Eastwood is able to produce an air of the "super cool" with his music. His smart, sophisticated and intelligent style has earned him a place on the jazz circuit all over the world. The air-tight live performances which he leads with sensitivity and professionalism have become synonymous with the highest quality music available. Working with a highly talented British band Kyle is breaking into the consciousness of music lovers all over the world and earning a reputation regardless of his surname.

Kyle's first memory of playing music was when Clint taught him to play the left hand bass line of Boogie Woogie while he plaed the right hand solo over the top. But it wasn't until 1986, two years into a film studies major at USC, that Kyle realized music was his true passion. After years of paying his dues gigging around Los Angeles and New York, his debut album From Here to There was released on Sony in 1998.

Eastwood has released four jazz albums as a leader and has composed and arranged music for eleven films including his father's award-winning pictures Gran Torino, Flags of Our Fathers, Million Dollar Baby, Letters from Iwo Jima, Mystic River and the upcoming Invictus.

Eastwood's latest release, "Metropolitain", was released in June 2009 in the US. Co-produced by Erin Davis (son of Miles) and Kyle's long term writing partner Michael Stevens, the new album is set to capture the attention of the jazz world with its forward thinking style and the gathering of some of the best of today's jazz musicians.

As someone who has had a myriad of opportunities to shine, Kyle Eastwood has truly carved his own path as a musician. His playing reflects the richness and diversity of his experience.

The Kyle Eastwood Band concert and educational workshop are funded in part by a generous donation of Chuck and Jill Point, Avera McKennan, Vern Eide Motorcars and the Performing Arts Fund, a program of Arts Midwest funded in part by the National Endowment for the Arts with additional contributions from South Dakota Arts Council, General Mills Foundation, and Land O' Lakes Foundation.

Jazz 101: For Adults - Kyle Eastwood and Jane Monheit Preview

2009-11-05T11:52:00.006-06:00

WHAT: Jazz 101 – For Adults: Kyle Eastwood & Jane Monheit Preview WHEN: Thursday, November 5th, 2009 – 7:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m. WHERE: CJ Callaway's South Events Center - off of 69th and Minnesota Ave. PRICE: FREE to subscribers and $5 to non-subscribers. Please RSVP by calling 605-335-6101

Sioux Falls Jazz & Blues Society is hosting a jazz adult education evening and social mixer for music lovers on Thursday, November 5th, 2009 at CJ Callaway’s from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Free appetizers and a cash bar will be available.

This informal night will feature a discussion of 2 of the 5 artists that will be performing at during the 2009-10 "Legends In the Making" Concert Series. The Kyle Eastwood discussion will focus around his jazz upbringing and career, and the Jane Monheit discussion around her vocal style.

All those in attendance will be eligible to win a pair of tickets to the Kyle Eastwood Band concert on Friday, November 13th!

Cost for this educational evening is FREE to subscribers and only $5 for non-subscribers. Please RSVP by calling 605-335-6101!

Single Tickets to the 2009-10 Concert Series On-Sale Now!

2009-09-16T09:00:00.004-05:00

Individual tickets for all concert series performances are now on-sale!

Tickets may be purchased online or by calling 605-335-6101.

2009-10 season subscriptions are still on-sale as well starting at $158 per person. Subscribers receive the best seats in the house! Call the SFJB office to learn more about subscriber benefits.

Jazz & Blues Society Awarded NEA Grant

2009-08-28T15:36:00.002-05:00

The Sioux Falls Jazz & Blues Society is pleased to announce that it has received an Access to Artistic Excellence Grant in the amount of $12,500 from the National Endowment for the Arts.

The Society's Executive Director, Robert Joyce, said the grant is a great honor and further validates the organization's educational outreach efforts.

"We are very excited to receive this grant from the NEA," Joyce said. "Funding from the NEA is quite competitive and to be recognized for our work shows that we are providing programming that is superior on a national level."

Money received from this prestigious grant will be used to support the Jazz Diversity Project, an educational program that brings live jazz music into middle schools across South Dakota.

"Ultimately this money will help us provide this program across the state of South Dakota and more kids will be able to enjoy the music and message the Jazz Diversity Project brings to their school," Joyce said.

Joyce added, "The Sioux Falls Jazz & Blues Society has always strived for programming that is at the same level as arts organizations in larger markets. This helps to further validate our hard work and shows that we are succeeding."

The Sioux Falls Jazz & Blues Society strives to bring jazz and blues educational experiences to youth and adults in Sioux Falls and the state of South Dakota through various educational programs and workshops.

The upcoming fundraiser on Saturday September 26th, Jazz & Brews, directly supports the Society's educational outreach programs, which includes: the Jazz Diversity Project, the All City Jazz Ensemble, scholarships, master classes and workshops, as well as free tickets to concert series performances for at-risk and underserved youth and families.

For more information please contact Robert Joyce, Executive Director, at 605-335-6101 or at info@sfjb.org.

Jazz & Brews Will Raise Funds for Music Education Programs

2009-08-19T09:52:00.005-05:00

The fifth-annual Jazz & Brews beer tasting and silent auction will be held Saturday, September 26th at Vern Eide Motorcars from 7pm to 11pm. This event is a fantastic way to spend an evening, especially for all you beer lovers (dare-we-say "snobs"?) out there.

Jazz & Brews is the largest beer tasting in the area! In addition to a plethora of hoppy goodness, the event will also feature delicious appetizers from Chef Jeni and live music by Dakota Jazz Collective.

You won't want to miss bidding on great silent auction packages including a pair of his and hers bicycles from Spoke-N-Sport, a 52" Plasma TV and surround sound system from Karl's TV & Appliance, a private shrimp boil party at JazzFest 2010.

All proceeds from Jazz & Brews benefit the Sioux Falls Jazz & Blues Society's music education programs including the All City Jazz Ensemble, the Jazz Diversity Project, scholarships, workshops and master classes with concert series artists. These programs benefit thousands of students each year.

Tickets to Jazz & Brews are on sale now! Call 605-335-6101 or purchase tickets online today.

NPR's The Picture Show: Jazz Ambassadors Jam Abroad

2009-08-14T09:52:00.002-05:00

This slideshow with audio commentary is a wonderful look back to the import role that jazz musicians have played in our country and the to the world.

Kudos to NPR for reminding us that music and art can transcend global boundaries and make meaningful connections.

Kyle Eastwood Talks About New Release "Metropolitain"

2009-07-21T16:01:00.001-05:00

Watch Kyle Eastwood talks about his new CD 'Metropolitain' in Music | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

Tommy Castro's New Album "Hard Believer" Out August 11

2009-07-07T10:04:00.004-05:00

[From modernguitars.com]

Alligator Records has set an August 11 street date for Hard Believer, the label debut from blues, rock and R&B singer, songwriter and guitarist Tommy Castro. Castro, winner of the 2008 Blues Music Award for Entertainer Of The Year, is famed not only for his hard-hitting, impassioned vocals, soaring guitar work and his blues-infused, rocking R&B sound, but also for his striking, original songwriting and exhilarating stage show. According to The San Francisco Chronicle, "Castro navigates seriously funky Southern soul, gritty big city blues and scorching rock...his silvery guitar licks simultaneously sound familiar and fresh." Castro, booked by the famed Rosebud Agency, will be hitting the road hard -- kicking off his 2009 tour on August 9 in Duluth at the Bayfront Blues Festival, playing festivals and clubs all across the U.S. and Canada.

More available here.

Two JazzFest Artists Up for Living Blues Awards

2009-06-29T15:55:00.004-05:00

Two JazzFest 2009 artists have been honored as nominees for Living Blues Magazine's Reader's Poll.

Elvin Bishop is up for the "Best Blues Album of 2008 (New Recordings)" category, and Bettye LaVette has been nominated in two categories: "Best Live Performer" and "Most Outstanding Blues Singer".

Elvin Bishop will headline JazzFest on Friday, July 17 and Bettye LaVette will perform at 6:30pm on Saturday, July 18. The entire festival lineup is available at www.jazzfestsiouxfalls.com/performers/.

The Living Blues Magazine Reader's Poll is open until July 5. Vote online at www.livingblues.com.

BBC Review of Kyle Eastwood's Metropolitain

2009-06-26T10:19:00.006-05:00

Eastwood is central to the music, providing its vital pulse and focus.

John Eyles 2009-06-22

Kyle Eastwood’s band are a hot live act. Driven by Eastwood's bass guitar, they inject life into audiences, getting them moving and grooving. After taking time out to work on soundtracks for his father's films, most recently Gran Torino, Eastwood returns with this easy-on-the-ear album, his first since 2006.

On Metropolitain, the aim was to capture the energy of the band’s live sound. The album was recorded in Paris, allowing such renowned European players as pianist Eric Legnini, drummer Manu Katché, trumpeter Till Brönner and vocalist Camille to join the ensemble alongside regulars like British saxophonist Graeme Blevins and pianist Andrew McCormack.

The album's outstanding track, Hot Box, shows what they can deliver at their best. McCormack's electric piano, Eastwood's bubbling bass and Katché's whiplash snare drum propel a tight funk workout that recalls The Meters in their heyday, amply demonstrating why Eastwood's band are a wow in concert.

Such excitement is not sustained throughout Metropolitain. At times it narrowly avoids drifting too close to elevator music. The title track with its mellow piano riff from Legnini and wordless backing vocals from Camille radiates smooth elegance. It is only rescued by incisive trumpet interjections from Brönner that steal the track.

Throughout, Eastwood is central to the music, providing its vital pulse and focus. History shows that being a band's leader and its bassist can be a difficult combination. To his credit, Eastwood manages it with style. He is at his finest on Black Light, with its subtle Hammond organ riff.

Co-produced by Erin Davis, son of Miles, and Michael Davis, Eastwood's frequent collaborator, notably on those soundtracks, the album achieves a laid-back groove that comfortably blends jazz and funk.

Here's the link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/nwjw.

The Kyle Eastwood Band will perform as the first concert in the Sioux Falls Jazz & Blues Society's 2009-2010 Concert Series on Friday, November 13, 2009 at the Sioux Falls Orpheum Theater. Tickets will go on-sale to the public September 15. Concert series subscriptions are on sale now starting at $158 per person. For more information about this concert or the 2009-2010 series, visit http:www.sfjb.org/concerts/.

Get to Know Bettye LaVette Better

2009-06-11T11:37:00.003-05:00

Listen here for a great interview with JazzFest 2009 artist Bettye LaVette from MPR's Midmorning aired earlier today.

She's playing at The Dakota Jazz Club & Restaurant in Minneapolis this evening at 7 and 10pm.

We're looking forward to her arrival in Sioux Falls on July 18!

Check out the JazzFest artist schedule here.

JazzFest 2000 Headliner, Koko Taylor, Passes at 80

2009-06-04T16:38:00.004-05:00

We were saddened to hear that the legendary Blues singer and past JazzFest headlining artist, Koko Taylor, passed away yesterday. Ms. Taylor played the Sioux Falls Jazz & Blues Festival, JazzFest in July 2000.

You can read her obituary from the Chicago Tribune here.

Bettye LaVette to Release 6-song Digital EP Including Recorded Version of “A Change is Gonna Come”

2009-05-11T14:03:00.004-05:00

We just got word that JazzFest 2009 performer Bettye LaVette will release a digital 6-song EP on iTunes on June 16th that includes "A Change is Gonna Come," the Sam Otis tune she and Jon Bon Jovi performed at Obama's Inaugural Celebration.

More information on this special release available at the Anti Label Blog.

'Legends in the Making' 09-10 Concert Series On Sale Now!

2009-04-30T14:56:00.010-05:00

The Sioux Falls Jazz and Blues Society will highlight 'Legends in the Making' for the 2009-2010 Concert Series. The musicians presented in this year’s series will prove that legends in jazz and blues are indeed among us today. The artists for the 2009-2010 Concert Series are as follows:

Kyle Eastwood Band

November 13, 2009 – 8pm
Sioux Falls Orpheum Theater

Growing up as the son of Hollywood icon Clint Eastwood must have been quite a production. Jazz was always a part of the Eastwood household. Kyle’s first memory of playing music was when Clint taught him how to play the left hand bass line of Boogie Woogie while he played the right hand solo over the top. Having dabbled on electric bass as a teenager, he now also plays the upright, acoustic and double bass. Kyle says, “My roots remain in jazz but I like adding all kinds of different flavors.”

Jane Monheit
December 3, 2009 – 7pm
Sioux Falls Orpheum Theater

Jane Monheit is now firmly established as one of the post millennial jazz world’s foremost vocalists. Growing up, Jane lived in a house constantly filled with music. Both Monheit's grandmother and aunt worked as professional singers, while just about everyone else played various instruments or sang for pleasure, including her father, David Monheit, who plays bluegrass guitar and banjo in his spare time.

James Cotton "Superharp" Band
January 16, 2010 – 8pm
Sioux Falls Orpheum Theater

The musical pedigree of Grammy Award winner James “Superharp” Cotton consists of a veritable who’s who in the world of the Blues. Inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 2006, the Smithsonian Institute in 1991, and winner of countless W.C. Handy Blues Awards, he has shared the stage with B.B. King, Johnny Winter, the Allman Brothers, Santana, Bonnie Raitt, Led Zeppelin, Janis Joplin, Sam and Dave, The Grateful Dead among many others. His most famous association comes from his musical relationship with the great Muddy Waters, earning his nickname “Superharp”.

Bonerama
March 12, 2010 – 8pm
Sioux Falls Orpheum Theater

When Bonerama struts onstage with its four-trombone frontline, you can guess it’s not quite like any jazz rock band you’ve seen. New Orleans’ Bonerama has been recognized by Rolling Stone, hailed as “the ultimate in brass balls.” The group has also been honor for “Best Rock Band” by the Big Easy Awards 2007. Having appeared at the Sioux Falls JazzFest in 2007, Bonerama recently won numerous OffBeat Magazine Awards; and regularly tops Offbeat’s trombone category.

Brubeck Brothers Quartet
April 9, 2010 – 8pm
Sioux Falls Orpheum Theater

Being the son of a jazz legend can be daunting experience, especially if you follow in his footsteps. The Brubeck Brothers Quartet is an exciting jazz group featuring two members of one of America's most accomplished musical families, Daniel Brubeck (drums) and Chris Brubeck (bass & trombone). Guitarist Mike DeMicco, and pianist Chuck Lamb, complete this dynamic quartet. The Brubeck Brothers Quartet's debut Koch recording, Intuition, impressed the national jazz media and spent several weeks in the top ten radio charts while earning enthusiastic reviews from JazzTimes, Downbeat, Boston Globe and many other respected publications.

Subscriptions for the 2009-2010 concert series are available now and start at $158 per person and are available through the Sioux Falls Jazz & Blues Society. Purchase your subscription online now, or call the office at 605-335-6101.

Bookfair Will Help Raise Funds for SFJB Ed Fund

2009-04-14T15:57:00.002-05:00

Combine your love of books and music to help out the Sioux Falls Jazz & Blues Society on Sunday, April 26 at Barnes & Noble!

Simply download and print out the voucher below, bring it to the cash register when you check out and a percentage of your purchase will be donated to the Sioux Falls Jazz & Blues Society.

The Barnes & Noble Bookfair is being held in conjunction with April is Jazz Appreciation Month and national Turnoff Week.

Dakota Jazz Collective will perform a special in-store set at 3pm that day.

Barnes & Noble Sunday hours are 10am to 9pm.

http://www.sfjb.org/downloads/Bookfair-Flyer-and-Voucher-SFJB.pdf

Wynton Marsalis Gives Nancy Hanks Lecture

2009-04-10T09:59:00.002-05:00

What an inspiring way to start a Friday!

The 22nd Annual Nancy Hanks Lecture on Arts and Public Policy from Americans for the Arts on Vimeo.

Brand-Spankin' New JazzFest Website Launches!

2009-04-09T10:34:00.004-05:00

Thanks to our friends at Blend Interactive, the JazzFest website got a facelift. Check it: http://www.jazzfestsiouxfalls.com.

Sioux Falls Fusion Premier with Middle School Jazz Ensemble

2009-04-09T10:00:00.009-05:00

On Tuesday evening, the All City Middle School Jazz Ensemble performed a shared concert with the Augustana Northlanders Jazz Band at Kresge Recital Hall.

The Middle School Ensemble is comprised of 20 of the finest 7th and 8th grade jazz players in the city representing all five of the city's public middle schools. That evening, the band had the great honor of playing with Doug Beach, a nationally-known Grammy Award-winning trumpeter, composer, publisher, educator and arranger. Mr. Beach commissioned the piece "Sioux Falls Fusion" especially for the group, which served as a grand finale. A fun Latin-swing number, the commission of "Sioux Falls Fusion"was made possible with support from the Mr. Kealey Fund, the Sioux Falls Jazz & Blues Society, and the Sioux Falls Public Schools. (The photo below l-r: Doug Beach and Danny Kealey)

The Sioux Falls Jazz & Blues Society also had the great pleasure of awarding the Michael Miller Scholarship to two players in the band. CJ Point a bass player from Patrick Henry and Pierre Guzman from Memorial. Point and Guzman will have the opportunity to study jazz privately or attend Augustana's band camp with their scholarship awards.

SFJB Staff Picks Top 5 Jazz Albums

2009-04-03T14:02:00.011-05:00

In honor of Jazz Appreciation Month, the SFJB staff decided on the arduous task of picking their top 5 jazz albums. Here's how things shook out:

Robert Joyce, Executive Director

Miles Davis Kind of Blue

John Coltrane - A Love Supreme

Dave Brubeck Quartet Time Out

Miles Davis Sketches of Spain

Charlie Parker Parker with Strings

Fourplay Best of Fourplay

Katrina Lehr-McKinney,

Executive Coordinator

Fitzgerald and Pass Again

Thelonious Monk Quartet with John Coltrane At Carnegie Hall

The Very Best of Nina Simone 1967-1972 Sugar In My Bowl

Diana Krall Live in Paris

The Brad Mehldau Trio The Art of the Trio v.4 Back at the Vanguard

Celebrate Jazz Appreciation Month during April!

2009-04-03T10:06:00.006-05:00

The Sioux Falls Jazz & Blues Society is preparing to celebrate Jazz Appreciation Month during April with several special events.

Jazz Appreciation Month was designated by the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History in 2001 and the U.S. Congress passed legislation in 2003 that declared April as Jazz Appreciation Month.

“The intention of the celebration is to draw public attention to the glories of jazz as both a historical and living treasure,” says Katrina Lehr-McKinney, executive coordinator of the Sioux Falls Jazz & Blues Society. “This is the fifth year we’ve put together special events for JAM.”

Throughout April, events around the United States will play a part in heightening the awareness of America’s only indigenous art form - jazz music.

Jazz Appreciation Month events in the Sioux Falls community include (insights from Katrina Lehr-McKinney in italic):

Jazz film Sunday series at Monk’s House of Ale Repute. All films start at 7pm.

April 5: Calle 54
April 12: One Night with Blue Note
April 19: Bird
April 26: A Great Day in Harlem

This jazz film series is a new venture for us and we are very excited that Monk’s is willing to expand their usual film offerings to focus on jazz music! The films selected are a wonderful mix of documentary, live performance footage, and drama.

The All City Middle School Jazz Ensemble/Augustana Northlanders Jazz Band concert April 7^th at 7:30pm at Kresge Recital Hall on the Augustana College Campus. Guest clinician/composer Doug Beach will also perform. The All City Ensemble will premier a piece by Mr. Beach entitled “Sioux Falls Fusion,” commissioned for the All City Middle School Jazz Ensemble.

The All City Jazz Ensemble program has been in existence since 2002. The program gives students an opportunity to learn about jazz improvisation and performance at an in-depth level. Two scholarships are awarded each year to students in this group as well, so they can go on to study jazz privately or at Augie’s band camp.

Jazz 101 – For Adults: JazzFest 2009 Artist Preview April 14^th at CJ Callaway’s Event Center at 7:30pm

Jazz 101 is a great event for anyone interested in learning more about the jazz and blues musicians that are presented at JazzFest or on our concert series. Dr. Paul Schilf does a great job keeping the evening a fun yet educational experience for those with all levels of background on the music.

Downtown Jazz Crawl on April 25^th

Touch of Europe – Jazzed from 8pm to midnight
Paramount Studio – Terry Brooks from 9-11pm
Latitude 44 – Brian Hanagan Group from 9pm to close
Monk’s House of Ale Repute – Dan Peterson Trio from 7-10pm
A Taste of the Big Apple – John Kelly & Co. from 5-7pm, West Coast Jazz Trio from 7-9pm
Michelle’s Coffee – Geoff Gunderson from 7-9pm
Wild Sage Grille – Jim McKinney Trio from 6-9pm

Last year, we had crawlers from Brookings, Iowa, and several surrounding communities take part in the evening. Making an evening out and visiting all the Jazz Crawl locations is a great time! You can have appetizers and drinks at one location, dinner at another, dessert at a third, and so on! It’s truly a great event that benefits both downtown businesses and local jazz musicians!

Barnes & Noble Book Fair Fundraiser for the Sioux Falls Jazz & Blues Society April 26^th. Special in-store performance by Dakota Jazz Collective at 3pm. A percentage of most purchases will be donated to the Sioux Falls Jazz & Blues Society!

We hope that our fans will come down to Barnes & Noble on the 26^th to help us raise funding for our Educational Fund, which provides scholarships and education events to students in Sioux Falls and throughout South Dakota. You’ll also want to hang out and listen to Dakota Jazz Collective’s set at 3PM!

For more information about Jazz Appreciation Month events, visit the Sioux Falls Jazz & Blues Society’s website, www.sfjb.org.

Blue Note 7 Were 'RED HOT'

2009-03-31T10:12:00.004-05:00

'Red Hot' concert series ends on a high note.

March 25th was the end of the 2008-2009 'Red Hot' concert series and what a way to end it! The Blue Note 7 performed an amazing set list and the crowd enjoyed every minute of it!

Pictured are Bill Charlap on piano, Peter Bernstein on guitar, Ravi Colstrane on tenor sax, not pictured: Lewis Nash (drums), Nicholas Payton (trumpet), and Steve Wilson (alto sax).

Malone Wowed and Educated

2009-03-17T11:03:00.008-05:00

The Russell Malone Quartet played the Sioux Falls Orpheum Theater on Saturday as the fourth performance on the Sioux Falls Jazz & Blues Society's 2008-2009 concert series.

Malone's quartet played with pure class on tunes like "April in Paris" and "Witchcraft". "I've never liked the song 'Unchained Melody' until I heard him play it," said one concert-goer.

Earlier that day, Malone gave a workshop/Q&A to nearly 50 musicians and music lovers interested in getting an in-depth look into Malone's technique and approach to his playing.

The workshop and concert were presented with support The Design Studio, Inc. and the Performing Arts Fund, a program of Arts Midwest funded in part by the National Endowment for the Arts, which believes a great nation deserves great art, with additional contributions from South Dakota Arts Council, General Mills Foundation, and Land O'Lakes Foundation.

Keb' Mo' and Elvin Bishop to Headline JazzFest 2009

2009-03-11T16:14:00.006-05:00

JazzFest 2009 Set for July 17-18

The Sioux Falls Jazz and Blues Society is planning for an exciting JazzFest on July 17th and 18th at Yankton Trail Park in Sioux Falls, SD.

In 2008, the Sioux Falls Jazz & Blues Festival - JazzFest had over 90,000 attendees enjoying the beautiful summer weather and hot music!

JazzFest 2009 will bring an opportunity for the Sioux Falls community to come together and enjoy some great live music and summer fun for everyone.

Festival admission information:
• JazzFest remains a free event with donations accepted at the gate.
• There will be a $10 parking fee for this year’s festival inside Yankton Trail Park.
• No outside food or beverage will be allowed inside grounds as JazzFest is a fundraiser for the Sioux Falls Jazz & Blues Society and proceeds for the festival are raised through beverage and food sales.

South Dakota Public Broadcasting will be at the festival from the first note to the last, taping for The Best of JazzFest 2009.

The Sanford Children’s JazzQuest will feature family friendly musical performances and other arts activities and games.

The Midcontinent Communications Big Screen will give all attendees a bird’s-eye view of the happenings on the main stage with these excellent artists*:

The uniquely creative sounds of Elvin Bishop, progressive jazz from The Bad Plus, soul stylings from veteran Bettye LaVette, the dynamic musicianship from the Tommy Castro Band, Delta blues from Keb’ Mo’, South Dakota’s “King of the Guitar” T. Wilson King, sweet jazz sounds from Dakota Jazz Collective, big band beats from Augustana’s Northlanders Jazz Band featuring guests Chris Vadala and Jeff Jarvis, funky Zydeco from Lil’ Brian and the Travelers, and local blues masters Blues Bashers.

Second stage will feature local talent from: Kyle Knutson, Jami Lynn and the Aquila Band, Coltcockers, Truth & Adapt, TIM the Band, Liquid Thin, Blue in Green, The Body Electric, Chris Saub, and Tri-Dimensional.

The Sioux Falls Jazz & Blues Festival, JazzFest is organized by the Sioux Falls Jazz & Blues Society, a non-profit arts organization.

For interviews, photos or bios, please contact the Sioux Falls Jazz & Blues Society at 605-335-6101 or info@sfjb.org.

Get Ready for Russell Malone

2009-03-05T10:05:00.007-06:00

Next week's visitation of jazz guitarist Russell Malone in the Sioux Falls community is a jazz-lovers dream come true. The virtuoso is a legend in the jazz world, having played with many of the best and brightest including Diana Krall and Harry Connick, Jr.

On Saturday, March 14, Mr. Malone will conduct a free workshop/demonstration/Q&A at the Orpheum Theater at 3pm. This is a great opportunity for guitarists, jazz musicians, or music lovers interested in learning about Mr. Malone's technique and approach to music.

The Russell Malone Quartet will perform at 8pm that evening, also at the Orpheum. The lineup of musicians is as follows:

Russell Malone: Guitar
Martin Bejerano: Piano (also plays with Roy Haynes and is a Grammy nominated musician)
Tassili Bond: Bass (played with Antonion Hart, Elvin Jones, Stefon Harris)
Johnathan Blake: Drums (Grammy nominated drummer and composer work with Kenny Barron, Randy Brecker)

Tickets are still available for this performance. Call the Sioux Falls Jazz & Blues Society box office at 605-335-6101 or purchase online.

Cool Down at Tre Lounge immediately following the concert with the Sioux Falls Jazz & Blues Society. SFJB ticket holders will enjoy food specials and happy hour prices. You never know ifa special guest will make a surprise appearance!

The Russell Malone Quartet concert and workshop are sponsored by The Design Studio, Inc., and the Performing Arts Fund, a program of Arts Midwest funded in part by the National Endowment for the Arts, which believes a great nation deserves great art, with additional contributions from South Dakota Arts Council, General Mills Foundation, and Land O'Lakes Foundation.

Today is the day to Save the Arts in SD! Act now!!

2009-02-20T15:06:00.004-06:00

Dear Sioux Falls Jazz & Blues Society Supporter:

Today is the day to help save the arts in South Dakota! And I need your help. The Sioux Falls Jazz & Blues Society receives funding from the South Dakota Arts Council in order to keep JazzFest free, tour across the state with our Jazz Diversity Project, present quality concerts in our series, as well as our provide other educational outreach programs.

This week, a bill was introduced HB1229 (Click for a fact sheet) which proposes to provide funds from a .5% tax increase on what is best known as the “tourism tax.” It passed as amended in the House Taxation Committee by a vote of 15-0. This would keep the arts office open and help us receive a nearly 2 to 1 increase in our NEA grants due to Obama’s new stimulus package.

Most importantly it will insure that our quality of life in South Dakota continues to rise and that we have great art all across our state, helping to education and inform, entertain and enlighten!

Our representative’s will need to hear from you TODAY! This bill will be voted on as early as THIS MONDAY, Feb 23rd!

Please take a moment and send a quick message to our legislators, letting them know you support House Bill 1229. Something as simple as:

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am in favor of HB 1229 as a way to help save the South Dakota Arts Council and keep the arts alive in our state! Thank you!

Be sure to add your town to your signature.

Click below and send your short message!
http://legis.state.sd.us/who/index.aspx

Thank you for what you are doing to help the arts in our state and the Sioux Falls Jazz & Blues Society.

Robert Joyce
Executive Director
Sioux Falls Jazz & Blues Society
605-335-6101 rjoyce@sfjb.org

Busy Week of Education Programs

2009-02-20T14:00:00.007-06:00

We had a busy week with educational outreach in the community.

The Jazz Diversity Project played for six schools in the past week, visiting Sioux Falls Patrick Henry, Axtell Park, Memorial, Edison, and Whittier along with Brandon Valley Middle School.

Over 1,200 students saw the Jazz Diversity Project. Not bad for one week.

(See pic - Jimmy and Nate thought that as horn players, they deserved to take a seat on the thrones at Axtell Park.)

On Tuesday, the second Jazz 101: For Adults was held at CJ Callaway's. Over 50 people gathered to learn about jazz guitarists and the history of Blue Note Records while meeting other music fans.

Thanks so much to Randy, Tina and the team at CJ Callaway's, PRIME Magazine, and Paul Schilf for making this program a success!

The next Jazz 101: For Adults will be held on April 14th in celebration of Jazz Appreciation Month. Stay tuned for more information!

Letter to the Editor

2009-02-16T10:52:00.003-06:00

This is Katrina from SFJB writing. I got the OK to air my grievances about my letter to the editor in the Argus Leader that was printed today.

I understood when submitting that there might be some edits and cuts, but I feel they took out my most important points and also made a few changes that altered the implications of my ideas.

Click here to read their version.

Here is my original letter:

Governor Rounds set goals in the 2010 Initiative to double visitor spending and develop SD’s quality of life as one of the best in the nation. Without the foundation of the South Dakota Arts Council, how will these goals be met? Cultural tourism revenues and the creation and development of vibrant, creative, economically progressive communities is a residual effect of government support of the arts.

I was one of those Gen-Xers that wanted to get away from the rural life of South Dakota as soon as I graduated from SDSU. That was, until I discovered that I could find a career in the arts here.

I’ve worked for a non-profit arts organization for the last eight years that receives a grant from the South Dakota Arts Council. Each time my organization produces an event our patrons and vendors positively impact the state through sales tax revenues.

A report from Americans for the Arts shows that as of January 2008, South Dakota is home to 1,287 arts-related businesses that employ 6,368 people and it is estimated that these businesses and arts workers create a local economic impact of $48 million.

The foundation that the SD Arts Council provides my organization keeps one more young person in this state to pay taxes, buy a home and start a family.

My life is a microcosm of the trickle-down effect of how funding the SD Arts Council benefits our communities.

I’m tired of the argument that funding the arts is frivolous and meaningless. Ideas like this are millions of miles away from the reality of how government funding of the arts truly does benefit us all, not only intrinsically, but in regard to our economy.

JazzFest Named one of SD's Top Ten Events!

2009-02-04T13:37:00.004-06:00

JazzFest has been chosen by the website www.topeventsusa.com as one of the top ten events in South Dakota! The listing of SD's Top Ten Events can be found here.

JazzFest 2009 will be held July 17-18 at Yankton Trail Park in Sioux Falls, SD.

More information at www.jazzfestsiouxfalls.com.

What You and Every Legislator Should Know about SDAC Funding

2009-02-02T14:10:00.002-06:00

As the South Datkoa Arts Council faces elimanation here are some things that you and every legislator should know.

- The revised budget would cut all state funding to the Office of Arts. This would eliminate our state arts agency, the Office of Arts/South Dakota Arts Council, which has only two sources of support, state and federal.

- Without a state agency and investment of state funds, South Dakota is ineligible to receive its annual appropriation, $746,000 for 2010, from the National Endowment for the Arts, our federal arts agency.

- The economic stimulus package that passed in the House and is headed for the US Senate includes an increase in funding for the National Endowment for the arts that would increase South Dakota’s 2010 appropriation to over $900,000. With no state funding for its state agency, South Dakota would receive $0.

- Local arts grants totaling $1.1 million and annually funding 8,000 events, across every legislative district in South Dakota, would be eliminated, beginning July 1, 2009. These grants are awarded to 530 local arts organizations and other non-profit arts programs, schools, artists and units of government.

- These grants are matched on the local level by 14:1, generating over $14 million annually in communities all across South Dakota. These grants are critical to the state’s large and small arts organizations, providing matching funds for other grants and contributions. Some form of financial support for more than 18,000 professional and amateur artists would be impacted.

- The loss of our state arts agency would reduce the state’s rankings for federal and private grant organizations who rate quality of life, educational opportunities, economic development, cultural tourism, and overall attractiveness to businesses, visitors, and citizens.

- The Artists in Schools & Communities Program will end. This program has been active for 35 years. Annually, 26 artists travel to 162 schools for a total of 231 weeks, educating 35,000 young people in South Dakota.

- The Touring Arts Program will end. 45 endorsed performing and visual arts groups provide 255 engagements, and reach an audience of 335,000 annually, primarily in rural areas. State funding for the arts in 2009 was $636,000, an investment of 86 cents from each state resident.

- The Office of Arts is a part of the Department of Tourism and State Development. It is a supporting piece of the infrastructure of state government. State funding of this office is an investment with a significant return for the people of South Dakota.

- The South Dakota Arts Council is exemplary among state arts agencies (50), and received highest ratings from the National Endowment for the Arts on its grant application for 2010. Nevertheless, without substantial reinstatement of state funds, we will not receive this federal funding.

Your Urgent Action is Needed! SD Governor Announces Plans to Kill All Arts Funding For the State

2009-01-23T13:10:00.002-06:00

Dear Friend of the Arts,

The arts in South Dakota need your help.

The revised budget Governor Rounds presented to the South Dakota Legislature cuts all funding to the South Dakota Arts Council.

The South Dakota Arts Council provides a primary source of grant funding to many local arts organizations and artists throughout the state. Shutting down this agency means that South Dakota would be the only state in the nation without a state arts council or state-run arts program.

If the doors to the South Dakota Arts Council are closed, I can not imagine the barriers that will need to be broken down for their reopening in the future.

The arts affect every one of our lives, every single day. Funding from the South Dakota Arts Council provides local artists and arts organizations with the financial resources needed to create art that makes our communities beautiful, programs that inspire and educate us, enhancing our lives.

Please take two minutes to help.

Write a letter or email your Legislators. You can find your Legislator contact information here: http://legis.state.sd.us/who/index.aspx

Below is a sample letter to use by simply copying and pasting into a new document.

I greatly appreciate your advocacy on this important issue.

Sincerely,
Robert Joyce
Executive Director

Dear [Legislator],

I am writing in support of state funding for the South Dakota Arts Council. I do not favor the proposed elimination of this important state agency.

If you have attended a symphony concert, community theater production, jazz concert, visited a local art gallery, or your children attend a public school, you have surely witnessed the positive impact that South Dakota Arts Council funding provides for us all.

-Last fiscal year, the state of South Dakota’s investment in the arts was 86 cents for each state resident. The return on that investment included $48 million in economic impact from programs by arts organizations across the state.

-In addition, that 86 cents for each citizen sent 26 artists to 162 schools for 231 weeks, bringing arts opportunities to 35,000 South Dakota young people.

-And that same 86 cents per person investment made $1.1 million available on a matching basis to 530 local arts organizations and other non-profit arts programs, schools, artists and units of government in every county of South Dakota.

-The arts attract a creative and educated workforce for our state, furthering economic growth. Cutting funding to the Arts Council would put hundreds of jobs in jeopardy and threaten the retention of our most precious resource, our young people.

-A typical attendee of a nonprofit arts event spends $27.79 per person, per event (excluding admission) on transportation, lodging, and other event-related costs. Non-local attendees spend twice as much.

-Tourists who visit South Dakota because of an arts related event are more likely to spend more in our state, using hotels and spending more than the average traveler.

Shutting down the Arts Council means that South Dakota would be the only state in the nation without a state arts council or state-run arts program.

At a time when our newly-elected President sees the arts as a vehicle for national change and has stimulus plans to increase support for the National Endowment for the Arts by $50 million dollars, South Dakotans may completely miss out. Without funding from the state legislature, the South Dakota Arts Council won’t be eligible for any matching funding from the National Endowment for the Arts.

I trust that you will work to reinstate funding for the South Dakota Arts Council.

Sincerely,

[YOUR NAME]

MLK on Jazz

2009-01-19T10:35:00.001-06:00

On the Importance of Jazz
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Opening Address to the 1964 Berlin Jazz Festival, WPFW News (Washington), [23 August 2002]

God has wrought many things out of oppression. He has endowed his creatures with the capacity to create—and from this capacity has flowed the sweet songs of sorrow and joy that have allowed man to cope with his environment and many different situations.

Jazz speaks for life. The Blues tell the story of life's difficulties, and if you think for a moment, you will realize that they take the hardest realities of life and put them into music, only to come out with some new hope or sense of triumph.

This is triumphant music.

Modern jazz has continued in this tradition, singing the songs of a more complicated urban existence. When life itself offers no order and meaning, the musician creates an order and meaning from the sounds of the earth which flow through his instrument.

It is no wonder that so much of the search for identity among American Negroes was championed by Jazz musicians. Long before the modern essayists and scholars wrote of racial identity as a problem for a multiracial world, musicians were returning to their roots to affirm that which was stirring within their souls.

Much of the power of our Freedom Movement in the United States has come from this music. It has strengthened us with its sweet rhythms when courage began to fail. It has calmed us with its rich harmonies when spirits were down.

And now, Jazz is exported to the world. For in the particular struggle of the Negro in America there is something akin to the universal struggle of modern man. Everybody has the Blues. Everybody longs for meaning. Everybody needs to love and be loved. Everybody needs to clap hands and be happy. Everybody longs for faith.

In music, especially this broad category called Jazz, there is a stepping stone towards all of these.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Opening Address to the 1964 Berlin Jazz Festival

Listen to John Hammond on SDPB's Dakota Midday

2009-01-08T16:22:00.003-06:00

Listen to today's interview here. Note that the John Hammond interview begins around 26 minutes.

Blue Note Turns 70

2009-01-06T11:29:00.006-06:00

We are greatly looking forward to wrapping up our 2008-09 concert series by celebrating the 70th Anniversary of Blue Note Records with an all-star lineup of musicians.

On Wednesday, March 25 at the Orpheum Theater, Bill Charlap on piano (musical director), Ravi Coltrane on tenor saxophone, Peter Bernstein playing guitar, Lewis Nash on drums, Nicholas Payton on trumpet, Peter Washington playing bass and Steve Wilson on alto saxophone will explore a sample of some of the most notable tunes from the Blue Note Records catalog.

NPR's Talk of the Nation will spend time today discussing the history of the record label. More information available here along with a playlist of Bill Charlap's Blue Note Picks.

Tickets to the March 25 concert are on sale now!

Obama and the Arts: "incredibly important"

2009-01-05T15:32:00.002-06:00

President-elect Obama discusses the importance of the arts and culture during an interview on Meet the Press, December 8, 2008.

See the video here: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5154432425426831376&hl=en

Grammy Nominees Announced!

2008-12-09T15:16:00.004-06:00

It's always fun to see who is on the Grammy list, especially when it includes musicians that have performed on our concert series or at JazzFest!

Field 10 — Jazz

Category 45

Best Contemporary Jazz Album
(For albums containing 51% or more playing time of INSTRUMENTAL tracks.)

Randy In Brasil
Randy Brecker
[MAMA Records]
Floating Point
John McLaughlin
[Abstract Logix]
Cannon Re-Loaded: All-Star Celebration Of Cannonball Adderley
(Various Artists)
Gregg Field & Tom Scott, producers
[Concord Jazz]
Miles From India
(Various Artists)
Bob Belden, producer
[4Q/Times Square Records]
Lifecycle
Yellowjackets* Featuring Mike Stern
[Heads Up International]

*The Yellowjackets played the Washington Pavilion on May 19, 2001 for the 2000-01 concert series.

Category 46

Best Jazz Vocal Album
(For albums containing 51% or more playing time of VOCAL tracks.)

Imagina: Songs Of Brasil
Karrin Allyson*
[Concord Jazz]

*Karrin Allyson played the Sioux Falls Orpheum Theater on April 8, 2006 for the 2005-06 concert series.

Breakfast On The Morning Tram
Stacey Kent
[Blue Note]
If Less Is More...Nothing Is Everything
Kate McGarry
[Palmetto Records]
Loverly
Cassandra Wilson*
[Blue Note]

*Cassandra Wilson played the Sioux Falls Orpheum Theater on March 26, 2004 as part of the 2003-04 concert series.

Distances
Norma Winstone (Glauco Venier & Klaus Gesing)
[ECM]

Category 47

Best Jazz Instrumental Solo
(For an instrumental jazz solo performance. Two equal performers on one recording may be eligible as one entry. If the soloist listed appears on a recording billed to another artist, the latter's name is in parenthesis for identification. Singles or Tracks only.)

Be-Bop
Terence Blanchard*, soloist
Track from: Live At The 2007 Monterey Jazz Festival (Monterey Jazz Festival 50th Anniversary All-Stars)
[Monterey Jazz Festival Records]

*Terence Blanchard played the Sioux Falls Orpheum Theater on February 19, 2000 as the 1999-00 concert series.

Seven Steps To Heaven
Till Brönner, soloist
Track from: The Standard (Take 6)
[Heads Up International]
Waltz For Debby
Gary Burton & Chick Corea*, soloists
Track from: The New Crystal Silence
[Concord Records]

*Chick Corea & Origin played the Washington Pavilion on January 15, 2000 as part of the 1999-2000 concert series.

Son Of Thirteen
Pat Metheny*, soloist
Track from: Day Trip
[Nonesuch Records]

*Pat Metheny played with his trio at the Washington Pavilion on March 26, 2000 as part of the 1999-2000 concert series.

Be-Bop
James Moody, soloist
Track from: Live At The 2007 Monterey Jazz Festival (Monterey Jazz Festival 50th Anniversary All-Stars)
[Monterey Jazz Festival Records]

Category 48

Best Jazz Instrumental Album, Individual or Group
(For albums containing 51% or more playing time of INSTRUMENTAL tracks.)

The New Crystal Silence
Chick Corea* & Gary Burton
[Concord Records]

*Chick Corea & Origin played the Washington Pavilion on January 15, 2000 as part of the 1999-2000 concert series.

History, Mystery
Bill Frisell
[Nonesuch Records]
Brad Mehldau Trio*: Live
Brad Mehldau Trio
[Nonesuch Records]

* The Brad Mehldau Trio played the Sioux Falls Orpheum Theater on April 22, 2005 during the 2004-2005 concert series.

Day Trip
Pat Metheny With Christian McBride & Antonio Sanchez
[Nonesuch Records]
Standards
Alan Pasqua, Dave Carpenter & Peter Erskine Trio
[Fuzzy Music]

Category 49

Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album
(For large jazz ensembles, including big band sounds. Albums must contain 51% or more INSTRUMENTAL tracks.)

Appearing Nightly
Carla Bley And Her Remarkable Big Band
[WATT]
Act Your Age
Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band
[Immergent]
Symphonica
Joe Lovano* With WDR Big Band & Rundfunk Orchestra
[Blue Note]

*Joe Lovano played the Sioux Falls Historic Orpheum Theater on January 25, 2008 as part of the 2007-2008 concert series.

Blauklang
Vince Mendoza
[Act Music and Vision (AMV)]
Monday Night Live At The Village Vanguard
The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra
[Planet Arts Recordings]

Category 50

Best Latin Jazz Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)

Afro Bop Alliance
Caribbean Jazz Project
[Heads Up International]
The Latin Side Of Wayne Shorter
Conrad Herwig & The Latin Side Band
[Half Note Records]
Song For Chico
Arturo O'Farrill & The Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra
[Zoho]
Nouveau Latino
Nestor Torres
[Diamond Light Records]
Marooned/Aislado
Papo Vázquez The Mighty Pirates
[Picaro Records]

Field 13 — Blues

Category 66

Best Traditional Blues Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)

The Blues Rolls On
Elvin Bishop
[Delta Groove Music, Inc.]
Skin Deep
Buddy Guy*
[Silvertone Records]

*Buddy Guy played JazzFest 2005 on July 15th.

All Odds Against Me
John Lee Hooker Jr.
[Steppin' Stone Records/CC Entertainment]
One Kind Favor
B.B. King
[Geffen Records]
Pinetop Perkins & Friends
Pinetop Perkins* & Friends
[Stoneagle Music/Telarc]

*Pinetop Perkins played the Sioux Falls Historic Orpheum Theater on March 24, 2001 as part of the 2000-2001 concert series.

Category 67

Best Contemporary Blues Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)

Peace, Love & BBQ
Marcia Ball*
[Alligator Records]

*Marcia Ball played JazzFest 2001 on July 21st.

Like A Fire
Solomon Burke
[Shout! Factory]
City That Care Forgot
Dr. John* And The Lower 911
[429 Records]

*Dr. John played the Washington Pavilion on November 16, 2001 as part of the 2001-2002 concert series.

Maestro
Taj Mahal*
[Heads Up International]

*Taj Mahal played JazzFest 2008 on July 18th.

Simply Grand
Irma Thomas
[Rounder Records]

Tierney Sutton Live on SDPB Radio Dakota Midday Today!

2008-12-03T16:34:00.005-06:00

Listen to Paul Guggenheimer's interview with Tierney Sutton on Dakota Midday!
Click here: http://media.sd.gov:81/sdpb/recordings/DM12_3.mp3

Bobby Shew can blow!!!

2008-12-03T14:05:00.007-06:00

You couldn't find an open seat at last night's All City High School Jazz Ensemble/Augustana Northlander's Jazz/Augie Jazz Lab concert at Kresge Recital Hall.

Trumpet player-extraordinaire Bobby Shew may have to blame for it. Man, that cat can blow!!! Shew sat in on the entire Northlander's and All City sets, often playing notes in the upper stratosphere of normal trumpet range of that made me think: "what note WAS that?" On top of playing with unbeatable musicality, Mr. Shew imparted great advice to the All City group and Northlander's the evening before during a dress rehearsal clinic.

Each band played great. It's always a pleasure to see the All City group, comprised of students from three of the schools in Sioux Falls, get together to hone their jazz chops.

This is the seventh year of the Society's All City Jazz Ensemble program, based on the concept of bringing students from all Sioux Falls middle schools and high schools together to work on the art of playing jazz with an emphasis on improvisation. Each school year, the high school group has a concert in the fall and the middle school ensemble plays in the spring.

The Sioux Falls Jazz & Blues Society awarded its Scholarship for Higher Learning to All City Jazz Ensemble member and Roosevelt senior Derek Thoreson, who plans to attend SDSU as a Music Education major next year. Congratulations to Derek!

Thanks to Dr. Paul Schilf, Augustana College, band directors at Roosevelt, Lincoln and Washington High Schools, K&M Music, and Yamaha Corporation for their support of the All City Jazz Ensemble program.

SDPB Radio Covers Jazz Diversity Project

2008-11-25T14:37:00.002-06:00

Thanks to Jim Kent and Suzie Hanson at SDPB Radio for the great story about the Jazz Diversity Project.

What Are you Doing the Day After Thanksgiving?

2008-11-24T16:25:00.004-06:00

We will be listening to SDPB Radio.

On November 28th, SDPB Radio is broadcasting an evening of New Orleans-based music with the American Routes program featuring New Orleans musical families and two previously recorded Sioux Falls Jazz & Blues Society concert presentations:

Doreen’s Jazz New Orleans – 10pm-11pm (central time)
This concert was recorded live on March 24, 2006 at First United Methodist Church in Sioux Falls. Doreen’s Jazz New Orleans began touring the country after many members of the family group lost their home in Hurricane Katrina. Touring the country served a dual purpose for the band: to raise money for rebuilding after Hurricane Katrina, and to spread the culture of New Orleans.

Chris Thomas King – 11pm-12midnight (central time)
This concert was recorded live on November 16, 2007 at the Historic Orpheum Theater in Sioux Falls. Chris Thomas King’s performance brought a new flavor of jazz and blues to the SFJB Concert Series. The Grammy-winning New Orleans musician and actor is no stranger to the blues after losing his Uptown New Orleans home and studio to Hurricane Katrina.

Please go to http://www.sdpb.org/ to check your local listings.

Upcoming Tierney Sutton Band Performance

2008-11-24T16:07:00.006-06:00

This post is courtesy of Mark Law, an SFJB Board Member and Tierney Sutton Band fan.

The Tierney Sutton Band concert is just around the corner and I would like to share with you some background on this group. I first learned of the group when I read a very favorable review of their first disk released in 1998. I purchased the “Introducing Tierney Sutton” disk and confirmed that indeed this was a group to watch. They have now been together 15 years, with 7 disks behind them and another coming out next spring. Up to a couple weeks ago my wife and I had the pleasure of seeing them perform on 5 occasions. Then we went on our first Jazz cruise a couple of weeks ago. Tierney and the band played 4 times on the cruise. Each show was different and great fun. They have received two Grammy nominations to date and are going stronger than ever. This will not be a dull concert. Tierney introduces each song with a brief and often very funny story. You will leave with a big smile on your face.

Each song that they perform they make their own by coming up with unique arrangements that they arrive at as a group, everyone making a contribution. Each member of the band is an amazing artist.

If you want to preview what we have in store for us, go to http://www.amazon.com/ or your favorite music site and listen to the samples from any of their disks. While you are there take the time to read some of the rave reviews.

Connie and Mark flanking Tierney Sutton with Maucha Adnet

We're Here to Serve

2008-11-18T09:59:00.014-06:00

November was a busy month for us due to the first outing this school year of the Jazz Diversity Project and the debut of our new adult jazz education program: Jazz 101 - For Adults. We're working hard to enlighten and enrich the lives of those that have been jazz fans for years; those that are new listeners; and those whose musical tastes are of a 12-year-old nature.

The Jazz Diversity Project traveled to the western side of the state for a three-day tour (Nov.9-11), making stops in Rapid City as part of the Rapid City Chamber Music Society's series, Custer and Hot Springs Middle Schools, and Oelrichs and Edgemont Schools. Over 650 students listened and learned from the Dakota Jazz Collective as they covered the history of jazz music from its birth in New Orleans to contemporary jazz music today. (In photo from left to right - Matt Wallace, saxophone, Jim Speirs, trumpet, Jeremy Hegg, keyboard. Dakota Jazz Collective also includes Bobby Gripp, drums, and Andrew Reinartz, upright bass.) We were so happy to have the very talented Matt Wallace from Omaha, NE with us! Matt is an 11-year veteran of the Maynard Ferguson Big Band and has traveled the world spreading the good word of jazz. He is a fantastic player and was a great addition for the program.

We were excited to perform the Jazz Diversity Project to an adult audience in Rapid City. This was the first time the Black Hills Chamber Music Society had promoted a jazz concert, so we were the guinea pig to an extremely receptive audience that was excited to listen to and learn about jazz. Thanks to the BHCMS for broadening its progamming!

INSIDER INFO: This is how how precise our packing has to be in order to fit all musicians, instruments and luggage into a 15 passenger van. Packing has become a fun game for us all - we have it down to a science.

Our visit to Oelrichs School opened our minds and warmed our hearts. The Jazz Diversity Project followed the town's Veteran's Day program in the school gym, so many towns folk were invited to stay for our presentation. The band students became our "roadies" and helped us unload and load the instruments and gear. We also had the great opportunity to stay and have lunch with the students afterward. So many of the students had a great interest in pursuing music lessons and learning more about jazz music and the musicians enjoyed connecting with students over a meal.

The Jazz Diversity Project is made possible through sponsorships and grants from the Larson Foundation, First Premier Bank/Premier Bankcard, the South Dakota Humanities Council, the South Dakota Community Foundation, the South Dakota Arts Council, and the Sioux Falls Area Community Foundation.

Jazz 101 - For Adults: Women of Jazz was held at CJ Callaway's on Thursday, Nov. 13th. The turn out of this first-ever adult education program exceeded our expectations as around 40 music lovers learned about Anita O'Day, Nina Simone, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday and Tierney Sutton from Dr. Paul Schilf, professor of jazz studies from Augustana College. Sponsors for this event were Tre Lounge and K & M Music.

Due to the interest in this program, we're planning to do more Jazz 101 - For Adults on a wide array of jazz-related topics. Check out our website, www.sfjb.org, for future Jazz 101 - For Adults dates.

Jazz 101 - For Adults: Women in Jazz

2008-10-30T14:22:00.004-05:00

The Sioux Falls Jazz & Blues Society is presenting Jazz 101-For Adults. This informal night features a discussion of women throughout jazz history and highlights the talent of Tierney Sutton, who will be performing at the Orpheum Theater on December 5.

The event will be held at CJ Callaway’s Burgundy Room (off of 69th and Minnesota Ave.) on Thursday, November 13, 2008 from 7:30 to 9:00 p.m. The price is FREE to ’08-’09 subscribers and $5 to non-subscribers. Please RSVP by calling 605-335-6101 or e-mailing info@sfjb.org before or on Tuesday, November 11, 2008. Free appetizers and a cash bar will be available.

Tierney Sutton Band & Holiday Getaway Travel Package

2008-10-15T16:36:00.001-05:00

The Sioux Falls Jazz & Blues Society is teaming up with South Dakota Tourism to provide a great package for Holiday shopping season. You can attend the Tierney Sutton Band performance, stay downtown at the Holiday Inn City Centre and experience the shopping available in downtown Sioux Falls.
When: December 5, 2008
What: Tierney Sutton Band & Holiday Getaway Travel Package
Cost: $137.69
Includes: 2 B-level tickets to the Tierney Sutton Band concert at the Sioux Falls Orpheum Theater on December 5, 2008, a one-night hotel stay with the Holiday Inn City Centre in downtown Sioux Falls and coupons from Downtown Sioux Falls for many of the shops and businesses within walking distance of the hotel and Orpheum Theater. The concert begins at 8pm on December 5. Call the Sioux Falls Jazz & Blues Society office to request this package at 605-335-6101.

Dirty Dozen & Downtown

2008-09-19T15:20:00.000-05:00

When: October 10, 2008
What: Dirty Dozen & Downtown
Cost: $137.69
We are offering this unique package as an opportunity to enjoy the downtown atmosphere that Sioux Falls has to offer as well as 2 B-level tickets to the Dirty Dozen Brass Band concert at the Sioux Falls Orpheum Theater on October 10, 2008, a one-night hotel stay with the Holiday Inn City Centre in downtown Sioux Falls and coupons from Downtown Sioux Falls for many of the shops and businesses within walking distance of the hotel and Orpheum Theater. The concert begins at 8pm on October 10. Call the Sioux Falls Jazz & Blues Society office to request this package at 605-335-6101.

Thank You, Sioux Falls, for making JazzFest The Local Best!

2008-09-05T10:26:00.000-05:00

The Sioux Falls Jazz & Blues Society would like to extend a thank you to the Sioux Falls area for voting The Sioux Falls Jazz & Blues Festival – JazzFest the #1 Local Best Area Event for the second year in a row. JazzFest 2008 was, once again, a fantastic event with nearly 90,000 people enjoying the two-day free festival.

Friday night headliner Taj Mahal jammed on the main stage with a huge crowd enjoying the music and festivities, and Saturday we proved that rain cannot stop a great time with Jonny Lang taking the main stage by storm. Thank you to all who attended to make this year’s festival one for the books.

“We are pleased and honored that this title of Local Best Area Event goes to the Sioux Falls Jazz & Blues Festival – JazzFest and most importantly, that it is decided by the public. We hope to continue to live up to that title for years to come.” Sioux Falls Jazz & Blues Society Executive Director, Robert Joyce, said of this award.

The Sioux Falls Jazz & Blues Festival – JazzFest is organized by the Sioux Falls Jazz & Blues Society, a non-profit arts organization. JazzFest is a free event and has been an annual music festival at Yankton Trail Park since 1996. JazzFest would not be possible without the support from local sponsors and hundreds of volunteers who dedicate time, money, and energy to make JazzFest the Local Best Area Event.

Dates for JazzFest 2009 are already scheduled: July 17-18, 2009, at Yankton Trail Park in Sioux Falls.

4th Annual Jazz & Brews - September 27th!

2008-08-19T09:56:00.000-05:00

The annual Jazz & Brews beer tasting and silent auction fundraiser will be held September 27, 2008 at Vern Eide Motorcars at 23rd and Minnesota. All proceeds from Jazz & Brews will benefit the Sioux Falls Jazz & Blues Society’s Educational Fund.

The Sioux Falls Jazz & Blues Society strives to bring jazz and blues education experiences to youth and adults in Sioux Falls and the state of South Dakota through concerts, lectures, workshops, scholarships and the touring Jazz Diversity Project.

Jazz & Brews will run from 7pm-11pm and feature over 100 beers, appetizers from Chef Jeni, and live music from Dakota Jazz Collective. Representatives from national breweries will be available to explain the brewing processes and answer questions from attendees. A wine and coffee bar will also be available along with other non-alcoholic beverages.

Tickets to the fundraiser are $40 for 2008-2009 SFJB Concert Series Subscribers and $45 for non-subscribers. Tickets are available through the Sioux Falls Jazz & Blues Society office at 605-335-6101 or online at www.sfjb.org.

JazzFest Attracts 90,000 People!

2008-07-25T13:07:00.000-05:00

The Sioux Falls Jazz & Blues Society, organizers of the annual Sioux Falls Jazz & Blues Festival – JazzFest, estimates that 90,000 people were in attendance at the weekend event.

“The rain delay on Saturday afternoon did little to stop people from coming out in record numbers to enjoy the music this year,” according to Robert Joyce, Executive Director of the Sioux Falls Jazz & Blues Society.

There was an increase in parking at the festival site as well. Festival receipts and parking numbers help to estimate the attendance numbers.

Headliners Taj Mahal on Friday night and Jonny Lang on Saturday night were a great reason for the large crowds. The Sioux Falls Jazz & Blues Society attributes the festival’s success to the local and regional sponsors, the 800 volunteers and the fans who continue to make this event a success.

JazzFest is a free event and has been an annual music festival at Yankton Trail Park since 1996. The dates for JazzFest 2009 are July 17-18.

The Sioux Falls Jazz & Blues Festival – JazzFest is organized by the Sioux Falls Jazz & Blues Society, a non-profit arts organization.

Whew! That was fun!

2008-07-25T11:29:00.000-05:00

For the 90,000 of you that attended JF08, thanks for coming out! We are grateful that you patiently waited out the storm and came back to enjoy a great day of music on Saturday!

To the many sponsors and hundreds of volunteers: You are the heart of the JazzFest. It just wouldn't be possible without you! Thank you for your generosity of funding, time, energy and resources!

A very special thanks goes out to the JazzFest Committee. This amazing group of nearly 70 volunteers are the gears that make the JazzFest machine go. Every facet of the festival is coordinated by this wonderful group of volunteers. These people plan months in advance and work for several days in the hot July sun to ensure everything at the festival runs smoothly. There wouldn't be a JazzFest without them.

Check the JazzFest website for new photos!

Things are slowly getting back to normal around the SFJB office now. On to the 08-09 Concert Series, educational programs, our Jazz & Brews fundraiser, and much more!

Of course we're already planning for JazzFest 2009! Mark your calendars for July 17-18!

JazzFest 1 DAY Away!

2008-07-11T10:51:00.000-05:00

Jazz and blues fans won’t have to wait much longer until the start of the seventeenth Sioux Falls Jazz & Blues Festival – JazzFest. The festival is free as always and will be held July 18-19 at Yankton Trail Park in Sioux Falls, SD. There will be a $10 parking fee to park inside Yankton Trail Park. Shuttle buses will run from O’Gorman, Roosevelt, and Lincoln High Schools for $3 round-trip and Spoke-N-Sport will be providing a free bike valet at JazzFest so you can take the bike trail.

The Sioux Falls Jazz & Blues Festival is organized by the Sioux Falls Jazz & Blues Society, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

JazzFest Main Stage Performers At-a-Glance

Friday, July 18
Joyce Cooling – 6:00pm
Joyce Cooling’s penchant for eclectic music crystallized when she moved to the San Francisco Bay Area in the early 1980s and began dabbling in keyboards and percussion. She taught herself to play guitar by ear, and developed a personal style of finger picking that gives her playing its unique sound and feel. Her latest album, Revolving Door is different in that it tells a story first, and then lets the music follow. http://www.joycecooling.com/

Tab Benoit – 7:30pm
With all of the makings of an American music icon, Tab Benoit has become one of the premier roots stylists of the century. Born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Benoit barely remembers how he learned to play the guitar. “I had a book that showed you how to play chords, after I learned the first three; I got rid of the book.” Benoit says. Since that time, the music has seemed to come naturally to him. http://www.tabbenoit.com/

Taj Mahal – 9:30pm HEADLINING FRIDAY
Taj has been playing his own distinctive brand of music – he has been described as Afro-Caribbean blues, folk-world-blues, hula blues, folk-funk, and a host of other hyphenations – for more than 40 years. Caribbean, Hawaiian, African, Latin, and Cuban
sounds and rhythms mix with folk, jazz, zydeco, gospel, rock, pop, soul, and R&B, all layers on top of a solid country blues foundation. A self-taught musician, Taj plays more than 20 instruments including the National Steel and Dobro guitars. His remarkable voice ranges from gruff and gravelly to smooth and sultry. http://www.tajblues.com/

Saturday, July 19

Blues Bashers – 12Noon
A force as powerful as a Midwest tornado is gathering steam and rolling out of America’s forgotten state and into your eardrums – The Blues Bashers. The band features a man who’s forgotten more musical adventures than most of us will ever have: Bobby Berge. Wanting to add some new blood to the mix, Bobby hooked up with Jesse Christen. On harmonica and vocals is Derek Snow. Rounding out the group on bass is Brian Masek, who’s been playing in the Midwest for over a decade.

Slim Man – 1:30pm
Slim Man’s first gig? He was in fifth grade, and he played guitar and sang a few Beatles songs for the sixth grade graduation. While in middle school he took up bass, and Slim Man’s band ‘Momma’s Max’ opened up for Iggy Pop and the Stooges, The Raspberries, and others. Slim Man went back into the studio in the early 90s, re-sang the songs he’d written for Brian Jack, added a few new songs, and End of the Rainbow, the very first Slim Man CD, was born. The CD yielded a Top Ten Hit, “Faith In Us”, and the CD went on to be included in over a dozen Top Ten lists for the year (1995). http://www.slimman.com/

Jonah Smith – 3:00pm
Smith’s a throwback, for sure, and there’s something very familiar about his music, but it doesn’t really sound like anything you’ve heard before. It does, however, sound very of the moment. His voice soulful and magnetic and his songs awash in the warm, distinctive tones of his Fender Rhodes, Smith writes songs that sound brand new. Tastefully rootsy and endlessly soulful, Smith’s self-titled national debut- the premier release from Relix Records – ranges from vintage, pedal steel-laced Americana to classic, Rhodes-drenched, blue-eyed soul. http://www.jonahsmith.com/

Simone – 5:00pm
Simone was born Lisa Celeste Stroud in Westchester, NY. She is the daughter of musical legend and freedom fighter Nina Simone. She was raised across three countries and in turn experienced a life full of music, foreign language, culture and constant movement. Simone’s career has consisted of touring in musical productions, jazz, bands, as a vocalist, in Broadway performances, and with international touring artists. When Nina Simone passed away, her entire estate was left to her daughter, leaving Simone a large collection of charts for composition she had used for recording and performing over the years. These charts became the basis for Simone’s newest record, Simone on Simone. http://www.simonesworld.com/

Robben Ford – 6:30pm
Robben Ford is one of the premiere electric guitarists today, particularly known for his blues playing as well as his ability to be comfortable in a variety of musical contexts. A four-time Grammy nominee, he has played with artists as diverse as Joni Mitchell, Jimmy Witherspoon, Miles Davis, George Harrison, Phil Lesh, Bonnie Raitt, Claus Ogerman, Michael McDonald, and many, many others.
http://www.robbenford.com/

Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk – 8:30pm
Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk is a group of musicologists that transcend age and styles in a free-flowing approach to their art. Dumpstaphunk weaves a vocal and musical tapestry from key members of Dave Matthews & Friends, Trey Anastaio, Jewel and the Neville musical families. The band’s music incorporates drops of Sly and the Family Stone and Meter-esque jams as well as other diverse influences into a spicy musical gumbo. Dumpstaphunk’s brand of New Orleans deep fried funk has them heralded as the most hypnotic and riveting band to come out of New Orleans in many decades.
http://www.dumpstaphunk.com/

Jonny Lang – 10:00pm HEADLINING SATURDAY
The Grammy winning, former prodigy instrumentalist, who topped the Billboard New Artist chart with his first album at age 15, stands now as a mature creative force, made more sensitive yet also toughened by life’s adventures. He’s learned what it means to rise above hard times and to find meaning where chaos seemed to rule. A professional musician since age 12, Lang rocketed from his hometown of Fargo, North Dakota, to international renown in his mid teens. http://www.jonnylang.com/

Second Stage Features Local/Regional Talent

Friday July 18
6:00pm Bluetanes
8:00pm Soulcrate Music

Saturday, July 19
12noon M80
1:30pm Jazz Portraits
3:00pm Victoria Pennock Band
4:30pm Dakota Jazz Collective
6:00pm Snakebeard Jackson
7:30pm Truth & Adapt
8:45pm Solution

ARTISTS AND TIMES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE

Sanford Children’s JazzQuest – Just for Kids!

Friday, July 18
5-9pm: Inflatable games open

Saturday, July 19
1-9pm: Inflatable games open
2-7pm: Artist-in-Residence Kelly Quamen
2-3pm: Instrument Petting Zoo
3pm: Story Lady
4pm: Little Bird Band
5pm: Larry Hoover’s Karate For Kids Exhibition
5:30pm: Mr. Fun and Funtime Funktions Performance
6pm: Mr. Twister Magic Show
6:30-7:30pm: Mr. Twister balloon twisting
7:30pm: Mystik Toyz children’s parade

JazzFest Poetry Tent 2008

Saturday, July 19
2pm: Open Reading
4pm: Featured Readings from SD Poet David Allan Evans, Dee Nelson, Cory Heidelberger, David Evans, Jr., and Norma Wilson
6pm: Poetry Slam Competition

And More...

JazzFest features music, kid’s activities, poetry and much, much more!

The festival will feature over twenty food vendors, nearly thirty arts, crafts and informational booths, beer gardens, a cigar booth, a misting tent, and fireworks!

Midcontinent Communications is going to be on hand to make JazzFest a “HotSpot” by providing free wireless internet access on festival grounds. The Midcontinent Big Screen will provide festival goers with a bird’s eye view of what’s taking place on the main stage.

The festival remains free to the public with the support of 60 sponsors and over 800 volunteers.

We would like to send a sincere thank you to these JazzFest 2008 Sponsors:

Sioux Falls Jazz & Blues Society, Avera McKennan Hospital and University Health System, Midcontinent Communications, Carlson Distributing.

Beal Distributing, Hoffman Graphic Design, Holiday Inn City Centre, South Dakota Public Broadcasting, BillionAuto.com, Blend Interactive, Inc., Results Radio/Cumulus Media, Howalt-McDowell Insurance, Inc., Medical X-Ray Center, CITI, The Design Studio, Inc., Imagenation, United Rentals, Argus Leaders, KELO/MyUTV, Sanford Children’s, South Dakota Arts Council.

Ag United for South Dakota, Dakota Beverage, Eide Bailly, First PREMIER Bank/PREMIER Bankcard, HenkinSchultz Communication Arts, JAZZIZ Omnimedia, Yellow Book, Granite City.

Karl’s TV & Appliance, Lewis Drug, Coca-Cola Bottling Company, Xcel Energy, Poet Nutrition, CNA Surety, Spoke-N-Sport, Good Spirits Fine Wine and Liquor, Schmitt Music, AAA Travel of South Dakota, Strange Farrell & Johnson PC, State Steel, Sioux Falls Green Project, US Bank, Chef Jeni & Co., Schaap’s RV Traveland.

First National Bank in Sioux Falls, K&M Music, Electric Construction Company, Sioux Falls Zombie Walk, Millennium Recycling, Novak Sanitary Services, Pfeifer Implement, Royal Limousine, Stogeez.

Risty Benefits, CH Robinson, Lew’s Fireworks, City of Sioux Falls, Sioux Falls Parks and Recreation.

JazzFest Does Its Part To Go Green

2008-07-09T11:16:00.000-05:00

The Sioux Falls Jazz & Blues Festival – JazzFest is doing its part to go green for a healthier environment. JazzFest has joined up with Millennium Recycling and Novak Sanitary Services to implement recycling of aluminum and plastic at JazzFest 2008. Both businesses will donate a portion of the proceeds from recycling to the SFJB Scholarship Fund. So make sure you throw away your bottles and cans in the bins marked recycling and give a young musician the chance to learn.

The Sioux Falls Jazz & Blues Society, the organizers of JazzFest, recommends that festival-goers either ride their bikes or take the JazzFest shuttle, bus, trolley, or bike trail to the festival.

Shuttle Information:
-Shuttle Locations: Roosevelt, Lincoln and O’Gorman High School Parking Lots.
-Shuttle Price: $3 per person for the round trip. 5 and under ride free.
-Shuttle Times: 5pm to 12:30am Friday; 11am to 12:30am Saturday.

Downtown Trolley Information:
-The downtown trolley will pick up/drop off at the downtown Holiday Inn City Centre at 8th Street between Phillips and Main Avenues (Downtown Crazy Days is also taking place this weekend!)
-Trolley Price: FREE!
-Trolley Times: 5pm to midnight Friday and Saturday.

Bike, Walk, Rollerblade or Jog to JazzFest!
Spoke-N-Sport is providing an on-site, free bike valet to festival goers that choose to pedal to the festival. Biking is a great way to arrive at JazzFest, as Yankton Trail Park is located on the city-wide bike trail. The bike trail map is available through the JazzFest website.

Sioux Falls Green Project will also be at the festival this year providing some helpful tips on living green that everyone in the Sioux Falls community can benefit from.

Green art will also make a statement at JazzFest. Minneapolis visual artist Erik Ritter will display and create artwork made from unwanted junk at JazzFest 2008.

Ritter’s latest project, entitled de-JUNKed, is a commentary on America’s plastic throwaway culture. deJUNKed is a call for people to send in their favorite junk and Ritter will make a piece of art out of these items. So bring a shoebox full and see what he can create.

In addition to displaying his art in a booth during JazzFest, Ritter will work on new pieces and create “green art” with children in the Sanford Children’s JazzQuest on Saturday afternoon.

Kids! Don’t throw away old toys. Bring old toys and other household junk to create a dinosaur sculpture on Saturday in the kid’s area.

Who has been the loudest JazzFest set?

2008-06-27T14:58:00.000-05:00

Dickey Betts in 2002. There were reports that his set was heard as far west as Wall Lake!

Who will be the loudest this year? Hear it for yourself at JazzFest July 18-19.

For more information visit the website at www.jazzfestsiouxfalls.com

Three weeks away! It's Free! It's Hot! Be Cool!

Some Fun Facts!

2008-06-27T14:57:00.000-05:00

As of 2007 the festival had 162 musical acts—812 musicians, (give or take a few who didn’t know they were here) and 256 hours of music, nearly 10,000 cases of beer (or 238,500 servings). Coincidently 518 porta pots have been used. The festival has gone through about 17,312 bottles of water, 45,032 lbs of ice, one wedding, 2 wedding receptions, 31 office parties, two birthday parties, thirteen high school reunions and hosted one singles group from Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Number of tents we’ve rented? About 220.
Average attendance in the last five years is around 90,000 people-- about 15,000 of them from out of state.

The festival is one of the largest jazz and blues festival in the Midwest, coming in 2nd to Chicago.

Furthest inquiry about visiting Sioux Falls for the festival- Tel Aviv, Israel (via phone call) in 2001.
Furthest media interview for the festival—London, England for the BBC Radio Network in 2006.

Sioux Falls Jazz & Blues Festival - JazzFest History

2008-06-27T14:30:00.000-05:00

JazzFest has been an annual event since 1988. The Sioux Falls Jazz & Blues Festival, JazzFest is a free, two-day music festival that features two stages and over 18 hours of music including jazz, blues, rock, reggae, foul, funk among other musical genres.

JazzFest is a unique event that relies on funding from over 50 local, regional and national sponsors and assistance of over 800 volunteers, making it one of the largest community events in the state.

Over its fifteen-year life, JazzFest has accumulated an impressive roster of performing acts consisting of Grammy Award winners, jazz and blues legends, and many of the most sought- after musicians in the world. Some past headlining performers at JazzFest include the Derek Trucks Band, the Robert Cray Band, Susan Tedeschi, Mavis Staples, John Hiatt, Koko Taylor, Dave Koz, Chris Botti, Bo Diddley, Kenny Wayne Shpperd, Los Lobos, Buddy Guy, the Neville Brothers and this year’s headliners include Taj Mahal and Jonny Lang.

JazzFest also offers other attractions at the festival, including a second stage featuring local and regional acts, a children’s area, an increased number and variety of vendors, and a poetry tent.

The Sioux Falls Jazz & Blues Festival, JazzFest, began as a small event in 1988, with three musical acts and one food vendor. Approximately 250 attended that year. Over the next few years, planners investigated new and larger venues, ticket pricing and increased budgeting for musical acts. In 1996, the planning committee and new board of directors decided the event would be free, with financial support based largely on sponsorships and volunteers to run all aspects of festival coordination. In this year, the festival was officially named the “Sioux Falls Jazz & Blues Festival, JazzFest” and found a home at Yankton Trail Park in south Sioux Falls.

Attendance numbers have fluctuated from 65,000 to 105,000 over the past three years with two stages, a children’s area that includes live children’s music and an artist-in-residence, poetry tent and over 30 food vendors and 20 non-food vendors.

The positive impact that JazzFest has on the community of Sioux Falls and state of South Dakota is shown by the overwhelming positive response voiced by community and government leaders and attendees from across the nation and Canada. JazzFest is an important event because it provides high-quality live music to citizens from all walks of life.

Comments from attendees over the past fifteen years have provided proof to the Sioux Falls Jazz & Blues Society that JazzFest is important because of its contribution to the culture and arts in our state.

Want to be a volunteer at JazzFest? Here's how...

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Volunteers are an extremely important factor to the success of JazzFest. They play a key role, working with the public to ensure safety, security and enjoyment for all who attend. Volunteers work in a variety of areas at the festival and volunteering is fun and a great way to meet new people wile assisting the Sioux Falls Jazz & Blues Society, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization!

The JazzFest Committee is made up of 65 members that assist the Sioux Falls Jazz & Blues Society staff and board of directors with all aspects of festival organization.

There are over 800 volunteers that assist with making JazzFest one of the largest community events in the state. Areas that volunteers assist with at the festival include: Beverage Sales, Signage, Security, Trash Pick-Up, Site Management, Food Vending, Non-Food Vending, Children’s Area, Sponsor/VIP Hospitality, Merchandise, Volunteers, Marketing, Parking, Front/Back Gate Donations, and Transportation.

Here are some JazzFest Volunteer Quick Facts!

What are the requirements for volunteering?
The minimum age for volunteers is 15. Younger volunteers are welcome, but we ask that they work along side Mom or Dad. Volunteer areas will coincide with age appropriateness. Volunteers ages 15 through 17 will need a signed parent release to work at the festival. Volunteers must be able to withstand heat and sun, as JazzFest is an outdoor event.

How long do volunteer shifts last?
Volunteer shifts can be four or more hours long depending on the area.

JazzFest begins at 5pm on Friday July 18th, but volunteers begin working on the set up for the festival as early as 9am Friday morning (Any pre-festival assistant you can offer is great!) JazzFest continues on Saturday the 19th at 11am and goes until midnight both nights.

Do I get anything for volunteering at JazzFest?
Along with that “warm and fuzzy” feeling for helping out one of the largest community events in the state of South Dakota, all volunteers will receive a free JazzFest t-shirt with an exclusive design. It’s free, it’s hot… be a cool volunteer!

What happens after I fill out the on-line volunteer form?
Your information will be collected and a JazzFest Committee representative will contact you about specific requirements for the area that you are interested in working. Please note that by filling out an on-line form you are not assured a volunteer spot. If you have not been contacted by July 1, it is unlikely that you will be placed.

Will I be trained to perform my job?
Of course. Your training will be held before you shift, and you will receive a volunteer handbook via email prior to the festival.

Who do I contact if I have more questions?
If you have any questions about volunteering please contact Katrina at the Sioux Falls Jazz and Blues Society office at 605-335-6101 or info@sfjb.org.

We Love This Advocacy Campaign from Americans for the Arts

2008-05-29T10:14:00.000-05:00

SFJB joins Blog-o-Sphere with a call for Poets!

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Well, we finally got our act together and started an official SFJB blog spot. The SFJB staff is looking forward to posting information about upcoming events and new happenings with the organization as well as other arts and music related topics.

The latest news is that we are now looking for poets interested in the open reading and slam competition that will take place in the Poetry Tent JazzFest 2008 - July 19 at Yankton Trail Park in Sioux Falls, SD.

A $200 cash prize will be awarded to the winner of the slam, and a $50 cash prize will be awarded to the runner-up.

Over the past four years, we've found that poetry and jazz music go hand-in-hand. The poetry tent has been a growing area of the music festival and we look forward to new talent and returning favorites each year.

The schedule for the 2008 JazzFest Poetry Tent is as follows:

2pm - Open Reading (please register to be placed on the list)
4pm - Featured Readers including SD Poet Laureate David Allan Evans
6pm - Poetry Slam Competition
7:30pm - Truth & Adapt (hip-hop performance)

As an added bonus this year, we are bringing live music back to the tent, with the Sioux Falls hip-hop act Truth & Adapt. Truth, a.k.a. Ken McFarland, was the 2007 JazzFest Poetry Slam winner and we are excited to feature his band this year.

Poets interested in registering for either the open reading or slam competition can contact Katrina at the SFJB office - 605-335-6101, or katrina@sfjb.org. The registration deadline is July 10.