The Lineup for the 2016 Vail Jazz Festival
Stacked with Grammy winners, fixed and fresh faces, the 22nd Annual Vail Jazz Festival is in full steam!
Like the golden years of jazz, the Vail Jazz Festival has reached a glowing stage of its lifetime, but only continues to become bigger and brighter. The lineup for the upcoming 22nd season, presented by The Jazz Cruise and The Contemporary Jazz Cruise, is full of returning favorites as well as internationally touted artists making their Vail debuts.
Here's what's on tap for the rest of the summer:
August 4: Joey Alexander
You may have seen this kid on 60 Minutes or earning a raucous standing ovation following his performance at this year’s GRAMMY® Awards. Born in Indonesia, and arguably one of the most talented youngsters at 13 years old, the young pianist is self-taught and released his first album last year, nominated for Best Jazz Instrumental Album.
Photo: Ben Koelker
August 11: Cecile McLorin Salvant
Fresh off a GRAMMY® win for her third studio album, this young, Miami-based vocalist appears in Vail for the first time. Last year she told NPR that she “never wanted to sound clean and pretty” and her husky style has earned her much international acclaim, not to mention a slew of avid new fans following every performance.
August 18: Maraca & His Latin Jazz All-Stars
Led by GRAMMY®-nominated, Cuban-born flutist Orlando “Maraca” Valle, this energetic eight-piece ensemble features a collection of the world’s top Latin jazz specialists. Making its Vail debut, the ensemble is sure to get the crowd on its feet and moving.
August 25: H2 Big Band Tribute to Count Basie
Speaking of energy, the sizzling, Colorado-based big band returns to Vail to light up the stage with favorites from the late, great bandleader. H2 Big Band is famous for nailing Basie’s distinctive swing style.
September 1: Vail Jazz Party House Band, Alumni Quintet and All-Stars
The red hot triple bill kicks off the 22nd Annual Vail Jazz Party, beginning with the current lineup of freshly fine-tuned Vail Jazz Workshop students, the Vail Jazz All-Stars, made up of the nation’s top 12 teenage jazz musicians. Then comes the Quintet of former All-Stars who are no pros and finally the Vail Jazz Party House Band sextet comprised of individual stars the genre – John Clayton, Jeff Clayton, Lewis Nash, Terell Stafford, Bill Cunliffe, and Wycliffe Gordon.
September 1-5: The 22nd Annual Vail Jazz Party
Wrapping up the summer with a true grand finale of musical fireworks, this five-day blowout features more than 50 musicians rattling Vail with back-to-back outdoor and indoor performances. Highlights include riveting Multi-Media performances: Byron Stripling’s Birth of the Blues, Joel Frahm’s tribute to the Texas Tenors and John Clayton’s Tribute to Milt Hinton, following this year’s jazz documentary screening “Keeping Time: The Life, Music and Photographs of Milt Hinton”. The star-studded lineup of soloists includes the return of guitarist Diego Figueiredo and B3 organist Bobby Floyd as well as the debut of famed multi-instrumentalist Adrian Cunningham, not to mention the always sold-out Sunday morning feel good session, Niki Haris’ Gospel Prayer Meetin’.
FREE JAZZ ALL SUMMER:
Vail Jazz @ The Market
Get a taste of homegrown talent every Sunday when a variety of Colorado-based musicians and ensembles fire up a live soundtrack at the Vail Farmers Market from 12-3 p.m. from June 26 to Aug. 28.
Colorado High School Band Showcase
Every Sunday in August, Vail Jazz will debut a different Colorado-based jazz band from around the state in the Jazz Tent at11 a.m. Come early to the Vail Farmers Market and witness rising local talent from around the state.
Vail Jazz @ The Remedy
Sunday nights never sounded so good. Local jazz legend, Tony Gulizia will be joined by an exciting variety of visiting jazz musicians each week at the event’s new home at the Four Seasons Resort, including complimentary parking. The series starts July 3 and runs through Aug. 28.
Riverwalk First Fridays
The Riverwalk Backyard in Edwards is the place to launch your weekend each of the first Fridays of the summer (June to September) with great free live jazz, food, drink and community vendors. A series geared toward the whole family, this is a perfect meeting place for community and culture. Performances start at 6 p.m. Vendors, food and drink booths open at 5 p.m. This series is co-sponsored by Alpine Bank and Kaiser Permanente and produced by Vail Jazz and KZYR The Zephyr. More information is available at http://www.riverwalkfirstfridays.com/.
More information and tickets for all performances are available at vailjazz.org.
