PODCAST:

The first annual Charlottesville Jazz Fest is set for June 4th to 7th, featuring local and national musicians on Charlottesville’s downtown mall.

TRANSCRIPT:

Ben Larsen:

You’re listening to WTJU Charlottesville. The first annual Charlottesville Jazz Fest is happening June 4th to the 7th. For Arts This Week, we spoke with the Cville Jazz Society director, Gary Funston.

Gary Funston:

We have gathered up some of the best musicians in Charlottesville and around Charlottesville, and including some national acts coming into town, and they are all playing Thursday through Sunday on Charlottesville’s downtown mall at various locations, and we just wanted to primarily give focus to the great musicians that we have here in Charlottesville.

Ben Larsen:

Now, the festival is taking place across multiple venues on the downtown mall. Can you tell us more about those places?

Gary Funston:

Yeah, we kind of found out after we had already planned this whole thing. It’s the 50th anniversary of Charlottesville’s downtown mall. We’re hoping that we can bring more customers to the restaurants and the businesses down there while they’re enjoying jazz in the various locations

Ben Larsen:

For those looking to buy tickets or to learn more about the festival. Where can people go to look?

Gary Funston:

Easiest to go to the Jazz Society website, cvillejazz.org and you’ll see a tab there for the festival. Some of these shows are ticketed. We have the ticket links there, and the ticketed events are Saturday night, the main event at the Paramount Theater, which is Veronica Swift at 8:30pm Opening for her is John Dearth and Charlottesville All Stars Big Band. The morning show at the Paramount is a bunch of student bands, and that is ticketed as well.

Ben Larsen:

So, how long have you all been planning for this festival?

Gary Funston:

Seriously, only a couple of years. We’ve been talking about it, but we’ve been to other jazz festivals, most notably the Lake Anna Jazz Festival. We thought they did a great job. They have two stages over two days every year and get big crowds there, and we just thought, why can’t we do that in Charlottesville?

Ben Larsen:

So, what are you looking forward to the most?

Gary Funston:

Well, definitely Veronica Saturday night, she hasn’t been here in Charlottesville for maybe 15 years, and as guest artists with other performers like Chris Botti, going to be nice to see Charlie Balentine back in town Saturday, 5o’clock early show at the front porch. Thursday night at Miller’s, John Dearth has his regular slot there, but starting a little earlier and he’s got the vocalist Laura Ann Singh performing some of his compositions and original lyrics and music for that, and got to see that group recently. Fridays after five at the Ting Pavilion, we have the US Navy band Commodores coming in, big band, which is all those service bands, are the cream of the crop. Some of the best musicians in the country, and they are opening for the Randazzo Big Band, another band, and Charles Owens will be featured with that Randazzo band, mostly Richmond musicians, some Charlottesville musicians as well. In there,

Ben Larsen:

More information about the first annual Cville Jazz Fest, happening June 4th to the 7th, can be found at cvillejazz.org. Arts This Week is supported by the UVA Arts Council and Piedmont Virginia Community College. PVCC Arts presents a rich array of dance, music, theater, and visual arts programming. Learn more pvcc.edu. For WTJU, I’m Ben Larsen.