Press Release from the Board of Directors

The Healdsburg Jazz Festival Announces
Hiatus of Jazz Festival for 2011 Season and
Renewed Focus on Music Education Program

July 29, 2010

Today the Healdsburg Jazz Festival Board of Directors announced that the organization will focus the resources of the organization on its signature music education program, Operation Jazz Band for the 2011 season. Pat Templin the Board Chair said, “Operation Jazz Band has been a highly successful music education program in the community. Our mission is all about stimulating interest in jazz and educating young people about the important role of jazz as an indigenous American art form.”

Operation Jazz Band has been offered to local area schools by The Healdsburg Jazz Festival for the past 10 years. The annual spring program that is led by musician Babatunde Lea introduces 5th grade students in six different area schools to jazz through an innovative week-long program that brings professional musicians into the classroom. The week ends with more than 500 students attending a concert where the musicians perform music that they have introduced to the students over the course of the week.”

The board also announced that it intends to pause the jazz festival for the coming year and to study alternatives to the current jazz festival. These explorations will include the overall length of the jazz festival and the variety and genres of the music that are presented, with the core still being exceptional jazz. The board also intends to continue a dialogue with local community members and businesses that began this year to help the festival explore ways to create a successful organization.

Pat Templin, the Board Chair, cited 3 years of operating deficits and the need to find a model that can be sustainable for the non-profit 501 (c) (3) organization as the primary reason for the need to pause the festival and return to its primary mission of music education in the schools. “We have worked very hard as a board to involve the Healdsburg community and local businesses in the festival. The downturn in the economy was certainly a factor in our decision to take the next year to study our options. We have lost financial support from a number of sponsors and community members over the last 3 years. There also seems to be a more limited audience for pure jazz in the community as evidenced by lower ticket sales. There may be an opportunity to broaden the offering in the future. We need to find a winning model that will interest more people and businesses in the community to get involved, provide financial support and to attend a revised music festival,” said Templin.

Jessica Felix who is the founder and artistic director of The Healdsburg Jazz Festival for the past 12 years, will be leaving the organization. Templin said, “The board would like to thank Jessica Felix for her passion and tireless efforts on behalf of the festival since its inception.” Templin also said, “The board will be working together over the next year to continue advancing the reach of Operation Jazz Band in the local schools and to examine our options. We will retain minimal support staff to handle administrative tasks that may be required over the coming year. Our main goal through this process is to continue bringing music education to our local students while keeping jazz as a core component of our programming for future successful festivals.

The Healdsburg Jazz Festival, Inc., is a non-profit corporation. Among its other projects are jazz education programs held in area elementary and secondary schools to teach area youth about jazz music and its role in American heritage.

The release (full release PDF available at this link) addresses changes in direction, priorities and staffing of the organization. Comments are welcome below.

The time is right for rescheduled event, Sunday July 25

There are still a few places at the table for this Sunday’s Jazz in the Chef’s Kitchen, the long-delayed annual Jazz Festival Benefit Concert & Dinner. Originally scheduled for May 22, the unseasonable spring weather caused the rescheduling of the event, and it’s a good thing they pulled the plug when they did.

“It actually hailed here on that day,” said Bruce Aidells, co-host of this year’s benefit for the Healdsburg Jazz Festival. “Then the wind picked up – we would have had to serve dinner in the garage. It would have been an absolute disaster.”

Well, maybe. Considering that the garage, like the rest of the custom-built home on Sweetwater Springs Road, is an aesthetic and practical showcase, an Arts and Crafts celebration in the style of Greene & Greene. The brother architects of the early 20^th century created many memorable homes in Pasadena, Carmel, Berkeley and other California neighborhoods, and the couple count architecture and jazz among their top three loves. “Food is actually our first love,” Aidells clarifies, “’way more than the others!”

Aidells (yes, the sausage guy) and his wife, chef Nancy Oakes of Boulevard and L’Avenue, will make good on their commitment to the Healdsburg Jazz Festival this Sunday, July 25, with a multi-faceted celebration of the arts. The event, held at the Aidells-Oakes custom built home on Sweetwater Springs Road, starts at 4:30 with a reception and music from a top-flight jazz quartet, the David Udolf Trio. The pianist is joined by drummer Lorca Hart and bassist Jeff Chambers, and they’ll treat the 50-plus attendees to jazz in the garden while appetizers — oysters, pizza, caviar and truffles — are served.  

After the hour-long reception vocalist Kenny Washington joins the trio, and his set of jazz, blues and classics from the Great American Songbook as well as other surprises promises to delight the guests. “He’s great, you’ll love him,” promises Jessica Felix, and we believe her. You can visit this page to hear some clips of Kenny’s music.

Nancy’s the head chef for the dinner, prepared with the assistance of Franco Dunn, and the carte looks appetizing indeed: Beef Steak Florentine, Wood Oven Roasted Lobster Tails, and Grilled Quail with Balsamic Cherries, are the entrées, and sides include Roasted Asparagus, Wild Mushrooms, Toasted Ancient Grains and Eva’s Tomatoes & Mozzarella among many other choices. (To see the complete menu, visit this page.)

Yes, there’s a dessert table too, but the wine list alone makes the expected donation a sound investment: there’s the Roederer Estate Brut from Anderson Valley, the ’07 Alysian Chardonnay, the Miner Family ’06 Oracle – half bottles run $50 of this Napa Valley Burgundy blend – the 92-point Helena Montana cabernet from Anakota, and many other wines well worth the price of admission.

It may sound like an extravagance for the well-to-do. But consider all you get – a Michelin-worthy dinner from one of Northern California’s most decorated chefs, live jazz music from the Top of the Mark, a living museum of architectural innovation, and your choice from a custom wine list that no connoisseur could resist. Indulgence or bargain? It’s all in how you look at it. If you look at it as worth every cent,  click this link to purchase your admission to the benefit event of the summer.

Over the past 12 years the Healdsburg Jazz Festival has become one of the largest cultural events in Sonoma County. Supporting our mission of “preserving the indigenous art form of music known as jazz,” the Festival is now heralded as being one of the best boutique jazz festivals in the world. Help support the Festival, and enjoy an unforgettable evening in the bargain, by joining us at the Benefit Dinner and Concert this Sunday.

Ten Reasons to Attend the Healdsburg Jazz Festival

Sure, there are lots of good serious reasons to come to Healdsburg – historic venues and intimate settings, new stars and living legends, cross-cultural interaction and jazz education. But let’s face facts: most of us come here for the food, the wine, the music — the good times in the sun. Which brings us to…

Reason Number 1: Let’s have some fun!

SATURDAY AFTERNOON

Saturday, June 5: Wine tasting? With four major appellations within striking distance, you need to pace yourself. Thankfully, there’s no need to stray far from downtown when you can sample the goods at 20 tasting rooms – and, this weekend, hear live jazz at one of them. Murphy-Goode is well known for their Alexander Valley whites, the party-like atmosphere at their tasting room (20 Matheson St), and their enthusiasm for the Festival. This year they host Herb Gibson, vibist and vocalist, from 3-5 pm, while you quaff the good stuff waiting for sundown..

SUNDAY ON THE GREEN

Sunday, June 6: Get the party rolling big time by spending Sunday afternoon 12:30 – 6 pm on the green at Recreation Park, enjoying the syncopated shuffle and sway of Bossa Nova at the Stars of Brazil Concert. It’s one of those shows so packed with talent it’s hard to pick favorites in advance, but between Oscar Castro-Neves and Romero Lubambo you’ll be hearing Brazilian guitar at its best.

There will be food and drinks available; bring a picnic basket if you like, a low-back chair if you wish (please be courteous of those behind you), and go with the groove this afternoonl. Savor this taste of Sunny Rio in Sonoma County!

TUESDAY AT THE PLAZA

Tuesday, June 8: By Tuesday you’re probably up for some good times again, so come back to the Plaza for the Latin Jazz Youth Ensemble of San Francisco, a super-charged troupe of teens preserving inspirations from Cuba to the Carnaval.

It’s free, as the city’s Tuesdays in the Plaza always are, and picnic beverages are permitted during the 6 – 8 pm show. Be prepared to dance if the spirit moves you, you won’t be the only one.

DOWNTOWN SATURDAY

Saturday, June 12: Park the car and take a stroll, it’s time to relax around the gazebo on a sunny afternoon – and hang out till midnight. This time not one but two wineries offer Jazz & Wine Pairings: Topel Tasting Room (just around the corner at 125 Matheson) gives us the Gary Johnson Trio at from 3 – 5 pm, and on the other side of the Plaza you can find Eddie and Madeline Duran at Ferrari-Carano’s Seasons of the Vineyard (113 Plaza) from 4 – 6.

But why stop there? After dinner at one of our local restaurants, you’ll be primed for Charlie Haden at the Raven, with Ravi Coltrane and Geri Allen. And, unless we misjudge you, you might drop by the Hotel Healdsburg Lobby for Craig Handy’s mystery band, 9 – midnight.

SUNDAY FINALE

Sunday, June 13: Saving the best for last is a sure recipe for success, but it’s hard when every day of the Festival brings a new musical pleasure. But we’ll say it anyway: do not miss the Festival Finale at Rodney Strong, our signature event. It’s truly a “festival” atmosphere, with food vendors, wine bars from our host, other beverages on sale — and 3 great young bands to demonstrate that they are indeed the “Keepers of the Flame.”

Show up early (gates open at 2 pm) to catch the inspired energy of the Dafnis Prieto Si o Si Quartet with Peter Apfelbaum, be transported by the Gretchen Parlato Group,, then be amazed by Jason Moran and Bandwagon, with Bill Frisell.

Is that all there is? Not hardly! We’ve listed only 5 events of our 10-day festival, but don’t have time to list twice as many more! See them all at healdsburgjazzfestival.org, and join us at the 12th Annual Healdsburg Jazz Festival.

In case you missed it…

• Esperanza Spalding was interviewed by John Beck in June 4 Press Democrat – read it online now.
• Peter Apfelbaum rated a profile from Jesse Hamlin in June 3 Chronicle — online now at SFGate.
• An extremely rare guitar is up for auction to benefit the Healdsburg Jazz Festival — this one is for serious collectors only! Suss it out at eBay.

NOTE: Thanks for following this series through these frequent emails and on our website. Local writer, photographer and HJF webmaster Christian Kallen wrote and delivered this series, and he hopes his affection for Healdsburg and jazz has served its purpose – giving you Ten Reasons to Attend the Healdsburg Jazz Festival!

More information about this year’s Festival:

• Complete Schedule
• Ticket Information
• About Healdsburg

See our past Reasons to Attend the Healdsburg Jazz Festival.

Reason # 2: See New Stars

The Healdsburg Jazz Festival is just around the corner, and we’re planning to work steadily from now until Friday night at the Raven, when Mark Cantor brings Jazz Night at the Movies to the screen. There are a million things to do to make sure this year’s Festival is the best ever — and we think it can be, if you help us by joining us at these concerts! After all, how often to you get to see not only old friends and local talent, but jazz masters and new stars in both intimate venues and historic venues?

Sunday, June 13 marks the finale of this year’s festival, and in keeping with our interest in new talent and rising stars, we’ve made it all about the Keepers of the Flame. This is a show that’s sure to point the way to paths less traveled for jazz with a youthful line-up full of energy and inspiration in equal measure.

Featured will be pianist and composer Jason Moran, the newest star in the prestigious Blue Note pantheon. This actually marks Moran’s second appearance at the Festival — he played with the Charles Lloyd Quartet at Jackson Theater (Sonoma County Day School) in 2008. This time he fronts the cutting-edge trio The Bandwagon, whose explorations encompass the full jazz spectrum. For this Rodney Strong appearance, their talents are enhanced by the sonic explorations of guitarist Bill Frisell, whose sound references everything from country blues and bluegrass to West African griots and old-time Appalachian songs.

Also on the bill is the dynamic young Cuban percussionist who “landed like an asteroid” on the New York jazz scene ten years ago, Dafnis Prieto. His impact has been felt in both jazz and Latin music, he’s been Grammy-nominated and played Lincoln Center, and now he comes to Healdsburg. The Si o Si Quartet includes fellow Cubans Manuel Valera on piano and Charles Flores on bass; their Latin influences are balanced by Berkeley-bred multi-instrumentalist Peter Apfelbaum,, who toured with Carla Bley and opened for the Greatful Dead with his Hieroglyphics Ensemble.

In combination, the dynamic, challenging yet ecstatic music of the Si o Si Quartet is sure to energize the Rodney Strong throngs, so don’t be late, they’ll be first on stage during the 2 – 6 pm open air concert.

Sandwiched between the Si o Si Quartet and the Bandwagon is Gretchen Parlato, a talented vocalist and arranger whose 2009 album “In a Dream” marks a striking debut for this Theonious Monk Institute award winner. Parlato is among the very best of a rising generation of jazz singers, an artist who has forged a highly personal sound unlike any of her peers.

Her repertoire ranges from Stevie Wonder to Bjork to Wayne Shorter, and her Healdsburg band features some of jazz’s most inventive young improvisers, including pianist Taylor Eigsti, bassist Alan Hampton and drummer Kendrick Scott.

This line-up confirms that our Festival Finale will not so much end our jazz explorations, but mark the beginning of multiple new directions for the Healdsburg Jazz Festival.

If you have your tickets to the Friday, June 11 concert at the Raven — congratulations, you’ll be seeing one of jazz’s newest headliners, Esperanza Spalding. But if you don’t have your ticket, sorry, this show is sold out. Still, we must say a few words about the newest star in the jazz panoply.

Esperanza got her start in her native Portland, Ore., where she played in an indie-rock band at 15. She quit high school, but soon landed a scholarship at Boston’s prestigious Berklee School of Music. Soon she won over such jazz pros as Joe Lovano, Gary Burton, Pat Metheny and others, who recognized her unique talent.

Her star was on the rise when she appeared on David Letterman’s program, where he famously said, “She’s the coolest person we’ve ever had on!” A big hit at last year’s HJF at Barndiva, her fame and credibility have since skyrocketed. In 2009 she played at the White House, and made such an impression on Barack Obama that he invited her to play in Oslo where he received the Nobel Peace Prize.

Even though this show is sold out, don’t forget there’s plenty of terrific music both Friday and Saturday nights, June 11-12, at the Hotel Healdsburg Lobby. Lorca Hart — another rising star in jazz — leads the combo on Friday night, and Bay Area saxophone stalwart Craig Handy fronts an all-star band on Saturday.

More information about this year’s Festival:

• Complete Schedule
• Ticket Information
• About Healdsburg

See our past Reasons to Attend the Healdsburg Jazz Festival.

Useful information including Getting Around, Directions and more at Frequently Asked Questions.

“Jazz Masters” another reason to come to Healdsburg

It’s a term that’s kicked around a lot, “jazz masters” – one thinks of Carnegie Hall, the Village Vanguard, the Blue Note label. Louis, Bird, Miles, Dizzy, Trane, Ella. The names are few but everyone knows them. These legendary jazz artists are just that, legends – and few and far between. But there’s another class of “jazz master” whose repeated listening brings greater reward. They are technically expert, creatively inspirational, mentors and magicians. And you’ll find them in Healdsburg during the next few days.

Wednesday, June 9 brings one of our favorite masters back to town – George Cables, a poet of the piano whose impeccable sense of melody suffuses his improvisations with brilliance. A versatile and wide-ranging artist, Cables began playing professionally in the 1960s, sitting at the bench for Art Blakey, Max Roach, Sonny Rollins, Joe Henderson and Bobby Hutcherson before touring with the Dexter Gordon Quartet. When artists of this caliber are your biggest fans – Art Pepper called him “Mr. Beautiful” – you hardly need a shelf full of Grammys to earn bragging rights.

Ticket-holders will have a chance to hear the George Cables Trio at the Raven Theater on Wednesday, June 9, with Peter Barshay on bass and Jaz Sawyer on drums. A special added attraction is the vocal presence of the enchanting Shea Breaux Wells, whose first album was recorded following her 2008 HJF appearance – and which featured George Cables on piano.

Opening the concert is local guitarist Christian Foley-Beining with a quartet featuring Paul McCandless (of the world-jazz ensemble Oregon) on reeds. This is probably the best concert deal of the Festival – only $15, $10 for students or seniors, at the historic Raven Theater.

You can also hear the George Cables Trio the very next night, with special guest Craig Handy on saxophone, on Thursday June 10, at the Benefactors Dinner and Concert. It’s not too late to become a Patron and attend this exceptional event, for jazz lovers who are really in love with jazz, at the new Francis Ford Coppola winery. (For more information please contact us at info@healdsburgjazzfestival.org, or call our office at 707 433-4633 immediately! Time is running out for reservations.)

Saturday, June 12 gives you a chance to see a trio of jazz masters, headed by a bass player who might himself deserve the sobriquet “legendary.” Charlie Haden returns to the Raven and once again brings a constellation of achievement and influence to the boards, both as a bassist and a composer, an apostle of jazz today. Haden’s own roots reach back over 50 years, when he was a founding member of Ornette Coleman’s radical quartet. Later, he anchored Keith Jarrett’s sound, created moody film music and radical “liberation” music, his explorations never ceasing to this day. He last appeared at HJF two years ago, playing the Raven with Kenny Barron and Joshua Redmond. This time his guests are no less remarkable.

Some 20 years ago Haden found a brilliant young pianist in Detroit named Geri Allen. Since that time Allen has recorded more than a dozen albums and toured with artists as diverse as Charles Lloyd, Lee Konitz, Me’Shell Ndegelocello, Dewey Redman, and Bill Cosby(!). She’s also a composer, arranger and professor of music, making her a true “master” to a new generation of talent. Her Festival debut came in 2004, and we welcome her back with enthusiasm.

Haden’s trio is rounded out by a relative newcomer to master status, but one whose lineage is true jazz royalty: Ravi Coltrane. Often sons of artists the significance of John Coltrane won’t even try to follow in their father’s footsteps, and even less frequently do they succeed. But Ravi’s own star has been steadily rising in the 2000s, and his CDs “In Flux” and “Blending Times” earned raves from the jazz illuminati. His recording of “For Turiya”—written for his mother Alice Coltrane by none other than Charlie Haden – is already a classic, and its inevitable performance at the Raven on Saturday night is sure to be one of the highlights of this year’s remarkable – and masterful – Healdsburg Jazz Festival.

See our past Reasons to Attend the Healdsburg Jazz Festival.

Useful information including Getting Around, Directions and more at Frequently Asked Questions.

Ten Reasons to Attend the Healdsburg Jazz Festival

With the Healdsburg Jazz Festival just a week away, don’t think we’re running out of reasons to join us! Local talent, intimate settings, historic venues and the return of old friends – these are a few of the reasons to show up this year for the 12th annual festival. And as always, supporting jazz education remains a key priority for the friends, fans and supporters of the festival year round. (Follow this link to see all our past Reasons to Attend.)

Reason # 4: Cross-cultural interaction

But behind most of these reasons the core element of our Mission Statement, found in the right column of every page on our website.

“The Healdsburg Jazz Festival stimulates interest in and promotes awareness and appreciation of jazz by facilitating cross-cultural interaction, providing performance opportunities, and educating young people and adults about the important role of jazz as an indigenous American art form.”

Jazz is by its nature multi-racial, ethnically mixed, trans-generational. It’s an American art form, as we like to say, and America is a nothing if not a musical melting pot.

As far back as 2001 we featured a Latin Jazz Concert, when Pete Escovedo headlined at Rodney Strong. Babatunde Lea, Khalil Shaheed, Tacuma King and others, and Charles Lloyd and percussionist Zakir Hassain brought African and Indian flavors to the jazz stew.

New Orleans was represented in 2007, the year after Katrina, with our first “day on the green” at Rec Park, starring Delfeayo Marsalis and the Rebirth Brass Band, among others. And Brazil – home of the samba, of choro, and of Bossa Nova, has been represented throughout, an undercurrent of sultry polyrhythm flowing strong through the Festival History.

Sunday, June 6: Once again the Stars of Brazil shine all afternoon at Rec Park, with another amazing cross-cultural journey to the land of Bossa Nova. The seductive combination of jazz and samba was born more than 50 years on the streets of Rio de Janeiro’s southside, and we are again proud to present some of the pioneers of the sound alongside its newest interpreters. Oscar Castro-Neves, who was on stage with other Brazilian stars at the seminal Carnegie Hall Bossa Nova concert in 1962, brings a band of all-stars to town, following the Leny Andrade – Romero Lubambo Duo, plus the return of Claudia Vellela (left) to Healdsburg, with Brasilia to start the show.

Healdsburg’s Recreation Park opens at noon, and the music runs from 12:30 to 6:30, with music, wine and beer – and plenty of time to groove, chat and interact with other cross-cultural festival-goers. Get your tickets now to avoid the line of last-minute shoppers queuing up at the gate. ( Note: Although there is parking at Rec Park, it’s very limited, and the park is in a residential area so parking may be difficult if you show up late. But it’s within walking distance of downtown, and car-pooling remains a sound way to enjoy the Festival.)

Tuesday, June 8: There’s live music in the Healdsburg Plaza every Tuesday in summer, and the second Tuesday in June is reserved for Jazz Festival. This year the Latin Youth Jazz Ensemble of San Francisco puts on a lively summer sunset show (6 – 8 pm), presenting and preserving the traditions of Latin jazz and Afro-Cuban music.

Sunday, June 13: Speaking of Afro-Cuban, one of the stars of our Keepers of the Flame concert at Rodney Strong is the Cuban-bornpercussion whiz Dafnis Prieto (right) and the Si o Si Quartet, featuring reedman Peter Apfelbaum. Another native Cuban is in the band, too, with Manuel Valera on piano. The signature rhythms of Cuba – Cha-cha-chá, Rhumba, Son and of course Salsa – infuse jazz music today, compelling evidence of the musical “cross-cultural interaction” that we think is maybe the best way to say real jazz.

More information about this year’s Festival:

• Complete Schedule
• Ticket information
• About Healdsburg

Yet Another Reason to Attend the Jazz Festival

Just a week to go before the Festival begins! And already we’re halfway through our series of Ten Reasons to attend events in this year’s 12th Annual Healdsburg Jazz Festival.

Reason No. 5: Intimate Settings

One of the core tenets of the Healdsburg Jazz Festival is personal contact – that jazz artists and their audience need to meet each other, to know each other, in order to understand one another – and the music that results. Sure, we have concerts in the 500-seat Raven Theater, and “on the green” at  Rec Park and Rodney Strong, but it’s in the small restaurants, hotel lobbies and tasting rooms that the spirit of jazz really comes into its own.

Saturday, June 5: The second day of the festival finds live music within a few steps of the downtown plaza at two non-traditional but very intimate venues – a winery tasting room and an espresso café. Hardly the sort of places you’d expect to find a festival!

Saturday afternoon, 3 – 5 pm: The first of three Jazz & Wine Pairings at local tasting rooms finds vocalist and vibraphonist Herb Gibson (right) playing at Murphy-Goode, 20 Matheson St. (just half a block west of the Plaza). Murphy-Goode moved into town a couple years ago from their original Alexander Valley location, and have become a mainstay of the weekend downtown scene with their commitment to “the tradition of all things Goode — friendship, hard work, a wicked sense of humor, a great bottle of wine.” And of course, jazz. See this page for all our Jazz & Wine Pairings.

Saturday evening, 7 pm and 9 pm: Flying Goat Coffee is where we go for that morning lift – espresso and a muffin – and we’re not alone. The place is hoppin’ for half the day, but that’s nothing like how it will be boppin’ when the Bennett Friedman Quartet plays two shows here the first Saturday of the festival. Saxophonist Friedman has been a mentor to local jazz students for over 30 years, and he hews true to the hard bop tradition. He’ll be joined by a rhythm section featuring drummer Lorca Hart and ace bassist Chris Amberger, with guitarist Randy Vincent adding his fluid licks to the saxophone-led quartet. You’ll find the close proximity to this great music will open your eyes and ears to things you never heard before!

Monday, June 7: If wine and coffee only whet your appetites, how about a Michelin-rated sit-down dinner at one of Healdsburg’s signature restaurants, the Dry Creek Kitchen? Celebrity chef Charlie Palmer was early in the rush to “discover” Healdsburg, opening his restaurant in the Hotel Healdsburg almost ten years ago. “I was drawn here by Sonoma’s pioneering food and wine spirit,” Palmer said then, and we’re sure he’s added jazz to that short list.

Though DCK usually hosts “Jazz and Wine Dinners” December through March only, they revive the event for the Jazz Festival, and this year local guitar talent Kai Devitt-Lee (left) will bring his trio to play for diners. Make your reservation early (now is a good time –  call 707 431-0330) and enjoy a special three-course menu with accompanying wine for a fan-friendly price. Yes, the music is free – and it’s close enough to see the peach fuzz on the ruddy cheeks of our 16-year old guitarist!

Friday and Saturday, June 11 – 12: Yes, it’s Jazz Festival weekend – but there’s live jazz almost every Friday and Saturday of the year at the Hotel Healdsburg Lobby. Lounge by the fireplace, share a table with friends, keep an eye on the crowd and tune in to the finest jazz in town, week after week.

For the Festival it’s a double-bill of jazz raw talent, drummer Lorca Hart bringing a tight quartet to deck on Friday, featuring Bay Area sax titan Craig Handy (right). And on Saturday night Handy takes the helm and leads an ensemble of surprise guests and in a Mingus-infused, Afro-Cuban jam. The music runs from 9 to midnight, but show up early if you can – there are shows at the Raven both nights, and when the curtain goes down the chairs become scarce.

Remember, again on Saturday, June 12 there will be Jazz & Wine Pairings at two local tasting rooms. From 3 to 5 pm look for Topel, at 125 Matheson just around the corner from the lingerie shop (eyes front, gentlemen) and across from the Oakville Grocery. You’ll find the Gary Johnson Trio playing real live jazz for free, with appetizers and wines by the glass. The Hopland-based winery is gaining gold for their Meritage, known as “Le Mariage,” and we can think of no better marriage than wine and jazz.

At almost the same time, from 4 to 6 pm, check out  Seasons of the Vineyard (113 Plaza St.) — it’s that red awning on the north side of the square. They promise delectable bites to go with their Ferarri-Carano wines, and home décor gifts to browse while the music plays. But do listen to the music: it’s Mad and Eddie Duran (left), that rare jazz couple who still make beautiful music together through marriage. Saxophone and guitar music, of course, that’s what we’re talking about.

If all that’s not enough, on Sunday mornings you can have a jazz brunch at Affronti, a wine and dining bar just south of the plaza, behind the tasting room at 235 Healdsburg Ave.  It’s usually a duo or solo artist, with an emphasis on Brazilian flavors. They do this all year around, not just on Festival weekends.

So you see there are plenty of chances to rub shoulders with fellow jazz fans, with some of the artists you see on stage, with newfound neighbors who love the music too. If that’s not a good Reason to come to Healdsburg, you’ll just have to see them all to choose your favorite.

Welcome to Healdsburg, the small town capital of big time jazz!

Only two weeks left before the Festival! As what the San Francisco Chronicle calls “probably the best small jazz festival in the country” nears, we continue in our series of Ten Reasons why you will want to attend events in this year’s lineup, along with updates and offers to get you as excited as the 12th Annual Healdsburg Jazz Festival as we are.

Reason No. 7: Learn Music

Saturday, June 5: Art of the Solo Guitar is something new for the Festival, a mini-festival tucked inside the big one. It’s a day-long combination workshop and concert around an instrument central to much American music. Think blues, folk, country, rock, and jazz, and there’s almost always a guitar somewhere in the band.

If you’re a primary or secondary school student – or perhaps there’s one or more in your household – then the 10 am-noon morning workshop, Making Music Part of Your Life, is for you. The instructors will talk, demonstrate and perform directly for these young fans, inspiring them to pursue their own musical ambitions. There will even be a drawing to win a guitar donated by the Jazz Masters workshop. Better yet, students are free – and encouraged to bring instruments to play!

At noon, a stellar roster of guitar talent gathers for a relaxed outdoor afternoon of solo performances, the Art of the Solo Guitar concert (Noon-3 pm). Oscar Castro-Neves, Romero Lumbambo, Sid Jacobs and many more will be there — check this page for participating musicians, and get your tickets soon, they’re only $15, or $10 for students and seniors.

In many cases the musicians will be playing instruments built by master luthiers of the Ribbecke Guitar Company. Tom Ribbecke will be on hand, hosting and demonstrating his unique hand-built guitars, and the event will be held at his Healdsburg grounds off Limerick Lane.

Special Benefit Auction: Going on right now is the special benefit auction of a 17-inch Ribbecke Halfling Archtop, with a retail value of $7500. Now ongoing at eBay, the auction ends this Thursday, May 27, at 11:45 am, with the tax-deductible proceeds going to the Healdsburg Jazz Festival.

Bidding started at $2000, and it’s over $3,000 now – still a great deal on an amazing instrument, and a significant contribution to our efforts.
» Follow this link to learn more, bid or buy from eBay.

Where else could you hear music, see music, and learn music too, all at the same event? Only at the Healdsburg Jazz Festival, June 4-13.

More information about the Festival:

• Complete Schedule 
• Ticket information
• About Healdsburg

Look it up! Reasons number 8, 9 and 10 slip your mind? We’ve got them here on our website. Stay tuned for another of the Ten Best Reasons to enjoy the Healdsburg Jazz Festival.

The Countdown Continues…
10 Reasons to Attend the Jazz Festival

The Healdsburg Jazz Festival kicks off officially on Friday June 4, and continues for a week and two weekends with headliners and sidelights, events large and intimate. Some of our stars are flying in from the Big Apple, some from L.A., but some are our friends and neighbors. Which brings us to another of 10 Reasons to Attend the Healdsburg Jazz Festival…

Reason No. 8: Local Talent

Who would have thought that a small agricultural town on the north end of the Santa Rosa Plain would turn into a hotbed of jazz talent? And we’re not just talking about your friendly neighborhood Dixieland band or barbershop quartet, either. Our local talent includes singers, guitarists, horn players of professional calibre who taken the stage and recorded CDs with the biggest of names.

Saturday June 5: One of our favorite places in town is Flying Goat Coffee, a laid-back, roasty hang-out with legendary lattes. They have hosted occasional music shows for us, and this year we have two Saturday night concerts in this cozy café featuring the Bennett Friedman Quartet. Friedman is a hard-swinging saxophonist who has been a mentor and mainstay at Santa Rosa Junior College, where he’s taught music for over 30 years. When he plays the Goat he’ll be backed by Sonoma guitarist Randy Vincent and area bass ace Chris Amberger, as well as Lorca Hart on drums. It’s sure to be an education — and a celebration of local talent. Tickets are only $10 for the 7 pm and 9 pm shows, and they’re going fast!

Monday June 7: Now that Windsor’s own Julian Lage is well into his Grammy-nominated career, it’s time for another young buck to assume the mantle of local jazz prodigy. We didn’t have to wait long: Kai Devitt-Lee showed up less than 2 years ago and has come to epitomize the local jazz scene: youthful, energetic, aggressive, with talent to spare. The 16-year old guitarist holds down multiple area gigs every month, and for the Festival he’ll be featured at the Michelin-starred Dry Creek Kitchen for a Jazz and Wine dinner on Monday night. There’s no cover, but the Charlie Palmer menu and the popular Kai Devitt-Lee Trio means that advance reservations are strongly recommended.

Wendesday June 9: Another local guitarist has been workshopping his talent hereabouts for years, but this Festival is the first time he’s fronted his own band at the Raven Theater. Christian Foley-Beining brings a quartet to the stage as the opening act on Wednesday night, but don’t be late: the German-born guitarist (and local leathersmith) has begun a fruitful association with legendary woodwind virtuoso Paul McCandless, whose fusion band Oregon was one of the leading improvisational groups of the 1970s, blending Indian ragas, Western classical, space music and jazz into a unique sound.

But Christian’s not the only local talent on the Raven stage that night. The George Cables Trio headlines, and the piano-driven threesome will be enhanced by vocalist Shea Breaux Wells, another Healdsburg resident. She was a surprise hit at the 2008 Festival, and turned her local debut into opportunity by burning the CD “Blind Date” with George Cables, Billy Hart, Craig Handy and other musicans she met at the Festival. With the expressive improvisations and evocative colorations of Cables and his trio, Shea is sure to shine again. Tickets for this Wednesday June 9 show are a real bargain — just $15 general, $10 for students and seniors.

Saturday Afternoons: You don’t have to get all dressed up for the Raven Theater to see our local legends-in-the-making. Just stroll downtown to one of the winery tasting rooms that have partnered with us to present Jazz & Wine Pairings on both Festival Saturdays, June 5 and June 12. You’ll find Herb Gibson at Murphy-Goode, Gary Johnson at Topel, and Bay Area duo Mad & Eddie Duran at Ferrari-Carano.

It’s part of what makes the Healdsburg Jazz Festival the biggest little jazz festival in the West. Watch out, Reno!

Jazz and Wine Pairings

Visit our tasting room sponsors to sample their wines while enjoying local jazz

Saturday, June 5

Herb Gibson Trio

Location: : Murphy-Goode Tasting Room
20 Matheson Streeet, phone 707-431-7644
Time: 3 – 5 pm

Herb Gibson is jazz history — a fine vibes player, as well as a great singer, Herb is heir to the throne of the late great Milt Jackson. Join us at the Murphy-Goode Tasting Room in downtown Healdsburg, where you can drink in the Murphy-Goodeness of some of our all-time favorite wines. We think you will enjoy the tradition of all things Goode — friendship, hard work, a wicked sense of humor, a great bottle of wine, and jazz.

Saturday, June 12

Gary Johnson Trio

Location: Topel Tasting Room
125 Matheson Street, phone 707-433-4166
Time: 3 – 5 pm

Local saxman Gary Johnson fronts a trio at Topel Tasting Room, just a few steps east of the Plaza on Matheson. Mark and Donnis Topel craft exquisite, artisan wines that have won medals at prestigious wine competitions and praise from the nation’s best-known wine critics. Visit their tasting room and enjoy melodic jazz as you sniff, swirl and sip. Appetizers provided, wine available by the glass.

Eddie and Madeline Duran Trio

Location: Seasons of the Vineyard Bar & Boutique
113 Plaza Street, phone 431-2222
Time: 4 – 6 pm

San Francisco Bay Area’s favorite, the Eddie and Madeline Duran Trio  brings their live instrumental jazz to wine country! Join us at Seasons of the Vineyard on the Plaza for a taste of your favorite Ferrari-Carano wines paired with delectable small bites. Sip and sample, sway to the beat of modern, Latin, Brazilian, and bebop jazz tunes sure to soothe your soul while we satisfy your palate. Start your summer evening out groovin’!